“Geez, nervous much?’ Buffy muttered from the couch, where she was curled up with one of the numerous ancient texts Wesley had carried over earlier in the week. “You know, your Dad might not appreciate replacing the carpet when he gets here. What, with all the vanquishing of the demon from his house and all.” When she felt Spike’s angry glare boring into her skull, she peeked up from the book and grinned at him. “Hello? Sense of humor, much? I was just trying to lighten the mood.”
“Sorry, luv…it’s just that I’m a bit more nervous than I had anticipated…thought that four days to get my side of the argument together would be enough, but it seems like I’ll never be ready for the confrontation with my Da.” With a defeated look on his face, Spike flopped down next to her on the couch and settled for channeling his nervous energy through flicking his lighter, instead of pacing.
“So, you’re pretty sure that he’s going to choose the angry, yelling course of action and not the ‘Hey, Buffy, welcome to the family’ kinda route?” Laying the book next to the couch, she sat up and scooted closer to Spike; nestling her head on his chest, his chin on the top of her head. “Guess it’s expected…our luck’s been too good so far, with the exception of Fred, but that worked out ok in the end, right?”
“Yeah, pet…Fred’s come ‘round, but not without causing us both a great deal of pain first. Not rightly sure that m’Da will handle the news as well.” Placing a kiss to the top of her head, Spike continued, “Of course, I’m hoping for the best, but expecting the worst when he arrives. Let’s just say that we’ve had our…disagreements over how to deal with...well, you. And, I am quite certain that he didn’t mean for the plan of action to include snogging or shagging, kitten…much less moving you into our home.”
“Spike, if my being here is going to continue to cause you trouble with your family and friends I can go back to the mansion. It’s not like I’m totally incapable to taking care of myself, you know?! I mean, I have been doing it for years now.” Pushing away from his chest, Buffy looked around the room uncertainly, before meeting his gaze. “Maybe I should just go?”
“No! You’re staying here and that’s that, pet. Already bloody told you that, quite arguing with me, yeah?” Leaning across the cushion that now separated them, Spike’s lips pressed against hers roughly as he pushed Buffy back against the arm rest. Their embrace quickly heated to a state of frenzied intensity, only to be interrupted by the sharp sound of the front door slamming shut.
“Well, William, I’m rather pleased to find that my holiday was cut short so that I could be privy to your snogging session.” Rupert Giles interjected from the foyer, his voice laden with sarcasm as his bags dropped unceremoniously to the wooden floor. “And this would be…?”
“Da!” Spike choked out as he scrambled off of Buffy, who was busy redoing the buttons on her shirt. “I…uh…thought you were gonna ring when you arrived at the airport.”
“Nonsense, I arranged to have transportation waiting. I was under the impression my return was rather important and I didn’t want to pull you away from the necessary research just to travel all the way to Los Angeles and pick me up. Of course, judging by the lack of pertinent labor you were performing, I was greatly mistaken.” Crossing the room, Rupert idly flipped through the mail. “I do believe I instilled manners in this household, William. Do you plan to put them to use and introduce your lady friend?”
“Oh, right…um, Da you two have already met actually. This is Buffy.” Visibly flinching from the expected response, Spike was both shocked and frightened by his father’s lack of response. “She’s…staying with…us.”
“Right. Very well then.” Rupert muttered, tossing the stack of envelopes back onto the desk; his hands wrapping around the chair back tightly, his knuckles whitening due to the force. “Miss Buffy, my son and I need to talk…privately. Do you mind?”
“O-kay, gotcha. I’ll be making myself scarce.” Buffy hastily replied, crawling off the couch and heading for the front door. “I’ll uh…make a sweep through the usual haunts; see if any baddies are out. I’ll meet you at the Bronze later, ok?” Waiting for Spike’s nod of approval, she disappeared out the front door; halfway down the street before the heavy wooden door closed.
“William, do you mind explaining to me as to why I came home to find you in a rather compromising position with a vampire? Do you have absolutely no respect for me or…anyone other than yourself, for that matter? After all she’s done!” Rupert’s normal composed decorum was quickly vanishing as his temper made itself known. “Well?!” He bellowed when his son’s response wasn’t as forthcoming as expected. “I will not have her living in my home, William!”
“Yes she bloody well will be living here, Da!” Spike yelled back, surprised at his response. Taking a deep breath, he calmed and started again. “Sorry for yelling, but Buffy’s staying."
"You can't possibly tell me that she doesn't have somewhere else to stay." His father asked, blatantly ignoring the tone of voice his son had taken with him. "Surely she has another option besides residing here.”
