Cool nights had always been her favorite. With just enough wind to require a leather jacket but not so cold she couldn't wear a skirt. This was one of those nights. Buffy had set off on patrol wearing just that, red long sleeved shirt under a long black leather jacket and a short black skirt, she was looking really cute if she said so herself. She had however taken off her new boots about an hour ago. Two inch heals and slaying did not go hand in hand, go figure.
Wandering through the last graveyard on patrol, if she ignored the stake in her right hand and the tombstones around her she could almost imagine having a normal night. Although the more she thought about it the idea that she had never had one of these 'normal' nights ever would enter her mind. So wouldn't that make them abnormal nights for her? She stopped in her tracks closing her eyes ridding her mind of those thoughts… normal was happy. Normal was what she needed, normal would fix everything that is or was wrong.
Yep denial is lovely this time of year.
The night had been slay light… well the last couple of weeks had been. Sense Spike found out he could hurt non-humans he had sure picked off any new fledging that came his way, which seemed to be all of them. She hadn't even seen any weird monsters with names she could never pronounce or remember…
Not that she was complaining, no not her, she loved the not slaying, no scared duty thing. It left her with lots of time for… for… well…for boredom! If she didn't run across something to stake soon she might just cave into the thoughts she had been having all patrol, thoughts that evolved her and a certain peroxide pest patrolling together or at least coming up the some kind of slay schedule.
"I have to get a life." Buffy mused, when spending time with Spike seems like a good idea its time to rethink my definition of a good idea.
"AHHHHHHH"
Buffy stopped in her tracks again… she was tempted to do Xander's Snoopy dance but instead took off in the direction the scream came from. She wouldn't call it a good time but at least it was something to kill.
Bolting between the tombstones, hair flying around her she felt kinda free, running through the graveyard. She was however not really paying attention to her footing.
"SHIT!" Buffy yelped as she felt sharp pain shooting through her foot. Buffy fell to the ground mid stride rolling into a tombstone sending a crack right down the center nearly breaking in it half, her head was spinning. Not only did her head hurt from the fall, but her foot hurt more than anything had in a while. Buffy looked down at the offending appendage.
"Oh god..." There were at least a dozen thorns from some cactus stuck deep in her foot. She would have to pull them out there was no way she could walk like this.
She just hoped that the female screaming she heard was because of some prank...
"Yeah right, not on the Hellmouth…" Buffy sighed and went to work on her foot. This proved more difficult than was expected. For being the slayer some stupid plant sure had done some damage.
That's where she heard it… something was walking her way. It seemed to be coming from the direction that the scream had occurred. She would bet her new earrings that the something wasn't of the human variety. She just had to hone, whatever that was. Giles was always going on about it… she would just reach out her vampire feelers and feel them or something. 'God this isn't going to work… giving up. Where is my stake?' Buffy looked everywhere around her, checked her coat pockets, what has happened to her stake? Scanning the ground she spotted it about 3 feet away from her, Buffy moved quickly to her hands and knees reaching forward and grabbing her stake just as the movement stopped. She could tell that it was defiantly a vamp and really close to her. Buffy clutched her stake in her hand not daring to move too much. If the vamp wasn't moving she didn't want him to be tipped off that she was there by moving too much. Now she just had to figure out what she was going to do… this was turning out to be one hell of a night. From her position on the ground she could smell something familiar… there was the scent of cigarette smoke not at all uncommon with the undead, leather also kinda a required uniform for bad guys, and then under all that was… vamp dust.
"Hello luv," a slow smirk spread over Spike's face, "As much as I appreciate the view," he lowered his voice and gave her a sultry look , "and believe me luv I do, isn't there something you should be doing right now? Sacred duty and all…"
Buffy scowled at him. Of course she hadn't forgotten about her duty….grr he was so irritating! "Yeah I do have something better to do, anything is better than being near you, Spike!" Buffy pushed herself to her feet, putting all her weight on her not injured foot.. She just wanted to go home, have Riley fix her foot, shower, and sleep. "Good it would be nice for a night to work out that well." She was going home and getting away from the blonde menice in front of her. She stepped down on her foot -- mistake. Buffy was back on the ground.
Spike had to hold himself back from rushing to her side when he saw her fall. "I am such a git."
"Something wrong Slayer? Thought you had places to go, the tin solider to do." There was bitterness in his voice that even Buffy could hear coming though.
"Great this was just how I needed my night to end." Buffy rolled on to her back, her foot hovering above the dirt. She didn't need Spike's sympathy or anything he was willing to give her for that matter.
"Would it be better, love, if one of the three vamps I just dusted was the one to find you?" Spike jumped and swung his legs over the tombstone in one smooth motion.
"What, you want a cookie?!" Buffy was fuming. So what he staked a few vamps, I do it all the time. He wants something special for staking some vamps, for going against his true nature and killing his own kind and… crap now my good Spike thoughts are making since, I really need a vacation. Buffy frowned at the turn her own thoughts had taken. "You're only killing vamps cause it's the only thing you can kill… you're all impotent and stuff."
"Yeah and stuff… have a good night Slayer." With that he jumped off the tombstone, walking off he seemed to melt into the night.
"Stupid undead," Buffy grumbled as she stood up and promptly fell back down with a gasp of pain. She looked once again at the offending foot and for the first time cursed Slayer healing. Most of the thorns had been pushed deep into her foot and thanks to the whole Slayer package her skin had already grown over most of them. Steeling herself against the pain she once again lifted to her feet and fell back against the cracked tombstone behind her. Ok so walking home was not gonna happen, she couldn't get in touch with any of her friends, (remind me again why I don't have a cell phone…) maybe she could wait and a grounds keeper would show up. Ok that even sounded lame to her. Her options were limited and by limited she meant Spike.
"Yep this is just how I needed my night to end."
"Irritating Slayer" Spike grumbled as he stormed off into the night. He should just walk back to his crypt and get shit faced. But what he should be doing and what Spike really did were not always the same thing, they really were. So he stopped behind a tree as soon as he knew there was no way she could see him. I'm just making sure she gets home ok… don't want any nasty to snatch her up in this weak state… 'cause as soon as the chip comes out I will be the one having one good day. Yep that's the reason the breath he didn't need to take caught in his throat at the sounds of Buffy's gasp of pain. Spike leaned up against the tree and ran his fingers through his hair. 'Oh yeah this is just how i needed my night to end.'
Buffy's Paw by Loki
Author's Chapter Notes:
this is my first fic so please review!
I have found someone to beta but she is real busy... if anyone wants to help please get in touch with me!
I have found someone to beta but she is real busy... if anyone wants to help please get in touch with me!