She’d been summoned to Dawn’s school today, because her teachers were worried about Dawn’s progress. Her grades had dropped and she’d been ditching classes. Not that Buffy could blame Dawn for skipping algebra; she’d done that herself a time or two. But what if they couldn’t keep a low enough profile, stay under the radar? An icy lump formed in Buffy’s stomach. What if they came to the attention of the Social Services? What if they tried to take Dawn away from her?
Then she heard it. A tiny sound, like rain drops on her windowsill, but coming from her basement. Plink-plop, Plink-plop. Buffy tiptoed into the kitchen, removed a big solid cutting knife from the counter, and noiselessly opened the basement door. The light from the kitchen spilled down the steep steps and glittered on the floor below. Why were there ripples on the floor?
Buffy snuck quietly down the stairs and stopped abruptly. All her energy suddenly depleted, she slumped down on the rough step and stared at the rubble floating – floating! – on the sea that had been her basement floor. Plink-plop resounded hollow in the darkness. The sound sunk right to the bottom of the endless black pit forming inside her. She was so tired. Demons she could beat down, slash and slay. But against these constant demands of real life she felt so helpless; she’d always had mom to take care of these things before.
Each day she seemed to sink just a little deeper into this tar pit; every day it was that much harder to drag her feet out of bed to the endless unchanging routine of her days. There must be more to her life than just housekeeping, bill paying, and prodding Dawn to finish her homework.
She was the Slayer, the one girl in the world, strong enough... she knew the routine. Her job was to keep the world safe, so that everybody could live happily ever after. Looks like ‘everybody’ didn’t include her. Why did her day just suck? Why did she not even deserve a dry basement? Hell, why did her life suck, if you could call it a life at all? She knew there must be more to it than this. There was this bottomless hole inside her, this yearning clawing at her, which told her there should be more, if she just could figure out what it was.
Spike waited for Buffy, lounging at his usual place on the steps outside the back door, idly smoking a cigarette. He’d planned on going on patrol with her tonight, since Dawn was on a sleep-over with her best friend Janice. The back door closed with an audible plop as Buffy stepped out and locked it. He looked up at her as she quietly walked over to him. Something was wrong. Buffy sat down on the steps beside him and wrapped her arms around her chest. Knowing her, he patiently settled back and waited. She would need her time to come out with it.
After some moments in companionable silence she lifted her head and looked at him. "What do you know about finances?"
Spike stared at her. This question came totally out of left field. “Finances? Never considered you’d need my help for that one. ‘aving money problems, pet?"
"Duh, you should see my basement! The pipes are broken and I don’t know how much can be salvaged from all the flotsam that was stored down there. It already reeks of mildew and I know we’ll have to throw most of it out. We might even need a new washing machine and I’m sure the dryer is toast. On top of that, it seems there’s a rule that every other Tuesday some demon vandalizes the house. Who do you think is paying for that?”
A dark shadow passed over her face. “I can’t imagine how Mom handled all this," she finally whispered, looking depressed and battered. Buffy sighed , straightened herself and continued.
“That’s not even all, Spike. I’ve had an interview at the bank office with the loan officer today to try to get a second mortgage. It was a total bust. No matter how I spun it, they refused to give me a new loan to pay for the repair work on the pipes. They told me, if I couldn’t pay the current mortgage payments they certainly wouldn’t authorize a second loan and I might end up losing the house.”
Buffy swallowed hard. “It’s all we have left of Mom. To think that other people might sleep in her bedroom, remodel her kitchen… Spike, if I lose the house, Social Services will swoop in and take Dawn away from me!”
She closed her eyes and let her head hang, her arms wrapping tighter around her chest. One tear had escaped her iron control and slid down her cheek.
Spike couldn’t bear the devastated expression on her face; every moment he looked at her tore another chunk out of his heart. That was his Slayer, the proud, strong warrior. The girl who’d defeated every nasty who dared to stand up to her, the girl who’d even defeated him. To see her dragged down by so mundane a matter made his whole being ache.