“She does, but I want her here…with me. Please, Da, you’re just going to have to trust me on this one. I need Buffy here with me. She’s important to what’s going on.” Spike insisted, crossing his arms across his chest.
“I imagine her importance has more to do with the fact that she’s the reason for this entire debacle and less to do with assisting you in the matter of stopping Willow.” Rupert replied dryly, cocking an eyebrow at his offspring in a challenging manner. Before Spike could open his mouth to protest, the elder Giles held up his hand to stop his objections. “I do not wish to discuss this any further, William. I will trust your instincts for the time being, Buffy can continue to stay here, but only until this matter is taken care of. Once Sunnydale is returned to safety, I expect her to find residence elsewhere; preferably far away from this town.”
“You’re wrong about Buffy, Da.” Spike replied, his voice hardened with anger. “She’s changed, but if you refuse to accept that and give her a chance…then I will respect your demands. After I avert yet another apocalypse, she’ll be out of your house…along with me.”
“Very well, son, if that’s the way you feel, then I won’t stop you. I do hate to lose you, but I cannot force your decision. However, I do find it to be completely unbecoming of a Slayer to be involved with a vampire.” Rupert advised, his tone matching his son’s; dripping with distaste as the word vampire rolled of his tongue. “As for now, there is a far more important matter to discuss. Have you been able to locate any more information regarding the upcoming incident?”
“Nothing other than what Buffy was able to get out of Willy the Snitch. Thankfully, she was able to find out that much; otherwise we’d still be wandering around in the dark.” Spike paused long enough to shoot a disapproving look at his father in response to his muttering about Buffy’s involvement. “Actually, there has been mention of using some form of magick to stop Willow. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?” Spike asked, interested in hearing what his father’s response would be; his head cocked to the side as he noticed the slight pause Rupert gave before answering.
“Why on earth would you think I would know anything about magicks, son? As a Watcher, one is rarely trained on something so unstable as the dark arts.” Rupert replied, suddenly interested in the mail again.
“It’s come to my attention that a certain vibe is given off by individuals involved with magick and apparently you are surrounded by it. Wouldn’t know why that is since you aren’t skilled in the practice?” Spike challenged; pleased by his father’s sudden change in demeanor. No longer was he the confident patriarch, but now resembled that of a man with something to hide. “Come on, Da…I can tell you aren’t being overly honest with me.”
Sighing, Rupert tossed the stack of envelopes to the table once more and turned to his son with defeat in his eyes. “Are you sure you want to know, son? My past is something that I am not proud of and have wished to remain silent about.”
“If it will help me defeat Anyanka or stop Willow from being able to follow through with the resurrection…then, yes, I want…no need to know everything, Da. Please?” Spike urged; his voice softening as he tried to convince his father to divulge his deepest, darkest secrets. Sitting down on the couch, Spike motioned for Rupert to join him and was pleased when he did.
“It’s been years since I’ve practiced, well over two decades actually. While I had always held an unnatural interest for magick, I only truly practiced the art for around five years; spanning from the time I turned eighteen to just before my twenty third birthday. That was when I came to realize…no, was forced to the realization that what I had been doing could cause pain to the people I loved.
“There were four of us; a pathetic lot, really. One night our fascination took a turn for the worse, when our harmless bit of entertainment ended up with the death of one of our own. I still don’t know precisely what happened, but an enchantment went wrong, possibly from a bad translation of sorts, which released a demon instead of the spell that was intended. Before we were able to contain the demon, the youngest member of our circle, Gwendolyn Post, was found at the bottom of a ravine; her lifeless body crumpled and bloodied. Thankfully, we managed to reverse everything before anyone else was harmed.” Rupert took a shaky breath, holding back the tears he was unaware had accumulated, and glared at his son. “That was the last time I partook in the mystical arts, William. From that day forth, all of us swore to refrain from magicks.”
“I never imagined…” Spike muttered, “Da, I understand the apprehension you must feel about this discussion, but I honestly believe that with your assistance we might actually have a chance against Willow and her army.” Seeing the look of ambivalence on his father’s face, Spike pushed, “You don’t have to decided now, we’ve got a little time to figure out the best course of action. Just think about it, yeah?”
After an agreement of sorts, Spike pulled on his duster and headed out for patrol; doing a quick sweep of four different cemeteries before realizing that no one was out. The mood was disturbingly hushed; an eerie silence had fallen over the foggy darkness. Tucking his stake into the coat’s pocket, he started in the direction of the Bronze; his senses heightened in preparation for any time of covert attack that Willow might be planning.
