Chapter 5
“I think of thee!—my thoughts do twine and bud/About thee, as wild vines, about a tree,/Put out broad leaves, and soon there’s naught to see/Except the straggling green which hides the wood./Yet, O my palm-tree, be it understood/I will not have my thoughts instead of thee/Who are dearer, better! Rather, instantly/Renew thy presence; as a strong tree should…Because, in this deep joy to see and hear thee/And breathe within thy shadow a new air,/I do not think of thee—I am too near thee.” ~Elizabeth Barrett Browning, “Sonnet XXIX”
Wesley was panting heavily, his shirt soaked through with sweat. He watched Spike warily, knowing that the vampire had no qualms about giving him a few bruises in the name of teaching him a lesson. He gripped the rubber stake tighter, then feinted right, moving to strike from the left at the last moment. He’d thought it was a rather sneaky mode of attack, but Spike recognized the feint for what it was and blocked his movement, putting him on the floor, face-down. “Not bad.”
“Not bad?” Wesley asked, staying on the floor even after Spike released him. “I haven’t managed a hit on you yet tonight.”
“You’re improving, though,” Spike pointed out. “Quite a bit actually. You have to remember that I’ve been doing this for a lot longer than you’ve been alive.”
Wesley pushed himself up off the floor, taking up his defensive posture again wearily. “I’ll just have to take your word for it.”
Spike shook his head. “That’s enough for today. Better get cleaned up. We’ve got to leave for L.A. shortly.”
“You called Cordelia?” Wesley asked, dropping the rubber stake to the floor.
Spike picked up the stake, giving Wesley a stern look. “Never drop your weapons,” he admonished. “Not unless you have to. And, yes, I did call her. We’re picking her up for a late dinner.” He smirked. “Apparently, she could manage to find time for us in her busy social calendar.”
“It will be good to see her again,” Wesley said softly. “I’d like to know that she’s doing well.”
“Sounds like she was.” Spike didn’t say that he knew quite well that Cordelia wouldn’t hesitate to lie in order to keep up appearances. It wasn’t any of his business.
Wesley nodded. “That’s good.”
“You still carrying a torch for her?” Spike asked.
The ex-Watcher shrugged uncomfortably. “No, not really. It’s just that…”
“Sure,” Spike said. “Let’s get a move on. We’ll be late otherwise.”
~~~~~
“Hey, Buffy.”
She looked up to see Parker standing next to her table in the cafeteria. “Hi.”
“Do you mind if I sit down?” he asked.
Buffy actually did mind a little. His attention was flattering, but she knew a guy on the prowl when she saw one, and Parker knew she had a boyfriend. There really wasn’t any way she could politely refuse him a seat, though. “It’s a free country.”
Parker sat down next to her. “So, how’s college life treating you?”
“It’s treating me just great,” Buffy replied. She hadn’t eaten more than half her meal, and there was no way she was going to let Parker chase her off.
“That’s good.” He gave her a charming grin. “I hate to see someone eating alone, so I thought I’d come over and keep you company.”
“That was nice of you,” Buffy replied, thinking that it was nothing of the sort. He was flirting with her full-out. If she’d been single, it might have been fun. As it was, it just meant that he was being slimy.
He took a bite of his sandwich. “Where’s your boyfriend tonight? He’s not a student here, is he?”
“He’s already out of school,” Buffy replied. “Spike has his own business.”
“That must be really hard,” Parker observed sympathetically. “With you being on campus all the time, and him not being around. I know I’d hate it.”
Buffy unbent slightly. “It’s no picnic sometimes.”
“Are you doing anything for Halloween?” Parker asked. “I mean, if your boyfriend is going to be out of town, we could do something. Just as friends,” he was quick to assure her.
Buffy was glad she had an excuse—a real one. “We’re going to a party with some friends,” she replied.
“Oh, of course. That’s good,” Parker was quick to say.
“It is.” Buffy gave him a tight smile. “Look, Parker, I’m sure you’re a really nice guy, but Spike’s the jealous kind.”
Parker held up his hands. “Buffy, I wasn’t trying—”
“Yes, you were.” She sighed. “I might be a blonde, but I’m not dumb. Excuse me. I think I’ve got some homework to do.”
Buffy walked away, wondering if she was going to have to put up with Parker’s advances every time he came upon her alone. She really wouldn’t have minded if he weren’t so obvious about flirting. It seemed friendly, but Buffy got the feeling that he was after something other than her company.
In truth, it kind of pissed her off.
Willow was gone when Buffy got back to the room. The Slayer was fairly certain that her best friend was off with Oz.
Buffy looked at the phone, wondering if it would make her a clingy girlfriend to call Spike. She knew he was probably on his way to L.A. if he wasn’t there already. Spike turned off his phone when he was in a meeting, so she didn’t have to worry about interrupting him.
Hesitating only a moment more, Buffy picked up the phone, quickly dialing Spike’s number. He picked up on the second ring. “You alright, luv?” he asked immediately.
“Why wouldn’t I be?” Buffy asked brightly, when in truth she was missing him with an ache she couldn’t deny.
