[Reviews - 55]
-
Table of Contents [Report This]
Microsoft Word Chapter or Story | ePub eBook Chapter or Story | Printer Chapter or Story

Has been viewed 1847 times

- Text Size +




Chapter 11

Buffy paced in front of the vending machines as she dialed Spike’s number into her cell phone.

“Please don’t pick up. Be asleep. Please be doing what normal vampires do during the day.”

“Eh, hello?”

She opened her mouth, but suddenly couldn’t form words.

“Who is this?”

His voice sounded differently over the phone. It was deeper, a tad gruff.

I actually woke him up, Buffy thought, swallowing. Without meaning to, she imagined Spike sitting up in bed, chest bare, sheets riding low across his hips, hair just as messy as it had been after she plowed her fingers through it that morning, the night before…

Finding her lips dry, she ran the tip of her tongue across them.

“Dawn? You’re playing with the phone again, bit?”

“Just how often does my sister call you?” She waited a few beats and he didn’t say a word. “Hey? You still there?”

“Yes, I’m here.”

“You haven’t answered my question.”

“Yeah…can you repeat it?”

Buffy felt a smile pull at her mouth and tried her best to ignore it. “Here, let me make it easier for you to understand: my sister, calls you, why?”

“She—oh hell, Slayer, how am I supposed to know? She thinks it’s a good time, pestering me and the like. She calls, usually wants to know what I’m doing, has a laugh, and says good-bye. She finds it awfully amusing.”

“And you don’t.”

“No—well, I…don’t…mind?”

“It wasn’t supposed to be a trick question, Spike.” Now smiling freely, she sat in the nearest empty chair. Absently, she twisted a lock of hair around her pointer finger. Sometimes he can be so…squirmy, she thought, determined not to laugh. “If she’s bothering you, say so. I’ll put an end to it.”

“No doubt, but it isn’t necessary. Can’t we let it pass on its own? She’ll get bored sooner or later.”

“I don’t know if I can do that.”

“It’s been only a handful of calls. It shouldn’t warrant a punishment.”

“Punishment? Who said anything about a punishment? Unless…do you think she should be punished?”

“No, no, she isn’t a bother. She’s just--.”

“Your little buddy, your partner in crime. Before Dawn lied for you yesterday, I wonder if she knew exactly what you were doing with my clothes.”

“Or who you were doing while she was wearing my clothes,” Buffy continued in a grumble, her smile vanishing. She stopped twirling her hair. She put her hand on the chair arm and glared at the top of it. Spike’s telephone number was still there, a hot pink brand courtesy of her sister. After three intensive washings, the glitter was gone, but the ink was still annoyingly vibrant.

Standing suddenly, she went to the vending machine, added money and punched at the buttons. Dawn’s chips fell effortlessly from the silver coil, but her M&Ms failed to budge. “Was there anyone else?” she asked through her teeth. “Did anyone else do what she did? Do you pretend with other girls?”

“Buffy—pet, where are you? We shouldn’t talk about this over the bloody phone. Come here or let me come to you.”

“No!” she exclaimed, giving the vending machine a not-so-subtle shove. Thanks to her Slayer-strength, her M&Ms fell, followed by a handful of other snacks. Eyes wide, she scooped up all the little bags and candy bars and cradled them in her arms.

“You just stay where you are,” she continued, head tilted as she squeezed her cell phone between her cheek and shoulder. “I don’t need you here.”

“You’re at the hospital, aren’t you?”

“I don’t need you here.”

“I’ll take the sewers. Won’t even need a blanket, the hospital has no windows.”

“Spike--.”

“Or we can talk about it tonight,” he added grudgingly. “Or maybe—oh, that’s why you called, isn’t it? You found out about our dinner plans and—let me guess—you’re phoning to snatch back the invite?”

Buffy rolled her eyes and spun on her heels. “Spike, I do not--.” She gasped the second she collided with the man standing behind her. The snacks and her cell phone dropped to the floor. “God, I’m so sorry. I’m usually not clumsy.”