In the midst the pulsating lights and writhing bodies on the dance floor, Buffy prowled along the edges; no longer in search of her latest victim. Now she was seeking a very familiar scent, one that her body had ravaged on more than one occasion, but had never grown fully accustomed to. Mysterious and sultry, laced with a hint of vulnerability, the potent fragrance tinged the air and assaulted Buffy’s senses. Stalking along the shadows, Buffy followed the scent as its wearer flittered about the club; as if she knew Buffy was tracking her.
Nearing the darkened overhang located by the stairs, Buffy’s hand clasped around the cool metal pole as she swung around to plant herself directly in front of her prey. Eye to eye, chocolate colored eyes penetrated jade depths as they sized up one another’s presence. Inhaling deeply, Buffy nearly allowed a groan of arousal to slip past her lips as the heavily perfumed air clouded her mind. It had been a long time, but her body still reacted just as intensely as it had so many years ago. There was only one difference now; Buffy’s hormones and blood lust were no longer as out of control as they had once been and hadn’t been since becoming involved with Spike.
Calming the emotions that swirled beneath the calm surface, Buffy smiled darkly and inquired, “So, what brings you to my neck of the woods?”
Chuckling deep in her throat, Faith replied, “Who me? Ah, nothing…just having a good time, but you know all about that doing that, right? What we had was nothing but a good time to you, was it?”
“Wow, Faith, who knew you’d be on the train to Bitter-town?” Buffy replied sarcastically. “Don’t tell me you came all the way across the country just to pout about our break-up. You that hard up for a date?”
“Hey, just living up to my promise.” Faith shot back, anger lacing through the composed appearance she was desperately trying to portray. “Oh, wait…you’d already walked out the door before I had a chance to respond to your…sudden departure. Basically, decided to make you pay for leaving me. The whole shebang…suffering, misery, pain…you know the drill right? You know, being a vampire and all.”
“Yeah, I’m not really looking to buy your exact brand of crazy, Faith.” Knowing exactly what buttons to push to incite anger in her ex-lover, Buffy’s smile brightened when her jab hit the spot. “Aw, was that pissy of me? So sorry, but I don’t take to kindly to threats.”
“Oh, it’s not a threat, Buffy. You can count on that.” Faith seethed, teeth clenched tightly together. “When we’re through with you and your little playmate, you’ll wish you’d just stayed with me in New York!”
“We? Have you taken to carrying a mouse in your pocket or have you finally gone insane and developed another personality?”
“You’ll find out soon enough!” Faith shouted loud enough to cause nearby patrons to stare in their direction. “She promised you’d suffer and I’m going to love watching you wriggle around in pain. We’ll see how much you like loosing your precious Slayer!” Faith’s eyes went wide as she realized what she had said. “I’ve gotta split, B. See ya round, ok?” She started in the direction of the stairs, only to be jerked backwards when Buffy’s talons dug into the tender skin of her upper arm. “Hey! Hands off!”
‘Not so fast, Faith! You’re working with Willow, aren’t you? Huh, guess you have gone insane. Don’t you remember what I told you about her?” Buffy pulled Faith close to her body, barking into her ear.” She’ll do nothing but hurt you.”
“Can’t hurt any worse than what you’ve already done. At least she’s promised to do what you didn’t have the guts to!” Tears streaked Faith’s face in anger as she struggled against Buffy’s hold. “Let me go!” She shrieked, clawing at the blonde’s pale skin leaving scratch marks slashing across her arm.
“Is there a problem here?” They were asked a burly man with a goatee, who was obviously a bouncer. Eyeballing the petite women, he reached out and removed Buffy’s hand from around Faith’s arm and said, “I think you need to leave the lady alone.” He informed Buffy, before turning to the sniffling brunette. “You all right, Miss?”
“Yeah, just ready to leave.” Faith wiped at the tears drying on her cheeks and asked, “Will you walk me out? Don’t really want her to follow.” Smiling up at the looming bald man, Faith turned on the sickeningly sweet charm that always had men eating out of her hand and allowed him to walk her in the direction of the exit, leaving Buffy bewildered.
As she watched helplessly as Faith was escorted out of the building, Buffy ground her teeth in frustration; torn between following Faith or finding Spike and filling him in on the latest news. Opting for locating the Slayer, figuring Faith was just stupid enough to allow them to find her later, Buffy quickly left the Bronze in search of Spike.
TBC...
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Author's Chapter Notes:
I know, you guys have probably given up on me completely as far as this story goes, right? Well, don't do that just yet. Shocker of shockers, here's an interesting update. It has not been beta-d! Not even remotely! So, if you see a mistake, please let me know. Otherwise, hope you all enjoy and please, let me know what you think. Trying to move things along with this one!