Chapter 9: Back to the Box
The kid made a face when they told her that their usual way to go to the Magic Box was through the sewers, but in the end she was spared that experience as Buffy consented to let her walk there through the sunny streets of Sunnyhell. Spike was ready to go train as soon as the Watchers left, but his Slayer had other plans, which involved exciting things such as laundry and cleaning the house. He had managed to escape the battle against dust bunnies by arguing that he had to check and update the online Magic Box, and it wasn’t until the middle of the afternoon that they left for the shop.
Spike was concerned about his Slayer, and the nervousness that came from her in almost palpable waves. First confrontation with the Scoobies after the grand revelation of the night before. For her peace of mind, and their sake, he hoped they would be as sensible as the Watcher had been that morning.
They arrived in the shop basement and got upstairs only seconds before Manon walked in through the front door, which was just perfect timing. Spike barely left enough time to the girl to say hi to everyone before he dragged her after him into the back room, leaving Buffy to deal with the Scoobies alone, as she had asked him. Conveniently, they were all there, so she would be able to warn them about not telling Manon what they knew about her miraculous healing.
“So, what did I miss that has Buffy talking to everyone in big secret?” Manon asked him after he had closed the door.
He watched her for a few seconds as she started stretching, wondering what to tell her. He noticed the rising flush in her cheeks, and made a mental note not to push her too hard as they sparred. If simple warming up exercises had her heart beating so fast already, she might not be as well as they thought she was. As for her question, he decided that the truth was best.
“Not everyone took the news that we’re vamps again as well as you did,” he said casually, shrugging off his duster and laying it on the couch. “Actually, I was kind of surprised that you, of all people, took it so well. You’re a Slayer, after all.”
“I just supposed you had a good reason,” she mumbled, almost too low for him to catch her words.
“Damn right about that, kid. The best reason of all. Just wanted to be vamps again.”
And it hadn’t hurt that it had saved her in the process, but she didn’t need to know that.
Manon had a strange look in her eyes as he came closer and assumed a fighting stance just a few feet from her. It almost seemed like she was changing her mind about being OK with their vamphood. But before he could say anything, she gave him a tiny smile and said:
“I’m glad you got what you wanted.”
He returned her smile, and launched his first attack.
*****
Buffy was a bit surprised as they entered the shop to see that the whole gang was there. Or rather, all the members of the gang who were currently in town. Better that way, certainly. She would quickly see how they all acted toward her now, and know what to expect. Biting her lower lip nervously, she watched Spike and Manon disappear into the back room. Next thing she knew, she was being attacked and smothered by four humans. She couldn’t suppress the giggle that rose to her lips at the unexpected group hug.
“What was that?” she asked as they let go of her and ushered her to sit at the table.
She looked at the people around her, Willow and Tara on either side of her, each holding one of her hands on top of the table, Anya and Xander sitting opposite her.
“That was us saying we’re sorry,” Willow said with a hesitant smile. “We’ve had time to get over the initial shock. And we realize you’re still you, and you’re still our friend, and did I say we’re sorry?”
“The thing is,” Xander continued softly, “we thought you wanted to be human, we thought you enjoyed it, so we never even imagined you might actually want to be a vamp. Ergo, the surprise.”
Buffy’s eyes traveled over her friends. The shock and disapproval from the night before had indeed disappeared. Now all she could see on their faces was how much they cared for her. And it felt really nice.
“I did enjoy being human,” she tried to explain. “But I enjoy being a vamp too, if for different reasons. As long as I still have the people I love around me, it doesn’t really matter if I need to breathe or not.”
“And we’re still there for you,” Xander assured her, “don’t doubt it for a second.”
Trying to get a hold on her emotions, Buffy gave all of them a warm smile.
“Your friendship means a lot to me”, she said when she trusted herself to speak again. “And it means a lot to Spike too, even if he wouldn’t admit it under torture. Which reminds me, he doesn’t want Manon to know about his deal with Cordy, so if you guys could avoid talking about that in front of her…”
They all nodded, and for a few minutes they chatted quietly about everything that had happened in the past few days, and what would happen now that the immediate danger was gone. It felt just like old times, really, except that they were older now, presumably wiser, all of them different in their own ways. But the one thing that remained the same was their friendship.
*****
Ever since she had heard Giles earlier talk about Spike’s sacrifice saving her life, Manon’s mind had been buzzing with confusing thoughts, and even as they sparred she couldn’t stop them. It was a good thing, really, that he wasn’t fighting as hard as he usually did, because, distracted as she was, she would have been unable to keep up with him for a minute.
She just couldn’t understand. Why would Spike have been willing to give his life for her? He had said earlier that he wanted to be a vampire, but then why wasn’t he admitting that his decision had saved her? It didn’t make much sense. If he had done it for Buffy, she could have understood it. Or for Dawn, or Steven, or even Angel, she had noticed how close Spike was to these three. But why for her? He barely knew her. She was just a child to him, and he reminded her of it every time he called her ‘kid’ or ‘gamine’.
Unless…
Maybe he wasn’t reminding her of it, but reminding himself. He had been very kind to her, actually, ever since she first met him. Too kind, really, since she was a Slayer and he was her natural prey. Maybe he liked her more than he should. Maybe that was why he had been ready to die for her.
There was Buffy, of course. But was everything really fine between them? The older Slayer had felt it necessary to become a vampire again to be with him. Was their link so weak that it couldn’t stand one of them being human but not the other? Maybe all there was between them was that Sire / Childe bond that Andrea had mentioned. Maybe… Maybe he didn’t really love Buffy. Maybe he loved someone else more than his life…
His foot swept her right leg and she fell back on her bottom, yelping more in surprise than in pain. There was real concern in his oh so blue eyes when he stepped closer and asked her if she was alright and if she wanted to rest for a while. Swallowing with difficulty, she accepted his help and his offered hand to get up, and felt her heart beat just a trifle faster at the soft touch.
Too many maybes. She needed to know. Needed to ask him exactly why he had saved her. And she would ask him. Soon. Not now, though, because Buffy had just entered the room and was getting ready for a round of sparring with him.
Manon sat on the couch, just next to his duster, her hand lingering lightly on the leather as she watched the two vampires dance, her thoughts more confused than ever.