“Buffy.”
Slowly Buffy stepped forward, gaze flickering between her mother and her Watcher. The former tried to dab discreetly at her eyes and Giles cleared his throat.
“I didn’t hear you coming in,” he said. “Didn’t you say you were going to a friend’s place?”
“Mr Giles!” Joyce cried. “What kind of mother do you think I am? It’s gone midnight – of course Buffy is –”
Abruptly she quieted and closed her eyes.
“But that’s not true,” she murmured, before looking up at her daughter and something slightly hysterical entered her tone. “You’ve been sneaking out for the last... months. Where you out now too? S-s-slaying vampires?”
Buffy cast a glance at her Watcher. “No,” she said “I haven’t... slayed... anything since... since I got back.”
There was a moment of complete silence as Joyce just stared at Buffy, before she buried her face in her hands and drew in a deep breath.
“I need to sleep on this,” she said, “This is a lot to take in, you have to realize that.”
“I do, Mrs Summers.” Giles quickly stood. “Feel free to call me any time you want to.”
“Thank you. Buffy, please show Mr Giles to the door.”
Giles picked up his book and followed Buffy into the hall. He gave her a small, reassuring smile as he put on his jacket. Buffy still found herself biting her bottom lip. She stepped closer to him and lowered her voice.
“How did she take it?”
“As well as can be expected,” he said, in the same tone. “At first she didn’t want to believe me, actually I thought she was going to start screaming at me for a while. After I explained and showed her this however...” He patted the leather-bound bound volume emblazoned ‘VAMPYR’ he carried. “I believe she is beginning to accept it.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
For the first time in what felt like forever, a real smile spread over Buffy’s face.
The woman was young, couldn’t be older than seventeen. She was dressed in a red miniskirt with leather boots and smelled of wine and sweat. When Spike approached she looked up at him under heavy eyelids, giggling a little as he pushed her up against the wall. Looked like he was going to be lucky after all; the quarter where his ‘home’ lay wasn’t the best to hunt, simply because no people were out. Seemed like this little morsel had lost herself in the dark.
“Hello,” she said, head rolling back.
“Hello, love.”
His hands crept up her side, stroking the soft underside of her breast through the silky shirt she was wearing. For a moment she looked blankly at him, then she clumsily tried to brush his hand off her.
“No-no-no-no…” Her voice became a drunken chant.
Spike let his hand slide down again and wrapped it roughly around her waist. His other hand pushed her head to the side to bare her neck. The blood in her veins was singing for him and the sound of her voice died out, her struggles were barely registered.
Ten minutes later he was back in the same dump as last night, but he was too tired to really care. Lack of sleep last night and the first real meal – a drunk meal on top of that – in a couple of days made him warm and drowsy. Throwing the duster over a chair he lay down on the couch. Sleep claimed him in no time.
The female was there again. Watching together with him. They stood side by side, close but not touching. In front of them was his younger self sprawled on the ground, Angelus hovering over him.
Angelus chuckled darkly and leant forward, his lips moving even though no words were heard. Then it was not Spike on the floor but the Slayer – a scene Spike had seen a thousand times before, with thousand different girls. Tilting his head to the side, he studied the Slayer. She seemed to be frozen. Her face wet with tears, and her breath coming in small hitched pants.
“You see,” the female beside him said, “Do you not think she wants revenge?”
Spike nodded.
“Do you think she is broken, William?” the woman whispered, mouth close to his ear. “How is she going to kill Angelus if you’re just following her around on patrol, Slayer of Slayers?”
“I’m not a sodding white hat,” Spike growled and the female chuckled.
“The Big bad,” she said, “laying back to wait for her, afraid to lose his face.”
Spike felt a sudden urge to hit her, and by the way her eyes glittered, she knew what he was thinking. He took a step back. She followed, reaching up to grip his chin with one hand, and still he couldn’t see her face.
“What is it you want, William?”
“You know what I want.”
“Then make sure you get it.”
