Buffy was a little taken aback by his reaction, but refused to let it show. “You don’t seem that surprised to see me.”
“Of course not.” Ethan chuckled. “However…” He brought his hand up to his heart in a gesture of mock sympathy. “I’m terribly sorry to disappoint you. Please…” Taking a step back, he gestured for her to come in. The way he looked at her made Buffy’s skin crawl. For some reason, he reminded her of a starved wolf watching his prey, just waiting for the right moment to attack
Hesitating for a moment, Buffy silently listed all the reasons why entering Ethan’s motel room would be a terrible, terrible idea. But she couldn’t help but feel like she didn’t have a choice. She had come here for a reason, after all, and she didn’t think she would be able to get any confession out of this man by remaining here in the doorway. Still, it didn’t change the fact that a part of her wanted nothing more than to just turn around and run, preferably as far away as possible.
Of course, she knew she couldn’t do that, not when she had come this far. She needed to do this, had to, and she would, even if the mere idea of spending even a single minute in the same room as this horrible man made her stomach turn. Because if she could only get him to admit to her what he had done to Spike, then she would have proof enough to send him to jail, hopefully for a very long time. And that would make it all worth it. So, she took a deep breath, and stepped through the door.
Stopping a few feet away, Xander nodded his head in greeting. “Spike.”
“Xander.” Spike nodded as well, but didn’t say anything more. He may have decided to play nice, but that didn’t mean he had to start any conversation with the whelp. Besides, he would have to search his mind, desperately, for something to say other than ‘sod off’, or ‘I violently dislike you’. So, he remained silent.
“So…” Xander let out a nervous laugh, obviously trying to come up with something more to say. “How are things with you and Buffy? Still together?” Eyes narrowing, Spike opened his mouth but Xander beat him to it, raising his hands in an apologetic gesture. “Ok, I admit; that sounded a lot nicer in my head. Guess it’s really none of my business.”
“What do you want, Harris?” Spike was starting to loose his patience and didn’t bother to hide it. He just wanted to go home and check on Buffy.
“Nothing really, I just…” Xander hesitated for a moment, then let out a defeated sigh. “All right, look, I’m just gonna come right out and say it. I’ve been a jerk.” Spike raised a brow in surprise; that was probably the last thing he had expected. Xander went on; “Buffy’s one of the best friends I’ve ever had, and I screwed up. Big time.”
Looking at him for a moment, Spike let out a snort. “Yeah, you won’t hear any objections from me. Your point?”
“My point is…” Xander paused, clearly choosing his next words carefully; “No matter what you think, I care about Buffy, very much. The last thing I want is to see her get hurt.”
Spike stared at him in disbelief. “You’re the one hurting her, you git!” Xander opened his mouth to object, but Spike raised his hand to stop him. “Shut your gob and listen.” He sighed. “Not that I owe you any explanation, but here goes. I love her. I’d rather die than hurt her. She knows that, and if you were her friend, like you say, you’d listen to her and respect her decision.”
Xander opened his mouth, then closed it again. He was quiet for a moment. Finally he nodded, lowering his eyes. “You’re right.”
Spike frowned, having not expected that. However, he quickly snapped out of the shock and nodded as well. “Bloody right I am.”
“What I’m trying to say is…” Xander kept his eyes on the ground for a moment, then raised his head. “I realize I owe you both an apology, might as well start with you.” He sighed. “It would mean a lot to me if you’d accept it, but I can’t really blame you if you won’t. As for Buffy…” Suddenly he seemed to find something very interesting next to his feet. “Willow said I should stay and talk to her this morning. I wanted to, but I…” He shrugged and laughed a little, clearly embarrassed. “What can I say? I wimped out.”
Raising a brow, Spike was just about to respond with a sarcastic remark, when the other man’s words started to sink in. He frowned. “What do you mean, this morning?”
“I figured one of you would show up eventually.” Ethan walked over to an armchair – the only one in the room – and sat down. A half empty bottle of whiskey was standing on the table next to the chair. He picked it up and took a big swig, right out of the bottle. Seeing the disgusted look on her face, he raised a brow. “Would the lady care for a drink?
Buffy just snorted, not even dignifying his question with an answer. “Suit yourself.” Ethan slumped back in the chair. “But I’m afraid it will be your loss; this liquor is most tasty.” He took another swig before putting the bottle back down. Then he went on; “I must say, I’m not surprised it’s you who decided to seek me out.”
She frowned. “And why’s that?”
“Well…” Ethan chuckled. “William just doesn’t have what it takes to stand up to himself and face his demons. It’s not in him, never was.” A pause. “It’s quite sad, really.”
Buffy was fuming. How dared Ethan sit there and talk about Spike that way, after what he had done? Not that she had expected him to show any kind of remorse; she wasn’t that stupid, but the man actually seemed to take pride in the fact that he – by his cruel actions – had managed to break another human being, both physically and mentally. And it made her feel sick.
She glared at him. “Aren’t you gonna ask why I’m here?”
“And why would I do that?” Ethan snickered. “I’m quite positive you’re planning on telling me anyway. But all right; if it makes you happy, I’ll play along.” He paused before asking, dramatically; “Tell me, Miss Buffy, what on earth brings you to this humble parlor of mine?”
Now she was furious. It had become painfully obvious that Ethan didn’t feel the least bit threatened by her appearance, like she had expected him to be. In fact, if anything, he seemed to be almost amused by the whole thing, although she couldn’t figure out why. A part of her wondered – and not for the first time – if coming here had been a mistake after all. She had hoped to be able to take him off guard, but it seemed like no matter what she did, he would still have the upper hand. And she didn’t like it one bit.
But then she realized that it might not be so bad after all. Ethan was clearly convinced that she was no threat to him in any way. Maybe she could use that and turn the situation to her advantage. She needed a confession, and judging by the confident look on his face, this was a man who wasn’t afraid to brag. Maybe this would be even easier than she had thought; she just had to get him to keep talking. Because the tape was already rolling. And she wouldn’t leave until she had what she’d come for.
TBC