Chapter
2.15
Friday, May 17th, 2002
As Spike pushed his body towards its limits he
could feel the change begin to come over him unbidden, and, for
once, despite the fact he normally kept the demon trapped within,
he let its strength infuse him. It was far better to aid his love
as a demon, than to fail her as a man. Heavy boots pounded the
sidewalks that separated him from his girl, eating away at the
distance between them.
Buffy ran for the girl as fast as she could,
but she had a greater distance to cover than the vampire gang.
Maybe it was time for some taunting.
"Hey! Guess you guys were so caught up in how
much you were attracted to Kiefer Sutherland, that you missed
out on the fact that a) if The Lost Boys were ever cool it was
a couple of decades ago, and b) he died."
"But after he died he got to stay young and look
pretty, which is more than you will, little girl, unless we decide
we want a new sex toy." Four of the vampires, including one who
did, indeed, look a bit like Kiefer's taller, long-haired, blond
side-kick in the movie, turned aside from their original prey
to intercept what they thought was a new plaything.
Buffy rolled her eyes in despair. "So, which
bus did you guys just come in on? Figure it must be somewhere
big, open and empty like your heads, otherwise you'd know to stay
clear of this particular town. Iowa, maybe?"
Even as she stalled, hoping the remaining four
vamps would content themselves with cutting off the girl from
any obvious source of aid until their buddies had dealt with her,
she knew that Spike was rapidly closing on the bus station and
that his chosen route was going to bring him running over the
roofs of several nearby buses to land on top of the two vamps
nearest the girl.
"San Fernando, actually."
Buffy closed the gap between herself and what
she now thought of as her half of the group. "And as to me being
your sex toy, try using your noses and you might realise I've
got way better than you to keep me hot and bothered at night.
You Def Leppard wannabes aren't even in the same league."
For just a second after he sniffed the air, the
leader's expression of equanimity crumbled to betray a look of
fear. Then, his mask of bravado slid back into place. "I don't
see any man of yours here now. All that scent tells me is that
you like something cold and hard between those skinny little legs
of yours. I'm sure we'll all be happy to oblige before we drain
you."
"Puh-lease. As if... The closest any of you are
going to get to my butt is when your dust coats my clothes." The
slayer suddenly shifted into attack mode, fists and feet flying
as she pulled Mr Pointy from the back of her jeans waistband.
Without a glance in his direction, Buffy was
aware of Spike's approach as he launched himself upward
from a distance of about six feet away, clearing the chainlink
fence surrounding the depot, to land gracefully on the roof
of a bus that was parked at the edge of the station, his
duster billowing behind him. Her sudden activity bought
him just the distraction he needed.
Three more graceful leaps from roof to roof and
he dropped just behind and between the two vamps that were closest
to the girl, snapping one of their necks with a vicious twist
as soon as his feet were placed firmly enough on the ground to
give him the leverage to do so. Ironically, it was his arrival
that caused the girl to abandon her suitcase and flee, having
been only slightly worried by the approach of the four still apparently
human youths. After all, nothing was going to happen to her in
full view of the waiting room.
"Bloody hell!" the vamp swore. "Some people just
don't know when they're bein' rescued."
Spike didn't have time to check her progress
as she ran for the waiting room. Instead, he dropped and spun,
an outstretched foot taking the legs of his remaining opponent
out from under him before his colleagues could join the fray,
leaving him lying flat on his back as Spike completed the three
sixty degree turn and plunged a stake into his chest.
After that, the remainder of the fight turned
into a speed-staking competition. Buffy was all for a bit of fun
and banter with her prey, but there was no way she was going to
risk letting Spike deal with all of his opponents and then 'come
to her rescue', especially when he'd kept her waiting, and, of
course, she had the orbs.
As two of her opponents were dusted in rapid
succession, the Lost Boy look-alike pushed his remaining follower
into the slayer, who hadn't quite regained her balance after a spin kick, causing both to fall to the ground in a tangle
of limbs. Reaching around the vampire that lay
atop her, Buffy gave him a hard poke in the ribs with something
sharp and tree-derived. As he turned to dust, she held her breath
and flipped to her feet, but the glam-rock vamp had too much of
a head start and scooped up the girl as she ran for the waiting
room, one arm wrapping around her waist and his other hand covering
her mouth. Buffy slowed, knowing that until Spike dealt with what
was now his one remaining opponent, she and the vamp were at an
impasse. A single twist of the vampire's arm and the girl would
be nothing more than an oversized rag-doll, limp and lifeless
in his arms.
Even as she walked slowly toward the vamp and
his hostage and Spike took his last remaining opponent, punching
through his chest to pull out his heart and crush it between his
fingers, the couple formulated routes by which Spike could come
up behind the hostage-taker.
Suddenly, even as Spike began to circle round
taking advantage of the cover provided by various vehicles that
were parked for the night, the other vamp sank to his knees, loosening
his hold on the girl.