When Joyce met her gaze across the counter the next morning Buffy felt very young. Her mother was wearing that expression on her face and made her feel like when she was six and had taken ice cream without asking. This time she didn’t know what she had done to deserve it. Yes, her mother might finally begin to believe what Buffy had told her about vampires. But shouldn’t that make her... more respectful maybe? After all, Buffy had been chosen to protect the world after all.
“Buffy,” Joyce said, “I really don’t know how to... I’m sorry.”
Buffy looked up, eyes widening. “So you believe it then?”
“Mr Giles, your... Watcher,” Joyce seemed to taste the unfamiliar term. “was very convincing, showing me pictures and pointing out things that... I’d just chosen not to see.”
Buffy felt her eyes burning and had to blink. Luckily Joyce wasn’t looking at her but intently watching the eggs she was frying.
“To find out that...” Joyce halted and took a deep breath. “Or more that it was a vampire that... I don’t know, all my thoughts are spinning now.” She gave an uneasy laugh.
Slowly Buffy stood up, walked over to her mom and put a small hand on her shoulder. The older woman seemed to relax under her touch.
“Have you thought about what I said? About finding another counsellor? Perhaps you could tell her that you’re the Slayer, I’m sure...”
Buffy’s hand abruptly dropped and she took a step backwards. She’d believed they were done with this. No way she was going through another session of ‘confessions Buffy’ with a stranger again.
“I better get going,” she said, “I don’t wanna be late for school.”
She didn’t wait for a response before she hurried out of the house.
Xander was buzzing with enthusiasm. In fact, he was so fired that he spoke with Buffy without any stammering or eyes-flickering at all.
“I wonder what she sees in me?” he said dreamily. “It’s probably the quiet good looks coupled with a certain smoky magnetism.”
Buffy frowned at him, watching over his shoulder as Willow stepped out from the classroom and hesitantly began to walk over to them. Xander still seemed miles away and Buffy ran a hand through her hair.
“Look Xander,” she said “I’m very happy for your sake, but I really need to go.”
“Hi guys!” Willow said, smiling.
“Oh, Willow.” Xander said. “Did you see what happened in there? An older woman is lusting after me!”
The two girls simultaneously rolled their eyes.
Buffy cast a glance at the redhead before throwing her bag over her shoulder. “I need to go,” she said. “But good luck with your older woman, Xander!”
The latter was said with as much false enthusiasm she could muster. He smiled at her and then drifted off to the dream land again.
“That is my teacher!” Buffy exclaimed, gwaking at the woman who was now calmly strolling down the street again.
“Huh?” Spike said.
“She just looked at that vampire and he ran away!”
“Who?”
Wow, her vampire really wasn’t on the ball today. Wasn’t it her role to be somewhere else? Buffy grabbed his forearm and pulled him closer to the edge of the park, pointing at the woman.
“She. My teacher.”
Finally he seemed to focus and fixed his eyes on the woman, nostrils flaring for a second before he relaxed and shrugged, “No idea. Can’t scent her from here.”
He began to walk away, seemingly expecting her to follow him. Buffy could only stare. He was acting like he didn’t care! Like he didn’t give a damn if her teacher was a cold blooded killer! Buffy stilled and closed her eyes. Of course he acts like he doesn’t care, he’s a vampire. Her shoulders slumped as she slowly trailed after him.
They walked in silence till they reached their first cemetery for the night where Spike suddenly swung around. He opened his mouth, then closed it again. Buffy frowned at him. What was he up to now?
“Let’s spar.”
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me, let’s spar.” He fell into a fighting stance with both fists raised.
“No way!”
“Come on, Slayer,” he said “Afraid you can’t take me?”
She pursed her mouth, irritated with both him and herself. She should’ve just walked away when he’d acted like a... vampire back there. And now he wanted to fight her?! You’re afraid you can’t take him. Buffy scowled at the voice in her head and saw that Spike was watching her with an amused grin.
“How about it then?”
“You... you...! Idiot!”
Before she could stop herself she’d aimed a hit at him. A hit that he ducked as if she was moving in slow motion. When he dodged the next just as easily he actually laughed. Laughed! Buffy found the blood boiling in her veins but forced herself to take a deep breath. Her gaze fixed on him as she forced herself to calm and focus.
