[Reviews - 99]
-
Table of Contents [Report This]
Microsoft Word Chapter or Story | ePub eBook Chapter or Story | Printer Chapter or Story

Has been viewed 1962 times

- Text Size +




Author's Chapter Notes:
This is an ANGST warning. this is an angst chapter. more good stuff to come in later chapters, hope you enjoy. PLease review, I seem to have lost reviewers and they really do make my day
thanks to Cordykitten for her loyalty to the review button
Xander was enjoying working from home. His new apartment was everything he and Lorne could dream of. They had made the second Guest room into the most wonderful studio, the light flooding in over the building Xander was designing.

He was caught up in his work. Lorne had only just left for work himself, he had a fashion show that week and had been spending long hours over his latest creations. Lorne’s clothes line Caratris was becoming big news in Hollywood and he’d been asked to design a dress for one of the A-listers for the next academy awards. They were all making good.

Xander reached for his coffee, and continued to draw out the house he was working on.

The door slamming on its hinges was the first indication that he had company at all. It wasn’t burglars, he thought to himself as he went into the hall to find Spike. Spike Atherton, Hollywood pin-up for three years was drunk, Xander could work that out because Spike was lying on his back singing. Badly.

William only got like this when things were really bad and Xander wondered what had happened this time. He hauled up his best friend and half carried him into the main room, pouring him onto the sofa.

‘Ok what happened?’ he asked as he handed over the coffee.

‘Women, and men,’ mumbled Spike, ‘not one of them wants me for me.’

‘So you want a man?’

‘No!’ Spike got angry, ‘you’re gay, I’m not, you like William, you’re nice to William, I can be William when you’re there, don’t have to be Spike, Spike can leave the building.’

Before he could say anymore he started to throw up. Xander hauled him into the bathroom and left him holding the toilet while he went to clear up the mess. When it was safe to do so, Xander put William to bed in the spare room, undid his jeans, removed his boots and left him to sleep it off.

Next morning William was awoken by the smell of coffee and bacon. The coffee was wonderful but the bacon was making his stomach turn. He managed to make his way to the kitchen to find Xander.

‘You do remember we don’t actually share a house any more don’t you?’ Xander asked sarcastically.

‘Used my key,’ replied William, a little crestfallen.

‘I noticed that,’ Xander commented.

‘Couldn’t think where else to go.’

‘Is this about the new girl, Melody or whatever her name is?’

‘Harmony and yes, got to her place early yesterday, thought I’d take her to dinner and she had a friend there, boasting about how she was ‘doing’ Spike Atherton and how much money she could take me for…’

‘Oh I am sorry man, no one likes to hear that.’

‘I’m getting fed up of it!! I thought it would be wonderful, but the women I work with feel like skeletons in my arms, they are so thin, and when I do finally meet someone all they want is the action hero. One girl complained when I gave her oral I couldn’t hold my breath as long as Lars can underwater.’

Xander laughing was not the reaction he was expecting. Spike started to get angry. ‘You are an idiot,’ Xander told him, ‘not everyone just wants your body.’
‘No, but they’re the only ones I seem to meet.’

‘Your dream girl able to help you?’ Xander asked.

‘I’m not talking to her about this, it’s embarrassing. Most men would love to have woman fawning all over them. I would have thought it as well, thought I would really love it, finding naked women in my room and everyone knowing my face, but it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. Sorry about last night,’ he added.

‘It’s OK: that’s what friends are for,’ and the pair of them settled to quiet contemplation of their coffee.

It had been three months of heaven for Buffy, the stolen kisses had become deeper and more intense, and the long lingering looks more erotic. She felt safe and she felt loved. She felt ready for the next step.

‘Spike, can I ask a favour of you?’

‘Anything pet, you know that,’ Spike was surprised that she felt she had to ask.

‘Well this is hard, I want to ask and I’m not too sure how to, or if I do ask, I don’t want it to spoil our friendship.’

‘Ask away, I promise nothing will spoil what we have.’

‘Would you sleep with me, here in the Garden?’

Spike was dumbstruck. He wasn’t even sure if he’d heard correctly.

‘You want me to sleep with you? Why?’ He sounded defensive, unwilling almost to believe what she’d said.

‘I trust you, I trust you more than any other soul I’ve ever met. In the three years we’ve known each other you have been the only person never to hurt me - except Giles,’ she added with a smile, ‘and I’m not asking him!’

‘You’d trust me that much?’

‘Well, yes. But I need to know that I’m safe, you know. If I don’t do something about this phobia of mine I’m never going to be normal, and I so want to feel normal, to look at a man and not feel fear, so Tara and I were talking, and thought if I tried here, where I know I’m safe, perhaps I could managed to beat the fear here.’

Spike was terrified of saying the wrong thing, doing the wrong thing. He wasn’t sure what she was asking for, making love or sex. Either way he wasn’t sure he was ready, not with his goddess. Spike Atherton had girlfriends, lots of ‘em if you read the papers, but William only cared for one girl, but it felt as though she only wanted him for one thing now.
Then unfortunately he did what he was famous for and let his mouth be controlled by Spike instead of William.

‘So I’m just a hired stud, to make you feel better, all the help you gave me was just to get me in bed, so you can tell someone you’ve done the TV star? Not doing it princess, not going to let you use me like that. I’ll just be a dirty little secret, someone you can screw where your friends will never find out, you just want my body the same as all the rest… No way. I’m no whore, unlike some.’