Spike tenderly laid his hand on her shoulder and gave it a soft squeeze. "The Council wankers don't pay you nuthin’? Sorry luv, never thought ‘bout this."
"It's easy for you, Spike. Nothing to repair at your crypt and what you need you steal from us. But I’ve got to take care of Dawn." Buffy paused to take a shuddering breath which sounded very much like a sob. "Do you know how often she needs clothes and stuff? Every week there’s a new fashion she’s just got to have or she’ll be shunned like a leper! God, if I thought I was as needy as her as a teenager..."
Spike couldn’t help but smile at that. "Heard you were a cheerleader. How much worse could it be?"
With a scowl Buffy poked her elbow into his side. "Shut up, Spike! This doesn't help."
How could he help her? That wasn’t an easy puzzle to sort out. Being a vampire for over a hundred years meant that he had accumulated a cache, knick knacks he’d picked up here and there; valuables he’d stored for their sentimental value, as memories of happy times with Dru. Not that he ever used them. He liked to travel light and had much too much fun nicking what he needed. Sadly, Buffy would never accept anything from that source. She wouldn’t accept his help unless it was something she felt she had a right to take. Something she’d consider proper to use.
After a while in deep thought Spike tilted his head and looked at her, considering. "Remember the Gem of Amarra?"
"Huh, want to revive your glory days? How does you being invincible and taking a stroll in the sunlight help with my finances? Angel destroyed it, anyway. And I don't believe you’re offering to earn money for me, with that bauble on your hand doing an honest day’s work, nine-to-five."
"Ah, you know me luv, I might even be tempted if 't would help." Raising his undamaged eyebrow, Spike smirked at her. "Would be a right commotion in the demon world, Big Bad with an apron doing dirty dishes or what." He noted the laughter gleaming up in her eyes with satisfaction.
God, how he loved to see that teasing smile of hers! But in the last month, since the death of her mother, the spark in her had been dimming more and more. Why hadn’t he noticed the signs? Bloody hell, why didn't she speak up earlier? Stupid, stubborn bint. Why had no one taught her that being the solitary Chosen One didn't mean she also had to shoulder everyday normal stuff all on her own?
Where were all her friends when life got rougher? Even her Watcher had deserted her. Why didn’t Giles fight for her rights? The Council wankers paid the Watchers; why not also the Slayer? Why did they even need more than one Watcher for that matter? His bet was that they were sitting on their pompous, fat asses in a posh building, feeling all self righteous. Without the chip he might be tempted to give them a live demonstration of what their Slayer stands against every night.
“Hey, Earth to Moon! What did you mean when you mentioned the ring, Spike?” Buffy interrupted his musings by waving her hand in front of his face. “You seemed miles away. What’s with the frown?”
Spike shook himself back to the imminent topic. "Right, the Gem of Amarra. See luv, there was plenty of stuff – bloody good stuff, where the ring came from. Might still be. Wonder what happened to the stash after the roof collapsed. When I last saw the old cave I was livin’ in during the excavation, it seemed pretty intact then. We might be able to salvage some more of the treasure."
He looked invitingly over at her. "Care to take a look?"
Standing, he offered his hand to Buffy. She stared up at him, not sure if he was serious. "Oh hell, what else do I have to do tonight? Well, besides patrol, but that would be a bummer too, given the track record of the day. I’ve had my daily dosage of demon goo already today."
Her small hand felt warm and firm in his grip. She gave it a slight squeeze and smiled at his surprised and awed gaze. She left her hand there, comfortable and secure in his, as he led her through town.
As they entered the cave, Spike surveyed the decrepit surroundings. The bed was still standing, covered in dust and cobwebs, but the pillows and bedspread were long gone. Every other bit of furniture was either upturned or smashed to pieces. Harmony must have been in a real mood when she finally left. He snuck a cautious look over at Buffy who walked around inspecting the room. Hopefully she wouldn’t be reminded of Harmony and the last time she’d seen her, when Buffy was chained up in the basement of his crypt.
