A MURDER IN SUNNYDALE
Chapter 20: ‘Protector’
Buffy sat, crossed legged and straight up, in the patient’s chair of her Shrink’s, Willow Rosenberg’s, office. Willow, who, for the past thirty minutes had been grilling Buffy about her love life, among other things, seemed fairly pleased. In fact, Will’s expression could be described as down-right smug.
“So,” Will began again, “you and Spike are quite the team, huh? Inside the bedroom and outside?”
Buffy blushed, bright red, something she could not seem to control, but hated, considering she was a thirty-year-old woman and not some teenager.
“Wills!” Buffy groaned with a shake of her blond head, “God, graphic much?”
Dr. Rosenberg began to giggle, much like a teenager herself, “Not being graphic, I’m glad for you Buff,” she admitted happily. “What have I said, for ages, inside this office and out? You need a man in your life like this Spike fella, a real hard ass. You’re such a strong woman, sweetie, you need a guy who’s your equal. This Spike seems to fill the bill for you. What’s wrong with that?”
“It’s only been six weeks or so since I even met Spike, or William, actually is his given name. We’re just really starting to know each other. Even though he says he loves….” Buffy didn’t finish the sentence. She felt like she had shared enough of her love life with her best friend and head shrinker for one session.”
“He loves you!” Willow gasped excitedly. “I knew it! I could tell just by the way you spoke about him! And, you really like him too, huh? In fact, I think you just might love him!”
Willow was really beginning to get out of the control with her unbridled enthusiasm about Buffy’s affair with Spike. Buffy felt the need to calm her friend down, even if she meant well.
“Willow,” Buffy mumbled, “I didn’t say I loved him, okay. I mean,” she paused, suddenly deep in thought. ‘What do I mean,’ she asked herself before she could continue her sentence to Willow.
“I mean,” Buffy began, then hesitated again, her brows scrunched up in confusion.
“What do you mean, Buffy?” Willow asked with another smug smile.
“I mean that I, oh shit,” Buffy groaned in frustration, “I mean that I just might be falling in love with him, okay!”
If you can’t be honest with your best friend, much less your ‘shrink’ then who can you be honest with?
Buffy shuffled back to her office that morning, her mind deep in thought. ‘If I am falling in love with William,’ she conversed with herself, ‘then what does that say about my other romantic relationships?’
She had never ‘fallen’ quickly in anything with any man in her life, so far that is. Buffy had always been on the cautious side where her feelings were concerned and now, to feel this strongly about William Williamson? So quickly?
‘What a silly name,’ she grumbled softly as she flopped down in her chair. ‘William Williamson, geez! Think Mom and Pops Williamson could have come up with something a little more original, right? I mean, who cares if Shakespeare’s first name was William? So what if Will has a poetic side and, oh crap! What’s the big deal…..so William means ‘proctector’ and such! I don’t need a protector! Oh for God’s sake, here I go again!’
By the time her office phone rang, breaking her derisive, internal conversation, Buffy had worked herself up into quite a snit.
“Yes!” she answered the phone, almost angrily, definitely impatiently.
“Yes? That anyway to answer a phone, officer?” came Will’s deep, British accent that just made Buffy’s toes curl and a tingle run down her spine.
“Oh, it’s you,” Buffy mumbled lowly, suddenly not the least bit worried or concerned about her misgivings of earlier. “I, how are you?” she asked almost shyly.
“Well,” Spike chuckled softly, “since you just left my bed and my arms, only hours ago, not much has changed. Except of course, that I miss you terribly and wish you’d come back to me, like now.”
Buffy blushed, even though there was no one around to witness her reaction. There was something about William that just made Buffy feel all (oh God help her!) girly inside. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but if she didn’t know better, Buffy could swear that Will (okay, Spike) made her feel, well, loved and yes, protected. Protection is something Buffy had never felt too much of, at least not for herself. Not by anyone in her life before and while it confused her, scared her and left her feeling a little anxious? Something about this new feeling made her feel almost exhilerated inside. She definitely felt of the warmy inside of her body when she thought of William.
“Will?” she finally spoke up, “do you know that your name means ‘protector’?” Immediately, Buffy felt silly for even asking such a stupid question.
“Yeah,” he answered simply, then continued evenly, “and your given name of Elizabeth means ‘oath of God’ or vow. Did you know that?”
