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Chapter 9 – Ridiculous Wishes


Tired of sitting around and waiting for something to happen, Buffy took it upon herself to patrol. In spite of Spike’s declaration of ‘love’ over a week ago, nothing had really changed. He was currently out patrolling with Aubrey, and it never seemed to occur to him that Buffy would want to go. She felt out of shape after not dusting her fair share of vamps over the past few weeks.

“I can take care of myself,” she muttered, walking through a nearby cemetery.

“Is that a fact?”

Turning toward the sound of the voice, Buffy let a smile play on her lips when she saw the two vampires behind her.

“Why don’t you find out?” she replied, holding her arms out to each side as if she was giving them an open invitation.

Without hesitating, they both ran to tackle the young girl, each surprised when she flipped one over her shoulder and gave a roundhouse kick to the other, sending him sprawling into a headstone.

“Come on, boys,” she said with a laugh as they each jumped to their feet. “You’re not even trying.”

With a growl, the larger of the two ran at her, barely realizing when Buffy stepped out of the way and slammed the stake into his chest, watching as he disintegrated to dust.

“Slayer,” the other one growled.

“Nope,” she replied with a slight shrug. “Just little ole me. Sorry to disappoint.”

Briefly surprised when she found herself pinned underneath a snarling vampire, Buffy struggled for a moment before using all the momentum she could come up with and flipping them over until she was straddling his waist. Plunging the stake into his unbeating heart, she felt a slightly jarring sensation when the vampire turned to dust, letting her drop several inches until she was on the ground.

Breathing a sigh of relief, she stood up and brushed off her hands, watching as the ashes scattered in the mild wind, frowning when she felt his familiar presence. Choosing to ignore him, Buffy continued walking, never looking over her shoulder.

“Do I need to humor you by pretending you didn’t know I was here?” Spike yelled, causing her to stop.

Slowly turning to face him, Buffy leveled him with a glare when she saw Aubrey standing beside him. “Think what you want,” she said with a carefree shrug. “I wasn’t out looking for you, so you can go on your merry way.”

Turning away from him again, Buffy picked up her pace, practically feeling the anger and frustration that was radiating from Spike.

“Freeze, Summers.”

“Go to hell, Spike,” she called back, slightly surprised when he practically materialized in front of her. “Stupid vampire speed,” she grumbled to herself, suppressing the urge to roll her eyes.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” he growled, not allowing her to pass as she tried to get around him.

“What do you care?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Because I care about you,” he whispered as his gaze softened.

“Yeah,” she replied sarcastically. “You care so much that you ignore me.”

“I haven’t ignored you,” he said softly, watching as Buffy glanced over her shoulder, looking at the other Slayer before directing her gaze back to Spike.

“Really?” she asked with a raised eyebrow.

“It’s not what you think,” Spike said in a quiet voice.

“Why do you care what I think?” she asked, trying to keep the pain and emotion out of her voice.

“You’re my girl, Goldilocks,” he said, trying to lighten the situation as he offered her a tender smile.

“No, I’m not,” she ground out through clenched teeth.

“Buffy-”

“I’m going home,” she muttered, not letting him stop her this time as she pushed past him.

Walking a few paces, Buffy was mildly surprised to hear Spike’s voice behind her, but he wasn’t addressing her.

“Gonna walk Buffy home, if you want to do another quick pass.”

Never slowing her pace as she walked toward the edge of the cemetery, Buffy pretended she didn’t even hear him talking to the Slayer, forcing him to run in order to catch up with her.

Matching strides with her, they walked in silence for several long moments before it became too much for Spike. “Talk to me, luv.”

“About what?” she asked in an irritated voice.

“About these mood swings that you can’t seem to get rid of.”

“I’m a teenaged girl, as so many of you feel necessary to point out all the time. Mood swings come with the package.”

“You’re worrying everyone, Buffy,” Spike said, his voice taking on a serious tone. “Including me,” he added, looking over at her and seeing the tension in her body.

“Why does everyone feel like they need to worry about me?” she asked miserably.

“Because we care about you,” he replied softly.

“Then let me grow up,” she cried in exasperation. “Let me experience some things for myself and stop pretending that I’ve been this sheltered little girl for the last seventeen years.”

“What if I want you to stay sheltered?” he replied, tilting his head in her direction.

“It’s a little late for that. It was a little late for that seven years ago. What exactly do you want me to stay sheltered from?”

“What if I said- me?” he asked softly.

“It’s a little late for that, too,” she whispered. “I know you, Spike. I’m in. There’s nothing you can do to change that.”

Turning in the direction of her house, Buffy continued walking, tightening her arms around her body.

“What are you so scared of?” she finally asked, practically seeing his shoulders tense out of the corner of her eye and knowing that he’d caught the hidden meaning behind her words. Or maybe it wasn’t so hidden.

“Nothing,” he replied, shaking his head to emphasize his point.

Casting a quick glance his way, Buffy sighed. “What do you want from me?”

Spike seemed to consider the question for a moment before answering. “I want things to be the way they were.”

Running her hands through her hair in frustration, she restrained the urge to try and pull it out. “You want the ‘Big Brother Spike/Little Sister Buffy’ routine again?”

“That’s not exactly what I’d call it, pet.”

“Then what would you call it?”

“Friends. I want the friendship back.”

“But deep down, that’s not what it is,” she replied, looking into his eyes and only feeling moderately satisfied when he looked away under her scrutiny, knowing exactly what was behind the meaning of her words.

“Fine,” she said with a heavy sigh after a long moment. “You win. I’ll be ‘perfect little Buffy’ forever.”

Walking up the steps to the porch, she could feel the frustration rolling off of him in waves as she put the key in the lock.

“I just want to be able to talk to you again,” he finally said, a moment before she stepped into the house.

“You want to talk?” she asked, spinning around to face him. “I’m right here! I’m not the one who’s running away.”

“I’m not-”

“How’s the patrolling been, Spike?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest and tightening her jaw when she saw the guilt flash in his eyes. Finally taking pity on him after a moment, Buffy inhaled sharply, inwardly surrendering to the silent battle of wills. “You want things the way they were? Fine.”

“What do you mean ‘fine’?”

“I mean what I said,” she replied with a shrug. “Consider everything between us to be just fine.”

Spike watched in confusion as she walked into her house, quietly shutting the door behind her, before running his hand through his hair. All he wanted was for things to go back to normal, before all the hormones and teenaged angst got in the way. He should have known it was a ridiculous wish.



Thanks so much to: Cordykitten, Caitie, willowmouse, spuffette, Jessica, Adriana, starhawk, blondiebear, Juanita, stace, shelly, Kimber, beverly, samica, Jessiesaly, dreamgirl4eva, Laine & Tasha for reviewing!





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