He was an experienced fighter, no doubt about that. When he struck her for the first time and she barely had time to parry she found herself swallowing. Definitely no doubt.
It seemed like he could smell her sudden fear; his nostrils flared and his eyes flashed yellow. Buffy tried to force her mind to empty and let her body move on its inherent instincts. That had been so easy before, before him. She had fought hundreds of vampires and demons in the last year, this was just another one.
Spike was circling her now, predator in his every step. She stood still, waiting. She wasn’t completely sure what for; him to strike or herself to build up the courage to do something. He wasn’t the patient type though, that soon became clear. His fist smashed into her chin after barely one lap and he followed it up with a kick in her the stomach. Hissing in pain she stumbled backwards. How could she let him get to her so easily?! She should’ve at least tried to duck the first blow, then he wouldn’t have been able to strike her a second time. Angrily she straightened herself and made a nice imitation of a growl at him.
“Oh, pet,” he snickered. “Not used to fighting real Big bads, are you?”
No, she was not and that fact became clearer and clearer by every passing second. However, the mocking had a strange effect on her. She would’ve expected the words to make her back down, instead a feeling of wanting to prove herself came over her.
Her fist smashed into his face and he grinned appreciatively, even as he whipped blood off his lip. An almost smile spread over her own face and she attacked again. This time he met her though and dodged. Next his foot hit her knee and she had to bite back a cry. Was he actually trying to hurt her? Maybe it had been what he wanted all along; a decent fight before he killed her. Buffy shook her head. Now she sure as hell wasn’t thinking clearly. If he just wanted to take her down in a fight, why would he follow her on patrol?
“Getting tired, Slayer?” Spike said, smirking.
The words were out of her mouth before she, finally, had time to think; “Not even close.”
One second she was ready for him, watching him advance at her. Next he was close, so close. How did he do that? Could it have been that famous vampire speed? But then, wasn’t she supposed to be just as fast? The title ‘Vampire Slayer’ weren’t just empty words, were they? She tried to fight him off, to get in a hit, a kick; anything. But before she’d even raised her hand he’d spun her around. An arm wrapped itself around her waist and he bit down on her neck with blunt teeth.
“Seems like you lost.”
Spike could hear her heartbeat thundering in her chest and wondered what she was thinking. He sighed.
“Come on, pet, I’ll walk you home,” he said.
“Why do you always do that?” she asked, even as she fell into step with him.
“What?”
“Walk me home.”
Spike shrugged. “I suppose you don’t wanna walk home by yourself.” He gave her a small grin. “With Angelus lurking in the shadows and all.”
When he said the name she startled and threw a glance over her shoulder. His grin widened for a second before dropping completely. What was he smiling at really? The girl was young and fragile; he needed to get her better, not scare her away. Another sigh and he buried his hands in the pockets of his duster. They walked in silence until they reached her house.
Several lights were on and a shadow was standing close to a window in the kitchen. Spike halted and grabbed the girl’s elbow. First she looked surprised, and he jerked his head at the shadow. The moving shadow. Her heart began to pound anew. Too late Spike realized that the mother had already seen them.
Suddenly the front door burst open and the woman stepped out. She had lines of worry on her forehead and her lips were pressed tightly against each other. Before Joyce had time to say anything Buffy sighed and began to walk towards her.
“You too, young man!”
Spike seriously considered running away. The Slayer’s mum looked furious even as she tried to blink back tears. Innocent vampire, here! Still, he couldn’t help but feel for her as he hesitantly followed the Slayer. She must’ve thought that her daughter had gone missing again. It didn’t stop him from halting as far away from the woman as he could without being impolite.
At first it almost seemed like the older woman had forgot about him, she was so focused on her daughter.
“I’ve been worried to death!” she said, “What were you thinking, Buffy?!”
“I’ve been sneaking out for the last six months, Mom.” Buffy crossed her arms over her chest. “It didn’t bother you before.”
“Because I had no idea! And that was also before you got kidnapped and tortured by a... a...” She couldn’t bring the word over her lips. “And what about this…”
She turned her attention to Spike again. And went pale.
TBC