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Chapter 12 – Playing With Fire


Nervously pacing through the house that had become her home over the last few years, Buffy bit her lip as she listened to the sharp heels of her boots click on the floor.

‘Is this visit to check up on me or to check up on me?’ she wondered as she wrung her hands together.

“Buffy, sit down, sweetie,” Willow said, watching the young woman make another pass by the living room. “You’re going to wear a hole in the floor and you’re nervous for no reason.”

“Am I?” she countered, stopping in front of the redhead and looking back and forth between her and Tara. Ignoring Aubrey as the other young blonde stood in the corner, Buffy watched as the two witches exchanged a look, only serving to fuel her nervousness. “Not helping,” she muttered, resuming her pacing.

“Come on, pet,” Spike said from his position where he was comfortably sprawled along the couch. “Soulboy is a lot of things, but there’s no reason to get nervous or scared about him paying a visit.”

Taking a deep breath to control her emotions, Buffy frowned when she saw Aubrey look at Spike appreciatively.

‘Why is she even here?’ she wondered angrily. ‘Just because she lives in the house doesn’t mean she’s included in the family.’

To Spike’s credit, his eyes never left Buffy’s nervous form as he offered her a comforting smile.

Hearing the car in the driveway, both Spike and Buffy turned toward the door, each instinctively knowing that Angel had arrived before everyone else. Feeling Spike’s presence when he came to stand behind her, she turned to give him a grateful smile for his show of support. Willow and Tara came to stand in the doorway of the living room as Buffy took a calming breath, letting her hands run along her black pants in a silent effort to soothe her nerves.

Sensing Angel on the other side of the door, she slowly twisted the knob and opened it, revealing a man she hadn’t seen in over a year.

“Hello,” he greeted her in a cold tone.

‘Uh oh.’

“Hi,” she replied, forcing a smile onto her lips and trying to calm the nervousness that was welling up inside of her. Of course he could sense the tension no matter what, so it did her no good to try and calm down now that he was already here.

‘Stupid vampire senses,’ she grumbled silently.

“Aren’t you going to invite me in?” he asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

“You’re already invited,” she said, letting the fake smile fall away since he obviously wasn’t taking her emotions at face value.

‘Of all the times for him to actually read into a situation,’ she thought as he passed her. ‘And has he always been this tall?’ she wondered, suddenly feeling more intimidated now that everyone was combined in the foyer of the house. Rolling her shoulders slightly to get the tension out of her body, she let her eyes close briefly when she felt Spike’s hand brush against the small of her back.

Sizing up his grandsire as he walked through the door, Spike felt Angel’s eyes fall to him as soon as the door shut behind him. The look in his eyes made Spike want to take a step back and get away from Angel’s daughter at all costs. He could practically feel the claim washing over him in warning, nearly flooding his senses with the power of it as the older vampire stared at Spike. Of course it wasn’t a typical vampiric claim since Buffy wasn’t Angel’s mate, but she was his most precious possession and the warning was clear. The demon warned him to stay away, but the man in him was going to prove that he was there for Buffy…no matter what Angel thought about the situation.

“Hi, Angel,” Willow said brightly as Tara offered a wave. “Come sit down. Oh, and this is the new Slayer, Aubrey,” she continued as she took a few steps back into the living room and gestured to the other blonde girl.

Barely even greeting the other woman with a nod, Angel’s focus was on his daughter. Not taking the invitation to go into the other room, he simply continued to stare down at the small blonde girl, mildly surprised when her own strong gaze never wavered.

Spike narrowed his eyes as he sized up the situation, watching father and daughter stare at each other, his protective instincts going into overdrive at the thought that Buffy could be in a potentially threatening situation. And he wasn’t going to analyze the new turn of events that made him want to protect her as more than a friend or an obligation. He was about to take a step forward and put a stop to the staring contest when Buffy spoke.

“Why are you here?”

“I was told I was needed,” he replied, never breaking eye contact with her.

“Cordy had a vision?” she asked in confusion.

“No. More like…intuition.”

“What?”

“It seems she was reading into a conversation with Willow and thought that you might need some guidance.”

“Guidance?” Buffy repeated with a raised eyebrow, feeling her anger growing.

“You haven’t exactly been behaving yourself, have you?” Angel said, narrowing his eyes slightly when he saw the angry flush tint her cheeks. “I thought it might be in your best interest if I came to take care of things.”

