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A/N: Two chapters in one day? lol Don't get used to it, you know it's not like me. But you deserved a Christmas present for reviewing so faithfully. Thank God my muse agreed with me!


CHAPTER 21: Joy to the bloody world



There was a knock on the front door. It was so light that Buffy thought for a second she might have imagined it. She put her lipstick down on her dresser and went to check just in case.

She was late for the party already. She knew that even if she sped all the way to L.A., she still wouldn’t make it to Cordelia and Xander’s by 5 o’clock like she’d promised. But they were used to her being late so it wasn’t such a big deal. She’d be late, but she’d look damn good. She was really happy with the dress she picked for the occasion. A black, tight fitting halter dress with the skirt ending just above her knees. There was a sparkling broche decorating the plunging neckline. It was perfect; sexy, yet festive.

After taking the time to smooth her hair down and put on her heels, Buffy opened the door. There in front of her stood a chubby looking guy, shuffling his feet nervously. The only word Buffy would have used to describe him would be adorable. The guy, who must have been in his mid twenties, had a mop of tousled sandy blonde hair, little ears sticking out from his head, double chin, and warm brown eyes. He was clutching a small box wrapped clumsily in Christmas paper between his chubby hands.

“Hi. Can I help you?” Buffy had no idea who he was.

“Huh, maybe you can. Are you Buffy? I’m looking for Buffy Summers. My name is Clem.”

Buffy stared at him with a shocked expression. “Are you--William’s friend by any chance?”

Clem beamed at her. “Yes! How do you know?”

She chuckled. “Well, Clem, I can’t say that I know a lot of people with an original name like yours.”

He looked down shyly. “It’s short for Clement.”

Buffy extended her hand to him. “It’s very nice meeting you, Clement. Wanna come in for a minute?”

“I don’t know. I’m sure Spike doesn’t want me to bother you.”

“Don’t be silly! Come in. It’s Christmas. And it’s not every day I get to meet Spike’s friends.”

She walked to the kitchen followed closely by Clem.

“Want something to drink?”

He shook his head. “I‘m fine, thank you.”

She pointed at bowls full of holiday snacks on the breakfast bar.

“Something to eat then? As you can see, my sister and I had an early Christmas celebration, which explains the chips and dips and the Cheetos.”

“Yes, that’d be swell! Thanks.”

Buffy poured herself a glass of red wine and went to sit on a stool next to Clem. “So, what brings you here?”

“Here,” He said through a mouthful of Cheetos. “This is from Spike.”

He handed her the box he had been holding on to.

“It’s a Christmas gift.” He pointed out even thought the wrapping already gave that away.

Buffy’s jaw dropped and she just stared at the box in confusion. “How did he…”

“I bought it. But with his money.” He added quickly, too polite to take the credit for his friend’s gesture. “I’m taking care of his money for him. His father died two months after William was put into jail and he left him all his money. Which is surprising cause they really didn’t get along. The man had issues… God bless him.”

He took a chip and dipped it in the sour cream and chives dip before shoving it in his mouth.

“So you chose a gift for me?”

“Nah. Spike did. I went to visit him and brought a couple of magazines with me. He chose what he wanted for you and I just bought it. I hope you’ll like it. It’s real pretty, you’ll see.”

Buffy’s eyes filled up with tears at the thought that Spike would do that for her.

“Hey now, don’t cry! I don’t know what to do when ladies cry.”

“Sorry, Clem.” She tried putting a smile on her face. “It’s just that I can’t believe he got me a present. Not that I didn’t think he would want to, just didn’t think he’d find a way. Thanks for helping him.”

“No problem, Buffy. You seem really nice and you make my friend happy. Well, as happy as someone can be when he’s in jail… Aren’t you going to open it?”

“Huh, no. If you don’t mind, I’d rather wait until I’m with him.”

“Oh, that makes sense. I hope you’ll like it.”

She put the small box on the counter and took another sip of her wine, trying to calm her racing nerves. Suddenly, being late to Cordelia’s party didn’t seem so bad. She had a chance to talk to a friend of Spike and that made her happy.

“So, do you live in Sunnydale?”

“Nope. I live in L.A. That’s where Spike and I meet. We went to school together. We were really close. We had a lot of fun together. We’d play poker in my dorm room with a few other guys. William was a real swell guy. Still is. Too bad he met that evil woman who convinced him to drop out of school. I always knew she was trouble.”

“You mean, Drusilla?”

“Yeah. She was scary. Always said weird things. I couldn’t understand how a nice guy like Spike could put up with her, but I don’t judge him. I just wish he would have listened to me though. He wouldn’t be in prison right now if he had. It’s too bad.”

“Yeah…” Buffy answered quietly, lost in her thoughts. “It is too bad.”

“I tried to keep in touch when he moved to Sunnydale but Drusilla was keeping him busy so it was difficult. Plus, I had school. But when he called me to tell me what happened, I went to court to support him. They asked me for my testimony, but I’m afraid me telling people how William was such a good guy wasn’t enough to keep them from locking him away. I know he didn’t do it, you know?”

