Chapter 38
“…Oh, love is a journey with water and stars,/with drowning air and storms of flour;/love is a clash of lightnings,/two bodies subdued by one honey./Kiss by kiss I travel your little infinity,/your borders, your rivers, your tiny villages;/and a genital fire—transformed, delicious—/slips through the narrow roadways of the blood/till it pours itself, quick, like a night carnation, till it is:/and is nothing, in shadow, and a flimmer of light.” ~Pablo Neruda, “Sonnet XII”
Buffy woke suddenly the next morning, the spot on the bed next to her empty. She sat up, her eyes searching the room, clutching the sheet to her chest. There was no sign of Spike, and she couldn’t help but remember the last time she’d slept with a vampire and awoken alone.
It would be just her luck to have put Spike’s soul in jeopardy right on the eve of the next Apocalypse.
“Hey, luv,” Spike said as he nudged the door open with his foot. “Coffee?”
She stared at him. “Where were you?”
“Making coffee and seeing what I had for breakfast for you,” he replied, wondering why the Slayer looked like she’d seen a ghost. “Something wrong?”
“No,” she replied, trying to ignore her momentary panic. Spike was obviously still himself. “I’m good.”
He sat down on the bed next to her, handing her the mug of coffee. “No, you’re not.” Spike brushed her hair out of her face. “You’re okay, right? I didn’t hurt you last night, did I?”
“No, not at all,” she was quick to assure him. “Last night was—was it good?”
Spike pulled back a little, raising an eyebrow. “I don’t know, luv. You tell me. I’m pretty sure you were there too.” At the hurt that flashed across her face, he sighed. “Sorry, Buffy, but you’re trampling my fragile ego here. If you’re asking if it was good for me, then, yeah. Last night rates right up there as one of the best nights of my life.”
Buffy flushed. “I—I’m sorry, Spike. I just—”
Spike suddenly put together the pieces of the puzzle. “Oh, bloody hell, pet. That’s—” He cursed fluently. “You woke up to Angelus.”
“Something like that,” Buffy said. “When you weren’t here, I just thought…”
He kissed her, slow and deep. “Still me,” he murmured when he pulled back to let her catch her breath. “I know the kind of mind games that bastard played, Buffy, and whatever he said wasn’t true. Take it from the guy in love with you. Last night was bloody marvelous.”
They hadn’t said the words yet. Sure, Buffy had her suspicions, but Spike hadn’t told her that he loved her, even during their lovemaking. “You’re in love with me?”
Spike gave her a sheepish grin. “Yeah. Not exactly how I planned on telling you, but—”
She cut him off with a kiss of her own. “I love you, too.” The words were easier to say than she thought they’d be, falling off her lips with a naturalness she found surprising.
They stared at each other, neither one knowing what was supposed to come next. Their nervous laughter started at about the same time. “That wasn’t so hard,” Spike observed.
“No, it wasn’t.” Buffy glanced away shyly. “I didn’t think I’d be able to say that again.”
“I didn’t either.” Spike stroked her cheek. “Wish this thing with the Mayor wasn’t hanging over us,” he said wistfully. “I’d whisk you off someplace for a bit, just the two of us.”
Buffy raised her eyebrows. “You’d have to talk to my mom about that.”
Spike winced. “Yeah. I keep forgetting about that. Speaking of—” He glanced at the clock. ” She going to be completely brassed off about you not coming home last night?”
“Mom knew I was going to be out all night,” Buffy replied. “I didn’t tell her I was coming back here, but I imagine she could figure it out. I didn’t want to lie, but—”
“Maybe not the best idea to tell the whole truth in this case, yeah?”
“Probably not.” There was another self-conscious pause. “Thanks for going with me last night.”
Spike smiled at her. “Any time you need an escort, you know who to call.”
“You’re the best.”
“Don’t you forget it. “
~~~~~
Faith didn’t ask questions these days. In fact, she didn’t even think the questions. It wasn’t that she didn’t know that what she was doing was wrong. She did. Killing a harmless old man in cold blood pretty much topped the list of “wrong things to do.” The Mayor had said the guy needed killing, though, and so Faith took her knife and got to it.
She had started down this road, after all, and now she was stuck on it. Everyone had always said that she would come to a bad end, including her mother.
Faith wasn’t going to come to a bad end, though. She was going to be the Mayor’s right hand man. There was nothing bad about that. Maybe she’d be evil, but she’d be better off than Buffy and all her little friends.
Besides, maybe it wasn’t so bad being evil, not when she had him . Not when he treated her better than anyone she’d ever known before.
