Buffy.
Knowing she was in the same city, perhaps only a few blocks away, wrecked havoc on his nerves. The silkiness of her hair, the smell of her skin, the plump softness of her lips – they were so close he could almost feel them on his fingertips. He would’ve braved the sun naked if it meant having a chance to touch the object of the terrible longing that was devouring him.
“Bloody hell, I’m going to go bonkers staying here,” he said aloud, looking around the dimly lit room.
Ruby had kindly offered that he stay with them until he found a place of his own. They had a spare room, so it was really no trouble. The look on Angel’s face said otherwise, but Spike had gratefully accepted.
Ruby was awake, and the heavy, intoxicating scent of incense made its way to his room. It was nice, no doubt, to wake up every evening next to this kind of practical, comforting woman, he thought, instead of a temperamental, bossy, determined, beautiful, sexy…
Spike let himself fall on his bed and buried his face in his hands.
“Damn you, Slayer,” he murmured. “Damn you to hell. Couldn’t you have stayed in Rome like a nice girl?”
It was frustrating to think that all his efforts had been in vain. Their paths had crossed again, and he was just as infatuated with her as he’d ever been, his mind filled with thoughts too long suppressed and striking back with a vengeance.
Holding her in his arm for hours, kissing her gently… Or pushing her roughly against a wall, her legs wrapped around his waist, feeling her struggle and ask for more at the same time, tugging so hard at his shirt that the seams ripped…
His body responded eagerly to the images that flashed before him. Spike groaned. All the women in Paris, New-York and Mexico wouldn’t have been enough to calm his ardour. Only she made him feel satiated.
You fucking idiot, she’ll never take you back, he thought. He had entertained a feeble hope of going away again to keep her from learning the truth, but leaving when she was so near was more than he could bear. Already the irrepressible urge to go to her was building up in his chest, smothering his will and, it seemed, whatever sense he had left.
I can’t see her – she’ll be furious when she finds out I’m alive, and she’ll stake me. No, she’ll simply reject me, which is even worse. Tell me to stay out of her life for good. It’s Angel she loves, not me.
And yet… she had told him she loved him, in that one glorious moment where their hands and souls had touched… But that had only been because he was about to die – a kind of thank you, or a reward for his brave, noble action.
“Brave and noble, my arse,” he growled. “A doggie getting a biscuit is more like it.”
There was no way he could let Buffy find out about him. But if the world wasn’t big enough for the both of them, it was unlikely the city of San Jose would be.
“Here, doggie, have a biscuit!”
“Do you have any experience with animals, Miss Summers?”
Dawn looked up at the owner of the pampering salon, Mrs Klomsky, a hefty and amiable woman, and nodded eagerly. “Oh yes, tons. I – owned a dog once. When I was little. And there was a rat staying at our house too.”
The woman didn’t seem fully convinced. “Well, Rufus here certainly seems to like you.”
Dawn smiled nervously. The dog had started joyfully bounding around her as soon as she’d entered the store, no doubt seeing a great big green ball of energy to play with. “I guess I have a way with animals,” she said.
“We pay six dollars an hour. I’ll take you in part-time at first to see how you manage.”
“Really?” Dawn exclaimed, overjoyed. “Thanks! I mean – you won’t regret it, Mrs Klomsky.”
Her boss gave her a brief but sincere smile. Dawn was overjoyed. It was only three days after they had arrived in San Jose, and she already had a job. Of course, it wasn’t much of a career starter, but there was no doubt Buffy would be pleased.
“If you have a part-time job, you’ll still have time to finish your high school degree,” she’d told her the evening before. “You know, with one of those online schools.”
Dawn wasn’t sure he wanted to finish her diploma. Everyone in college would laugh at her if they found out. Besides, she didn’t think she was any good at scholarly stuff.
In was strange in San Jose. Dawn had never lived in such a big city. The apartment she and Buffy lived in, provided by the Watcher’s Counsil, was roomier than the one they had in Rome and nicely furnished, but it felt odd to be alone with her sister after living with all their friends for so long. Not that Dawn wasn’t old enough to take care of herself when Buffy was out patrolling in the evening. She just longed for some familiar faces.
