Chapter One
Buffy walked idly through the cemetery, humming. The tune had been stuck in her head all day, slowly driving her crazy. At least the mall piped in popular music, and not that crap that sounded like it had been played in a tin can by tone deaf mice. Of course, if Dawn ever caught her slaying vamps to the tune of “Bye, Bye, Bye”, she’d die of embarrassment.
In the light of that thought, it was probably good that the teen was gone for the summer. She stopped humming at that. Her eyes scanned the sea of headstones in front of her, searching for anything to slay. Anything to get her mind off her fifteen year old sister living it up at the beach with her friends.
At first, Buffy had given a resounding ‘NO’ when Dawn had first asked to go. It had been barely a month since they had defeated Glory, and she had not wanted to let Dawn out of her sight. The girl had alternated between stony silences, and tear filled begging to change her mind. But Buffy had stood strong, and Dawn had become increasingly frustrated.
Then, one night after patrol, Buffy had woken the girl up and told her she could go. Dawn had thrown herself into her sisters’ arms with an excited squeal. She never asked what had changed her sisters mind. And the Slayer would have never admitted it anyway.
The next day, Buffy had helped her pack, gave her some money and a calling card (a hint to call as much as possible) then, kissed her goodbye. As she had watched the car drive off into the day, her mind replayed what a certain peroxided pest had said to her.
“Just because you can’t have a normal life, doesn’t mean that Niblet can’t. She should have all the experiences that you couldn’t, luv.” Then, he had searched her face with his blue, blue eyes, lit a cigarette, and said goodnight.
She watched him until his blonde head had faded from view, the wheels spinning in her head, as she turned over what he had said. He was right. And as much as that thought galled her, she couldn’t deny it.
So, here she was. Strolling through the cemetery, humming boy band songs. All while her sister worked on her tan, and flirted with boys. Buffy couldn’t help the small pout that formed on her face.
With a quick flick of her wrist, she sent her stake flying into the heart of the fledgling that had popped up to her right. Her steps hadn’t faltered as she continued her brooding. It wouldn’t be so bad, she supposed, as she bent to retrieve the stake. Not to bad at all to have the house to herself, if she hadn’t found herself TOTALLY alone for the summer.
Xander had gotten a construction job in L.A. for the summer. He and Anya had left that morning. Willow and Tara had gone on a Wiccan retreat. They were hoping the trip would help Tara through the trauma of being brain sucked by Glory. Giles had gone to England, having been called over by the Watcher’s Council. They wanted the report on defeating the Hell God in person.
Even Spike had been MIA since he’d seen her on patrol a week ago.
A scowl formed across her face. *I must be really desperate for company, if I’m wondering where the vampire is.* she told herself. But something about it seemed false. Almost automatic to deny any friendly feelings towards him.
Hopping up on the top of a headstone, she tilted her head back to study the star filled sky. Thinking about the blonde always elicited two opposite reactions with her. The first, stake him. Evil, undead, killer. That was from the Slayer side. The second, he was tortured for you, was a big help with Glory, and says he loves you. Not to mention he was a certified hottie. But, that was the girly side, the one that stubbornly refused to see Spike as JUST a monster.
“I know I’m monster. But you treat me like a man, and that’s. . .” For not the first time, Buffy found herself wondering what he had been about to say. Shaking her head, she pulled her confused thoughts away from the blonde vampire and took a deep breath of the cool night air.
It was at that moment that a tingling feeling started in the back of her neck, like she was being watched. A look between a grimace and a smile crossed her face. Turning her head, she peered into the dark trees behind her.
“Come out, Spike. I know you’re there.” She waited a beat, expecting to see the flare of a lighter as he lit a cigarette before joining her. When nothing happened, Buffy stood up and turned. Placing her hands on her hips, she cocked her head to the side. Irritation started to spread through her, and she scowled again. “Spike, this isn’t funny.”
“Pet?” An un-Slayer like squeak escaped her as she whirled around to face the man at her back.
“DON’T DO THAT!” she yelled, her right hand flying up to her speeding heart. Spike’s scarred eyebrow shot up at her shrill tone. He reached up and scratched said eyebrow with his thumb, a cigarette smoldering between his index and middle fingers. The paper bag he was holding in his right arm rustled with the movement.
“Sorry.” he mumbled, taking a drag. Rolling her eyes, she walked over to him, grateful for the distraction. The uncomfortable tingling had eased, only to be replaced by a different, but no less unnerving feeling when she stopped in front of him. Pushing it aside, she gave him a tiny smile.
“No, its okay. Just got a little case of the wiggins, I guess.” The scent of tobacco and leather drifted to her on the breeze, teasing her nose. She knew, if she moved just a little closer, she’d smell tat wild, earthy scent as well. She kept her feet firmly planted where they were.
“S’alright. Slow night?” he asked, waving his hand towards the general area.
“Yeah. I was just getting ready to head home.” she pointed her thumb in the direction of her house.
“Right, then. I won’t keep you.” He gave her a half salute, smoke waving in the air from the movement, then started towards his crypt. Before she had time to think about it, she called out to him.
“Hey, Spike?” he stopped, and turned to face her with a questioning expression on his face. It was then that a peculiar scent caught his attention. He sniffed the air, trying to place it. When he realized she was waiting for an answer, he shook it off.
“I’m sorry, luv. What did you say?” She gave him an exasperated look, but repeated herself.
“I asked if you wanna come with? I’ve got some hot cocoa with those little marshmallows you like.” She told the voice in her head that was shouting *What are you doing!?* to shut up. The thought of going back to her empty house, alone, wasn’t as appealing as it had been ten minutes ago. And Spike’s company was better than none.
He blinked once, in surprise, the blue depths clouding with wonder. In that instant, his face was stripped of its usual hardness, giving him the look of a little boy that had just been given an unexpected treat. It was the same look that Buffy had seen when she had invited him back into her house.
“You sure?” he asked, insecurity dripping from his voice.
“I wouldn’t have asked, if I wasn’t, Fang Face.” She teased, smiling. He returned the smile, and swaggered over to her. His smirk was once again, firmly in place.
“So,” he started, as he fell into step beside her. “Dawn get off alright?”
“Yeah. Xander and Anya are gone too. Some construction job in L. A.” she replied. The blond couple moved off into the night, their voices fading with each step they took. Their observer stepped out of the trees, his eyes burning into her back until she was completely out of sight.