And with that he turned and started walking away. Buffy tried to call out but her throat was frozen. She couldn’t say a word. She tried to reach him but he was too far out of her grasp.

Buffy looked white. She hadn’t meant it like that, she couldn’t touch a man down on earth, and she certainly wouldn’t go any further if she didn’t love, didn’t he get that? Obviously not from the way he was striding down the path away from her. Buffy took a step towards him, but her knees gave out. She hadn’t meant to hurt him but she had. How could he have just thought the worst of her like that? They had been working for over three years on getting rid of his demons.

He was well adjusted. He had girlfriends. She knew that, God she’d seen him in the tabloids with the latest catch. How could he believe that of her? She loved him. She had from the first moment she’d met him.

Buffy sank onto her knees, her hair covered her face and started to sob, the pain radiating out from her in waves. It disturbed the tranquil atmosphere of the garden, summoning those who could help, but Buffy didn’t notice them. She didn’t even notice when a comforting trunk wrapped itself around her.

She cried and cried for hours. She felt so stupid. She had ruined everything, and for what, nothing. In the one place she had always felt safe, someone had managed to break her heart.

It wasn’t even six hours later when Xander heard a hammering at his door. It was 5 am and someone wanted entrance. He struggled to wake and made his way to open it and found a drunk William on his doorstep.

‘Think I had too many,’ he giggled. ‘I’m drunk, for the first time in months, I’m drunk, and stoned, I livened up my drink!’

Xander managed to haul his friend to his feet. ‘Come on, sofa’s this way. You can sleep it off here.’

Next morning William felt dreadful, he hadn’t drunk so much in years. Here he was with a raging hangover and sleeping somewhere. Where was he? He opened an eye and tried to focus. He couldn’t. A face swam into view and back out again. The face had a hand, a hand holding a cup of coffee. Nice hand was all he could think. Nice hand had coffee his brain added.

William gratefully accepted the mug, still trying to see who was holding it. He looked up into eyes that he didn’t recognise in his befuddled state. Male eyes. Brown eyes. He tried to focus.

‘My sweet lips, but you had a skin full didn’t you?’

No, he didn’t know that voice, at least he didn’t think so.

‘Uh… where am I?’ Asked Spike.

‘Our flat.’

Oh: now he knew that voice. That was Xander, a pissed off Xander, but Xander wasn’t in front of him. Where was Xander? Spike tried to look around but was scared that if he moved his head would fall off.

Xander looked in disgust at his best friend.

‘OK what happened? You were going to some huge party last night to celebrate the new show and you show up here, stoned and drunk.’

‘Stoned?’

‘Yeh man, stoned, you were boasting about putting something in your drink to liven it up. William I love you like a brother, and you’ll always be welcome here, but I can’t live with a drunk, you know what my old man was like, hell yours was the same! I haven’t got the strength to go through that shit again.’

William nodded.

Then he remembered who the stranger was, Lorne, Xander’s boyfriend. Lorne looked back and forth between them and headed towards the bathroom.

‘I’m going to have a shower, I need one. Toodle-oo.’

‘He’s already had a shower, but he’s being sweet.’

‘He is?’

‘Yes he is, Spike you remember Lorne, met him a while back but things have been getting serious, we moved in together. I think I’m in love.’

‘I’m glad for you, really pleased.’

‘OK then you’re pleased, so what happened Spike, you haven’t been like this in years.’

‘Buffy.’

‘Your dream girl, right?’

‘Yeh.’

‘So what, she didn’t want to see you any more?’

‘No, worse.’

‘She’s married?’

‘No, she wanted to sleep with me, she only wanted me for one thing. I thought she was different, but she’s just like all the rest.’

‘Like the rest, only after your tight body?’

‘Right.’

‘The girl who arranged for you to see Hendrix for your birthday?’

‘Yes.’

‘And gave you a Harley to play with?’

‘Yes…’

‘So let me get this straight, your dream angel asks you to sleep with her after, what, three years? And you think she only wants a notch on the bedpost? Didn’t you tell me she’d been through hell when she was young?’

‘Well, yeh…’

‘So she turns round and asks you to sleep with her? Why?’

‘She says it’s because she trusts me not to hurt her,’ Spike sulked as he replied.

‘And you…?’

‘Yelled and walked away.’

‘Then got drunk,’ added Xander.

‘Yes!’ Spike yelled. ‘Then got drunk!!’

‘Are you sure you didn’t hit your head? And if you didn’t could I please hit it for you?’

William shot daggers at Xander. ‘Stop being reasonable.’

‘No,’ came the short reply. ‘I wonder how she’s feeling right now? She finally feels safe enough to go to the next stage with someone and that someone turns on her.’

‘She only wanted to because I’m famous, just like all the others.’

‘Yeh, right, from what you told me you’re real famous there, Xander said sarcastically didn’t you tell me that she knew Jimi Hedrix and had spoken to Shakespeare?’

‘Well, yes.’

‘And had introduced you to John Lennon and a whole host of really famous names?’

‘Yea.’

‘And where would you rank Spike Atherton on that list?’

‘I wouldn’t even go on that list, I’m no megastar!’

‘So if she wanted to do someone famous she’d have lots to choose from.’

‘Yes, suppose.’

‘So she asked you.’

‘Yes.’

‘So she really wanted you, William Atherton, the man she dragged out of the gutter and onto the cover of every teen magazine going.’

‘Ok OK I get it, I was a prat!!’

‘More than that, man, you’ve got some grovelling to do.’





You must login (register) to review.