[Reviews - 83]
-
Table of Contents [Report This]
Microsoft Word Chapter or Story | ePub eBook Chapter or Story | Printer Chapter or Story

Has been viewed 1351 times

- Text Size +




Spike and I woke at the same time, wrapped in each other’s arms, our eyes meeting quickly. “I guess you and I have a lot to think about,” I whispered.

He nodded solemnly. “I’m not sure I can bloody sleep after that.” He crawled from the bed. “I’m gonna get a drink. Wanna talk about all this or you gonna get some more kip?”

I looked at the clock. 9 am. Felt like it should have been earlier. “I’m awake.” I watched in appreciation as Spike, caring nothing for his nudity, stalked into the other room. Mmm, pretty.

I grabbed his dress shirt from the floor and put it on, buttoning half the buttons. Spike might love running around naked, but I wasn’t quite that comfortable in my own skin. I walked to the window and peeked out the curtains. Looking out over the city, other than the pollution, poverty and greed, you would never know that there would be a world-ending apocalypse here. But then again, where would one seem appropriate?

Spike walked back in and I hurriedly closed the curtains. Didn’t want to scorch my fiancé after all. My fiancé. Talk about surreal.

Spike sat down on the edge of the bed, tossing me a bottle of water and taking a long slow sip from his mug of blood. He regarded me carefully. “So Goldilocks, could you really just kill Angel, you think?”

Fair question. “Yes. Hell, I’ve done it before. Sacrificed Angel for the greater good. And that was when I loved him. I know I could do it now that I don’t. Of course, if we wait,” I rubbed my hand across m eyes, “we could mend broken hearts. That could mean uniting people that should be together. It’s gonna be a tough call.”

Spike nodded slowly. “Well I’ll go along with whatever you come up with, kitten.”

Shaking my head, I came to sit next to him. “No, you’re my mate and my partner.”

Spike smiled broadly at me. “Alright. We’ll suss it out together then. And I have to say pet,” he curled his tongue behind his teeth, “that is one of the sexiest things I have ever seen. You sitting there in my shirt. Bloody gorgeous, you are.”

As I leaned over to kiss his full sensuous lips, my cell phone rang. I groaned at the intrusion and grabbed it off the nightstand. “Yeah?” I answered, flipping it open.

“B?”

“Faith?” I asked, surprised.

“Sorry,” she said quickly. “I know it’s early, but you have trouble headed your way.”

I groaned inwardly. Damn. I was tired of trouble. There were eighteen hundred Slayers now, even if only five hundred were being trained. Couldn’t I have a little time off? “What kind?”

“Robin,” she said quietly.

“What?” I asked incredulously.

Spike slid closer to me to better hear Faith’s half of the conversation. “See, we were out patrolling and I was talking about how cool it was that both you and Spike defied death to be together and he just freaked.” While her voice had been vulnerable in the beginning, I could hear her building the defense walls of her tough girl persona and could tell when they clicked into place, her voice showing no emotion as she continued. “He rushed back to our apartment, loaded the car with weapons like he was rushing off to war, and is on his way to L.A as we speak. He was ranting about how murderers and vampire whores can cheat death while his mother couldn’t. I told him Spike would kill him, but he just didn’t care. I aid you guys deserved some happiness. He didn’t want to hear it. I said if he walked out, it was over, but he’s heading your direction none the less.” I heard her voice catch a little on the last sentence and at the wash of sympathetic feelings I got from Spike, I knew he had heard it too.

After a quick telepathic conversation, my mate and I came to a decision. “Faith, all the Scoobies plus some brand new friends are going to England for Christmas. What say you we send a nice contingent of SITs to watch the Cleveland Hellmouth and you come celebrate with us?”

“Really?” Her insecurity rang through in her voice.

“Of course.” I smiled at the phone. “It’s been a long time since we spent a Christmas together. Seems like a lifetime ago.”

I could hear her perk up at the prospect of being a part of something again. After making the arrangements with her, I hung up and called Giles, arranging for six Slayers to be guarding the Hellmouth so Faith could have some time to heal. It was obvious that behind her carefully constructed mask and platitudes against love, that was exactly what she had found with Robin. But to him, his vendetta was more important than her. Of course, if anyone understood that emotional wounds took longer than physical wounds to heal it was I. It was always better to do so with friends rather than completely alone.

Other thoughts chased through my head as I looked at the closed phone in my hands. I had other preparations to make as long as I was up, but by god, I could do them in bed. I crawled under the covers and lay on my side, propped up on my elbow to call a friend. Spike lay down next to me, arms wrapping around my waist. “Hello?”

The melodious voice of one of my new best male friends filled the phone. I ran commentary to Spike in my head, since he was listening anyway. “Jason? I need a favor.”

“Buffy,” he purred. “Tell me that this favor is sexual in nature.”

‘Don’t worry, baby,’ I thought to my mate. ‘He flirts with everything that’s female. It’s more habit than personal.’

