"The Subtle Notes In-Between"

Chapter 4

"So you flew me, Peaches and Blue here to Rome ? Where is the bint anyway? In his private jet trying out a new career as a trolley dolly?" Spike jerked his finger over his shoulder at Paolo, the Immortal pain in his arse. Spike had twigged when the Doctor started babbling at him in Italian. He'd been vampnapped and there was nothing he could do about it. He was back in Rome-- the site of some of his more embarrassing humiliations. Not to say the death of his duster.

"Uh huh, there was no way I was leaving you in LA. It's a mess. The lizard fire is still going. Paolo, have you managed to contact anyone to see if they can stop it?" Buffy looked over at her dearest friend to see if he’d contacted anyone to help with the clean up of LA and adjusted her hold on Spike, supporting him while Dawn fumbled with the door key. "Umm, the blue woman, she well—"

"Molto carino, I am sorry, but the goddess that was has left this dimension. She was displeased with the loss of your amico, Wesley. She was unsure of her place here in this world and chose to go." Paolo gave him a compassionate look.

"Right...well...S'not like I haven't mourned Fred. She's been gone a while and Blue… well… as she said she was using a shell, nothing more...only a comrade at arms at the end," Spike muttered under his breath. Part of him was relieved that the constant reminder of Fred's death was now gone. But at the same time, he had always recognised the ex-goddess as an individual and not Fred, unlike the others. He would miss the blue bint. He glared up at the latest pain in his arse. "And don't think I don't know what you called me, you overdressed puffed-up..."

"Spike, please don't, Paolo's our friend. Family. He's looked after us all." Buffy's quiet plea stopped Spike's diatribe in its tracks. He turned his blue eyes on her, going for the maximum puppy dog pleading. "But love, he horned in on you, and then when I wa...well, he blew up my duster!" Spike whined and then added a pout for good measure, really looking for Slayer sympathy.

Buffy's eyes narrowed at Spike's pathetic attempt to avoid mentioning he and Angel had been in Rome spying on her. By the time she had found out, all hell was breaking loose and she had flown to LA to save his unlife and was waiting for him to get better before she kicked his ass for being an idiot.

"I am sorry, but you had the Angel of death with you and I had no idea what was the situation. Your association with The Wolf, The Ram and The Hart also gave me pause for worry. I had to protect my friends." Paolo smiled smoothly at the now fuming vampire.

Spike muffled a whimper of pain, not wanting to look unmanly in front of the Immortal nit who was smiling at him. Did the Buffy-stealing bastard have some sort of facial tick that made him grin at him?

“Right," he nodded and decided to stop whining like a baby as it was starting to make him look petty in his girl’s eyes. But when he was all healed up and able to move around without the Buffy-crutch, then he and Immortal were going to have a quiet natter. Set things straight-- like informing him that Buffy was his. Spike had kicked himself in the arse repeatedly for letting both Andrew and Peaches talk him out of his feelings for the golden slayer currently holding him upright. Nothing was getting between them; if she wanted him then he was all hers. Only thing in the way was the prancing ninny smiling at him.

"Got it," Dawn exclaimed in relief. She pushed the Eighteenth Century Oak double doors open with flourish. "Spike, welcome to our casa!" She gestured for them to enter. "You can come in anytime you want," she added with a wink.

Buffy and Spike walked slowly over the threshold. All Spike could think was that he was grateful the boy wasn't here babbling about parting his own threshold for him. It had sound painful and utterly disgusting.

"Nice gaff, love," Spike whispered into Buffy's ear as she helped him down the hallway to the large sitting room at the end. "Much nicer than your old place," Spike added cryptically. "Huh?" Buffy's hazel eyes narrowed at Spike in confusion. "I thought you liked mom's place?"

"I did," he replied cryptically.

"Spike? Spike! Oh Buffy...Spike...man I'm sorry."

"Andrew? Wot are you doing here?" Spike groaned at the sight of the nit who'd broken his and Peaches’ hearts last time they'd been in Italy .