“No,” Buffy answered honestly, “I didn’t. Kind of heavy for a moniker, huh?” she giggled, suddenly feeling quite happy inside, quite uplifted actually. ‘He knows the meaning of my name,’ she thought, with awe. ‘He bothered to know it!’
Xander Harris took that moment to burst into Buffy’s office and throw himself into the chair across from her desk. He eyed Buffy, suspiciously, causing her to turn around, her back to him and continue her conversation with William.
“What time will you be home tonight, Princess?” Spike asked in his best silky voice. “Thought I’d take my girl out for dinner?”
“Around 7:00 or so,” she nearly whispered, “and yes, dinner sounds wonderful. But dessert sounds even better,” she giggled into the phone.
“Oh, dessert shall be had, luv,” Spike laughed warmly, “I’ll make sure I eat dessert, no question there….”
“Buffy,” Xander whined, “can you please continue this convo later with your bed buddy, we’ve got some actual police business to take care of.”
“Xander, go away,” Buffy hissed without turning to face her partner. “I’ve got some personal business to take care of,” she muttered.”
“It’s okay, luv,” Spike piped up, “I understand. You’re a cop and your partner is an idiot.” Buffy broke out into merry laughter, which made Spike’s heart skip a beat. “Love it when you laugh, Buffy,” he murmered sincerely.
“See you tonight, Will,” Buffy said, loud enough for Xander to hear. She even ended the conversation with a noisy kiss into the phone.
“Oh shit,” Xander groaned after Buffy had hung up the phone. “You two make me wanna’ hurl. Why don’t you go look up Angel, at least, Buff? At least he’s a good guy, right? You don’t even know this Billy Idol wannabe and…”
“Xander,” Buffy leaned on her desk, her hands folded together and a look of ‘fuck off’ on her face. “Are you actually here for a real reason, or just to piss me off?” She glared at her partner, the look of murder in her green eyes.
“Okay, yes,” Xander grumbled unhappily, “I am here for police business. Captain Wilkens got approval for us to go back over to Webster’s apartment, meet up with Angel O’Connor and that loony Psychic friend of yours, Cassie Newton. O’Connor actually approved of Cassie’s ‘investigation’ into the murder scene. I guess they buy into all this psychic mumbo jumbo of hers and your belief in her accuracy.”
Buffy set up, her eyes wide in disbelief. “Really?” she gasped, “I’m shocked. I didn’t know Wilkens or Angel had that much nerve, or were that enlightened to bring Cassie Newton into this. Let’s go,” she ordered simply, grabbing her purse and heading to the door.
“Hey, Buffy,” Xander called behind her. “I’m starved, can we stop at Burger King and get a value meal?”
Once they, Xander and Buffy had arrived at Webster’s apartment, the scene of the crime, they hurried into the top floor unit. Holden and Katerina had occupied this place for only a few months before their murders, but already, it had the look of a lived in residence. Of course, that could be because of the dried blood splattered wall décor that was left as evidence of the crime.
When the detectives arrived into the apartment, Captain Wilkens, Angel O’Connor and even Cassie Newton ‘Psychic Extraordinaire’ were already there. Cassie looked cosmic, Angel looked nervous and the Captain looked disdainfully bored. The door man, Warren Meers was also present, though Buffy could not figure out why.
“Hey Cassie,” Buffy smiled and shook the Psychic’s small hand with hers. She truly admired Cassie Newton, Buffy did. This so called ‘loon’ as Xander put it, had helped solve a difficult case for Buffy before and she was quite grateful to the woman.
“Hello Buffy,” Cassie greeted warmly, accepting Buffy’s tinier hand in hers. “Well,” Cassie chuckled softly, “I feel a spark in you Buffy, quite a spark really!” Buffy glanced down at her hand, still in Cassie’s then pulled it away quickly, “yeah, well…”
“Can we just get this over with,” Angel grumbled, staring at Buffy with unhidden animosity. “I think this is whole lot of bull shit anyway, so….” Angel’s voice trailed off when Buffy threw him a nasty look.
Cassie took the cue and began to wander around Holden’s living room, stopping here and there, touching certain items of furniture, pictures, even vases still in the place. She came upon the sofa, a plush Asian silk masterpiece. After she ran her right hand over the material, a cushion, then the arm of the piece, she turned to look at Buffy, speaking loud enough for everyone in the room to hear.
“There’s a lot of anger here,” Cassie began softly. “Oh, there’s news,” Xander muttered under his breath, snarkily. Buffy jabbed him with her elbow with a non too gentle warning.