“Jason!” I said aloud. “Focus for a minute and quit giving me shit! I need you to find something for me to give the Master of London as tribute for safe passage for a vampire.”

‘Know and awful lot about vampire customs, don’t you, pet?’ He smiled up at me. ‘Why haven’t you Council lot taken the Master out yet?’

‘He doesn’t hunt,’ I answered in my head. ‘He has a harem of willing female blood donors that he compensates very well and he keeps the vampire turnings to a minimum. He keeps the vamps under control, so we let him. Of course, if we come across a fledge, we kill them, we just don’t go after Cyan himself.’

“Why don’t you just give him what he really wants?” Jason asked suggestively.

I snorted. “I’m not sure my mate would appreciate me tapping a vein for some random five hundred year old vampire.” Spike grinned up at me. “Can’t you just find something for me? Come on, Jason! You’re my furry link to the London vamp scene!”

“Flattery will get you everywhere, baby. Cyan’s been trying to get a drink of me too, which, as long as he will take it bagged and drawn at the hospital, I will gladly provide. But, there is a price, Buffy.”

I smiled, shaking my head. “And what might that be?”

I could hear Jason grinning. The boy would grin his way all the way to hell. “First, you have to introduce me to your mate. Anyone that can make Buffy Summers actually sound happy, since you haven’t been once since I met you, is someone I need to meet. That’s the first condition. The second is you come to our gig New Years Eve. We’re playing at Guilty Pleasures and before you ask, no one is stripping that night so Dawn can come. I’ve had it approved,” he finished smugly.

He had covered the Dawn aspect so I wouldn’t say no. Little did he know, I wouldn’t have said no anyway. They, the band, had become my friends no questions asked. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. The lead singer, Ryan and his girlfriend, Hope, didn’t care for me at all. But Oz, Jason, and Nathaniel were my pals.

“Of course we’ll be there. You know I never miss a gig if I’m in town. I can’t wait for you to meet Spike. I think you two will get along great, since you both seem to enjoy yanking people’s chains. You both have that intense habit of pushing your luck. Is Nathaniel there with you by chance?”

Jason sighed audibly. “He left a few minutes ago. Right after I said the word ‘mate.’ I told you I thought he had a crush on you.”

Spike growled.

“I know. I guess I should have believed you. But, if you remember, I made it clear to all of you when we met that I was only interested in friendship and not dating or relationships. Now, I will admit I have some feelings for Nathaniel. Fuzzy friend type feelings and attraction since he is the second most beautiful man I’ve ever met in my life. But it’s nowhere near what he needs or deserves. He’s going to find someone, Jason. The right someone. But it won’t be me. I love Spike. You all knew that. Hell, you were the one that bought the bar a round and toasted his bravery after I told you our tragic little story. Even if he hadn’t magically resurrected, I would have in no way been ready for a relationship. Not for a damn long time,” I said strongly.

“You’re right,” Jason said softly. “You did warn us. And I’m sure he didn’t mean for it to happen. Somewhere between drinking in the bar and you saving him from a cruel and vamp death a few times, he kinda got a yen for you. Can’t really blame him…” Jason finished with a chuckle. I shook my head. This guy could never be serious.

I asked that he pass along the message to Cyan. I didn’t want him to sense Spike’s obvious power and have him attacked if he was seen as a threat. I trusted Jason to do as I asked. He may be a pest, but he was my friend and I knew he would never let me down.

I hung up the phone. So, now not only did we have Angel and an apocalypse coming, but not we had to worry about Robin Wood and his pathetic vendetta, a wereleopard upset with me in London, and then the promise of a choice we had to make that would affect the entire world. Couldn’t we go a year without a major battle? Seriously. I had thought with five hundred Slayers working for the Council, I would get the chance to take a vacation. I’d never retire, not really, fighting was in my blood and it always would be, but I wouldn’t have said ‘no’ to a long break.

I didn’t want to get back off the bed. I wanted to lay there forever encircled by the arms of my lover, but if I left Wesley to train Cordy today, Lord knows he would use one of those Wolfram and Hart automated training programs and regardless of what he said, they were no substitute to a real fighter taking you through the motions. I stretched and looked down at Spike. He was watching me with an amused look on his face. He obviously had followed the train of thought, or at least the part where I would rather stay with him than leave. I wasn’t sure if I was that transparent to him or if I had been projecting my thoughts unconsciously. Didn’t really matter though. It was nice to have a mate so attuned to me.

“Gonna go train the Cheerleader, pet? Do the bloody sacred duty?” He grinned at me.

“I guess I should,” I cocked my head to the side in a fair imitation of the vampire with me. “You mentioned you have your car?” He nodded. “Well, then. Why don’t you come with me and we’ll train Cordy a bit and then sneak off to do some Christmas shopping for Dawn and the gang. Sound okay?”

He smiled widely at me. “Like a real normal couple? That’s a boatload of manly responsibility.”

I raised an eyebrow. “You up for it?”

He lowered his voice to a low rumble. “I’m always up for you, baby.”

I giggled as he pounced on top of me.





You must login (register) to review.