Buffy had told her why there were in San Jose as soon as they had got there – another scary weapon they had to protect at all costs. She had also told her that Angel was in San Jose too, so they wouldn’t be alone. This didn’t really comfort Dawn – she didn’t know the first thing about the guy, except that he was a nice vampire and Buffy’s ex-boyfriend.
Things went a little better after she started work. One of the other girls working there, Juliet, a pretty blonde with a dazzling smile, was just her age and very friendly. The daughter of a rather wealthy restaurant owner, she only worked at the pampering salon to make a few extra bucks before taking over one of her father’s business.
“There’s not much to do in this part of the city,” she’d told Dawn as they were washing two small, yapping dogs side by side. “The usual shopping trips at the mall, going to see movies at the Cineplex, and hanging out at the Chavaz – it’s the only decent club around here.”
“Sounds wonderful,” Dawn replied enthusiastically. It was a nice change to hear about what normal people her age did.
Mrs Klomsky was reasonably happy with Dawn. She worked hard, and although her tendency to daydream often made her distracted, she had a great contact with animals, whether making them settle down when she was bathing them, or having them play when she took them out for a walk.
It was Thursday evening, a week after she had started, when Buffy finally came to visit the salon herself. They had just closed, and Dawn was sweeping the floor when she saw Buffy standing outside.
“Oh, that’s my sister, Mrs Klomsky,” she told her boss, who was counting the day’s receipts behind the cash register. “Can I let her in?”
“Go ahead, Dawn.”
Dawn motioned for Buffy come in and turned the key in the door to open it. “Hey!” she said as her sister stepped inside. “I thought you were busy tonight.”
“Well, I am, but I thought I’d just stop to see how you were doing.” She looked around and smiled at Mrs Klomsky “Hi, I’m Buffy, Dawn’s sister.”
“Oh, and this is Juliet,” Dawn said, waving her friend over. “One of my esteemed colleagues.”
The two girl looked at each other and giggled. Buffy smiled. “Well, this is great,” she said. “How are the dogs treating you?”
“Better than their owners,” Juliet replied. “They make a real fuss over anything, but the pooches never complain.”
“That’s the advantage of living things who can’t talk.” She glanced outside and turned back to Dawn. “Listen, can we chat for a second before I go?”
“Um… sure,” Dawn said, glancing at Juliet, who smiled politely and returned to rinsing the basins.
Buffy grew more serious. “Listen, I don’t know what time I’ll be back tonight, but don’t worry, okay?”
“Why, is anything special happening?”
“No, not really, but…” She smoothed down her hair, looking rather apprehensive. “Angel called me and he wants to meet me while I’m making my rounds.”
Dawn looked down. “Oh. So you and Angel – there’s still something between you two, right? Are you going to start dating him again?”
“I don’t know, Dawnie – it’s all a bit complicated.”
“Well, you certainly dressed nice for the occasion,” she remarked slyly, noting her sister’s pretty skirt and carefully arranged hair-do.
Buffy gave her a look. “Dawnie, don’t tease. I have to go now. Get yourself home before the sun goes down, okay?”
Dawn nodded and gave her a small wave as she watched her leave. Deep inside, she wasn’t that pleased that Buffy was starting up with Angel again – that meant she would spend even more time away from their apartment, leaving Dawn alone.
“Your sister looks nice,” Juliet said as Dawn resumed her sweeping. “What does she do?”
“Oh, she – she sells real estate,” Dawn blurted out.
“So, do you have to go meet her after work or what?”
“Oh no, she’s seeing up with one of her boyfriends,” Dawn replied, rolling her eyes. “So I guess it’s pizza and TV for me, as always.”
Juliet smiled. “Listen, why don’t we go hang out at the Chavaz? I’ve been meaning to show you the place.”
“Gee, Jules, I don’t know…” She bit her lip. Buffy had told to get home before dark to be safe – perhaps she thought there was a risk? “I feel kinda beat.”
“Oh, come on, Dawn,” her friend pleaded. “It’ll be really fun – and we don’t have to stay late.”
“Well…”
Dawn hesitated. She didn’t want to spend another night alone at home, and the Chavaz wasn’t anywhere near the museum, just a few blocks away from the apartment. What could possibly happen? Besides, she had proved more than once than she knew how to defend herself.
She grinned at Juliet. “All right, let’s go. No reason why Buffy should be the one having all the fun!”