“Lots of jealous anger is in this room,” Cassie continued, ignoring Xander’s smart ass remark. The Psychic crossed over the floor to a picture on the wall, touched it almost tenderly. It was a picture of Holden and Katerina, slightly tinted deep red with their own dried blood.
“Rage, hateful, envious rage is everywhere in this place and it just radiates off of this particular picture.” Cassie shivered in revulsion and pulled her hand from the portrait. “Especially from the man’s image, it’s giving off the most vibes of jealous rage,” she whispered in respectful awe as she scanned the picture before her.
“This was a crime of passion and jealousy,” Cassie finally sighed sadly. “Purely evil and passionate jealousy. Nothing more.” She turned to Buffy and shrugged, “sorry Buffy,” she shook her head, “but whoever did this and it was only one person, I am more then certain. They were so very enraged from jealousy that I cannot even be sure that they knew what they were doing. It blinded them, overwhelmed them and made this person do this horrible thing.”
Buffy could almost hear the sighs of relief in the room, but she wasn’t sighing in relief. She was feeling physically ill again. ‘Oh, God, Amy,’ she thought miserably, ‘what have you done?’
“Well, no surprise here,” Angel chimed in, finally, the smugness in his voice made Buffy want to scream. “Amy must have just snapped, couldn’t take another woman being first with old Holden. Actually, I’m glad we had this little session today, clears some things up, huh Buff?”
“Angel,” Buffy turned to face her ex lover, she could feel the contempt just seep from her body and onto him. “Fuck off, will you?” She turned to Cassie and actually smirked, “do you think everyone else here feels the contempt just radiating off ‘my’ body for the DA here?” she spat evenly and stormed out of the apartment.
Buffy waited outside the open door, could hear this Meers character rambling on, again, about how he’d seen Amy St. Claire here, at the apartment, just minutes before anyone found poor Miss McClay and Holden. Yada, yada, yada….
“Buffy, I’m sorry,” Cassie’s voice broke into Buffy’s reverie. “I know you wanted to hear something else, but that’s what I ‘felt’ honest.” The dark haired woman joined Buffy in the hallway and took her arm in her hand.
“I know Cassie,” Buffy whispered sadly, “I just hoped that it might be something else. Maybe a hit or something. I guess I’m just a fool, since I still don’t believe that Amy St. Claire murdered Holden or Katerina McClay. I don’t, I can’t help it, it’s an intuition, you know?”
Cassie nodded, “I know, believe me, I know, especially about intuitions. But, Buffy,” the woman shook her head again, a serious expression on her face, “I never said it ‘was’ Amy I saw or felt that was enacting the rage of jealousy. Just that it was an ‘act’ of jealousy.”
Buffy snapped to attention, “no, you didn’t, did you?” She thought for a minute, “if Amy didn’t kill Holden and Katerina, for jealousy’s sake or whatever, then who did?”
“I don’t know, truthfully,” Cassie sighed, “I might be able to ‘see’ something, if I could touch the actual murderer? I don’t know, it just doesn’t always work a certain way. I am sorry, truly.”
“Thanks anyway, Cassie,” Buffy sighed and leaned against the hallway wall, “you tried and I do believe you. That it’s a jealousy thing and all.”
Before Cassie left her, she took Buffy’s hand in her own and looked at her tiny palm. “You’re in love, Buffy Summers,” Cassie grinned softly at her, “be sure to tell your guy, your ‘protector’ that you love him that is. And soon.”
Buffy watched Cassie walk down the hallway to the elevator and then turned to go back into the apartment. For some reason, she needed to ‘find’ something in that place. She ignored the smug, self-righteous stares of Angel, Xander and yes, even Captain Wilkens, as she searched out the item of furniture she was looking for.
In the corner of the dining area (an odd place for it, Buffy thought) she found the simple, if elegant piece of furniture she sought. A lavendar vanity table, antique, well kept and very out of place in the apartment’s modern décor, set in against the wall.
Buffy gasped, softly, so no one could hear. ‘It’s beautiful,’ she exclaimed silently. ‘Spike’s lucky to have this, well, when he gets it, that is. Once this is all over with, I suppose.’