“The fact that you’re calling me seems to indicate otherwise,” Spike pointed out. “You rarely call when I’m out on a trip.”
“Is this a bad time?” Buffy asked. “I mean, if you can’t talk that’s fine.”
Spike chuckled. “We’ve got a half hour before we hit L.A., so as long as you don’t mind Wes listening in on my half of the conversation, it’s a perfect time.”
Buffy didn’t know what to say. “Maybe I should call back some other time. I don’t want you to be too distracted when you’re driving.”
“If you don’t talk to me, I’m going to be distracted with worrying,” Spike replied. “What’s wrong, luv?”
“Nothing. Really.” She sighed. “I just wanted to hear your voice.”
There was a long silence. “You know, if I didn’t have to take this meeting, I’d turn the car around right now,” Spike finally said.
“I know.” Buffy held onto the phone, not wanting to break the connection, and yet not wanting to admit to just how deep her need for him went.
“What happened, Buffy?”
“Nothing big,” Buffy assured him. She wouldn’t put it past Spike to do something rash to warn Parker off. “Nothing I can’t handle on my own. In fact, I think I’m going to patrol tonight. Maybe see what I can dig up on Harmony and those disappearances you were talking about.”
“Be careful,” Spike warned her. “They did say demon disappearances, but there’s no guarantee that humans aren’t a target. The student population is big enough so you probably wouldn’t hear about kids going missing, judging on how long that Sunday bitch had been operating.”
“I’ll be careful,” Buffy assured him. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow sometime?”
“We’re coming back tomorrow evening,” he replied. “Meet you then?”
“You’d better,” Buffy replied. “I’ll see you.”
“Love you, Buffy.”
“I love you, too.”
~~~~~
The meeting with the client went as well as Spike had expected it to. He’d had a feeling that Robert and Wesley would get along swimmingly, and he’d been right. Within a few minutes of the first introductions, they were debating the best way to authenticate ancient artifacts, leaving Spike to look on in amusement.
Robert gave them both a firm handshake on their way out, clapping Spike on the shoulder approvingly. “You made a good choice in Wesley here, Spike,” he said, his odd silver eyes shining. “If I hear you’re not treating him right, I’ll snatch him up.”
“You know better than that, Robbie,” Spike replied. “I know a good man when I see one.”
“That you do,” he said jovially, waving them out the door.
“Is he completely human?” Wesley asked as Spike drove away. “His eyes…”
“No, he’s not, but I’ve never asked which family member he takes after,” Spike replied. “It’s my understanding that he can pass well enough when he wants to. Doesn’t matter around me, though.”
“No, I suppose not,” Wesley replied, falling silent.
Spike glanced over at him. “Something wrong, mate?”
“No.” The man frowned. “Most of your clients aren’t human,” he pointed out.
“That’s right.” Spike didn’t take his eyes off the road. “You got a problem with that?”
“No, it’s just…” Wesley searched for the words. “They’ve all been remarkably kind to me.”
Spike shrugged. “You’re with me, which will buy you a certain amount of leeway.” He sighed. “You’re not going to give me the Council’s ‘all demons are evil’ rhetoric, are you?”
“How can I?” Wesley asked. “The evidence doesn’t support the Council’s conclusions. I’ve seen that with my own eyes. I just don’t understand how they could have been so wrong.”
Spike was silent for a long moment. “It’s easier living in a world that’s black and white, where you can distinguish your enemies on sight. You start looking into the shades of gray, and you’ve got to ask yourself some hard questions, and when you’re in the middle of a war, you might not feel like you can do that.”
“How can you not do that?” Wesley demanded. “You end up destroying innocents, or good people, for lack of a better word. You lose your chance at recruiting allies that may make a difference to the final outcome. It’s short sighted and—” He broke off.
Spike smiled. “I’m glad you see that.”
“You didn’t think that I would.”
“I had my hopes.” Spike took a sharp corner with ease. “Figured if you’d go to bat for me with the Council there’d be hope for you.” He considered his next words carefully. “When we get back to Sunnydale, I want to start taking you around to some of my contacts there. They’re nervous around the Slayer, but they might talk to you, and it might become necessary to have a second contact person.”
“Are you expecting trouble?” Wesley asked.
Spike shook his head. “I don’t know what I’m expecting, but I don’t like the rumors I’m hearing.”
~~~~~
The campus was curiously demon-free, so Buffy headed to one of the nearby cemeteries. She’d been keeping an eye out for Harmony, but the vampire had been a no-show so far. As was the rest of the demon population, apparently.
Buffy wondered what it was exactly that was causing the dearth of the undead around the campus. Spike had been concerned, which worried her. Spike rarely got freaked out, so if his spider-sense was going haywire, there was a damn good reason for it.
She was walking back towards campus when she heard a commotion. There was a brief shout—quickly cut off—and then scuffling sounds that signaled some kind of fight. Buffy approached the source of the noise carefully, keeping in mind Spike’s warning and the fact that she didn’t have backup.
By the time she reached the area where she judged the cry to have come from there was no one there, although she could detect signs of a struggle. Buffy frowned, putting her stake away and looking around. She turned from the spot, heading back towards her dorm—and ran straight into a very solid chest.
