Distro: Mystifying Dreams, WWOMB, WLS, RedsSoulmates and others
Spoilers: season 5
Pairing: Spike/Willow
Rating: PG
Summary: When trust is earned...or lost
A/N: Thanks to Jennillu and Kat for the beta. Feedback is welcomed and encouraged. visit my livejournal: http://www.livejournal.com/users/cafedemonde/
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The sunlight beats me to the backdoor that enters onto Buffy's kitchen. I'm racing the dawn unconsciously, only realizing this when I see that I've lost. Up the back stairs quietly, I peek inside through the window and the curtain that never completely covers it.
Empty.
Good. Sometimes Buffy is still up after a hard patrol, wound tightly and annoyed, and I so don't need to see her. But dealing with the slayer, even in a funk, is easier than going to the dorm and Tara. She is being all super sensitive and I feel guilty for being the cause. Not that I did anything wrong. Nope.zero on the wrongness, but she looks at me with those big doe eyes and I respond like the kid caught with her hand in the cookie jar. I'll miss my classes, but I'm ahead in the reading anyway and sleep is more important.
I use my key that I've had since Joyce died and go in, careful to be stealthy while appearing nonchalant, in case someone catches me.
But luck is on my side, it seems, and the entire household is still asleep.
I can't believe I stayed overnight with Spike. Spike!
I mean, this is the same person, or whatever.person, that tried to kill me numerous times. Let him tell it, he was not trying very hard to kill me nor would he have left me dead.
Can I get an amen for behavior modification technology?
Yet I had the most amazing time. At first, things were weird, awkward, what with him being run through with a demon's horn and all, but we got over it and actually talked.about non-helmouthy, non-magick things.
He's intelligent. I've always known he was not stupid nor close to it, but he's very knowledgeable in what is going on in the world today, the world in which he lived as a human, and so much stuff in the middle. I think I embarrassed him by asking so many questions.
Can a vampire even be embarrassed?
The climb to the second floor is done as I mull over all that he and I discussed. I'm smiling to myself about something he said and don't hear the door open.
"Willow?"
My head jerks to the right and I see Buffy.
"Oh, hey." I stop short, but think it wiser to keep going and do just that.
She frowns and leans out. "Have you been out all night?"
"What? No.I came in," I stretch and yawn for affect as her eyes narrow. "And fell asleep downstairs."
There's a weird look on her face as she debates whether she believes me, but I slip into the spare bedroom before she can inquire further.
~~~~~*~~~~~
Giles sticks Spike and I together on patrol. Tara is with Buffy. His new thing is balance of power. One witch and one super powered being per team.
Yesterday, Anya and Xander were around and we had Xander on our team. Yeah, that didn't work out so well so tonight they're watching Dawn and researching more on Glory.
He just dusted a small nest of vampires inhabiting a crypt not too far from his own and turns to me, grinning as he lights up.
"That's nine for me and three for you, Red. You feeling all right?"
"Yeah.I'm good. Just, I don't know.bored, I guess."
We walk along, until we come to the edge of this cemetery. There's one more to do then we can sweep by downtown.
"Wanna play hookey?"
The question sounds absurd coming from him.
"Hookey."
He frowns and pulls me by the hand, stomping quickly. "Yeah, hookey. I don't know.you said you were bored. And anyone out this late bloody well deserves to be eaten."
My eyes widen and I pop his arm. "Don't even joke!" But he's not joking and yeah, how stupid can the entire population of Sunnydale be? If they'd act a little smarter, we could have a few more nights off.
"Okay," I smile, "Hookey it is. What do you wanna do?"
The End