Spike had taken her for pizza and ice cream after she had helped him straighten up his room. He’d never seen someone get so happy over greasy pizza before. She was practically beaming when he led her into the pizzeria and told her to order anything she wanted.
And then the ice cream! If he hadn’t been hot for her before, he sure as hell was now. The way she’d licked her ice cream cone had him uncomfortably shifting in his seat for twenty minutes. It was too sinful for an innocent girl like her to be using her tongue that way.
Shaking the thoughts from his head, he walked over to the bedroom door and poked his head in. She was sound asleep, her tiny fist curled around the black comforter. Peaceful was probably the best way to describe how she looked curled up in his bed.
He gave her one final glance as he closed the door. The poor girl had been through a lot and it awed him that she could be so comfortable around him. He figured it was mostly due to his Uncle and the relationship he and Buffy’d had. Seeing a good man like Rupert showed her that not all men were complete bastards, made it a little easier for her to trust again.
Going to the refrigerator, he pulled out a six pack of Heineken and made his way to the front door. He made sure he closed the door softly before taking the few steps to his neighbor’s apartment and knocked on the door.
The door opened after a few knocks and Spike waved the beer in front of Xander Harris’ face. With a quick nod, Xander let him through and they made their way into the living room.
“So, what do I owe this grand pleasure to?” Xander asked, grabbing one of the beers and popping the top with his pocket knife.
Shrugging, Spike took a long drink from his bottle. “The missus home?”
“Nah, she had to go into work. Something about a bad purchasing order that she had to straighten out with Cordelia,” Xander replied, his attention bouncing from the football game on television and Spike.
“So how’s she likin’ the job so far?”
Spike had gotten Anya a job at The Blue Temple a few months ago. It had been a win-win position as far as he was concerned. Cordelia’s bookkeeper had just retired and Anya had just lost her job with an accounting firm, it hadn’t been difficult to put two and two together.
“She likes it a lot. She has been meaning to have you over for dinner or something,” Xander told him.
“I’m glad t’ hear it.”
“Oh, hey!” Xander turned to face him. “Did some girl find you last night? She came by here looking for you and I sent her to The Blue Temple. I figured she knew you pretty well since she kept calling you William.”
“Hmm. Let me think. Did she have kinda golden hair, about yay-” Spike held his hand up to Buffy approximate height, “-tall?”
“Yeah,” Xander said, nodding.
“Cute little nose and hazel green eyes, wearin’ a blue sleeveless number?”
“Yeah.”
“Teenager, about sixteen?”
“Ye-Huh? She was only sixteen?” Xander shook his head. “She didn’t look sixteen.”
“Well, she was and I have the bloody mind to pop you one good for sending her out to the strip alone.”
Holding up his hands in surrender, Xander said, “It’s not my fault you had a sixteen year old girl look- Hey, wait a minute! What the hell was a sixteen year old girl doing looking for you anyhow? I mean, damn, Spike! I knew you liked ‘em young and all but-”
“Shut your gob, whelp. She’s related t’ me and she needed a place t’ stay,” Spike told him.
“Oh. How are you related? I thought you didn’t have anyone.”
Thanks for bringing up a sore subject, wanker. As much as he hated to admit it, though, Xander was right. He didn’t have anyone, not family or friends. Not any that were close, at least.
“She’s my uncle’s stepdaughter.”
Xander frowned. “Your uncle that died, right?”
Oh, he was slow tonight. Xander wasn’t usually this dense, but it seemed with the combination of beer and football he had lost all intelligence.
“Right.”
“So, why does she need a place to stay? Where was she living before?”
“With her dad. But she hasn’t told me why she’s here yet. Bit tight-lipped about the matter to be honest. I ‘spect it has somethin’ t’ do with her father though.”
Xander looked back to the television and took a drink from his beer. “She ran away, then? Not that I blame her if she was being abused or something. Why’d she come to you?”
“I met her at the funeral and I told her if she needed anything she could ask me. Seems she took me up on the offer,” Spike replied, a slight smile on his lips.
“What are you going to do now? I mean, this could potentially get kinda sticky if her dad comes looking for her or the cops.”
Leaning back into the back of the sofa, Spike folded his arms. “I don’ have the slightest fuckin’ clue what I’m goin’ t’ do. She can’t go t’ school here, not if there’s a chance someone might find her. And I don’ exactly know what might happen if they did. Jail time does not appeal t’ me in the least.”
Xander hummed in agreement.
“But I can’t jus’ let her fend for herself and she’s not goin’ back t’ that bastard if I have any say in the matter. I’ve been where she was and it wasn’t pretty. She deserves better than that.”
“Well, you can count me and An’ in if you need help,” Xander said, tipping the top of his bottle towards Spike.
That would be a huge help. Spike had been wondering what he was going to do with her while he was work. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust her, but she was in a new place and something bad could happen while he was gone and she wouldn’t have anybody to help her. With Xander just across the way, he could feel confident in letting her be by herself at night.