“Yes. I think anybody who really get to know him would never believe he killed this woman. But don’t beat yourself up. At least you had the guts to speak up for your friend. I’m sure that means a lot to him. And you’re the only one who visits him. I’m glad he has you.”

Clem turned bright red, the tip of his ears pink with embarrassment.

Buffy smiled warmly at him and stood up. “I’m sorry but it’s 5 o’clock already. I was supposed to be in L.A. at 5. My friend Cordelia will probably serve my guts for dinner because I’m so late.”

“Ok. Well, It’s was nice meeting you, Buffy. I’m glad Spike found a nice girl this time.”

She laughed good heartedly and hugged him.

“And I’m glad he has a nice friend like you. You can stop by any time you want.”

She waved as he walked away, then ran back inside the house to get her over night bag and the box full of presents she was bringing to L.A..

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Dawn was on a mission. There was a determination to her step as she walked through security, the bright red skirt of her festive dress floating around her legs. She was a splash of color in the gray world of the prison. The huge package she was holding in her arms had been unwrapped by the prison staff so they could check the contents, and wrapped again.

Her mission was simple enough. Visit Spike, give him his present, and make sure he’s not too depressed on this supposedly joyous day of the year. Then report to L.A. for Cordelia’s Christmas party.

Buffy had been worried about him. Not only was it his first Christmas in prison, but she hadn’t been able to see him for the past two weeks. She hated the idea that he’d spend Christmas all alone. So after scolding Dawn for visiting him three weeks ago, she asked her to do it again. According to Dawn, that wasn’t very logical. But then again, Buffy rarely was. So Buffy had made sure that no one who knew Dawn would be working the Christmas eve’s shift, and here she was. Bearing presents for the lonely convict.

Spike walked through the door with the guards, and Dawn automatically went to hug him.

“Merry Christmas, Spike!”

“Happy Christmas too you too, Little bit. What’s a lovely girl like you doing in a depressing place like this on Christmas eve?” He asked, sitting down at a table. “Shouldn’t you be in L.A. with big sis?”

“I’m playing Santa today.” She said pointing at the huge package on the table. “See? I even have the red dress.”

Spike chuckled. “Yeah, you look smashing, bit. Be careful, the guards are real bloody perverts here.”

Dawn blushed at the compliment but laughed when she realized one of the guards was looking her way. “Oh, I see what you mean.”

Spike turned in his chair and gave the guard a threatening look.

“Anne and I figured that it wouldn’t be such a great Christmas for you and we wanted to make it a little better. She was really depressed that she wouldn’t be able to see you. So we went shopping.” She pushed the package in Spike’s direction, sliding it across the table. “I think we went a little overboard.”

Spike’s smile disappeared as he stared at the package in front of him. He needed to gather all the self-control he had, not to start crying like a baby in front of the girl. But despite his best effort, his eyes shone with unshed tears.

“Spike?” Dawn said softly. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

He forced a smile before looking back at her. “No, Dawnie. I’m not upset. Just shocked. I thought nothing good would happen today. I guess I’m not used to people giving a damn about me, is all.”

“Come on! Open it!” Dawn clapped excitedly. “You’ll see, there’s a lot of smaller gifts, some stuff we thought you might need, and a couple of cool things too.

The package was a large basket, wrapped in shiny paper and tied at the top with a large bow. He opened it quickly, curious to see what they gotten him. This felt like Christmas. Not that he didn’t think Buffy could do something like this, but it honestly never crossed his mind that she would. She was so angry when Dawn visited him last time, that he never thought she’d send the girl to see him again. But he wasn’t going to complain.

The basket was filled with a lot of different things, going from magazines, to cartons of cigarettes, bottles of bleach, and chocolates. It also had more expensive presents like a silver pen with his name engraved on it, the most beautiful leather bound journal he had ever seen, a silver lighter with an inscription saying: Love, always, B. a first edition of Beaudelair’s poetry, and fun things like a Game boy with a few video games. Everything to entertain him.

Dawn leaned over the table and whispered: “Look under the cover of the journal, there’s a surprise. But make sure no one ever finds it, ok?”

He did as she told him and found two pictures. One of Buffy by herself, and one of Buffy, Dawn and a lady he assumed would be their mom. He quickly hid the pictures back so no one would see them.

“I don’t know what to say, luv. This is bloody amazing what you and Anne did for me. Thank you.”

Dawn felt bad for the man sitting in front of her. He seemed so upset and she didn’t know what to do to make it better.

“Are you gonna be all right?”

“I’m fine pet. I’m more than fine, believe me. Just a bit emotional because this means so much to me. But don’t worry, I’m not always such a blubbering poofter. I’m usually much more manly.”

Dawn grinned at him. That’s when the guards decided it had lasted long enough.

“Let’s go, Rayne. Enough Christmas joy for you today.”

Spike rolled his eyes, but knew better than to argue with the guards. He stood up and went to hug Dawn. “Tell your sister I love her and I wish her a happy Christmas, ok?”

