“Hey!” she exclaimed and lunged for it.
“You’re cut off, Princess.”
“Oooh, that’s a new one.”
“You like it?”
“As long as you haven’t called anyone else that, I love it.”
“I haven’t. That was just for you.” Note to self: Do not tell Buffy ever that you called Dru your Dark Princess.
She beamed at him. “Great. So, you have a question now.”
Oh, thank God. She forgot. He somehow managed to avert that disaster. Did she have any idea what she did to him?
“What happened the other night with your parents?”
“Oh, the night you left to get laid from Anya?”
“Buffy—“
“I stood up to my mother.”
His eyes widened. “You did? How?”
“I told her basically that it was my life, and my decision to stay here and stay here I would. I also told her that I was not going to send you away and that you were a great cop and would protect me as you promised…can I get some more wine? I’m starting to get a headache.”
Spike still held the bottle firmly in his hand, looking at her in awe. “You said all that?”
“Yep.”
“What did she say?”
“She huffed and she puffed and…” she broke off giggling, “I think she wanted to blow my house down, but she just said not to call her when I get killed.”
“She said that to you?” Spike growled.
“Come on, it’s funny if you think about that for a minute.”
“Buffy…”
“So, my dad was on my side, of course. But then he was beckoned away.”
“Buffy, I’m so sorry,” Spike said softly.
She blinked, “Why?”
“While you were here defending me, I was…God, why did you defend me?” He felt lower than low. While he was out trying to bang Anya to get relief because he really wanted Buffy, Buffy had been here defending him and standing up to her mother….God, what an idiot he was!
“Because you’re a good cop,” she said simply.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t here.”
“I told you to go,” she reminded him softly. “Can we change the subject now?”
“Sure, kitten, we can.”
“Ask me something else.”
“Okay, I have to think—“
“Did you sleep with Anya that night?” Buffy blurted out.
Spike shook his head, making sure to look directly at her so she could see the honesty in his face. “No, luv, I didn’t.”
“Why not?”
“Buffy—“
“Just tell me, please.”
“She didn’t want me. She was still angry with me.”
Buffy looked down, “Oh.”
Making his way around the counter, he lifted her chin up, making her look at him. “Buffy…I …I went there because—“
He was cut off by Buffy’s plump and luscious lips kissing him hungrily. Her fingers were digging into his shoulders as she drew him close to her, his hands found her waist and pulled her up against him, their bodies melding together.
“I went there,” Spike began – “I went there to see her because—“
Pounding sounded from the door and a man’s voice, yelling through the door, alerted Spike. He looked over at the monitor’s.
“Spike?”
“Buffy, do you know who that is?” Spike asked, pointing to the monitor of the front door.
Buffy turned to look and exclaimed immediately. “Angel!”
Oh shit, the brother.
Buffy was already off and running to the front door to let her brother in, Finn beside him.
“Buffy, what the hell is going on?” Angel demanded. He pointed at Spike. “Who the hell is that and why am I being escorted to your door?”
“Buffy, this is your brother, right?” Finn asked her.
“Yes, Riley, it is. You’ve seen him before!”
“I just wanted to make sure—“
“Thanks, Finn!” Spike said, shutting the door on his face once Angel was inside.
Angel; tall, dark, with brown eyes that were sizing Spike up – and somehow Spike didn’t think he was adding up—was actually almost menacing. Most likely because he was clearly annoyed. He was glaring at Spike as if he knew of his intent to bed Buffy - and wasn't his appearance a serious wake-up call in the cold shower department.
"Angel, calm down," Buffy demanded.
Seeming to listen to his sister, Angel took a deep breath, "All right, I'm calmed down. Now what the hell is going on?"
That seemed to annoy Buffy more and she just shook her head, letting out a heavy sigh of annoyance. "It's a long story. I want you to sit down."
"I'm not an imbecile, Buffy. I know nothing good every comes from another person saying 'I want you to sit down'."
"Some thieves broke into the house while I was in the shower," Buffy said matter-of-factly.
"I think I need to sit," Angel whispered and made his way over to the couch, dumping his bags along the way on the carpet.
Spike raised a brow, watching the exchange between the siblings. It seemed a penchant for the dramatics ran rampant through the family, though Buffy didn't seem all that much like a Drama Queen at all. She was possibly the most down-to-Earth, so far, of the Summers clan that he'd met.
Settling back in a corner chair, Spike watched the scene unfold before him. Buffy was tiny like her mother, and Angel was big and broad like Hank, and he was sure was going to have tendencies towards Hank's huskiness later on if he wasn't careful. And, Spike noted, Angel was definitely not gay.
"Are you all right?" Angel asked his sister.
"I'm fine, Angel."
"How did this happen?"
Buffy relayed the story with much trepidation, and Spike watched Storm Angel grow darker and darker with anger. His jaw was twitching, which meant he was clearly clenching, and his eyes were growing narrower and narrower. When his nostrils started to flare, Spike was pretty sure he was going to blow at any moment.
When Angel's focus went straight to Spike, Spike sat up taller and stared him in the eye. He was not going to let this man intimidate him. "And now you're here," Angel said simply.
"Yep."
“And you got my sister drunk?”
“She did that of her own volition.”
“So, you’re not taking advantage of her?”
Spike glared at him, “No. I would not do something like that to Buffy.”
That seemed to appease Angel. Spike knew he’d been testing him, seeing if he had malicious intent towards Buffy, if he was legit or if he was there to take advantage of her and her situation. Spike couldn’t blame the guy for that. He was her brother, after all, and he’d probably seen his share of people trying to use and abuse Buffy for whatever reason. The thought of that angered Spike.
“Is there any way to get that Finn character off this case?” Angel asked.
Spike broke into a wide grin. “You’re not such a bad bloke after all, are you?”
When Angel had finished questioning Buffy and Spike on all the happenings since he’d been gone, he’d claimed exhaustion and went to bed, promising to be out of their hair the following day. Not that Buffy minded having her brother around, but she was sort of glad he was going to his own apartment. She wanted Spike to herself.
That interruption though had sealed it for them for the night, for after Angel went to bed, so did Spike. Buffy sat up in bed, pouting as she channel surfed. They’d been on the brink of something potentially amazing and it had all came to an abrupt halt. Now she felt jipped. Whatever had been building had shattered and Buffy wasn’t sure if and when they’d get it back. Spike blew hot and cold so much, she wasn’t sure exactly where she stood with him. Sometimes she felt as though he might want her back, and other times, it was as if he just wanted to run for cover.
Taking a deep breath, Buffy flung the remote on the bed and climbed out of bed. She wanted answers, dammit, and answers she was going to get.
It was time to talk to Spike, and she didn’t care if he was sleeping. She wanted to talk to him now.