Buffy's mouth dropped open in shock as she saw
Brandon's head appear over the vampire's shoulder. The wooden
cross she had given him was clutched in his right hand like a
punch dagger, two fingers curled around either side of the crosspiece.
He had obviously made a valiant attempt, but failed to hit the
heart.
Buffy spun around in a kick that connected with
the vamp's head so hard that its neck snapped from the force.
However, she was still unused to the extra strength she gained
from the orbs. She expected the vamp to be no more than stunned
and was already yelling at Brandon to grab the girl and get her
to the waiting room.
Both he and the girl were too transfixed by the
sight of the vampire turning to dust before their eyes to heed
the slayer's instructions.
Seemingly out of nowhere, Spike landed behind
the two. He took a second to light a cigarette, exhaling in a
satisfied manner before he greeted both the youngsters in a sardonic
tone.
"Welcome to Sunnyhell."
Buffy launched herself at him, her arms wrapping
around his neck as she pressed her lips to his. Spike's hands
gripped her bottom, the cigarette thrown away in an instant so
that he could raise his girl to a more accommodating height. His
tongue probed her gum line inviting her to allow him further access.
She opened her mouth to him, their tongues teasing and stroking.
They were lost to everything but each other in the desire that
had been kindled by the fight. It was only the taste of Buffy's
blood in his mouth that caused the intoxicated vampire to reluctantly
pull his head back and force his features to return to normal.
He let his woman slide back down his undoubtedly aroused body
until her feet touched the ground once more.
"I think you cut your tongue, love." He reached
out a gentle hand to her face, his thumb caressing her cheekbone
as she pressed into his touch like a kitten.
"I'll live," the slayer responded. Reluctantly,
she turned to the two teenagers.
"Brandon, why don't you fetch the lady's suitcase?
I think she left it over there." Buffy pointed to where said item
lay on the ground.
"Hey there," she turned to the girl. "I'm guessing
that you're new in town. Is someone supposed to be meeting you?"
The girl nodded solemnly. "My uncle said just
to get to the waiting room and stay there till he came. He couldn't
get off work early to meet the bus coming in but he said if I
was in the waiting room I'd be okay." The girl's words were for
Buffy, but her fear-filled eyes were locked on Spike.
"And he'd probably have been right, if you'd
actually made it to the waiting room, but once Brandon gets back
with your suitcase, we'll see you get there safely. Okay, honey?"
the slayer tried to comfort the girl after her ordeal.
Noting the girl's discomfort, Spike lit another
cigarette. "Why don't you take her inside, pet? I'll have a check
around and make sure there aren't any more of those guys around.
I'm sure Brandon can carry her suitcase to the waiting room."
Buffy placed a quick peck on his cheek before
he walked off, his gait still somewhat awkward as his erection
rubbed uncomfortably against his jeans' zip. His only consolation
was that Buffy's brief caress had betrayed the fact that her feelings
exactly matched his own.
Some ten minutes later Spike swaggered through
the waiting room doors. Buffy rose to intercept him, leaving Brandon
sitting on his own temporarily. It seemed the girl's somewhat
tardy uncle had finally shown up.
"Hey, good-lookin'," the vamp greeted her before
kissing her on the forehead. "See you managed to get rid of one
of the waifs."
"Hey, good-lookin', yourself. And, yeah. Uncle
arrived about five minutes ago, and promptly turned a whiter shade
of pale when he heard what nearly happened to his brother's little
girl. Mucho apolgetico."
Spike smirked at the way Buffy just made up words
when she felt like it.
"Any more?" she asked.
"A couple of look-outs who would have done better
to be lookin' in. Nothin' to bother about."
Spike looked over at Brandon. "How's the kid?"
"Kinda shaken, partly from the whole 'this is
really real' thing, and partly because the second the girl and
her uncle left, I bawled him out good and proper for not staying
in the waiting room like I told him."
"Pet?"
Buffy could tell from the tone of his voice that
Spike was unsure about what he was going to ask.
"What is it?"
"You know, if you get just the right angle between
the processing plant and that warehouse, you can see the back
of Marie's apartment building from out in the lot. The light's
been on in her bathroom for the last five minutes. Reckon she's
probably getting snack-size all cleaned up and ready for bed."
Buffy looked over to where Brandon was sitting.
"Think he can take it on top of everything else tonight?"
"I think it's what he needs to put everything
else tonight in perspective."
Buffy nodded. "You want to ring his dad and let
him know he's safe and that we'll bring him home once we've paid
a call on the way."
"Already did, pet. Or at least I told him he
was safe but that we might be a while before we got him home.
I know how you get when Bitty does her Houdinis. Figured you wouldn't
want Mikey senior to be worried any longer than he had to be.
'Course I rang the Niblet first, but..."
Spike looked over to where Brandon was watching
the blonde pair and beckoned him with a sharp jerk of his head.