“So, this was where you lived when you came back to Sunnydale?” Buffy asked casually, picking up something from underneath the bed. She waved a statue in front of his face, with a devilish glint in her eye. “With Harmony?”
He flinched. Silly bint and her obsession with unicorns. The ‘artwork’ that Buffy now held aloft was an extraordinarily vile piece, all covered in pink glitter. What an especially stupid obsession for a vampire to indulge in: collecting wooden statues with sharp pointed horns. Of course when the vampire in question was Harmony… To be truthful, he’d never been interested in her brain anyway. Which was another landmine to avoid discussing with the Slayer.
Buffy looked around the room. “You know, I actually staked a vampire once with a unicorn. I think it was even here. Remember last year, when she kidnapped Dawn? God, that was pathetic!”
Ouch, she had to rub it in and she clearly enjoyed it.
Now Buffy turned serious. “What did you see in Harmony? I always wondered how you ended up with her. We all figured you’d lost a bet or something.”
Such a good question and Spike so didn’t want to answer it. “Sure you want us to compare our pick of lovers, pet?”
He turned and pointed into the tunnel leading from the main room. “This leads under the cave where the treasure is. I dug up from beneath it. We should check to see how far the tunnel is still clear.”
Buffy stomped her foot and glared at him. “Don’t try to distract me. You know all about me. You’ve collected stuff from my house, ransacked my drawers. You’ve even stolen my underwear! You talked to my mother... God knows what she told you about me, yet when I ask one little question about your past, you get all avoid-y on me. That’s unfair.”
She actually pouted. Did she know how deadly a weapon that was?
Spike sighed heavily and rolled his eyes. “Right then, I met her in LA and found out she knew Sunnydale, so we came here together. And Dru wasn’t here, so…” God, don’t tell her, that she reminded you of Buffy. He hadn’t realized it himself at the time, but it was so obvious now. Fingers crossed that when Harmony prattled on ‘bout the role-playing as the Slayer, Buffy had been too distracted to actually listen to her.
“Oh, so she was… what? Convenient? God, men are such pigs!” Buffy threw her hands into the air.
“Ey, Slayer! We came here because I wanted to help ya. And now all you do is make fun of me. Don’t need to rub it in what a berk I can be at times. If you want to know something ‘bout me, buy me a pint and ask nicely. Then we can compare our love lives, fair and square! It’ll make a right boring night, listening to the tale of the bloody interesting personality that was Capt’n Cardboard… oh, and let’s not forget the Magnificent Poof! Can we get some work done now?” With that Spike turned briskly on his heel and ended the conversation by resolutely marching down the tunnel.
The dig site was in worse shape than he’d hoped. After the cave-in, the authorities had filled up the area with coarse gravel without looking at what was actually underneath. The rubble had filled up the treasure cave, burying the wealth under tons of material. Some of it had spilled through the drill hole Spike had jack-hammered into the floor of the treasure room until it was blocked by some larger boulders, leaving a huge heap of gravel on the floor.
Spike rubbed his neck and looked sheepishly at Buffy. “Sorry luv, looks not too peachy. It wouldn’t do any good to drill a new entrance; it’d just pull more rubbish down. I’ll need tools and time to build; setup some supports, clear the rubble and dig an access tunnel through the treasure cave. As I remember, there were smaller heaps of jewels and burial gifts near the entrance hole; might be able to reach those.”
If only he could make it to the big pile in the center, which would be the solution he’d hoped for. His shoulders slumped. It had been a promising plan, but like most of his plans, it was busted. For a moment, he’d pictured himself as the knight in shining armor, swooping in and rescuing the damsel in distress. He’d wanted to help her, to lift her burden, but as usual he’d failed.
“Spike, it was a good idea,” Buffy tried to console him, letting the previous discussion about love lives drop. She pointed over to the heap of debris on the floor. “Let’s look and see if there’s something useful in there, since we’re already here.”