"He lives here, well sorta." Buffy helped Spike onto the large sofa and then slipped a couple of throw pillows under his feet to keep the pressure off them.

"Oh, gerroff!" Spike yelped as Andrew threw his arms around the vampire and sobbed with joy.

"We thought you had bit the big one. Man she was pissed when she found out you were alive and then getting into a dogfight with the creeps running that law firm. But I knew it! I just knew she'd save you! Hey, what happened to your eyebrows? You look weird!" Andrew babbled as Spike tried to wriggle free from his octopus arms.

"Andrew." Buffy gently pulled on his shoulder, trying to save the increasingly more agitated vampire from anymore Andrew tears.

Andrew snuffled and clung tighter to Spike's waist. “Giles told me to not tell about LA, I wanted too so badly, she was unhappy…the crying and then you came to Rome and I freaked and said those dumbass things…sorry…Spike please tell me you forgive me!” Andrew wailed and then gulped hard at the sensation of Spike’s buttocks in his hands. “Oh my…so perky,” he mumbled.

"Please, you're hurting him!" Buffy tried to coax him off Spike, but Andrew shook his head and clung on like a limpet. Sniffling against Spike’s shoulder.

"I left you there in that den of iniquity, an innocent lamb waiting to be corrupted. I'm soooo sorry," Andrew wailed.

"Andrew," Dawn yelled and yanked him off Spike. "Man, you can be so lame. Hello, Spike's a vamp, he can look after himself." She cocked her head and eyed the battered and bruised body lying on the couch. "Well most of the time, and as if you could do anything to save him." She giggled and pulled Andrew further away. He had been straining against her hold, hoping to cop a feel of that hard muscled bod he had worshiped for so long. "Come on, we need to pack some stuff." With that she yanked the loudly complaining Andrew after her.

"Pack?" Buffy raised an eyebrow at Paolo in question.

"Ah yes. I forgot to mention the three of us are going to that Spa in Trevisi I mentioned, " Paolo replied smoothly. He adjusted his collar and smoothed back his long hair off his face. He checked his reflection in the large gilded overmantle and smoothed his eyebrows.

"Dawn I can see doing the mudbath, facepacks and whatnot and the boy, but you?" Spike closed his eyes and rested his head on the cushion. Then his body froze. It wasn't a cushion-- it was a Buffy lap. He felt her hand hesitantly drop onto his head and her thin fingers card through his hair. With a hesitant rumble he relaxed again and sighed happily.

The tall Immortal looked down at the two of them ensconced on the large Louis XVI couch and sighed. He did love it when soulmates found each other. Now he just had to convince the two of them that they were indeed soulmates and meant for each other. Maybe some time alone and no distractions would help.

"Cara, I must take my leave of you and your consort. Adieu." Paolo bowed and ignored the snort that emanated form Spike's limp form and blew a kiss at Buffy.

"Paolo, how can I...how can we—?"Buffy's hazel eyes filled with tears and her mouth wobbled. She reluctantly slid out from under Spike and stood, throwing her arms around the tall man and squeezed him tightly. Spike chuntered loudly at the sight of the two of them embracing. So much so that Buffy shushed him and waved a hand in his direction.

"Ready." Dawn swung into the room with a cheesy grin. Andrew trotted up behind her, trying to get his rucksack to close. A wealth of new comic books was poking out the top of the rucksack and the blond was trying to avoid squishing them and destroying their value.

"Do we havfta go? Spike just returned from near death and I want to sit and—"

"Come on prezioso, let us leave them to talk." Paolo caught hold of Andrew's elbow and pulled him out of the room. "Ciao, Buffy and it's good to see you again, William,” he added with a cheeky wink.

Dawn bounced over to the two of them and brushed a soft kiss where Spike's eyebrows had been and then hugged her sister. "Have fun, and don't do anything I wouldn't."

The contented smile dropped off Spike's face; his eyes had lulled shut with first brush of her lips then snapped open and flashed amber. "Wot did she say?"

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