Chapter Ten
They say that I must learn to kill before I can feel safe
But I, I'd rather kill myself than turn into their slave
Sometimes I feel that I should go and play with the thunder
Somehow I just don't wanna stay and wait for a wonder
I've been watching, I've been waiting
In the shadows for my time
I've been searching, I've been living
For tomorrows all my life
“In the Shadows” - The Rasmus
Buffy had made a quick sweep of the other cemeteries before rounding in on Restfield with an extra bounce in her step. The only possible damper was the fresh grass stain that graced her cute pants that she had spent hours picking out earlier that evening so she would look perfect for the big meeting. She could get over that though.
“Buffy.”
Well there was a definite downside.
“Angel.”
“Can we talk?” he asked.
Buffy shrugged. It wouldn’t do to ignore him, he might just follow her. And that would be very much of the bad. He might spot Spike, or smell him on her. Again. She took a step back, just to be safe. “I suppose. What about?”
“A situation has arisen,” he said gravely. “My family is in town.”
“Really? You kept track of them after all this time. How many great uncles would that make,” asked Buffy with fake interest. “Will there be a reunion?”
“My Vampire family,” he corrected.
Well duh. “Oh, like that Darla chick.”
“Yes. This is Spike, my Grandchilde. He’s. . .”
“Spike? The one you smelled on me?”
“Yes.”
“Maybe I’ve met him then. What’s he look like?”
“This is a very serious matter, Buffy. He’s dangerous.” He paused, and when she only gave him a look of annoyance, he plunged on. “He’s killed two Slayers. He won’t stop until he gets what he wants.”
“And that would be?” Buffy was annoyed now, she hated when Angel did this, she felt like he was treating her like a helpless child. A vampire, was a vampire. They were all dangerous. They all wanted the Slayer dead. Spike just happened to be on her side. Not that she could tell him that.
“You dead.” Ha. If only he knew.
“I can take care of myself.”
“If Spike’s here, that means his sire, Drusilla, won’t be far behind. And she’s just as deadly.”
“Nice family you got there,” said Buffy sarcastically.
“Their up to something. Spike is practically attached to Drusilla’s hip, and has been since she sired him. The fact that they’re not together can’t be a good.”
Buffy quickly decided she didn’t much like this Drusilla girl, nope, not one bit. Object of Spike’s affections for a hundred years but quite obviously emotionally scarring and abusive, and still quite enamored with a demon that was replaced by the vampire with a soul standing in front of her. Nope. Not much to like.
Was she jealous? Sure, she had been a big part of William’s life, and he was once her willing slave. Anyone in her position would be jealous of such a presence. But did she feel threatened. Absolutely not, Spike had given her no reason to be, not that she had much to go on as of yet. But so far, it was all good.
She needed to get rid of him. She was already late for her meeting with Spike, and it wouldn’t do for Angel to sense him, here, in the cemetery. Somebody might do something rash.
“I promise. I’ll be careful.”
He gave her a long, hard look. “Alright.”
When he didn’t leave, she asked, “Anything else?”
“Um. . . no,” he said awkwardly. It was the never ending conversation, the one you wanted to end but couldn’t without seeming rude or acting suspicious.
Take a hint and leave already. She had a guy to meet.
“Well I have to patrol. Vampires and all. So. . .”
“Right. I’ll let you know if I hear anything more.”
“Kay.”
She watched him walk away, rolling her eyes at his receding back. When she saw that he was out of sight, she began looking around, anticipation and nerves building within her.
“Can’t much take a hint, can he?”
***
If you’re gonna rob a place, you better get the good stuff. You’re lucky if you get one shot, and one should never assume you’re going to get a second chance. Especially when dealing with someone from the Watcher’s Council, who would take their collection quite seriously. So when Spike found himself within the library he didn’t meander into the stacks, but into the private office of Rupert Giles which would hopefully contain a private stash of sorts.
It did. More specific, there were several old volumes and a few Watcher’s diaries, which the vampire was quick to knick, replacing them with several similar looking books in the hopes that he wouldn’t catch onto the ruse right away. If they needed any others, Buffy had an all access pass to the library, she would just have to be careful about it.
Spike closed the door behind him and began his trek to the graveyard in preparation for his meeting, his thoughts turning to the Slayer he had talked to just the night before, face to face for the first time.
It had gone better than he imagined it would. The only hindrance was the invisible barrier that stood between him and the window, that prevented him finding the comfort in her arms that would assure him that she was real and lessen the need to feel his skin against hers for the first time outside the dream. She had felt the same, in fact he had seemed better at hiding it.
They were drawn to each other for no explainable reason. Even the anger and fear she had felt towards him for whatever purpose quickly disappeared with just a few simple words of truth. And he had spoken the truth, he couldn’t harm her, just the thought made him ill, made him physically and emotionally hurt. It was a battle what he felt towards her, the conflicting emotions, and what he wanted and knew he should want.
The pull, the bond that he knew was there had strengthened in her presence while weakening at the same time. Strengthening as the connection between them grew and began to solidify, and weakening as there was no longer a desire, or need really, to go out and find her, she was already there. He knew clearly what it was. but the question was how it had come into place when neither one of them had ever come across the other before. Unless he was misinterpreting it, the meaning behind it. Because such a pull was only experienced between mated vampires, bound together for eternity. Never had they initiated such a ritual and it was impossible to imitate especially without the consent or knowledge of the parties involved. So it couldn’t be that, but it had to be something similar to invoke such strong feelings.
They only had the simple fact that it was somehow connected to the ‘dreams’ they shared. The question was how such a thing was even possible. It was what it always came down to.
“. . .my family is in town.”
Spike doubled back recognizing the voice of his grandsire. It wouldn’t do for him to sense him now especially seeing as he was already warning everyone under the sun about him. Stupid family. Always worked against you, never for you.