Further down the corridor they found an old shovel and a few discarded excavation tools. Spike sifted meticulously through the pile with the blade and finally uncovered a handful of dull silver coins and a jewel encrusted golden goblet which had been swept down by the avalanche. He might be able to convert them to cash using his contacts in the demon world. Spike promised to himself to come back and try his luck with the cave again. If he even had a slim chance of success, he didn’t shirk honest labor, contrary to what the Scoobies might think. He would need some help, but he would manage.
At least what they had found would be enough to pay some of the bills and fill up the fridge. Maybe he could add a pink motorbike helmet for Dawn.
By the end of August, all the Scoobies had returned to Sunnydale and demanded bonding time at the Bronze. Naturally, Buffy went with them to celebrate the start of the “Slaying Season”, as Xander had so aptly named it.
As Buffy entered the club, she stopped at the entrance and observed her friends sitting at a table. Willow was talking animatedly, waving her hands in the air while Tara watched her with a gentle smile. Xander was concentrating on Willow’s tale and Anya sat by, admiring something on her hand. She had missed them all, but she felt like the fifth wheel on the wagon.
“Hey, look who’s here, the Buffster!” was Xander’s enthusiastic greeting. The others smiled at her as she approached.
“Where’s Dawn? Is she doing ok?” asked Tara shyly.
“Hi guys. So good to see you again! Dawn’s fine, thanks! She’s at home with Spike, probably watching some movies and stuffing herself with popcorn. She sends you all...”
Xander interrupted angrily. “What is the bleached wonder doing with Dawn? In your house! How can you leave her alone with him?”
“Hey, calm down Xander! What’s your problem? If not for Spike watching Dawn, I‘d never have gotten to patrol all summer long.”
Buffy started to regret coming at all. “You all know very well that I trust Spike with Dawn.”
Tara softly confirmed, trying to calm the waves. “Xander, have you forgotten how much Spike helped Dawn with Glory? Of course Buffy can trust her in his care.”
Buffy gave Tara a warm smile; she was grateful that the shy girl was part of the group now. Tara was always so quiet, but often surprised Buffy when she stepped in to defend someone in her gentle way.
Hoping to avoid any further argument with Xander, Buffy looked at Willow and winked. “Ok, now what have you wiccans been doing all that time at your camp? I’ve had the wildest fantasies here…”
“Oh it was so wonderful!” Willow gushed. “There were so many real witches there! You remember the group I joined at college? Where I met Tara?” Willow sent a tender look at Tara who blushed deeply at the attention.
“Well, like then, there were lots of pretenders at the gathering, but some were totally amazing. I showed them what I could do and I learned so many new spells. Did you know that you can do nearly all house work with spells? Isn’t that’s awesome? I don’t need to do anything by hand anymore. And the best part is, casting spells doesn’t drain me like some of the other witches.” Willow was clearly proud of herself, but her tone held a hint of condescension.
Quietly Tara spoke up, “Willow, it doesn’t seem right to do normal, everyday tasks with magic. Things you can do easily with your own hands. It’s a gift from the goddess, it should be used to do good… not…”
“Oh, puh!” Willow brushed Tara’s opinion away. “Magic isn’t anything different than electricity. It’s a power source to be used if you can tap into it. All this worship and earth mother myth is just to make it more interesting.”
Buffy was picking up a fair amount of discord in the normally happy couple. Truth be told, if she’d been asked directly, in this argument she would have to agree with Tara. Just because you can do something doesn’t make it automatically right to do it.
“Buffy, what have you been up to all this time? Anything interesting?” Willow asked, clearly avoiding more confrontation with her girlfriend.
“Ah, no, everything was pretty quiet. Only the usual fledglings. Oh, some biker demons passed through! Spike and I chased them out of town pretty quickly though.”
“Spike? What did the fanged menace do? I bet he cheered them on.” Xander cut in.
“Hey, Xander, again I ask, what’s your problem? Spike was really helpful! He fought lots of the bikers all on his own – I didn’t even have to ask him to help,” Buffy defended.
“I understand why you hate vampires, I really do,” she continued. “But Spike’s different, not just because of the chip; everyone can see that but you. And I wish you wouldn’t call him names. I don’t like it.”
