Buffy woke up sneaking out of Spike’s arms.
It wasn’t that she didn’t know she did it but instead she didn’t want to have a discussion about her reasons why until she was sure of why it was.
She hated over-analyzing things especially when someone else was there.
She’d rather think about it herself and then tell the results.
She stretched as she went over to the other side of the room finding her clothes were dry.
She glanced at Spike who was lightly breathing but she figured he did that in his sleep so she stripped pulling her shirt over her head and then pulling her skirt on as well.
She didn’t notice the eye Spike had opened to watch the whole show.
He closed them again as Buffy came over gently shaking him whispering, “Spike, I think it’s night time. Wake up!”
Spike opened his eyes pretending to stretch awake and she smiled saying, “You need more blood before we go?”
Her stomach growled and he frowned saying, “You need food.”
She frowned realizing she hadn’t eaten a single thing all day or last night.
She had been so busy it had slipped her mind.
He climbed out of bed to slip his boots on saying, “On the way to the magic box we can hit the gas station to get you a sandwich or something if that’s okay.”
She smiled and nodded as she started to climb up the ladder.
Once upstairs, she pulled on her boots and jacket and turned to see Spike sliding into his duster.
She repeated, “Do you need blood?”
He shrugged but went over to the fridge pulling out his trusty jar of blood and took a few swigs wiping his mouth and said, “All set luv. Let’s go get you fixed up.”
She glanced at him saying, “Can’t I get a hint about your plan?”
He shrugged as they walked side by side and he said, “One hint and that’s it, orbs.”
She looked confused but decided to let him keep his secret for now.
She would find out soon enough.
Instead she chose to talk about what Glory wants, the key.
She admitted to Spike, “Dawn’s the key. Glory is after my sister except she’s not really my sister. She’s some green blob of energy that was stuffed into the form of my human sister so that I could protect her.”
Spike stopped in his tracks outside of the gas station and studied Buffy as though not believing it.
He whispered softly, “We have memories of her…how?”
Buffy blinked saying, “Monks made them. I guess they deemed you pretty important since you got them too.”
Spike frowned but said, “She’s still the nibblet. Doesn’t change anything.”
Buffy smiled happy to hear he felt that way as she went into the gas station to pick up a soda and a sandwich and a bag of chips.
Spike put them back getting a foot long sub, a liter of soda and a bigger bag of chips.
She looked at him in shock saying, “I won’t eat all that.”
Spike grinned saying, “I’ll help.”
Buffy didn’t say anything but instead took it up to the counter to pay but was surprised when Spike put his hand over her hand and handed the clerk a $20 bill.
She raised an eyebrow at him and he said, “What? I have money luv.”
She glared him saying, “We paid you.”
Spike nodded saying, “Doesn’t mean I don’t have money.”
She decided not to say anything but followed him as he took the big bag and walked across the street to the magic box.
The Scoobies glanced up at her saying, “Shouldn’t you be patrolling?”
Buffy waved them off taking a seat on a chair and watched as Spike pulled up a chair next to her.
She sat her sandwich down on the table along with their chips and soda.
She watched as Spike opened the soda up first helping himself to a big sip before handing it to Buffy who took one as well.
Buffy then opened the bag of chips offering one to Spike and taking two herself before starting to dig in to her sandwich.
Xander looked confused watching their interaction as he asked, “Where’s Riley?”
Buffy didn’t answer him and chewed her mouth full of sandwich which Spike stole from her hand and took off a large bite as well before handing it back to her.
Buffy finished her bite and said, “Spike has an idea he wanted to share with all of us.”
Xander repeated, “Well shouldn’t we wait for Riley?”
Buffy looked down at the sandwich resting in her hands saying, “You will be waiting for a long time. His plane left already for wherever he was going.”
Xander looked at her expecting her to explain but she didn’t and instead Buffy said, “So that idea Spike.”
She looked at him and Xander blinked at the way she really looked at him as though she cared what he had to say.
Her body language was messed up as well and what is with this eating from each other’s hand thing.
He glanced at the rest of the table and noticed Tara had a slight smile on her face, Anya was smiling but Willow and Giles looked just as confused as he felt.
He stopped thinking as he heard Spike start to speak, “Well we have ourselves a really strong girl who is out to hurt Buffy and get something called a key. Now we can’t give her to Glory so obviously we have some work ahead of us.”
Xander blinked saying, “Her?”
Spike glanced at Buffy who shrugged and he questioned her saying, “You didn’t tell them yet?”
She shook her head chewing on another chip and Willow said, “Tell us what?”
Buffy frowned taking a sip of the soda that she handed back to Spike before saying, “Where’s Dawn?”
Xander looked confused but said, “I walked her home an hour ago.”
Buffy nodded and chewed on a chip trying to figure out how best to say it.
She finally shrugged saying, “Dawn is the key. She’s what Glory is looking for.”
Everyone talking all at once and Buffy yelled something but Spike held up his hand saying, “Let the girl talk guys.”
Everyone grew quiet as Buffy said, “I needed to protect the key. They didn’t know how else to have me protect it so a bunch of monks got together and performed a spell creating the key into a teenage girl. They decided that in order to have me want to protect it, they would have to make it matter to me, so they created Dawn. All the memories you have of her aren’t real. They were made by the monks.”
Spike cut her off finally having chewed his mouthful of chips saying, “but she’s a real girl guys. She’s still Buffy’s sister and should be treated as such. Doesn’t matter how you were made whether it be from a blob of energy or from a mother or from another vampire, you’re still real.”
Buffy smiled at Spike as she munched on a few chips and covered his hand with her free one.
It had been resting on his knee and he smiled up at her.
The others saw this interaction and Xander finally lost his cool saying said, “What is up with you and the dead guy uffy and where’s Riley and what are we supposed to do about Dawn being the key?”
Buffy sighed and said, “Spike and I have an understanding of sorts, Riley left on a mission today after I found out some not so flattering information about him and after he staked Spike and we need to listen to Spike about the key issue.”
Willow gasped saying, “Then why isn’t he all dusty?”
Buffy waved her free hand saying, “Plastic stake but I’m sure it still hurt.”
Spike nodded but said nothing and waited for everyone to be quiet.
He munched on a few chips liking the flavor of sour cream and onion more than he expected.
It took a while for them to finally be quiet because Giles said, “What happened to Riley?”
Buffy sighed knowing she was going to have to admit what happened leaving out some details.
Buffy cleared her throat handing the last few bites of sandwich to Spike after glancing once at him.
Spike nodded towards her and she felt her bravery rise as she said, “Riley snuck off last night to get sucked on by some vampires. I apparently wasn’t doing it for him or something.”
Spike spoke up handing the bag of chips to Buffy and the soda, seeing how uncomfortable she was talking about it, “Riley took up a new habit of getting his blood sucked by vampire whores. Probably like you guys getting blow jobs but instead he took it to the vampire world and got the high off the feeling of his blood being sucked. It’s not so common but does happen. People pay good money for it although I’m not sure why.”
He shrugged and then continued, “So I showed Buffy this place, it went poorly. Then Riley got all angry and decided to stake me with a plastic stake…”
Buffy nodded setting down her soda and said, “We had a fight and well some things were said and he gave me a choice saying pretty much, ‘Forgive me and beg me to stay or I’m leaving.’ I’m pissed off at him still and I couldn’t forgive him and pretend things were al better when they weren’t, so at sundown he left.”
The gang started talking but Buffy tuned it out and waited until they were quiet again enjoying the chips and was thankful Spike got a big bag because they were really pigs tonight.