Not when she finally had a family.
~~~~~
Spike came through the sewers, yawning. He hadn’t been sleeping for long before Buffy called to inform him that they had a situation and new information on the Mayor. Would he come? He snorted to himself. Spike wished he’d been able to kill Angelus by more unpleasant means than a quick staking.
It was obvious that some of Buffy’s more glaring vulnerabilities came from that bastard.
He hauled himself up through the manhole easily. Well, it didn’t really matter. It was his job to get Buffy—and the rest of them—through this apocalypse, and then he could take his time making sure the Slayer understood just how wonderful she was.
Spike already had several sonnets floating through his head, much to his chagrin. Not that they were ever going to see the light of day, of course.
He walked into the library to find Anya the center of attention. “You’ve never seen a demon.”
Buffy raised her hand. “Excuse me? I kill them professionally.” She held out a hand in silent welcome for Spike. He came over to her side and put an arm around her waist.
“All the demons that walk the earth are tainted, human-hybrids.” She shook her head. Spike could smell the fear radiating off of the girl. Whatever she’d seen, it had frightened her badly. “The Ascension means that someone becomes pure demon. They’re different.”
“Different how?” Giles asked.
Anya shook her head, trying to clear her mind of the memories. Xander’s mention of the Ascension had her running scared. He had made her come and talk to these people, and all she wanted to do was run. It wasn’t like she could teleport out anymore, so she needed to arrange transportation. She needed to leave before this demon rose, because there wasn’t anything anyone could do to stop it.
“They’re bigger for one thing,” she finally replied.
“Bigger how?” Buffy asked.
Anya glared at her. “Much bigger! Bigger than you can ever hope to face! Are you even listening to me? If you stay, you will die, which is why I’m planning on getting out of town.”
“Stay for just a little while,” Giles coaxed. “The more we know, the better chance we have.”
“You don’t have a chance,” Anya said sullenly, but she nodded anyway. “I’ll stay for a while, and then I’m going to start packing.”
Buffy pulled Spike off to the side once Giles started interrogating her on the rituals they knew the Mayor had been doing to prepare. “We’ve got a job tonight.”
“What’s that?” he asked, taking the newspaper from her when she handed it to him, frowning at the headline. For a second, Spike couldn’t see the relevance that a murdered professor would have to their current problem, but then he saw that the man had been stabbed to death. “You’re thinking Faith?”
Buffy nodded, glad that they were on the same page. “I don’t know why the Mayor wanted him dead, but I think we should find out.”
“I think you’re probably right,” he replied.
“Why is evil girl here?”
Both of them turned to see Willow and Oz entering the library. “Red really doesn’t like the girl, does she?”
“Xander issues,” Buffy said wisely. “Plus, Anya was partially responsible for bringing Willow ‘s doppelganger.”
Spike nodded, then dipped his head down for a quick kiss. “Missed waking up next to you today.”
Buffy stared at him. “You say the sweetest things.”
“As long as I don’t start spouting poetry,” Spike muttered.
“Poetry is nice,” Buffy replied. She might have risked another stolen kiss, but she saw the library doors swing open behind Spike and the Mayor enter.
Buffy wasn’t quite sure how Spike moved so quickly, but he was immediately beside the table, putting himself within easy reach of the Mayor and her friends. The Slayer quickly followed after stuffing the newspaper behind a couple of books.
The Mayor was alone, and he paused to admire the stacks of books. “Well, so this is the inner sanctum. Faith told me this is where you concoct your little schemes.” He chuckled, and the sound held more menace than laughter should have. “It’s so nice to see kids interested in books in this modern age. So what are you reading?” Mayor Wilkins reached for the nearest book on the counter, inches away from Giles.
The Watcher stood his ground, his eyes flickering to the sword that lay on the counter. “‘The beast will walk upon the earth and darkness will follow. The several races of man will be as one in their terror and destruction.’ Aw, that’s kind of sweet. All that coming together.”
“You never get even a little tired of hearing yourself speak, do you?” Buffy asked.
The Mayor laughed. “That’s one spunky girl you’ve raised. I’m gonna eat her.”
Giles grabbed the sword laying on the counter and thrust it through the Mayor’s chest in one smooth motion. The Mayor staggered back, but quickly regained his balance, pulling the sword out and wiping off the blade with a handkerchief. “Now, now, Mr. Giles,” Mayor Wilkins scolded. “Violent outbursts in front of the children? They look to you to see how to behave.”