“Oh, that’s rich,” Buffy replied with a scoff as she rolled her eyes. “It’s about time you actually got off your ass and did something.”

“Elizabeth-”

“That’s not my name,” she said in a low voice.

“Yes, it is,” he said in a low whisper.

“The hell it is,” Buffy replied. “Just because you decided to be a parent for a month and give me that name doesn’t mean that it still applies today.”

“Don’t test me, little girl,” Angel growled.

“I’ll do whatever the hell I want,” she challenged, ignoring the fact that Spike took a step forward, waiting to intervene if necessary.

No one had ever seen father and daughter go at it to this degree. Of course, Buffy was right, to an extent. Angel never did make an effort when it came to raising her. It wasn’t his fault- it was for Buffy’s safety- but judging from the darkening looks on both of their faces, neither was concerned with the specifics of the situation at that moment.

“I’m not some little girl who needs guidance,” she spat back at him, her voice filled with venom as she looked at a man who was her only family member, but at the same time, he was a virtual stranger. “I’m not a kid,” she said in a low, menacing voice. “And I can take care of myself.”

Passing him and walking toward the door, Buffy felt Angel’s hand grab her arm and shrugged him off. “Go back to Los Angeles,” she said in a low voice. “You’re not needed here.”

Not stopping to watch his reaction, Buffy walked out the door, feeling a small amount of satisfaction that she stood up to him, but an even more overwhelming feeling of loss that she’d cut off her only family member.

* * * * *

Seeing her walk through the door, Spike watched in stunned silence for a long moment before slowly walking toward the door.

“Where are you going?” Angel asked before the blonde made it out of the house.

“After her,” he replied, never looking at his grandsire.

“Is there something I should know about?” Angel called after him in a voice that was too calm for anyone’s likings.

With measured precision, Spike came to a stop before slowly turning to face the other man. “No,” he said in a low growl. “But I care enough about her to not let her wander around by herself on the Hellmouth.”

* * * * *

Wanting to work off her nervous energy, Buffy was practically pacing in circles around the cemetery, almost daring any unsuspecting vamps to walk by and try and take her by surprise.

Angel’s voice was ringing in her head, causing the tension to grow in her muscles until she was agitatedly rolling her arms and trying to release the stress that he had caused.

“You alright?”

Hearing the soft voice behind her, Buffy restrained the urge to turn around and throw herself into Spike’s arms.

“No,” she whispered, feeling tears stinging the back of her eyes. Refusing to turn around as she frantically tried to blink them away, not wanting him to think she was acting immature. She could sense him approaching and took a deep breath to steady her nerves. “I’m not alright,” she murmured. “But I just need a few minutes…alone.”

“No, you don’t,” he said softly, feeling her tremble when his fingertips gently ran along her back. “You don’t have to do everything alone,” he whispered in her ear, trying not to notice how the feeling of her so close felt so right to him.

Relaxing against him, Buffy briefly closed her eyes, biting her lip as she ran over the conversation that occurred with her father just moments ago.

“Where does he get off?” she asked after a moment, throwing her hands up in the air and resuming her pacing. “He raped and murdered for over a hundred years, and he thinks he can dictate to me about my life!?” she continued, gesturing to herself and never noticing Spike’s flinch as her description of Angel also matched his own past. “He drops out of my life for years, never even sending me a birthday card because it might endanger me, and then he thinks he can play the concerned father role?”

“He’s just worried about you,” Spike said, choosing his words carefully so that he wouldn’t set her off, since she seemed to be calming down.

Angrily kicking a tombstone, Buffy winced when it cracked under her strength. “Oops,” she said, making a face that Spike found adorable. Turning around with a deep sigh, she leaned heavily against the stone and let her legs give out on her, slowly sliding to the ground. Pulling her knees up to her chest, Buffy propped her elbows on top of them and ran her hands through her hair. “He just doesn’t get it,” she said, feeling the fight drain out of her as her head lolled back to rest against the cool stone. Studying the few stars that were shining through the clouds, she let a frustrated sigh flow from her lungs, vaguely noticing when Spike sat down beside her.

“I don’t think a lot of us ‘get it’,” he replied, watching as her eyes searched the darkened sky.

“No,” she said softly with an understanding nod. “I guess you don’t. I mean…it’s been a long time since you were a teenager, right?” she continued with a smile.

