[Reviews - 1326]
-
Table of Contents [Report This]
Microsoft Word Chapter or Story | ePub eBook Chapter or Story | Printer Chapter or Story

Has been viewed 5441 times

- Text Size +




Chapter 17 – Wherever She Is


One Year Later


Standing in the shadows, blue eyes narrowed as he watched the blonde exit the building. Her arms linked with a tall dark-haired man as they followed the rest of the group down the street. He watched her joking and laughing, without a care in the world. Obviously there wasn’t a thought in her head about the trouble she’d caused and the concern that everyone had for her.

And it pissed him off.

Spike had only one thing on his mind as he followed them down the strip- get to Buffy.

Now that she was so close to him, he was filled with a mixture of affection and rage. The part of him that had missed her and worried about her for over a year wanted to take her in his arms and reassure himself that she was alive and okay. Then there was the part that had worried about her and was now watching her laughing with her new friends, showing him the carefree side of her that he used to be privileged to. And this side of him was filled with anger at the idea that she didn’t seem to care that so many people were searching for her. The anger soon had him seeing red as that side won the internal battle.

Stalking after her, Spike anticipated their path, quickly cutting through an alley in time to intercept the group at the other end.

Watching as Buffy playfully nudged her shoulder against one of the men, his jaw clenched as he restrained the urge to bestow some violence on the unsuspecting group, needing a release for some of the tension. The demon in him screamed to come to the surface and prove who she belonged to, but he was barely able to keep an impassive look on his face as he watched them approach.

Leaning against the brick wall and crossing his arms over his chest, he waited for her to notice him.

Seeing the looks that the other women in the group were giving him, Spike ignored them as they passed. Tossing her hair over her shoulder, Buffy looked up with a bright smile on her face. It soon slipped away as her eyes widened when her gaze met his.

Coming to a complete stop before she had even reached him, Spike never tore his eyes away from her as the man she was with gave her a confused look.

“Everything alright, Liz?”

Narrowing his eyes at the name and the fact that another man was so close to her, Spike pushed away from the wall, slowly walking toward her like a predator.

“Yeah, Liz,” he said, venom dripping from his voice. “Anything wrong?”

“You know him?” the guy next to her asked.

“Old friend,” Buffy replied softly, tilting her head slightly to study Spike before a sardonic smile played on her lips. “Really old.”

Seeing Spike’s glare deepen, she felt her breath catch in her throat. She didn’t like that look. Especially when it was directed at her.

“Umm…you know what, guys? Why don’t you go on without me?” she said, breaking contact with the other man and taking a step back from the group.

“You’re sure?” one of her friends asked, looking between the two blondes in concern.

“Yep,” Buffy said, forcing a smile as she waved her friends away. “This shouldn’t take long. I’ll catch up with you later.”

Waiting until her friends were out of earshot, Buffy’s gaze never left Spike’s.

Not a moment had passed over the last year that he wasn’t present somewhere in her thoughts. He was a constant fixture in the back of her mind…and she hated it. She wanted to move on, she wanted to get over him and be normal and not pine after a vampire who didn’t want her.

But that didn’t stop her from wondering about him.

Now that he was standing in front of her, she had no idea what to do.

“Where’s my father?” she finally asked, crossing her arms over her chest, trying to look indifferent and not succeeding.

“With Cordy,” he replied, clenching his jaw in anger. “Following a lead and searching for you in New York.”

“Why aren’t you with him?”

“I’ve already been to New York. And apparently you aren’t there.”

Seeing a movement over Spike’s shoulder, Buffy’s eyes narrowed when she saw Aubrey standing there, slightly out of breath after her sprint to catch up with Spike.

Watching Buffy’s expression darken, he looked over his shoulder and noticed the Slayer. “Give us a minute,” he said to her, waiting until Aubrey walked a few feet away before turning back to Buffy.

“Why the hell are you here?” she asked angrily, not bothering to disguise the contempt in her voice.

“To take you home.”

“If I’d wanted you to find me, I would have called and told you where I was,” she hissed, glaring at him.

“I’ve been worried about you.”

“Really?” Buffy asked skeptically as she tightened her arms around her body, obviously trying to protect herself from the conversation, even if she couldn’t physically do that. Looking over his shoulder to see Aubrey, no doubt trying to hear their conversation from the distance, her anger only grew. “In between all the time that you’ve been fucking the new girl?”

“Buffy-”

Trying to walk past him, she narrowed her eyes when Spike grabbed her arm.

“If you’ll excuse me,” she said in a low voice, tightening her jaw as she looked at him. “I have a date.”

“The hell you do.”

“Don’t even try it,” she said in a deadly tone. “You think you can just jump back into my life and dictate where I go or who I’m with?” She smiled when she saw a brief flash of jealousy in his eyes before continuing, “You can’t. I’m a big girl now, Spike. I’m all grown up, and in case you didn’t notice, your newest toy is only two years older than me, so try the age thing on someone who buys it, because I really couldn’t give a damn about what you do anymore.”

Staying quiet as Buffy jerked her arm out of his grasp, Spike waited until she walked away before turning to the Slayer.

“Go back to the hotel. Don’t bother getting me a room- I’ll find a place to stay before sunrise.”

“I don’t know if I like that plan,” Aubrey said, jealous that the man she wanted to be with never gave her the time of day because of the little blonde who had willingly walked out of his life.

“Relax,” Spike said, pinching the bridge of his nose. “If the sun rises, I’ll just stay in one of the casinos. No chance of sunlight penetrating this city with all the artificial light around here to block it.”

“You sure you don’t want to just share a room with me?” she asked hopefully.

“For the last time,” Spike growled. “No. It’s not gonna happen.”

“Where will you be?” Aubrey called after him as he turned around and began walking down the street.

“Wherever she is.”





Thanks so much to: Tasha, Cynthia, daisy, Ariel Dawn, spuffette, Caatje, Sevvy_O, Laine, Kimber, Carrosparra, Rana, starhawk, Brunettepet, Cordykitten, Jessica, willowmouse, Jessiesaly, Caitie, shelly, BuffyRat, Josephina, BuffyandSpikeForever, buffster1985, gypsy_jin, Jade2099 & Crystal Pegasus for reviewing!





You must login (register) to review.