Stretching and yawning loudly, Spike stood, feeling his muscles creak in protest. Right, maybe if Buffy did decide to stay with him, he’d invest in an air mattress. Nature calling, he meandered into the kitchen, yawning again.
Buffy was humming as she cracked eggs on a skillet. She was a strange one all right, she was singing “Oh, What a Beautiful Morning”, from Oklahoma! softly. Coming over to her, he tapped her arm.
She whipped toward him, spatula poised for attack. He chuckled and grabbed her wrist before it could descend. He met her green eyes and was once again, swept away by her beauty. The sun from the porch door poured in behind her and made her look ethereal to him.
She relaxed in his grip. “Sorry. Just reflex.”
“Don’t apologize. Those are good reflexes to have. Did you sleep well, pet?” he asked, releasing her wrist. And here were some more pet names.
“Yes, I did. Thank—not thanking you, right.”
“Look, Buffy, I’m sorry I snapped at you like that. The day and the night caught up with me at that point. Forgive me?”
She waved her hand, dismissing his apology. “You don’t have to explain anything to me. Of course I forgive you. I hope you don’t mind that I decided to make breakfast. I was hungry and I figured after all you did for me…”
“I didn’t do much,” he drawled and scratched his bare stomach.
“Sure you did,” she said and went back to the skillet.
He went to the bathroom, which was attached to the kitchen, came back, and set about making coffee and pouring orange juice. She was setting the feast she made out and he had to grin at the spread. He was famished, and it was nice to have his flat smelling like someone actually lived here instead of just crashing occasionally. He sat down with her and when she was looking at him, he said “I didn’t know I had this stuff here.”
She chuckled, “I don’t think you spend a lot of time here, do you?”
“I don’t,” he admitted, running his hand through his bleached blond locks.
“How old are you, Spike?”
“I’m thirty-three. How old are you?”
“Twenty-nine.”
“You’re such a young un,” he teased.
She rolled her eyes. “Hardly.”
“Compared to me you are.”
She laughed, “You’re only four years older. My brother is the same age as you.”
“Are you very close?”
“Yes, we are. He’s been watching out for me for a long time.”
“Oh?”
“Well, you know, growing up being deaf, you get teased a lot. No one understands it, and you sound funny, so I understand from being told anyway. Angel was my protector. He got into a lot of fights beating up the kids in the school yard that made fun of me.”
Spike didn’t blame him. He had a wish to get names so he could arrest them just for the hell of it. How could anyone pick on someone with a disability like that? It was inconceivable to him. Especially someone like Buffy.
“How are you not bitter?” he asked, before he could think about what he was saying.
She shrugged, buttering her toast. “Well, there’s really no point. I can’t change things. They are the way they are. And kids are cruel. Some of those same kids that picked on me became my close friends as we get older. Kids just don’t understand differences as well.”
“Buffy,” he asked with some hesitancy. “Were you very much in love with your boyfriend?”
She shook her head, looking regretful. “No. What about you, Spike? Do you have a girlfriend?”
“No, I don’t.”
“That works out well then.”
His pulse jumped, “How so?”
“Well, it’d be a bit of an awkward for you to be watching out for me if you had a girlfriend. I wouldn’t want to be the cause of problems.”
“Oh. Well, that’s very sweet of you.”
“I try,” she grinned. Gesturing to the spread, she ordered him to eat. Happily, he dug in.
Whistling to himself, and chuckling inwardly when he realized it was “Oh, What a Beautiful Morning”, Spike dried off from his shower and quickly threw on his clothes and set about shaving.
He hadn’t asked Buffy yet if she wanted to go back to her house or stay here with him. He didn’t want to pressure her, having got the impression she didn’t do well with pressuring.
He lifted the shaving cream bottle in his hand and was about to squirt some out when he heard a shriek. Dropping the bottle, he bolted out the bathroom and found Buffy with her back up against the wall across the kitchen and Anya, Christ, Anya in her face, waving a finger in her face and ranting. Buffy was looking down at Anya with her eyes wide. She looked fearful, which was funny considering all that had happened to her. Anya was just a pint-sized woman, though…she was a hellion. He wouldn’t put it past her to scratch Buffy’s eyes out.
“How dare you hit me!” Anya yelled.
Spike was halfway across the room when he heard that, and that gave him pause for half a second. When he finally reached the pair, he grabbed Anya’s arm and hauled the blond off Buffy.
“Anya, get out of her face,” he ordered, annoyed.
“Who is she? Huh? Who is she William Giles?”
“I’m Buffy, I told you—“ Buffy tried to explain, still close enough to be able to read Anya’s lips.
“I’m not talking to you!” Anya screamed at her.
Buffy shut her mouth and started to slink away. Anya, catching this out of the corner of her eye, halted her with a look.
“Anya, leave her alone. She’s a witness and she’s under my care. I didn’t call you last night because this was sprung on me last minute,” Spike explained as calmly as he could. God, this was exactly what drove him nuts about her; her screeching and flying off the handle over every little thing.
“Why did your stepfather give it to you? Why couldn’t someone else do it? Can’t you ask him if someone else can take care of the bimbo?”
“She is not a bimbo!” Spike hollered. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Buffy staring at him nervously, and he took a calming breath.
“Don’t you yell at me, William!”
“Anya,” Spike began, calmer this time, “I slept on the couch last night. She is in my care; my stepfather does not care about my personal life when it comes to giving me assignments, and you need to calm down.”
She huffed and crossed her arms across her chest, stamping her foot. “I don’t like this.”
“Nothing I can do about that,” Spike said, shrugging.
“One day, William Giles,” Anya warned, her finger in his face, “You’re going to be sorry you jerked me around!” And with that she left, slamming the door behind her, causing Buffy to jump. He was sure she could feel the vibrations from the slam since it reverberated through the flat.
Buffy looked at him accusingly, “I thought you didn’t have a girlfriend?”