“Buffy!”
She looked up, startled to see Riley standing there. “Oh, hey, Riley. What are you doing out here?”
“I could ask you the same thing.” He had grabbed her upper arms to steady her, and now he gave her a look of concern. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah. Why wouldn’t I be?” Buffy asked, taking a step back. She was a little surprised to see the TA from her psychology class wandering around campus in the middle of the night. He didn’t seem like the partying sort, and she couldn’t smell any alcohol on him. Buffy knew she couldn’t press him for information without risking him doing the same, however. “I just wanted to get a breath of fresh air.”
“Right,” he replied. “Can I walk you back to your dorm?”
Buffy was going to tell him that she would be fine, but she had the feeling that he would insist on it. “Sure. Thanks.”
They walked side by side in silence for a few minutes before Riley asked, “Are you enjoying Professor Walsh’s class?”
“Oh, yeah,” Buffy replied. “It’s great. I’m all about the psychology.”
Riley nodded enthusiastically. “It’s a fascinating subject. I feel as though I’ve learned so much from her.”
“I know what you mean,” Buffy agreed. “Knowing how people tick is fun. Willow’s the brainy one, though. She’s a little more into that sort of thing. You know, school and all.”
“Where is she tonight?” Riley asked. When Buffy gave him a sharp look, he quickly said, “Not that it’s any of my business. I was just wondering why you’d be out by yourself. It’s not really safe after dark.”
Buffy shrugged. “Willow’s out with her boyfriend, and my boyfriend is out of town. I just thought I’d take a walk, maybe it would help me sleep.”
“Does your boyfriend go to school here?” Riley asked.
Buffy shook her head. “No, he’s out of school, although sometimes I wish he did. It would be easier.”
Riley gave her a sympathetic look. “You missing him?”
“Kind of,” Buffy admitted. “Plus, it might prevent some of the more pushy sorts from pushing their luck.” Riley looked alarmed, and she hastened to assure him, “Not you. There’s another guy. Parker. He’s been persistently flirty.”
Riley hesitated, then said, “I know I’m probably out of line, but you need to watch out for Parker. He’s not a great guy.”
“That was the impression I was beginning to get,” Buffy replied. She pointed to the brick building rising in front of them. “This is me.”
Riley smiled at her. “Okay. Hey, Buffy? Be careful out after dark. I know it seems like a pretty safe campus, but a lot of strange folks come out at night.”
“Will do,” she replied. Buffy went into her dorm feeling pretty good about her evening. Riley’s platonic concern was rather soothing.
He really was a nice guy.
~~~~~
Spike couldn’t deny that Cordelia looked good. He’d asked if she’d lost weight and watched as she preened a bit. Wesley had seemed gratified at her excitement upon seeing him, flushing slightly when she’d hugged him hard.
He had chosen a fairly nice restaurant, having a feeling that it had been a long time since Cordelia had been able to dine out in a nice place, even though she kept insisting that her life was wonderful.
“My agent tells me that I’ll get my big break any day now,” Cordelia said.
“Have you had many auditions?” Wesley asked.
She nodded. “Tons, but that’s the way it is, you know. They almost chose me—well, my hands—for a lotion commercial. I’m taking some acting classes, and doing auditions, and life is really great. Coming to L.A. was the best thing for me.”
Spike could hear the brittleness in her voice that said she was lying. Things weren’t nearly as peachy as she insisted they were, so he made a note to keep a closer eye on the chit. She had brass, which he admired in a girl. He’d just have to make sure that he and Wesley made runs up to L.A. a little more frequently.
“I’m glad you’re doing well, pet,” he said. “This is a tough town.”
She waved a hand breezily. “I’m tougher.”
“Sure you are,” he replied.
Spike listened as Wesley questioned her about the other aspects of life in the big city, and Cordelia discussed the clubs and restaurants as if she regularly saw the inside of them. He found that hard to believe, but he didn’t say anything about it.
Not until Wesley had left the table to use the facilities, anyway. “You really doing okay?”
“Sure, I’m fine,” Cordelia replied, but she wouldn’t meet his eyes.
Spike nodded, then scribbled down an address on a piece of paper. “Look, if that agent doesn’t start getting you some work, check out this guy. It’s a bit of a different angle, but he might be able to help.”
“Is he a demon?” Cordelia asked.
Spike shrugged. “Yeah, but this guy’s a different sort of demon. He runs a club. I’ve been there a few times, and we’ve talked. He’s a decent bloke, and he’ll be able to point you in the right direction.”
Cordelia stared at the address, feeling as though someone had just tossed her a lifeline. Her parents were basically out of the picture, and no one in Sunnydale seemed to care whether she lived or died. She barely knew Spike, but here he was helping her out.
And taking her out to dinner. Cordelia couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a meal this good.
“Thanks,” she said, meeting his eyes, all pretense gone.
Spike nodded. “Anytime.”
Wesley came back to the table, and the conversation turned once again to other matters, but Spike felt satisfied that he’d done what he could.
He just hoped that it was enough.