Spike chuckled, relaxing next to her. “That it has.”

“How old are you?” she asked, smiling when she noticed the surprised look on his face.

Pausing to think for a minute, Spike looked up at the sky. “Hundred and-”

“No,” Buffy interrupted, shaking her head. “How old were you when you were turned?”

“Why?” he asked, already uncomfortable with where this topic could be heading.

“Just curious,” she replied with a shrug.

“It’s been a while,” he murmured. “Little over thirty, I guess.”

“Really?” she asked, nervously playing with her thumbnail. “I would have guessed younger.”

“Not exactly a teenager,” he said with a smile.

“And why is it that everything that I think or feel is automatically written off as ‘a teenage thing’?” she asked, causing Spike to smile as she completely changed topics again. Seemingly going off in her own little world, he looked over at her, enjoying the infuriated look on her face as the thought of Angel got her worked up again.

He tried not to notice how beautiful she was when her brows crinkled to form a small line in between them or how her mouth pressed together in a tight line when she wasn’t speaking. Tilting his head when she began speaking again, he tried to push all thoughts out of his mind.

“Why can’t it ever just be because I have thoughts and feelings like a regular person?” she continued, trying to keep the whininess out of her voice and simply asking a question. “And I’m not talking about you…well…not just you,” she added with a smile, glancing over at him and quickly looking away when she noticed his intense gaze on her. “It’s everyone,” she said softly. “It’s everything. I just…I just want people to look past the exterior and see what’s going on inside, you know what I mean?” she asked, turning to look at him again and surprised when his lips were closer to hers than she remembered just a moment ago.

Leaning toward him, Buffy nervously licked her lips, nearly gasping when his eyes darted to her mouth before returning her hungry gaze. Meeting her halfway, his lips had barely brushed against hers in the softest caress when he heard a distant rustling of someone approaching. Pulling back and seeing the confusion in her gaze, it was immediately replaced by contempt when she heard the familiar voice.

“Spike? Buffy?”

“Over here, Aubrey,” Spike called, never letting his eyes break away from Buffy’s.

“Oh,” the Slayer said in surprise as she rounded the crypt, obviously not expecting to be intruding on such an intimate moment. “Um…Angel’s looking for you, Buffy.”

Finally tearing her gaze away from Spike, Buffy turned to look at the other woman. “Angel can wait,” she replied in a cold voice.

“He, uh…he told me to find you.”

“You found me,” she said, raising an eyebrow. “You can go now.”

Aubrey looked between the two blondes for another moment before nodding as she turned to leave.

Waiting a few minutes until Buffy knew she was gone, she finally relaxed.

“That was a little harsh, luv,” Spike said, lighting a cigarette after another moment passed.

Gritting her teeth, she looked over at him, narrowing her eyes as she studied the man sitting next to her. “Why do you always fall in love with Slayers, Spike?”

“Don’t think that applies to this situation.”

“Answer the question.”

“Not sure I’m following, Goldilocks.”

Well, it’s just…you’re going to live forever…”

“Yeah…”

“And they have a really short lifespan.”

Nodding in understanding, he took a long drag off his cigarette. “Just a glutton for punishment, I suppose.”

“Not to mention the whole vampire plus Slayer equation…it just seems a little unbalanced if they fall in love.”

“And here I was thinking that it created a balance,” Spike replied with a smile. It quickly faded when he saw the crestfallen look on Buffy’s face. “What’s wrong, pet?”

“Nothing,” she said too quickly, shaking her head as she stood up. “Absolutely nothing.”

Spike waited for her to run off. To try and hide from what she wanted him to know, but she stayed where she was.

“For your information it was Slayer, not Slayers. Singular. If you think I’m in love with her…”

“Does it matter what I think?” she asked, running her hands over her arms in an attempt to stop the chill that was coursing through her.

Standing up and shrugging out of his duster, Spike placed it over her shoulders and took a step back, needing the distance from her and from the feelings that were coursing through him. “It does.”




Thanks so much to: Kimber, spuffette, Brunettepet, Rana, gypsy_jin, Cordykitten, Spikes Sweety, Tasha, Caitie, samica, stace, pj, BuffyandSpikeForever, Jessiesaly, H, Jessica, willowmouse, blondiebear, shelly, dreamgirl4eva, Laine, Sevvy_O, starhawk & BuffyRat for reviewing!!





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