She could clearly see that she couldn’t cut through to Xander’s prejudice. It was baffling to her that her friend, who had an ex-vengeance demon as girlfriend, was so biased against one vampire. Yes, Xander was right to detest vampires in general, but clearly Spike had shown over and over again that he was one-of-a-kind.
“To risk an obvious change of topic, how was your vacation, Xander?” Buffy tried to calm the waves.
“Xander, can I tell them? You said it’s finally the right time,” nudged Anya. Her eyes were shining with excitement and she really enjoyed the attention.
As Xander smiled indulgently at her as she bubbled on. “Look! We’re engaged! Xander bought me this beautiful, unbelievably expensive ring.” She joyfully waved her hand around.
True enough, a sparkling diamond sat on her finger; Anya was gleaming with joy. Finally Xander had taken the next step. Buffy was glad to see her friend happy, yet couldn’t suppress a tiny feeling of unease. He was still so young and had just found his first solid job. True, Xander and Anya had moved in together nearly a year ago, but this was a huge step. Marriage! The first of her friends wanted to settle down; with a wife, maybe a house and 2.5 kids.
But it was Xander and Anya’s great moment, so Buffy beamed at them. “Congratulations! That’s fantastic news. When did you get engaged? While you were in Las Vegas?”
Anya nodded enthusiastically. “Xander wanted to marry me there immediately. You know, at that white chapel with an Elvis impersonator and the doorman as a witness. But I want to have a real wedding, with a beautiful white dress, flower girls, sunshine and a reception under a canopy. You all have to be my bridesmaids! This is the first time I’ve ever had a chance to marry in style.”
A slight frown appeared on Anya’s brow as she thought about it. “Olaf just threw me over his shoulder and dragged me to his hut. What kind of ceremony is that? That didn’t have any style at all.”
“Ahn, honey, it would’ve been romantic. Everybody thinks it’s romantic to get married in Las Vegas.” Xander tried to placate his newly appointed fiancé. “And can we not talk about Olaf the troll here?”
Anya pouted. “We now have all this lovely money I won in Vegas; I want to spend it on something nice. And I want to invite my friends – all my old friends; I haven’t seen them in ages. They’ll all be just green with envy… well, not counting the ones that are already green. My family, of course, is long dead, but we’ll have to invite your parents.”
Xander turned to Buffy with a grimace. “Can you imagine my father at my wedding? That alone is reason enough to try to marry as far away from Sunnydale as possible.”
“Oh, Xander! If you want, we can marry in Arashmahar! We wouldn’t have any sunshine of course, but we could hang up lots of fey lights and D’Hoffryn could give me away.” Anya was thrilled by the idea and began considering the possibilities with her usual enthusiasm.
All in all, it turned into a nice ‘welcome back’ celebration. They danced and talked and avoided the more explosive topics. Buffy joined Willow and Tara on the dance floor and listened fascinated, as Anya’s wedding plans grew more and more elaborate. At least she’d dropped the notion of celebrating in Arashmahar; the logistics would have been horrendous as Buffy pointed out.
Being helpful to Anya while she was in the throes of wedding planning bliss had its drawbacks, however.
Anya beamed, “Oh, you’re priceless, Buffy! You’ll be my Maid of Honor; I’ll bet nobody ever had a Slayer as a Maid of Honor! You already truly understand what it means to organize a wedding. You have experience! Do you still have the brochures from the caterers? A shame that Willow’s spell was broken before you’d had a chance to marry Spike. You would have been perfect together. Slayer strength and vampire stamina, you could have countless orgasms before you wear each other out; and your natural suppleness…” Her eyes glazed over at that vision.
Oblivious to everybody staring at her, Anya happily chattered on. “Have you noticed Spike’s body, all those wiry, hard muscles, his broad shoulders and slim hips? Silly me, of course you have, who wouldn’t? Just the sight of his T-shirt clinging to his body… You can imagine his fabulous pecs and toned stomach. Buffy, do you think you can persuade him to strip at my bachelorette party? There must be strippers and Spike would be perfect.”
“Ahn!”