Buffy’s wide eyes held on Spike’s splayed body. His arms were pillowed behind his head, his face tilted slightly towards her.
“Slayer.” Spike’s deep baritone voice passed by a slightly crumpled cigarette hanging from his full lips.
“Spike?”
With a slight shake of his head, Spike pulled himself up from his reclined position and rolled his eyes. Swinging his lean legs over the side of the bed, he extracted the cancer stick from his mouth, and sarcastically responded, “Yes…me Spike…you Slayer.”
“Shut up, Spike...” Buffy scathingly spoke as she began to pace, searching for a way out.
“Ah, there’s the Slayer that I know and hate.”
Spike’s sarcasm halted her movements. She glared at him, irritation filling her features. Through gritted teeth, she questioned, “How can you just sit there? And, how the hell did you get to be over a hundred years old? No wonder why I’ve beaten you every time. You have no sense of self-preservation.”
“Oi! You’ve never beaten me!” Buffy’s poignant look caused Spike to add, “Fine, but I wasn’t beaten. It was a draw.”
“Whatever, Spike.”
“And for your information, my sense of self-preservationis heightened, thank you very much. However, the reality of the situation has dictated there isn’t a bloody thing I can do right now, except reserve my energies ‘til the time presents itself.”
Buffy shook her head disdainfully, crossing her arms over her chest and rolling her eyes, before she responded, “You know what Spike? All that bullshit that just fell from your mouth sounds like a lame excuse for you to sit there on your… lily…white…ass!”
This final insult caused Spike’s demon to burst forward. In several clipped strides, he stood before her, just mere inches from the red line that separated the room in half. His golden eyes filled with rage. His chest heaved with unneeded breath. With a clenched jaw, Spike growled his response to her accusations,
“Been here a bit, yeah! Already searched…nothing! No seams or gaps to gain any purchase. Bloody metal box we’re in! Which, by the way, is at least a foot deep. Past there, is concrete. Past there…don’t bloody well know. Vibrations didn’t go that far! Door is computerized. Beyond there, countless blokes armed to the gills with enough weapons to take down a bleedin’ army of demons. Not to mention our complimentary bracelets, and these fucking lines everywhere! So tell me, Slayer, how do you figure I’m just sittin’ here on my arse!?”
Spike and Buffy’s gaze remained fixed for several silent moments, before the truth of his words penetrated her mind. Breaking away from his gaze, Buffy looked downward. Her eyes widened and began welling with tears. To further shield her sorrow, Buffy turned away from him. With a sense of defeat, she headed towards her ‘bed’.
Smelling the salty tears hovering on the air, Spike’s demon receded. With a heavy sigh, he mirrored her movements. Endless moments of tense silence passed between them before Buffy lifted her head, her whispered voice capturing Spike’s attention.
“This is real, isn’t it? I’m just waiting to wake up in Riley’s bed, finding out that this is some MSG induced nightmare.”
“No such luck, Slayer. Well, unless we’re sharing the same nightmare.”
“Sharing nightmares? Now that’s far fetched, even for Sunnydale.”
“My un-dead life in Sunnyhell, now that's a perpetual nightmare.”
“Yeah, me too.”
Following their agreement, another stretch of silence followed. Each appeared uncomfortable from the quiet and their close proximity. Starting to fidget, Spike tapped his fingers on his legs in rhythm with a song he softly murmured. Buffy’s eyes wandered around the room. Once she became bored with that, her gaze settled on Spike.
“I think you have ADHD,” Buffy blurted out. Hearing her words, Spike’s singing ended abruptly and his fingers stopped moving.
“What?”
“I said…”
“I know what you said, but why did you say it?”
“You’re always so fidgety. Like a shark, you never stop moving.”
With a casual shrug of his shoulders, Spike responded, “Have lots of energy. Don’t have the proper outlet to release it in.” Following a suggestive wag of his eyebrows and curl of his tongue, Buffy’s face scrunched with disgust.
“You’re such a pig, Spike!”