“You seem a bit more sidetracked than clumsy. You’re distracted, maybe?”

“Heavily,” Buffy responded with a little laugh. She looked at the sandy-haired man in scrubs as he crouched down beside her. “You’re a doctor?”

“Intern. And you must be…one, um, hungry girl.”

“Actually I’m one half of two hungry girls, but—okay, my candy got stuck, I battered the machine a little, and hit the jackpot. Maybe…should I report this to someone?”

“And be forced to give up your winnings? Why bother? Consider this your lucky day and—oh, hey, I think your cell’s still working. It didn’t drop the call.”

“Thanks,” Buffy said, taking the phone. Without checking if Spike was still there, she turned it off. “I shouldn’t have turned it on in the first place. Distractions, you know, they can be distracting.”

“Where’s you’re other half?”

“Huh?”

“You said there were two of you. Two hungry girls?”

“Oh, right. My sister’s waiting on the other side of this floor.”

“Let me help you carry some of this stuff. I’m Ben by the way.”

“I’m Buffy,” she said, following the man down the hall.
***

Spike smoothed down his hair one more time for good measure before stepping out of the elevator. He knew he was pushing it by coming to the hospital, but it was a risk he had to take.

Buffy was thinking about him, she had called him, and she was jealous of his sham of a relationship with Harmony.

He smirked. His tongue curled on its own accord.

Got to simmer. Got to keep cool, he reminded himself. If I don’t take the swagger down a few pegs, my girl’ll do it and she’ll knock me clear on my ass.

He rounded the corner, knowing exactly where to go after receiving a brief but informative text message from Dawn. He heard Buffy’s laugh, saw her smile, and nearly froze, eyes focusing on the man sharing her laughter. He was the Ken doll-type, right down his flouncy hair and square jaw. He’d seen the characteristics before, in Riley, Angel and even that lousy one-night-stand of hers. The guy was her type.

With a slight flare to his nostrils, Spike stomped toward where they were seated in the waiting room. Buffy pretended not to notice him, but he knew that wasn’t the case. He saw her eyes flash once they met his. And if looks could kill, he’d be dust in the wind.

“How’s Joyce?” he asked, determined to play nice.

“Hey,” Dawn said, smiling brightly. “You made it. Mom’s doing okay.”

“I’m glad to hear that. Who’s your friend?”

“He’s Ben. He’s an intern-slash-man-nurse. He gave me his stethoscope.”

“I lent it to her,” Ben corrected with a grin that Spike deemed too toothy to be genuine.

Dawn just shrugged, putting the earpieces of the stethoscope into her ears. “This is Spike. He’s my friend and Buffy’s…hey, Buff, what is Spike to you again? Their relationship status changes more than a…I don’t know what, but it changes a lot, trust me.”

“You must be Buffy’s distraction,” Ben said pleasantly, offering Spike his right hand. “You caused our little accident at the vending machine. She was on the phone with you when we collided, am I right?”

“Right.” Spike dismissed the offer of a handshake, looking to Buffy who was poorly masking her anger behind a blank expression. She was sitting rigidly in the chair, knees and feet glued together. Her hands were tightly clasped one over the other.

Made her tongue-tied, he decided silently. She’s too pissed off for words. Nice going, Spike, you stupid git.

“While she was talking to you, she beat up the vending machine. We got a ton of free stuff,” Dawn explained. She stood and pressed the stethoscope to Spike’s chest. “You’re wearing a new shirt and you’re wearing cologne. Nice. You look hot and smell pretty.”

“Dawn,” Buffy snapped, speaking in a tone that made her sister cringe. The stethoscope lifted from where his heartbeat should’ve been and she returned to her seat in a sulk.

“I-I should get going. I’ll check on Joyce for you.” Ben smiled at the girls and nodded briefly toward Spike. “The tests should be complete within the hour. You’ll be able to take her home soon.”

