Chapter 15: Tactics
“Tonight. Tonight the Slayer will be on campus and the vampire will patrol. The other girl doesn’t live with them or patrol anymore, so he will be alone. Tonight we capture Hostile 17.”
Riley wasn’t smiling as he gave his men their orders. This was all business, just like the capture of any other demon. Nothing else but business. A bit more delicate than usual, maybe, because they needed this particular vampire more than the others, and because of his link with Buffy. But she wouldn’t be there for him to hide behind her tonight, and he would be defenseless when they caught him. And she would finally be delivered from the influence of the monster.
Nothing but business, but it did feel good.
Tonight.
*****
“Don’t feel like training today, luv. I’ll just stay home and catch up with the Passions marathon. You go and have fun.”
As Spike said so in his most casual voice, Buffy looked at him quizzically. Her hand came to rest on his forehead.
“Nope,” she announced very seriously. “No fever.”
“Very funny, pet,” he said with a wry grin.
She curled on the sofa by his side, and his smile softened as her fingers danced on the back of his hand. She turned his hand over; exposing the inside of his wrist and the two pale marks she had left there. She caressed them softly, sending a delightful shiver through his body. If she didn’t stop now, she might not get to train today either…
“The one and only time I’ve heard you say you didn’t want to spar before,” she said after a couple of seconds, “you were all human and soulful. You didn’t go and get one behind my back, did you?”
There was teasing in her voice, as well as a little worry. Things changed. Before he turned her, she repeated to him often enough that he was just a soulless thing. Now, she was his lover, and didn’t want him to have a soul. And because she was his, he didn’t need one. He had hers.
“No soul”, he assured her. “As I said, I just want to catch up with the show.”
“You haven’t watched it in years”, she pointed out.
He didn’t need to, he thought to himself. Why would he watch the telly when his own unlife was more of a soap opera every day? He kept that to himself, though; Buffy might not see the humor in that.
“Just felt like watching it again,” he grumbled, pulling his wrist away from her still teasing touch.
At the edge of his vision, he could see her nibbling on her bottom lip, and had the sudden urge to do it himself.
“I really thought you two could be friends,” she finally said, all the teasing gone from her voice. “She needs to train and learn all the tricks if she wants to survive; she can’t do that without us.”
He turned to face her, his hand cupping her chin of its own will. There was care and worry in the emerald gems. Some of it was for him, he knew, but some was for the kid too. For whatever reason, she felt responsible for the younger Slayer. And it was still a surprise that she didn’t hold it against her that the kid had feelings for him. Hell, he wouldn’t have let her go anywhere near anyone who claimed to love her… and this was nothing but a big lie. They had been around the poof often enough, and Spike knew it was as awkward for her to be around Angel as it was for him to be around Manon.
“She can train with you,” he said softly. “Patrol, too. As much as I hate not being there with you, it is just easier that way, for everybody.”
He saw the slight shake of her head, and the rebellious glint in her eyes. He pressed a finger to her lips, shushing her before she could say a word.
“Please, Childe”, he whispered. “Don’t argue now. If you have to go train, then go. I am not coming, and nothing you can say will change that.”
He called her ‘Childe’ very rarely, and most of the time it was a way to let her know how serious he was, how sure that she should listen to his opinion. She seemed to understand it was useless to argue about it.
“OK”, she sighed. “No training. What about tonight’s patrol?”
“You don’t have class anymore, do you?”
She shook her head slightly.
“Either you patrol with her and I go my own way,” he suggested, “or you give her the night off. As you wish.”
Again, she sighed softly as she stood.
“I’ll ask her,” she said with a shrug. “Gotta go now. Be good, my evil fiend.”
She pressed a quick kiss to his lips before walking out of the living room, calling back over her shoulder as she left:
“It’s all your fault, you know. If you weren’t so attractive and sexy and funny and caring and lovable, this would not be happening.”
“I’ll work on it, luv”, he called back. “Will try my best to be as boring, rude, dumb, and unsexy as possible.”
He laughed quietly as he heard her come back to him. She planted herself in front of him, hands or her hips, her glare too mild to mean anything.
“Don’t you dare change a thing”, she admonished him, shaking a finger.
Again, she kissed him before leaving. But where before it had been just a brush of her lips, this time it was fire and passion, bruising. It was all he could do not to run after her and convince her that training could wait.
*****
Manon had seemed a little disappointed when Buffy told her Spike wouldn’t train with them, but not really surprised. She hadn’t commented on it either, to Buffy’s relief. Now that would have been interesting. The fiancée explaining to the crushed girl why the object of both their affections wasn’t feeling comfortable around her. Awkward didn’t even begin to describe it.
What surprised Buffy most actually was that, as both Spike and Manon had inquired, she wasn’t upset by it all. She knew in her whole being that Spike had done nothing to lead on the girl; all he had ever done was be himself. And she knew also, from a very personal knowledge, that love didn’t allow anyone to pick and choose the best person for them. It wasn’t Manon’s fault that she had fallen for someone she would never get. Of course, if the girl did anything – anything at all – to try and seduce Spike anyway now that he had made it clear to her he wasn’t interested, then Buffy would get cranky. Very, very cranky. But as long as all the kid did was look from afar, Buffy wasn’t worried. And it seemed like she was sensible enough not to do anything.