“Oink, oink baby! Oh, please, you really shouldn’t act all prim and proper, Slayer. The stench from the sex you had with Captain Cardboard is all over you. It makes me want to heave.” Hearing his comment, Buffy leapt from the bed, her pacing filling the small space.
“Ugh! There’s no way I can stay in this room with you!”
“Well then, call the concierge, maybe they can give you a different suite.” Following his taunting words, Buffy halted her movements. Her seething glare fell upon him.
“Spike, I’m warning you, shut your mouth, or you won’t make it to your first match.”
Spike instantly rose from his bed. Mirroring her in position and expression, he responded, “Bring it on Slayer! Oh wait, there’s the pretty red line between you and me. Better yet, let’s not forget something else that is even more dangerous than that line…” Spike snapped his mouth closed quickly, before he spilled that his chip had been deactivated. He wasn’t going to disclose that tasty tidbit until their fight, when he was finally fangs deep, draining her dry.
“What? What’s more dangerous? That freak with the ponytail or the guy that looks like a home shopping club reject?” Mirth surrounded Buffy’s scoffed words.
“So, you’ve met that sleazy bastard Darin MacNamara? How about Lilah Morgan, you’ve met her?”
“No, I’ve only been introduced to Jack, that’s the guy with the ponytail and Mr. Liberace Reject, that’s the one you called Darin.”
“Huh, so were you told why we’re here?”
“Why I’m here, yeah. Jack told me I have to fight and kill twenty-one demons, and then I can be released. But believe me, I’ll be long gone and those sick bastards will be in jail, way before that.”
“Yeah…yeah, Scoobies will save the day. Always do, ten minutes before the show ends. ‘Til then, you’re stuck here with the rest of the demons.”
“I’m not a demon!”
“Sorry to burst you’re holier-than-thou bubble, but in their eyes, you are. And at this moment, their opinions are the only ones that seem to matter.”
“For now, but they’ll get theirs.”
“No doubt, and you won’t be the only one that will insure they do. There’s a room full of demons itching to lend a hand or claw whatever the case may be. So, that’s all he told you, twenty-one wins then you get your get out of jail free card?”
“Yeah, that, and I should call him master. A cold day in hell before that happens.” Following her statement, Spike’s laughter filled the room.
“Would have loved to have seen your face when that sod said that, bloody priceless.”
“Big fun, sorry you missed it.”
“So, he never told you anything else…” With Spike’s probing tone, Buffy eyed him with suspicion.
“Spike, stop beating around the bush, if you have some other info, just spill. Despite how much I loathe you, we have to work together on this and unshared info is a no go.” The combination of this intriguing secret, and the fact he could tell her himself, caused a wicked smirk to erupt across his lips.
“I guess he never told you the final battle is between you and me?" Buffy stared at him incredulously. Her silence was her only response before he continued, “Looks like I’ll bag my third Slayer after all.”
Buffy remained silent following his disclosure. Several moments passed, while Spike soaked in her reaction. Aggravating her mental wound further, he continued, “I wasn’t planning on letting the cat out of the bag quite yet, but seeing that delicious expression on your face and the fact you’re speechless, which believe me is next to an impossible feat, is far better than my original plan.”
Spike gloated, continuing to take in the bewilderment that filled Buffy’s features. After several moments, she found her voice, asking a quick succession of questions.
“How? When? Who? Why?”
“All valid questions. How? Don’t bloody well know, was unconscious. When? That was covered by the how answer. Who? My bet is on the people that brought me here. Why? Well, why the hell not? Need a clear noggin to bag my third Slayer, don’t I? Anymore questions?”
Hearing his explanations, Buffy’s jaw clenched as she voiced her threat.
“You know that I have to kill you, right?”
“You can try. First, you have to get through twenty other demons before you get a crack at me. Then, and only then, do you get the pleasure of putting your hands on my tight, lithe body.”
“Not a problem. I’ve taken out twenty demons in a week or less.”
“Oooh…scary. Don’t rightly know if I’ll be able to sleep tonight.”