“Get out,” Buffy ordered.
The Mayor gave her a long, hard look. “I smell fear. That’s smart. If it makes you feel any better, some of your deaths will be quick. Don’t miss my commencement address.” He tossed the sword on the counter and turned to leave. “It’s going to be one heck of a speech.”
Buffy could feel Spike’s hands on her shoulders, providing an anchor. “Cocky bastard, isn’t he?” Spike murmured in her ear.
The Slayer smiled a little at that. She took a deep breath. “Giles, I think we need to get started on this now.”
“I agree, Buffy,” he replied. “But there isn’t much we can do at the moment. We don’t even know what kind of demon the Mayor is going to become, much less know if he can be killed. If his invulnerability transfers…” He trailed off, and they all took a moment to think about how scary that would be. If the Ascension couldn’t be stopped, and the Mayor couldn’t be killed, fighting him seemed pretty pointless.
“I want to get my mom out of town,” Buffy stated.
Giles nodded. “I think that may be wise. Would you like me to speak with her?”
She shook her head. “No, I think I should be the one to let her know what’s going on.”
“What do you want us to do, Buffy?” Willow asked.
Buffy gave her friend a grateful look but shook her head. ” Nothing, Wills. There’s really not much you can do, but if you could stay available, that would be good. Maybe this professor’s death will give us something.”
“Anything would be nice,” Giles muttered.
“Then you mean to investigate at the scene of the crime?” Wesley asked. “I don’t think it’s wise to go by yourself .”
“Which is why I’ll be going with her,” Spike said. “We’ve got it covered, Watcher.”
Buffy looked at Spike. “Do you mind sticking around while I get Mom on her way?”
“Go, luv. I’ll be here.” They shared a look, and then Buffy hurried out of the library, the others following close behind.
Spike looked at the two Watchers. “Well, we got any plans for how to spend our time?”
Giles picked up the sword the Mayor had tossed down. “How are you with a blade?”
“Fair,” Spike replied, raising an eyebrow. “What did you have in mind?”
“I want to work off some energy, and Wesley is hardly up to my standards.” Giles ignored Wesley’s very vocal protest. “Would you mind sparring?”
“Hardly.” Spike’s eyes glittered in anticipation. He had some energy of his own to work off. The eve before a battle always put him on edge. Spike stripped off his jacket and threw it at Wesley, then neatly caught the sword Giles tossed to him. “Watch and learn, Wesley.”
Giles grinned, knowing that he could let Ripper out—for a little while anyway. “En garde!”
~~~~~
“I’m not leaving,” Joyce repeated. “You and Rupert are staying.”
“Mom, I can’t be distracted worrying about you,” Buffy replied. “I need to know that you’re safe.”
Joyce sat down heavily on the edge of the bed. “And that’s not something I get.”
“I’m sorry.” Buffy sat next to her. “I know I’m not the daughter you wanted. I wish—”
“Buffy.” Joyce cut her off. “You’re everything I could have wished for, even if this wasn’t what I’d planned.” She took a deep breath. “I know I’m going to regret asking this but—how was your evening with Spike?”
Buffy knew exactly what her mom was referring to. She had actually arrived home shortly before her mom, who had apparently spent the night at Giles’ apartment. They had eaten breakfast together, and Buffy told her all about the prom, but neither of them mentioned not spending the night at home.
Buffy had wondered if her mom would say anything, or if she’d just do the selective memory thing that she was usually so good at. It appeared that they were going to talk about it. “It was really good,” she admitted. “He’s—he’s good to me, Mom.”
“I know he is, sweetie,” Joyce said, sighing over her little girl’s growing up. Buffy wasn’t a child anymore; she hadn’t been a child for a very long time now. “Do you love him?”
“Yeah, and it’s mutual.” Buffy grimaced. “What about you and Giles? Do you—”
“I care for him a great deal.”
Buffy leaned her head against her mom’s shoulder. “I’ll keep him safe, and Spike will keep me safe.”
“You’ll call as soon as you can?”
“Absolutely.”
Joyce pressed her lips to Buffy’s forehead. “Be careful.”
“Careful as I can be.”
~~~~~
“So what are we looking for?” Spike asked, looking around the small apartment.
Buffy shook her head. “I have no idea. The Mayor apparently sent Faith to kill him, so there was something here he didn’t want us to know. What that might be…”
“Box it up?” Spike asked.
“Box it up.”