The sun hadn’t set yet when Spike walked in through the shop’s entrance door, hiding under a lightly smoking blanket. Buffy would never get used to seeing him do that, just as she wouldn’t let herself be convinced to do it unless there was a life threatening emergency.
She and Manon had stopped training a little while before. The kid was still in the training room, practicing breathing and meditation exercises by herself. Spike’s eyes quickly scanned the room as he got in and came, smiling, toward the table where Buffy was sitting. He was however intercepted by Anya before he reached his Mate.
“I’d complain about you frightening customers when you do your smoking blanket routine,” she said with pronounced annoyance, standing hands on her hips right in front of him“, but that never stopped you before.”
He smirked at her. “Glad to see you too, demon girl.”
Buffy couldn’t hide a grin as he tried to walk around Anya to reach the table but she again stepped in front of him.
“I’m not done with you,” she said, poking a finger at his chest. “I can’t work without a date so you’ll have to give me an answer. When?”
His eyes widened as he stared at Anya, obviously baffled by her tirade, and as he glanced at her Buffy took pity on him. Rising from her seat, she came to Spike, her arm finding its way around him by its own will.
“Anya just volunteered to help us plan the wedding,” she explained, keeping to herself that ‘demanded’ was more accurate than ‘volunteered’. “She wants to know when it will take place.”
If possible, his eyes widened a trifle more.
“’Didn’t think about it,” he admitted, looking at Buffy a little sheepishly. “What do you think, luv?”
“It all depends on how many people you’re inviting,” Anya cut in. “And where you want to do it, too; some places need to be reserved years in advance. And you need to be thinking about the caterer, the band, and the florist. Oh, and the colors! Have you decided on colors? Or a theme?”
Shaking her head imperceptibly, Buffy tore her eyes from Anya, who was getting more excited by the second, and glanced at Spike, stifling a giggle as she noticed the look of horror that was creeping up on his face.
“We will talk about it, Anya,” the Slayer promised, trying to calm her friend. “We’ll decide on some of these things and we’ll tell you as soon as we make a decision, OK?”
“Just decide quick,” Anya said with a nod and a bright smile. “Then we can plan out the bridal shower and baby shower so they are not too close in time, that way we are all more likely to get better and more expensive presents.”
Having made her point, Anya strode toward a customer who had just entered the shop, leaving the two vampires to stare at her retreating back.
“How about eloping, pet?” Spike said in a whisper. “The car is just outside, overnight bags ready. We can be in Las Vegas before the night is over and escape the hell demon-girl is planning for us.”
Buffy knew – or rather, she believed – that he was joking, but at the moment eloping sounded like the best idea ever. Anya did seem to take this just as seriously as her own wedding planning. What Spike had just said however threw her off track.
“Car and bags ready?” she repeated, frowning slightly. “What for?”
“Dawn called. She needs a ride back. ‘Thought we could spend the night in LA since I suppose you want to have a little chat with her. And I need to talk to Peaches.”
Buffy wanted to ask what he wanted to talk about with Angel, but she kept quiet. If he wanted her to know, he would tell her. If it was private, she didn’t want to intrude.
A talk with Dawn… The prospect wasn’t very engaging, and Buffy almost would have endured a night of Anya’s wedding planning bliss instead of facing her sister. She was the one who had reacted the worst to the news that she was a vampire again; she had even practically run away. But then, they would need to talk about it eventually. Spike seemed to have sensed her sudden gloominess, because he started to rub her back lightly, soothingly.
“The sun has set”, he pointed out softly. “Ready to go, luv?”
“I guess we can skip patrol just this once”, she nodded. “It’s awfully calm lately anyway. I’ll go tell Manon…”
Her voice trailed off as she felt the presence of the young Slayer entering the room. She and Spike faced the girl as she approached them.
“Good evening Spike,” she said, her tone too neutral not to be carefully controlled.
“Hi kid,” Spike replied with a hint of a nod.
“You’re off patrol duty for the night”, Buffy informed her. “Spike and I are leaving for LA until tomorrow.”
“I can patrol alone,” Manon said with a shrug, her eyes flickering between Buffy and Spike. “I’ve done it before.”
“I’d rather you don’t,” Buffy said. “Andrea asked us to take care of you, and I’d hate for her to dust me because I let something happen to you.”
“I am not a kid, whatever you all think. I don’t need a babysitter.”
Arms crossed angrily and lips pouting, she did look like a kid ready to throw a temper tantrum, and Buffy rolled her eyes at her.
“When I was your age, I would have paid to get a night off. Enjoy it while you can!”
Still, the girl was sulking, untouched by her elder’s words.
“We don’t have time for your games,” Spike snapped, glaring at her. “Get your things and we’ll drive you to the Witches’.”
Surprisingly, Manon didn’t protest. She blushed brightly, ducked her head, and went to grab her jacket and purse behind the counter. She didn’t say a word on the ride back to her temporary home, barely whispering a ‘goodbye’ when she got out of the car.
“So,” Buffy commented as they drove away, “is that a new tactic? Make her hate you by being mean to her?”
His reply was the very last thing she would have expected. “If that’s what it takes.”