While she ran her fingers over the fine wood of the vanity, Buffy pictured Spike’s Grandmother, sitting at the treasure. She could see, kind of, the Grandmother going about her beauty ritual, daily, at the little vanity. Buffy’s fingers just itched to open the gorgeous panels of the vanity, peek inside and see the past unfold before her in it’s mirrors. The problem was, much to Buffy’s chagrin, the vanity appeared to be locked, tighter then a vault.
Buffy paced about her apartment that evening. She had left work earlier then she should have, her head was just pounding by the time she and Xander had left the Webster apartment. Begging off the rest of the day of work, due to an oncoming migraine, Buffy hurried home, soaked in a warm tub and prepared for Spike to arrive around 7:00 that evening.
Instead of dressing all up, to go to dinner with her guy, Spike, Buffy just let her hair dry naturally, applied a minimal amount of make-up and slipped on a silky, short, mini-robe. More of a kimono, really, that just touched the very tops of her lotion smoothed thighs.
When Spike knocked on Buffy’s door, right at 6:55 PM, he expected to find his girl, yes. But not decked out like she was, certainly. ‘Fuck,’ he gasped when she threw the door open to reveal her state of ‘undress’ to him, ‘my baby’s such a little package of surprises!’
“Come here,” Buffy growled at Spike, huskily, as she pulled him into her apartment and slammed the door behind him.
“But, baby,” he whimpered, not a complaining type of whimper mind you, but… “what about dinner?” he finished with a half grin.
“It’s ordered,” Buffy stated gruffly, pulling Spike into her bedroom. “It’ll be here in an hour or so, doesn’t leave us much time before so…”
Spike nearly laughed in pleasure when Buffy shoved him onto her bed and leapt on top of him. Whatever happened that day, at work, good or bad, well, he, Spike, was not complaining one bit.
‘God,’ he moaned silently as his Buffy worked her magic with her luscious mouth, ‘I love this girl.’
After Buffy had ridden Spike for all he was worth, they lay together in the afterglow. Their sweat slicked bodies actually rather stuck together as they hugged each other tightly, in sated silence.
“Not that I’m complaining, mind you,” Spike murmered, finally breaking the silence, “but just what happened at your job today to lead you to ‘vent’ on me like this?” He grinned at Buffy and snuggled her closer to him.
“I’ll explain it later, after we eat,” she whispered, her forehead nuzzled into his chest.
“Thought we ‘ate’ already,” Spike chuckled lewdly, “in fact, I thought we pretty well feasted and…..”
“Spike!” Buffy groaned loudly, “that’s just nasty!”
“Okay, sorry,” Spike chuckled again, but then pouted, “don’t be mad Princess. You just bring out the demon in me.”
“Right, that’s me, the demon bringer,” she mumbled back, but smiled at him anyway.
“Oh, speaking of bringing,” Spike said, suddenly crawling out of bed. “I’ve brought something for you,” he continued as he pawed through his duster pocket.
He returned to the bed, obviously hiding something from Buffy in his large hand. “Close your eyes,” he ordered gently.
Buffy rolled her eyes first, then closed them and waited, expectantly for the ‘something’ that Spike had brought her. She quirked her right brow up in anticipation.
“Okay,” Spike said softly, “open your eyes.”
When Buffy opened her eyes, she first saw Spike’s lovely mouth, set in a happy, expectant smile. Next, she saw his left hand, held out between their still naked prone bodies. In his hand, Buffy saw a simple, golden heart-shaped locket that she thought she recognized right away. ‘His Grandmother’s locket?’ she thought to herself, slightly stunned.
“Well?” Spike murmered, his blue eyes never broke their gaze and he looked at her, hopefully.
“Will,” Buffy gasped, finally, “is that your….”
“Grandmother’s locket,” he finished for her. “I want you to have it Princess. Will you accept it from me?”
Buffy reached for the locket, in an almost daze, “yes,” she answered simply. “Will you put it on me Will?”
A/N: This was a weird chapter for me to write. I wanted to get another BTVS character into the mix, therefore I chose Cassie Newton as the Psychic, seemed appropoe. However, I wanted to have Spuffy in it because hey…..it’s Valentine’s Day! Did you notice some anvils, hints, etc? I hope you will read and review this. Thank you, Luv, Spuf
[Reviews - 229]
-
Table of Contents [Report This]
Chapter or Story |
Chapter or Story | 
Chapter or Story
Has been viewed 2292 times
- Text Size +
-
Table of Contents [Report This]
Chapter or Story |
Chapter or Story | Chapter or Story - Text Size +