"Come on, junior. You nearly managed to make us break a promise
to some ladies, an' that's not somethin' I like to do. As it is
we've only just got time." As the boy drew level with them Spike
caught the boy's eye, his gaze not hostile, but deadly serious.
"We're supposed to drop in on some friends of ours tonight. Thanks
to our little detour 'round town we're only just going to catch
them before one of them turns in for the night as it is. That
means you're comin' with us.
Now Buffy and I understand that you've had a
bit of a shock tonight and we're not goin' to hold anythin' you
might have said earlier against you... much, but these are our friends
and you will treat them with the same respect you'd give to any
of your father's friends. There will be no comments about the
Munsters or the Addams family or anything like that. They are
all good people, human, demon or in between. Are we clear?"
"Yes, sir."
The vampire rolled his eyes. "Okay, I guess now
there's no harm in tellin' you that, yes, I am old enough to have
been in the First World War even though I wasn't, but I still
don't look it and I still don't answer to sir. It's still Spike."
"Yes, Spike."
The boy glanced nervously at the couple as he
matched their pace through the back alleys toward their goal.
"So who are we going to see?"
Buffy smiled. "You're going to see three women
that can kill the Big Bad stone dead."
Spike grunted but couldn't refute the claim.
Brandon in his naïveté had no idea what she meant. As they approached
the apartment building from the rear, Buffy got Spike to point
out which were the windows of Lily's, Clem's and Marie's apartments.
"So do you know any of the others?"
Spike nodded. "Dare say as you'll meet them all
tomorrow, from the cat lady to the bug man."
"What is it with the Hellmouth and insect people?
And I didn't know that you could get cat demons."
Spike laughed out loud. "Those are just Rosa's
names for them. The cat lady isn't a cat, she owns one and the
bug man is the kid brother of some guy Marie went to college with
so she lets him rent cheap while he does his doctorate in entomology,
hence, the bug man."
"I've been on the Hellmouth too long. Ooh, did
you know that the preying mantis can rotate its head a full hundred
and eighty degrees either way?"
"I have to admit that I neither knew nor cared,
love, but since you chose to inform me I shall treasure the knowledge
forever."
Buffy lifted the hand she'd been holding, to drape
it around her shoulders, letting her own wriggle its way around
his waist under his coat.
"How's the stitch?" Her finger stroked his side
in a soothing gesture.
"Fading away nicely, thanks for asking. I was
too busy to pay much attention to it during the fight and after
that we got to take things at a walking pace and it's eased right
off. I told you that it was nothing."
Spike led them through a brightly lit alleyway
that ran from the back yard of the building through to the front,
bringing them out just to one side of the main door of the apartment
block. Buffy noted that all the lights were mounted on the side
of the apartment building rather than being the standard city
lighting.
"Bat sonar drives preying mantises, or is it
mantii crazy, too," Buffy chirped as they reached the door.
Spike
pressed the intercom button for Marie's flat, speaking loudly
and clearly into the mike. "Marie, love, it's Spike and Buffy.
We noticed your bathroom light on, so I reckon you've got a bathtub
full of trouble, so we're going to go see your old lady till you're
ready for us. Oh and we've got the Niblet's other half with us."
Faster than Buffy's eyes could see the vamp typed
in an entry code for the main door which had always been open
on their earlier visits. There was a click as the lock disengaged
and Spike pushed it open before it could lock once more. He gestured
to Brandon to go ahead.
"What is this place?" the teen asked.
"Exactly what it looks like. A block of apartments."
Spike walked up to the nearest door, his arm still around Buffy's
shoulders, and rang the doorbell.
Lily pulled the door open, her smile full of
welcome for both Spike and Buffy, as she could feel the air of
contented happiness that emanated from her favourite vampire and
his bride-to-be. She turned to the confused boy who stood at the
other side of the door and then her gaze flicked back to Spike.
"Who your guest, William?"
"Lily, this is Brandon Michaels, the young man
who up until tonight was seeing Dawn."
Brandon and Lily both turned to look at Spike.
The boy's lip trembled slightly before he asked, "Up until tonight?"
Spike answered the question almost as if Lily
had been the one to ask it. "Reckon the lad took it as a bit of
a surprise when he found out the whole story on Sunnydale. Said
a few things as maybe he shouldn't have and then took off like
a jack-rabbit without even saying goodbye to the Bit or stoppin'
to get his coat. An' the Lord only knows where these Summers
women get their temper from. Must be from their dad 'cause their
mum was a right lady. Bit's had a hell of a rough week. I reckon
by now, she's probably past the breakin' her heart stage and 'round
about wondering if his liver really would go with a nice Chianti."
Brandon's face paled, as he realised just how
rough both the revelation and his reaction to it must have been
on the young girl. "Um, has anyone got a phone I could borrow?
I left my cell in my coat pocket back at your place."
Spike passed his cell to the young man as the
group made its way into Lily's apartment.
"Press two and hold it down," Buffy told him, knowing
that the house on Revello was at the top of Spike's speed dial
list.
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