“I will.”

“Have fun at your party, Nibblet.” He added while already being taken away.

“Thanks. Merry Christmas, Spike!” She answered, but he was already gone. Her heart broke for him.

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The first thing Buffy did when her sister walked into the Harris’ home, was to pull her aside. She led her to Cordelia and Xander’s bedroom and closed the door. The sisters sat on the bed, side by side.

“So, what happened? How was he? Did he like the presents? Did you have a hard time with the guards? They didn’t take anything away did they? Tell me.” Buffy asked without taking a breath.

“Whoa, hold on would you? One thing at a time. No, I didn’t have a problem going through security. They checked the package in case I was bringing him a nail file so he could cut the bars of his cell and escape, but when they didn’t find anything dangerous, they let me go.”

“How was he?” Buffy asked in a quiet voice, a little calmer now.

“Well. Spike was really happy to see me, that’s for sure.”

“But?” Buffy asked her sister, sensing it coming.

“But he was really upset. Ya know… First Christmas in jail and all. You could tell he wasn’t expecting to see anyone today.”

At Buffy’s stricken face, she quickly added: “But it was the good kind of upset! He was so happy about the presents. Especially the pictures I think. He got all teary eyed when he saw them. And the book, he really loved the book. He couldn’t believe you remembered it was his favorite growing up. He also thought he’d have hours and hours of fun with the Game boy. He said it was a ‘bloody brilliant idea’.”

This made Buffy smile.

“I knew he’d like that!”

“And he said he’d use the journal to start writing his book. Something about his life I think he said.”

“That’s really great.” Buffy said, trying to be happy. But her face crumbled and she burst into tears.

“Oh, Buffy! Don’t cry, you’ll ruin your make up and everybody will wonder why your eyes are red and puffy. Come on… He was happy. Doesn’t that make you happy?”

“Y..yes!” She hiccupped pathetically. “But I love him and he should be here!”

“I know, honey.” Dawn said, rubbing soothing circles on her sobbing sister’s back. “It’ll be ok, you’ll see.”

Neither of the two women noticed Cordelia slowly opening the walk-in closet’s door and stepping out of it with a pair of shoes in her hands.

Buffy finally looked up when she heard Dawn say: “Shit!” and saw her friend staring at her in silence.

She sat up and wiped the tears from her cheeks. “Cordelia…”

“Why didn’t you tell me, Buffy?”

“I didn’t want to get the speech. You know the one about how stupid I am?”

“You didn’t want to get ‘the speech’. Geez, sorry but it’s coming. It’s right there waiting to come out of my mouth.”

“I love him, Cordelia. I’m sorry if you think that makes me an idiot. I can’t help it.”

“Ok. Fine. Let’s say you do love him.” She said while coming to sit next to Buffy and Dawn. “Then what? You’ll marry a convict and you’ll see him once a month in the spouses visit trailer? Oh yeah… after you lose your job, of course. Seriously, Buffy. Isn’t the guy in prison for the rest of his fucking life?”

“I’m working on it.” Buffy answered grimly.

Cordelia chuckled humorlessly at her friend’s answer. “You’re… working on it?! Doing what?”

“You’re being a bitch, Cordy. You’re supposed to be my friend in case you forgot. This attitude you have right there? That’s why I didn’t tell you.”

“Buffy?” Cordelia took Buffy’s hands in hers, forcing the blonde woman to look at her. “I’m being a bitch BECAUSE I am your friend. I might not know all the details, but this sounds like a guaranteed broken heart to me. Now tell me, what is this thing you’re working on exactly? Maybe it’ll convince me that you haven’t completely lost your mind.”

Buffy knew that it would convince Cordelia of the exact opposite and that she would probably try to have her locked up in a mental institution after she told Cordy about her plan, but she said it anyway.

“The guy who committed the murder that William has been accused of lives in Sunnydale. His name is Liam MacAlister. Him and his wife Darla don’t even know I exist, or that I have anything to do with William. I’m planning on trying to get into their social circle. I was told the only way to prove that Spike is innocent is to get a confession, and I will get it. I’ll make them trust me, and then I’ll find a way to get what I want.”

Cordelia looked pale. “Oh God. My best friend has gone insane,” She stated quietly, shaking her head. “Buffy, if that crazy son of a bitch was really crazy enough to kill that girl like you said, that means he certainly won’t hesitate to do it again. Especially if it’s someone who threatens to reveal his secret and send him to jail. Buffy, I know I can be harsh with you sometimes, but I DO love you, blondie. I would hate for you to get yourself killed for some guy.”

“What would you do if Xander was rotting in jail by mistake, Cordy?”

Cordelia didn’t hesitating a second. “He’s not just some guy, he’s ‘the one’”

Buffy didn’t answer. She just looked at Cordelia without a word, her eyes filling up with tears.

“Sweet Jesus Buffy!”

“He’s innocent and I’ll prove it. Even if it kills me.”

“Yeah. That’s exactly what I’m afraid of.”

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