“You don’t love me Spike, you love the idea star-crossed lovers chasing each other through time.” She pulled away from him, unconsciously mimicking the pose in the portrait behind her. “I’m a realist, I don’t look at the world through love colored glasses or lead with my heart. I do what it takes to survive and the last guy who claimed to love me, thought I was too bloodthirsty for his taste. He was a vampire for god’s sake and I disgusted him.”
She brushed back her hair so he could see her eyes, the darkness swimming just below the surface of the pale green of her iris. “I do what it takes to survive, break bones before mine are broken, I never hesitate…I just go for the kill. You saw me tonight and that was just a fleeting glimpse of the things I am capable of doing.”
“You know what I saw tonight Buffy? I saw a woman who wasn’t afraid of anything. But I say three words to you and you tremble.”
“It wasn’t the words that scared me Spike, it was the intent behind them. We can be together but your damn well going to understand that I am me and not some Chosen One. I’m just a woman, a daughter of a hell god sure but still just a woman. A quirk of evolution, a cosmic mistake whatever you want to call it, but at my core I am just a woman who lives in the real world.”
“I know who you are Buffy, maybe even better than you do.”
“Yeah…well what’s my favorite color?” Buffy shot back. When he didn’t answer right away, she shot out several more questions in rapid fire succession. “Favorite food, favorite song, book movie…favorite anything? How about which way I sleep or the name of my perfume?”
“Bottled Sin?” He guessed not seeing her point.
“See, you don’t know me. Those are the types of things people in love know and thousands of other tiny details.”
“I bet your ex knew all those little things but funny…he’s not the one here with you now.”
“Get out.”
“What?”
She picked up his pants and threw them at him. “You heard me, get out.”
“The hell I will.” He shouted back at her. “Those things that you talked about are the things I want to learn by being with you. But I bloody well can’t do that, if you toss me out on my arse every time I come close to seeing the real you. I’m not asking you to marry me or even to say the words back to me.”
“So what are you asking for?”
“Time Buffy…” He scooted over to look into her eyes. “All I am asking for is time for us to get to know one another. I love you so all I want is to give you a chance to find out if you love me back.”
It wasn’t so much really, she thought searching his eyes for any sign of deception and finding nothing but brutal honesty. He couldn’t make her love him…but if she was honest with herself she would admit that wasn’t what she was afraid would happen. She was afraid that she would love him. Hell, she already felt more for him than she had ever felt with Angel and that was dangerous. Angel couldn’t make her change, because she didn’t love him enough but Spike was different. Every time she looked into his icy blue eyes, she fell a little deeper. Before she knew it she would be drowning in him and she didn’t know if she was ready for that.
What she did know, was that she still wasn’t ready to lose him either. “Okay Spike, I’m your girl but this is your one chance so don’t blow it.”
He felt all the tension drain out of his shoulders at her announcement. “Don’t worry luv…I won’t.” He kissed her softly and laid her back down on the rug.
__________________________
Spike woke her up early the next morning, not with gentle caresses that she had been expecting on their first day as a couple but with a panicked scream. Jolting awake, she surveyed the room searching for the threat and had to laugh at the what she saw. Spike, deliciously naked cowering in fear behind the sofa from the soft light streaming in through the windows bathing them in a warm morning glow. “It’s okay Spike…it’s necroglass.”
Not sure if he trusted her, he tentatively reached a hand into the offending rays. When nothing happened, he looked back at her. “Next time give a fellow a bit of warning before hand luv.”
“Sorry, we were kinda busy and I forgot.” She said innocently admiring the lines of his naked ass. “Besides it’s the law isn’t it?”
“Sure for businesses and such but the cops are a sight too busy to check every house just to make sure they are up to code. But if you wanna make it up to me…” He lunged for her before she could guess his intentions. Tackling her to the floor he started kissing his way down her neck, brushing his tongue over her nearly healed bite mark.
She let him go on for a moment before fisting her hands in his hair and jerking him up to face her. “Sorry but you just went back on the clock.”
He wiggled against her suggestively. “Don’t worry pet, nothing can get to you without going through me first. I‘m protecting you with every inch of my body.”
Amused she pressed a light kiss against his lips and writhed enough to make him groan. “Sorry lover but we still have to find out whose behind last nights attack. That means using the other part of your anatomy.”
“If you wanted me to use my mouth all you had to do is ask.” He said trying to slide down her body.
Since she wasn’t sure how much longer she could resist, she did the only thing she could. She shoved him off of her, catching him off guard. Nimbly escaping his hands when the reached for her, she gave him a stern look like he was an errant child. “I have a lot to do today, press wise concerning the attack last night and I don’t have time to play right now. If you’re a good boy we can pick this up later but until then I suggest you call Har’tuh and find out what he knows.”