They started collecting what papers and files they could find from the mess Faith and the police had left behind. It was mostly research in language Buffy found indecipherable, even if it was in English. “Volcanoes,” Spike muttered, pausing to look at the top sheet of a sheaf of papers. “Odd thing for the Mayor to be worried about unless there’s one about to erupt here in Sunnydale.”
“Beats me. Who knows what’s going on in his head?” Buffy asked rhetorically. “For all we know, he’s crazy.”
“Well, yeah,” Spike replied. “So how’d your Mum take getting sent away?”
“About as well as you’d expect.” Buffy straightened, stuffing one last folder in the box. “She asked me about prom night.”
“Am I going to get staked the next time I see her?”
“No,” Buffy replied, smiling. “We didn’t actually talk about it, you know. It was more like we—talked around it. She’s in love with my Watcher.”
“That’s been going on for a while,” Spike said gently.
Buffy made a rueful face. “And I was too blind to see it.”
“They were discreet,” Spike corrected her. “Besides, if it was my mum, I’d have turned a blind eye too.”
Buffy let him take the box from her hands, and then she fell into step beside him as they made their way back to his car. Spike had been forced to park a couple of blocks away for lack of available spots. “You know what really sucks?” she asked.
“What’s that?”
“Everything should be good right now,” she complained. “I’ve got a hottie for a boyfriend—” Buffy completely ignored Spike’s good-natured leer in response to that comment. “—I’m going to graduate from high school, Mom and I are really getting along right now. I should be looking forward to a summer of hanging out with my friends, but the Mayor has to go and ruin it with a big apocalypse. It’s not fair.”
Spike considered that for a moment. “Good chance this is the one I was supposed to be here for. If it wasn’t for the Ascension, I might never have come.”
“Good point,” Buffy pouted. “Darn it. Now I have to be thankful for an apocalypse. How messed up is that?”
“Probably not as messed up as a vampire falling for a Slayer,” Spike replied dryly.
Buffy rolled her eyes, about to argue over who had fallen for who first, when she saw the arrowhead protrude through Spike’s chest. She caught him easily, letting the box fall, looking around for their attacker, but she couldn’t see anyone. “Spike?”
“I’m okay,” he said through gritted teeth. “Bloody hell! I’ve been shot more times in the last year in this sodding town than in my entire history.”
“That’s Sunnydale for you,” Buffy said, breathing a sigh of relief. If Spike wasn’t dust, he would be fine. “Looks like I’m going to be driving your car after all.”
Spike glared at her, but he didn’t try to argue. He was in no shape to be driving and he knew it. “Put one scratch on my car, and you’re dead meat.”
Buffy shook her head, tucking the box of papers under one arm and wrapping the other around Spike’s waist. “You do love your car more than me.”
~~~~~
Willow hadn’t been sure what a person’s first time was supposed to be like. It wasn’t as if she could ask Buffy what it had been like with Angel, not with how things had turned out. She’d gotten a few details about her night with Spike, but that wasn’t really Buffy’s first time, so Willow wasn’t sure if she could anticipate anything based on Buffy’s euphoric look when she’d asked the Slayer if it was good.
It was good, though. It was different than she’d expected, and now she felt different—as she’d tried so eloquently to explain to Oz.
But it was good. Making love with Oz made her feel connected to him in a way she’d never been connected to anyone else.
Even now his hands were gentle, and Willow could feel the steady thudding of his heart under her cheek as she lay against him. The moment couldn’t have gotten any better.
Which was, of course, why they were interrupted by the ringing of a phone.
After she’d hung up, Willow started searching for her clothes. “Shirt, shirt, shirt,” she muttered, shifting the bedclothes out of the way.
“What’s happened?” Oz asked. He had already gotten his pants on and wordlessly handed Willow her shirt.
“Thanks,” she said absent-mindedly. “It’s Spike. Someone—probably Faith—shot him with a poisoned arrow. Buffy needs us.”
Oz sat back down on the bed to pull his shoes on. “I didn’t think poison worked on vampires.”
“It doesn’t normally.” Willow had managed to recover the last of her clothing and she straightened it out, finger-combing her hair. She really hoped that their activities weren’t going to be obvious to the rest of the gang.
She probably should have been looking up spells. If she’d stayed at the library, she could have been researching this poison already. Guilt started creeping in. If they hadn’t—
“Stop it,” Oz said gently. When Willow looked startled, he smoothed out a strand of her bright red hair. “There was nothing we could have done.”
They rested their foreheads together for a brief moment, gathering themselves together. This had been but a brief respite. It had been necessary, and it had been good, but it was only a respite.
It was time to do battle again.