“Speakin’ of help, would it be too much t’ ask if I wanted you t’ check up on her while I was at work?”
“Nah, I wouldn’t mind. Bring her by tomorrow,” Xander replied, taking another leisurely sip from his beer.
“I think we’ll be able to make an appearance.”
Buffy screamed, bolting upright in the bed.
Since her parents had died, she’d had horrible nightmares in which she witnessed their accident. Sometimes she was the cause of it and that scared her more than anything. She wasn’t there when they had died, but there was always this fear that she’d been to blame somehow. Her dreams just solidified that fear and there were many nights she fought sleep to spare herself the terror of the images that weren’t even real.
“Spike?” She called out, hoping she didn’t have to wake him.
When she used to wake up from a nightmare at her father’s house, there had been no one to comfort her. She had felt so alone.
Pulling back the covers, she slid out of bed and padded across the carpet to the door. “Spike?” She opened the door and peered into the living room, her gaze settling on the empty couch.
Where was he? The bathroom door was open and the light was off so she knew he wasn’t there. Stepping into the living room, she glanced around the apartment. He wasn’t anywhere to be found.
Falling onto the couch she pulled her knees up to her chest. He hadn’t said anything about needing to leave. Surely if he had to go to work, he would have told her. Of course, he didn’t owe her any explanations; it was his house after all. But that didn’t stop her from feeling dismissed.
After the dream and now finding herself alone, she couldn’t help the tears that began flowing freely from her tired eyes. She had never been the type to feel sorry for herself, but in this instance, she wondered why she was being punished. What could she have possibly done so wrong that would garner this type of pain as her retribution?
What had been mild tears had now turned into choking sobs. Her body was convulsing with the strength of her cries and she hugged her knees tighter to her body, rocking back and forth.
She didn’t hear the door open or the sound of Spike’s hurried steps to her. She barely felt the cushions dip under his weight or the heavy arm that encased her. It wasn’t until she heard his calming voice that she even knew he was there.
“Shh, kitten. Its okay, I’m here now. C’mon, don’ cry, Buffy,” he said to her, his hold tightening around her.
Despite his attempts to calm her, she continued to sob wretchedly. Her tears soaked the front of his black t-shirt as she clung to him.
“Its okay, baby. Calm down an’ tell me what’s wrong,” Spike whispered to her, his large hand rubbing her back in a circular motion.
She shook her head against his chest. Strength and courage had left her and all that remained was fear and uncertainty.
He lifted her chin and she looked up at him through wet lashes. “There’s my girl.” Brushing the hair from her face, he kissed her forehead.
Her voice started to gain some volume as she asked, “Where were you?”
“Is that what this is about?” He frowned, searching her eyes for the answer. “Oh, buggar. Luv, I’m sorry. I was next door talkin’ t’ Xander. You were asleep so I figured you wouldn’t notice if I popped out for a minute.”
“Oh,” she replied in a small voice. Now she felt really stupid.
“Why don’ I get you back t’ bed? I promise I won’ leave again.”
She nodded. “Okay.”
Standing up, he swept her up in his arms and carried her to the bedroom. He set her down in the bed and drew the covers around her. He sat down on the edge and brought his hand up to caress her flushed cheek.
“You alright now?” He asked her.
“Yeah, I’m better.”
“Good. You should get some sleep. Call me if you need me, yeah?”
He leaned down and brushed his lips against hers and suddenly her whole body froze. She could feel his warm breath tickling the skin below her nose and her lips tingled from the sensation of his mouth on hers.
It hadn’t lasted but mere seconds, but that hadn’t made the experience any less intense.
Looking up, she saw a myriad of emotions play on Spike’s face, each more confusing to decode as the next. Maybe she had done something wrong.
“Did I do something wrong?” She watched his expression solidify.
“No, luv, you didn’t do anything wrong. It’s just been a long day an’ I think we could both use some sleep,” he replied, standing up.
Again, he seemed to be saying one thing but the look in his eyes told a different story. What was he hiding from her?
“Goodnight, Buffy.” Spike turned away from the bed and started for the door.
“Spike, wait!”
“What?” He asked from the door.
Sitting up, she clutched tightly at the comforter. “Could you just, maybe, hold me until I fall asleep?”
Buffy could see the debate going on in his head. She realized it was a lot to ask of him, but after the nightmare she’d had, there was no way she was going to be able to sleep on her own.
“Sure, pet,” he said with a soft smile.
Spike moved to the bed and laid down next to her, gathering her in his arms. She could feel his hard chest against her back, his arms banded tightly around her waist. His scent floated around her and she could feel the light pull of sleep tugging at her.
Snuggling closer to him, she closed her eyes and let sleep overtake her.
A/N: After this chapter, be prepared because I am really going to try and pick up the pace a bit. I’ve got a lot of ground to cover and that will be nearly impossible if I keep at the rate I’m going. Hope you all enjoyed! Look forward to seeing your wonderful comments. ~Jae