Banner by Selene
Banner
by Selene
Chapter 9: An England Assist
Rome
They lay in bed, wrapped in each other’s arms, until they could hear Dawn
getting ready for school. Sighing, Buffy disentangled herself from Spike and got
up. Crossing to the dresser, she threw on a t-shirt and a pair of shorts. Spike
sat up in bed as well, the sheet falling down his naked chest too pool in his
lap. He didn’t want Buffy to have to make the call alone, so he swung his legs
over the side of the bed and stood up, scrounging for up his own clothes.
Slipping on a pair of jeans, he padded barefoot to the door, a few steps behind
Buffy.
“You don’t have to come with me,” she said.
“Buffy. I’m here. I’m not gonna let you go through this alone. Besides, I
need to talk with Giles as well.”
Buffy cocked her head to the side, giving him a questioning look. He just shook
his head at her. “Not here.” Quietly, they made their way downstairs to the
office Buffy used to keep in touch with Giles.
~*~*~*~*~
If nothing else, Giles’ phone call was like clockwork. Promptly at eight, the
phone began to ring. Buffy picked up the extension before the second ring could
finish.
“Hi, Giles,” Buffy said into the phone.
“Er...Buffy. Hello. My, that was fast.”
“I was waiting for you. I’ve got something bad to tell you. I think I’ve
had another slayer dream,” she rushed out, a catch in her voice. Hearing this,
Spike came around the desk. Scooping her up in his arms, he sat back down in the
chair behind the desk, settling Buffy in his lap. Buffy was grateful for his
support. She didn’t know how she would get through the story without his
presence. Every time she relived the dream, unshed tears welled up in her eyes.
Spike, for his part, just continued to soothe her with his touch. Soon, Buffy
was finished with her story. He took the phone from her and spoke to Giles.
“Giles, Angel is going to be couriering something to you.” (Silence.) “I’m
not sure. Something that showed up at their place before I left. It may not even
have anything to do with Buffy’s dream.” (Silence.) “Right. Well,
I’m here. I’ll look out for her.” Spike rattled off Angel’s number in
L.A. “Wesley deals with most of the translation stuff, so he’d be your point
of contact. Let us know what you come up with. I’ve got a bad feeling, and
Buffy’s dreams aren’t helping matters.”
Moments later, Spike slipped the phone back in its cradle. Waiting for the
backlash from Buffy, he was surprised when none was forthcoming. Guiltily, he
looked up at her. Whereas before she would have been all over him for
withholding information, now she waited patiently for him to explain.
“Sorry, luv. I didn’t want to worry you. Besides, I’m not sure it has
anything to do with us. Probably doesn’t, even. I just don’t trust that
wanker not to mess it up, so I told the pooft...er, Angel, to send what he had
to Giles. If anyone can suss this out, it would be Giles.”
Buffy just smiled. ‘I think that’s the longest explanation he’s ever
given me,’ she thought to herself. She gave him a quick hug and a peck on
the cheek. Growling, Spike grabbed the back of her head to give her a real kiss.
“Hey, none of that. Dawnie will be coming down those stairs in just a
moment.” Looking towards the door, the person under discussion peeped her head
in.
“Hey guys!”
“Hey Dawnie. Ready for school?” Buffy asked as she pushed herself off
Spike’s lap. She gave Spike a “you couldn’t tell she was there”
exasperated look. If she thought he could blush, she figured he’d be bright
red right about now.
“Hey, ‘Bit,” Spike got out, a little strained. Quietly he said to Buffy,
“You go ahead. I’ll be along in a few.” Buffy just blushed as she headed
for the door to join Dawn. There was no mistaking the bulge she felt as she
slipped off of Spike’s lap. Spike just closed his eyes and tried to will away
his hard-on. ‘No need to get the ‘Bit blushing like her sister.’
~*~*~*~*~
England
Giles stood up from behind his desk when he heard his fax machine click on.
Walking over to the machine, he looked at the cover sheet. True to Spike’s
word, the gang from Wolfram & Hart was sending what they had on the
mysterious prophecy they had received. Putting down the cover sheet, he walked
out of his office to get a cup of tea. ‘Nothing like a spot of tea to get
the mind functioning properly.’ On his way back into his office he saw
that the fax machine had clicked off. Taking the papers, he went back behind the
desk to look over them. Briefly scanning the pages, he saw that Wesley had
included the text in its original form as well as a translated copy. The
translated copy he put aside for now. He didn’t want to be biased as he
attempted to translate the document himself.
Giles got up and walked over to the extensive library of books lining one whole
wall of his office. He quickly scanned through several rows, randomly selecting
several texts as he went. Walking back to his desk, he placed the texts for easy
reach during his research. Giles then pulled off his glasses, and in a manner
completely “Giles-like”, cleaned his glasses before replacing them on his
face, then sat down to begin translating the script he had received.
~*~*~*~*~
Rome
“What’s taking him so long?”
“’Luv, he just got the stuff from Wesley a few days ago,” Spike said.
“It’s not like e’s got the Scoobies to help ‘im like before. Besides,
I’m sure he wants to take his time to make sure he gets it right. He’s been
callin’ you every day with an update. Just be patient, pet.”
Buffy looked up from her journal to look at Spike. She had taken to writing her
thoughts down in the aftermath of Sunnydale. Well, more like forced; but that
was another story. She had never been good at voicing her feelings, but by
writing them down, she had eventually been able to cope after Spike had died. In
the first months after she left the crater that was once Sunnydale, her journal
had kept her sane. Her journal allowed her to talk to Spike, allowed her to
still be close to him, maintain some form of connection. Even though she had him
back with her now, she still wrote in her journal every day. Maybe one day she
would get up the courage to show it to him. Then, he would understand the depths
of her feelings for him. Her journal housed all the feelings, desires, and words
that she had been unable to voice. And that she still had some trouble with.
But, she was getting better at that. Slowly.
Spike never asked her about what she was writing in her journal. He just assumed
it was slayer-related. A sort of progress report done for her trainees. He
respected her privacy, and just watched quietly each day as she wrote away.
Usually, he had a book out and read while she was writing. He enjoyed the
almost-normalcy of their special quiet time. It was something they never really
had before, this companionable silence.
“I’m trying.” Spike glanced up from the book he was reading to look at
her. In the week he had been here, he had noticed a change in her appearance.
Gone were the dark circles under her eyes; the sallow, washed-out complexion.
Her eyes sparkled with life now and she had a healthy glow to her face. She had
started to put on a few pounds now that she was eating properly and not training
until she dropped from sheer exhaustion.
“I know you are, pet. I told you, it prob’ly has nothin’ to do with us
anyway. C’mere, luv.”
Sighing, Buffy closed her journal. She unfolding her feet from beneath her and
stood up. Quickly, she put her journal away in the hope chest that housed all
her personal possessions. She walked over to where Spike was propped up against
the headboard of the bed they shared. He put his book on the nightstand next to
the bed and held out his arms to her. Eagerly, she slid onto the bed into his
embrace. Spike’s arm enveloped her body and Buffy laid her head on his bare
chest. Slowly, he ran his fingers through her hair. She’d had it cut a few
days ago so now it only fell midway down her back. The golden tresses now
gleamed with renewed vitality.
“No sense borrowin’ trouble before it’s ‘ere. Giles will suss it all
out, Wesley too. In the meantime, you’ve got me here and I’m not gonna let
anything happen to ya.” Buffy closed her eyes and let his soothing words flow
over her.