“Oh shit…” Spike mumbled suddenly recalling where his leather duster and his cell phone were. Charles was going to be right pissed when he called him back, he thought shaking his head. “Pet, would you mind running outside to pick up our things, seeing as the sun’s out an all. I asked my partner to transmit your file to my cell and we can start there.”
“I’ll get the stuff but your flying solo. I, being your employer am going to take a shower leaving all the grunt work to you.”
He watched her dart outside as naked as a jaybird and he had to admire the way the muscles of her thighs moved just under her trim little rear. She strolled back inside and tossed his coat to him. “There’s blood in the freezer but you can help yourself to anything in the house.”
“That being the case, why don’t I take a shower with you.” When she glared at him, he gave her a sincere smile. “Now pet, I’m just thinking about your hydro usage. Water’s a mite expensive these days but more than that we should all do our part to conserve what’s left of our natural resources.”
“I wonder if they ever thought a few thousand years ago that fresh blood would be easier to get than fresh water?” Buffy asked finally giving in. “You might as well join me since your eco-friendly and all. I mean every citizen, even the undead ones should do their part right?”
_______________________________________
After a very long and soapy encounter with a very eager woman who handled a good deal of the ‘grunt work’ Spike slipped a packet of blood into the ionwave. According to the brand, it was the good stuff straight out of Bloodworks. Vampires, not exactly expecting to be embraced with open arms when they first came out, waited until they had a alternative food source before declaring their existence. Sure they may have sired some of the brightest minds in the world to produce the Synblood but since they had a longer lifetime and the blood could be used on humans for medical reasons, everyone pretty much considered it a win-win situation.
But the second the patent period expired, knock-off blood flooded the market with most of it being an inferior product. Some of it tasted worse than rat blood but just like soft drinks, some of the generic stuff was actually pretty good. He poured the packet into a mug and took his first sip. He might have appreciated it more, if he hadn’t sunk his fangs into Buffy last night but after the way her blood has tasted he couldn’t call the alternative anything but palatable. Putting off the inevitable a little while longer he imagined several scenarios where his beautiful woman, sated every single need of his body, mostly after he rescued her from some big bad.
Knowing that he might as well face his fate and getting more worked up by each fantasy knowing full well Buffy wasn’t in the mood, he flipped open his cell.
“You have 36 messages,” It informed him in a calm efficient voice. “Message one: Charles Gunn…message is as follows…”
Spike listened to Gunn curse him and various parts of his anatomy for the first ten messages and then as the messages slipped into double digits he slowly moved on the insult his ancestors. By the final message, he had even degraded his beloved Desoto and that was just one step to far. He pressed auto call and waited for Gunn’s voice to float over the line. “Good morning mum, sorry I didn’t get in before curfew but Buffy and I were busy studding for finals.”
“Cut the shit Spike. Har’tuh is on the warpath and since the news broke about the attack, you and I are at the top of his list. Not only is that bad for business but it’s also bad for our health. So you better have one hell of a story that makes this all better or I‘ll leave your sorry ass twisting in the wind.”
“Har’tuh can bugger off, he’s not our client anymore…she is and let me say she is very satisfied.”
“Please tell me that you did not fuck our client?” Gunn asked sharply, praying for patience.
“Actually she’s my bird now so it was more like making love.”
“Just couldn’t wait to tell someone could you.” Buffy asked from where she had been standing in the doorway the last couple of minutes or so.
Giving up, he slid the phone across the counter to her. “Tell my esteemed partner Gunn, that your father isn’t going to chop him up into filet of lawyer.”
She rolled her eyes. “I’ll deal with Har’tuh you just concentrate on finding out whose behind the hit last night.”
“Miss Summers, Spike tells me that you want our services but unlike my partner I’m a man who thinks of all the angles before diving right in head first. I can’t access any of the files without your name on one of our contracts and until that happens all I can do is pass on the info Har’tuh gave us when the case started.”
“Fine as soon as the call is over transfer the contract and I’ll sign it digitally with Spike as a witness. Once that‘s taken care of I will transfer your fee into your business account. But I am going to tell you the same thing I told Spike, I am the one in charge.”
After the last hours he had been having, he lost the final thread of his patience and for the first time in his career, he lit into a client. “Listen girl, I don’t give a shit whose in charge that’s you and Spike’s problem. But I do care about the angry Fallen One calling me around the clock threatening to feed me my balls on a silver spoon.”
“The key word is Fallen One, while I on the other hand am just full of otherworldly power. I can handle Har’tuh but if you screw this up because you to busy pissing yourself, I’ll be the one holding the spoon. And by the way, the name’s Miss Giles, not girl do I make myself clear?” Buffy told him firmly, her tone clearly reminding him that Hank wasn’t the only dangerous one in the family.