“Thank you. Dawn, the stethoscope.”

Without saying a word, Dawn handed it to Ben before he scurried away. Then she crossed her arms and glared down at her tennis shoes.

Spike’s eyes slid Buffy’s way and picked up on the same glare, but hers was directed straight at the breast pocket of his button-down shirt.

“Oh, balls,” he grumbled, sinking into the seat next to Dawn. Even one seat away from the Slayer he could feel her fury radiate his way. “I know you told me to not to come, but I thought…fuck, everything I thought was off-base, alright? I see that now.”

“It’s a good thing that he’s here, Buffy. He cares about us. He cares about mom.”

“He isn’t here because of mom.”

“Maybe he is, you don’t know that,” Dawn snapped back, causing Spike to lift a brow. “Spike isn’t Riley. Once you told Riley you didn’t need him around, he actually stayed away and moped about it like some kind of kicked puppy. He barely ever asked about mom. Spike brought her flowers. He ate waffles with her and spent time with her. Riley didn’t bother unless you were with him.”

“Hey now, let’s not oversell a bit of decency, nibblet.”

“See? He’s just being decent. Yesh, Buffy, get over yourself. Not everything he does is part of a big scheme to get into your pants. Right, Spike?”

“Right,” he agreed reluctantly, studying the chipped black polish on his thumbnail. “But don’t waste your breath. We’ve been over this before. There’s no reasoning with her. We take two steps forward, she insists on pulling us back a bloody mile.”

“Spike, I—this isn’t the time for this! And I will not tolerate being ganged up on! Whatever is going on between Spike and me is none of your business. I shouldn’t have to—just butt out, Dawn!”

And with that said, Buffy stormed off.
***

“It’s that time of the month. That’s why she’s so crazy.”

“I don’t know,” Spike began, not about to tell Dawn he was certain that wasn’t the case thanks to his vampire-sense of smell. “She’s stressed, that’s all. She’s worried about your mum.”

“Ben said she’d be fine. He said it couldn’t be anything serious.”

“Well, there you are, if Ben says, it must be true.”

“Are you going to go after her?”

“I am. But I’ll give her a minute or two. If I go after her now, she’ll still be spitting fire.”

“If you’re waiting for that to pass, you should wait a heck of a lot longer than two minutes.”

“Yeah. Dawn, as much as I appreciate your help, this thing between your sister and me, if it’s gonna happen--.”

“You’re telling me to butt out too?”

“No, not quite, but let me finish. Go easier on her, alright? Lay off some of the teasing. I’ve got a lot of taming ahead of me and it won’t be easy so you’ve got to work with me. You can’t put her on the spot like you did earlier.”

“I just don’t understand her,” Dawn mumbled, flicking Joyce’s ‘Get Well Soon’ bear in the nose. “One minute she’s asking me if you ask about her, and the next she’s back to treating you like crap.”

“Well, now…wait, she did that, really?”

“Really, but maybe you shouldn’t tell her that I said so.”

“Got it,” he replied, biting back a smirk.

“And don’t say anything about her hand, okay? She’s been wigging out about it for, like, hours.”

“What’s wrong with it?”

“I kinda wrote your number on it,” she admitted with a wicked gleam in her eyes. “I kinda used a glitter pen and it kinda…won’t wash off.”

“And that’s another example of what you shouldn’t be doing,” Spike chuckled. “Pet, it’s no wonder she’s got a short fuse. You’re nipping at her heels with a bloody lighter.” Still grinning, he stood. “Let me fetch Dr. Man-Nurse. He can keep you company while I take on your sister.”
***


A/N: You might've noticed the rating has changed on this. I thought this would be R-ish, but then I actually wrote more, and that just isn't going to happen. I'm usually not too graphic with my other NC17 stuff so this will be similar. Sorry if this disappoints anyone. ;)





You must login (register) to review.