He watched the Slayer blatantly ignored his efforts to warn her, looking bored as Peaches tried to explain the possible dangers. Luckily she knew otherwise. He winced at the mention of Drusilla and his previous adoration of the chit, hoping that Buffy wouldn’t buy the talk Angel was sprouting. She knew the basics of the relationship, but not enough where if he pushed hard enough Angel might still be able to push his view.
After that the conversation seemed to dwindle down, Angelus trying desperately to find a reason to stay and her pushing him to take the hint to leave, and finally he did. He watched her roll her eyes and then when he was positive that he had vacated the area he popped out of his hiding spot.
“Can’t take a hint, can he?”
She jumped, surprised by his sudden appearance. “Don’t do that.”
Spike laughed. “You’re the Slayer. Sense me.” They began walking side by side, as he led the way to his Crypt that he had acquired shortly after dropping into town. “So what was that all about?” He asked, without really needing to.
“You,” she replied, then gave him a quick punch in the shoulder. A quick and hard punch might he add. “You really killed two Slayers?”
“I told you that, luv. First thing.” He had done it in the hopes of striking fear within her, thus giving them a reason to fight. Instead she stared at him a bit, almost as if she was waiting for him to attack, and then changed the subject to her training session earlier that afternoon and how her Watcher had seemed quite impressed with her ability. Spike hoped she wasn’t going to hold it against him now. They had taken enough steps back in the past year, that they didn’t need any more.
“I thought you were bragging,” she admitted with shrug. “I thought maybe one tops, and the second one you just added on for show.”
“Not really something you can lie about, pet.”
She shrugged. “I suppose. Oh, hey, did you get the goods?”
Spike smirked, finally onto to a topic that didn’t grate on his nerves. “That I did.” Pulling her inside his
crypt, he placed the books on the floor in front of them when they got settled.
Rubbing her hands together gleefully she began to glance at the covers. Spike couldn’t help but feel proud of the negative influence he seemed to have on her. “You took his Watcher’s Diaries. Will - Spike, he’s bound to notice these are missing.”
“So?”
“I’m going to be working triple over time, and be forced to listen to him ramble on about how important these books are,” complained Buffy. “Plus, I can’t lie to him.”
“You won’t be unless he asks directly if you know who took them.”
“And I do.”
“Which in that case you’ll have to lie.”
Buffy moaned, banging her head lightly against the wall behind her. “You just had to take these didn’t you?”
“Watchers always get the inside scoop. Most up to date information.”
“Ugh, fine. But if I go down, you are so coming with me.” He decided not to point out the fact that if she told on him, he would most likely be on the receiving end of a very pointy wooden stake.
“Just read up, luv.”
“I won’t like it.”
“Wouldn’t expect you to.”
They leaned back each taking a book in hand, sitting shoulder to shoulder, knee to knee, comfortable silence lingering as they skimmed the pages. Her body heat radiated off her, her close presence making it difficult for him to concentrate on anything but her. Spike shifted, if only in an attempt to get closer to Buffy, to feel her. That alone made reading through the junk in front of him worth it.
***
“Looks like the Watcher’s been saying stuff about you,” teased Spike a little while later.
“You shouldn’t be reading that,” said Buffy, making a grab for the book which Spike placed just out of reach. “What did he say?”
“Little attention span, blah, blah, Unfocused, blah, blah, blah, Badly disciplined, blah, blah, blah, oh and a skilled fighter,” read Spike in a stuffy tone.
Buffy placed a hand over her heart in mock pride. “He really said I was skilled fighter?”
“Sure thing, pet,” said Spike with a smirk. “Did ya find anything yet?”
“I’ll tell you when I decipher this guys writing,” said Buffy. She let out a frustrated sigh and put her book down. “We suck at this.”
“Well maybe if you spent a little less time on your fighting skills and a little more time focusing, we wouldn’t have that problem,” teased the Vampire.
She pouted. “I hate you.”
“That mean I don’t get my kiss?”
She ducked her head, and Spike felt her cheeks redden. “Who said you were ever going to get one to begin with?”
“You still on about that?” questioned an exasperated Spike. He had snuck a kiss a few months back to see what would happen. He hadn’t really seen the point, dream kissing, how was one supposed to get any pleasure off of that. Didn’t make much sense, they were better off spending their time talking, at least get something productive down then. Instead of simply partaking in an act for the sake of it.
Plus, add in the fact that vampires and Slayers just simply don’t partake in any form of snogging, it went against the cardinal rule of enemies. Which was something, at the time, that Spike had planned to uphold to a T. To the best of his abilities anyway. With each passing night they slowly broke each of those rules, till eventually they didn’t seem to matter anymore. He had to face it, the relationship he had with Buffy just wasn’t going to be a normal Slayer-vampire relationship, the bond that somehow existed between them simply didn’t allow it. Spike was vastly approaching the point that he just didn’t care though.
But anyway, Spike’s curiosity had finally gotten the best of him, and he decided to go in for the final blow. He had complained that she had tasted like apples, a despised fruit on his part, and she had moaned about him tasting like everything from blood to alcohol to cigarettes. An unfortunate side effect of the dreams apparently; they enhanced the senses tenfold making the situation more than awkward. And now it was coming back to haunt him when he wanted to do nothing more than take her in his arms and snog her senseless. She was just so close, the warmth radiating off her touching his insides.
He wanted her. All of her. Wanted her now. And without second guessing his decision he closed the distance between them.
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Author's Chapter Notes:
Based off of challenge 234 at the Bloodshedverse. Lyrics: “In the Shadows” - The Rasmus. Thanks to basilio_the_cat for the beta job. And also thanks to everyone who has taken the time to review. It means a lot.