“Yes Ma’am, may I talk to my colleague please?”
With a sweet smile she slid the phone across the counter. “He asked to talk to you.”
“Yes?”
“Damn is she that scary in person?” Gunn asked unable to believe the tiny little woman in the files had him shaking in his seat. No wonder Spike was into her, he thought running a hand over his head.
“You have no idea what my girl can do but before you write her off as a total bitch, I think you should know she rides a 3100 S. The real deal, not that cheap piece of shit you own.”
“Seriously…can I date her when you are finished with her?”
“Watch it mate…I took you bad mouthing my car but don’t go there.” Spike warned, a low growl trickling out of his throat.
“You got a real case on her then?”
Spike looked up at Buffy, meeting her eyes. “Yeah, I love her.”
“Hey, that’s cool if you two get married the bike becomes community property right?”
“You seem awful chipper considering the way this conversation started.”
“I figure your girl will keep her daddy off our back so now that my death is no longer a possibility and my best friends in love leaving a veritable ocean of heartbroken women for me to console, it’s turning out to be a pretty good day.” Gunn said shifting through the papers on his desk before getting back to the matter at hand. “I’ll transfer the data over as soon as we hang up, so let’s focus on keeping your girl alive.”
______________________________________________
After the contracts were signed and transmitted, Buffy had one more phone call to handle. She drafted the press release while the secretary had her on hold. Twenty minutes later, her father’s rich baritone poured through the line. “Are you alright honey?”
“I got shot, thanks to you so yeah I’m peachy.”
“Now honey, I hired you a bodyguard and trust me when I get a hold of them they will….”
“Save the vengeance riff for someone who cares.” She said crossly cutting him off mid sentence. “The boys are working for me now, so if anyone is going to kick their asses it’s gonna be me. The guard you so thoughtfully hired without telling me I needed one, helped me take down the assassin last night. He took a bullet in the process so send them their fee back for a job well done.”
“Consider it done baby, now what else do you need?” Hearing that the guard had actually gotten shot protecting his only child, altered his feelings towards Gunn and Spike Investigations drastically.
“You’re not my father, so why don’t you cut the sweet talk and tell me exactly what in the fuck you got me into this time.”
“I only found out about it the day before yesterday. It’s bad Buffy, maybe even the worst thing you’ve ever faced. But like it or not I am your father and you are going to need my help on this.”
“What I need is for you to stay the hell out of my life and take your friends with you. But since that’s not going to happen anytime soon why don’t you cut the dramatics and tell me what is after me so I can protect myself. Rupert Giles is my father and once I know the details he will be the one I call for help.”
“Damn it Buffy, what did I do that was so wrong.” Hank burst out, having more than enough of her bitterness. “I sent you to a family who loved you in an effort to keep you safe. Your all I had left of your mother and you are the only child I will ever have but I put your needs first.”
“Sure whatever helps you sleep at night Hank.” Buffy shot back mockingly.
“I want an answer Buffy. You owe me that much atleast.”
“You want to know why I hate you? Alright, how about the fact you never think of anyone but yourself. You dump me on the Giles’s and let me know what its like to have something close to a normal life only to rip it all away. All because Har’tuh the Fallen One, refused to stay down where he belonged. All of the others faded from the public arena but you couldn’t stand to leave the spotlight. If you hadn’t been busy playing Hank Summers multi-billionaire extraordinaire then that scum bag reporter wouldn’t have dug into your past looking for a juicy scoop. That article destroyed any chance I ever had to be happy.”
Unable to help herself Buffy began to cry, but the tears did not wash away her anger. Just the opposite, they pushed her to say all the things she had been holding inside since she read the paper that morning. “I had to leave the people I loved because they were only human and weren’t up to fighting the things following me home every single day. But you were, but not once did you ever show up on my doorstep and offer me another home or another chance to start over.”
“Baby if I would have known you wanted me to, I would have been there in a heartbeat. Your right, I made some mistakes and I’m sorry for that but that doesn’t mean we can’t start over now.”
“Too late. I already have a home and I am to old and tired to start trying to go back and fix the past. Unlike you I don’t get to live forever, this is my only shot. So tell me what demon is after me and let me get back to my life.”
“It’s not a demon and it’s not after you because of something I did…it’s after you because of something you did.”
[Reviews - 148]
-
Table of Contents [Report This]
Chapter or Story |
Chapter or Story | 
Chapter or Story
Has been viewed 2968 times
- Text Size +
-
Table of Contents [Report This]
Chapter or Story |
Chapter or Story | Chapter or Story - Text Size +