“Shut up, Spike!”
“Already resorting to the ol’ stand by? Pity, you’re already slipping. First, it starts with your witty quips. Next, you’ll be fighting some demon and he notices that you drop your left shoulder, and bang, good bye Slayer.”
“Fuck you!”
“Semi-harsh language from Betty.” Spike stretched his arms over his head, slowly returning to his bed.
“Well, even though this conversation has taken a path riddled with intelligent repartee, I’m knackered.” Spike removed his boots and slid between the sheets, his back facing her. Several moments later, he clapped his hands twice and the room fell into darkness.
Buffy remained motionless in the middle of the room. Each moment that had transpired since she awoke on the cold concrete floor, plagued her mind. For the ump-teenth time that day, tears brimmed on her lower lids. Spike’s eyes snapped open as his nose was bombarded with the smell of the Slayer’s salty tears.
“Bollocks! Slayer, are you crying…again?”
“No…no, I’m not. I have something in my eye.”
“That’s lame, Slayer. Even the whelp wouldn’t fall for an excuse like that, and that boy is bloody clueless to everything that goes on around him.”
Knowing the whelp Spike was referring to was Xander, instantly brought forth thoughts of him and everyone else at home, triggering Buffy’s tears to fall in earnest. Her choked sobs echoed through the room. With an irritated huff, Spike sat up and turned toward her.
Clapping his hands twice, he turned on the lights. Rooted in the same spot, stood Buffy. A steady stream of tears fell upon her flushed cheeks. Her teeth clamped on her bottom lip, attempting to stifle her cries.
“Stop staring at me, asshole!” Buffy yelled. The echoes of her claps extinguished the lights once more.
“Do you think I want the bloody lights on? Trying to sleep over here, yeah? Just thought a little light can guide you back to your bed, so I don’t have to listen to all that incessant blubbering!” Spike snapped, clapping again. Bright light filled the room, exposing Buffy once more.
“Knock it off!” Buffy screeched, shutting off the lights once more with two claps.
“Fine, whatever, just get away from my side so I can sleep. Even though I can’t go over there personally and shut you up, doesn’t mean my boot can’t!”
“Go right ahead, and you’ll fight barefoot!”
“Daft bint!”
“Asshole!”
“Cold-hearted bitch!”
“Jerk off!”
“Cheers Slayer, that’s a smashing idea!” Following his words, Buffy heard the echo of a zipper lowering.
“What…what are you doing? Don’t you dare do that!”
“It’s my bed…my cock… I’ll wank it if I wanna!” Spike shouted, acting like a petulant child.
“Ouch! What the fuck Slayer! You’re not getting your shoe back, you know that right?” Spike growled, rubbing the side of his head where her boot had struck.
“Don’t care, I’ll fight barefoot. Just the fact that I stopped you from doing that, is a perfect example of the ends justifying the means.”
“Who said you stopped me? Just a quick pause that’s…Ouch! Oi, watch the heart! You’re not getting this one back either!” Spike growled, rubbing his chest where the second boot landed. “Fine…fine! I give up! Anyway, he pulled a turtle long ago with all your weeping.”
“TMI, Spike!”
“Get used to it Slayer. Being my roomy, well, until some lucky demon with one good day snuffs you out, you’ll just have to deal.”
“God help me,” Buffy huffed.
After several steps, she found her bed. Wearily, she slid between the sheets. Following several moments after placing her head on the pillow, exhaustion claimed her. Spike listened intently to the steady tattoo of her heartbeat and even breathing. Before sleep pulled him under, he murmured, “You and I both, Slayer. You and I both.”
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Author's Chapter Notes:
OK,despite my inner child crying out for me to post this chapter sooner, I've held firm and waited for today. I hope you all enjoy this as much as I did writing it!!!
Thanks to Sanityfair...as always and Pixiecorn for the beautiful banner!
Thanks to Sanityfair...as always and Pixiecorn for the beautiful banner!
Chapter End Notes:
Please let me know your feelings...pretty please.