INTENTIONS (1/1)
 

Spike felt her soon after he left his crypt. Even without the slayer alarm,
he knew her scent well enough to recognize her. He had been half in love with
her for over a month after all. He didn't turn around, figuring she'd show
her face soon enough. He did admit to being a bit curious as to why she was
there. Instead of confronting her, he found his packet of Marlboros and
pulled one free, lighting it with a match that he soon tossed to the ground.
 

Buffy stood by the grave marker, her eyes looking from Spike's back to the
sky and back again. She knew that he knew she was there. She wondered why he
didn't face her, didn't call her out. She sighed, walking closer to him.
"Spike."
 

"Slayer, what brings you here? Slumming?" Spike asked, turning to face her.
He raised an eyebrow when he saw that she was wearing a rather worn T-shirt
and an old pair of sweats. "Didn't do the laundry?"
 

"What?" Buffy asked, looking down and then smiling slightly. "I'm rather
tired. Fashion wasn't high on my list when I was dressing."
 

"I can see that," he remarked before taking a drag from his cigarette. He
hated the taste of tobacco. It was one of those things that no one actually
knew about him. He'd taken up smoking years before, needing something to do
during Drusilla's mood swings. He'd found that it took his mind off of his
problems, calmed him in a way, soothed his demon, all that shit. Now, he was
a self claimed addict needing the damn things just to make it through his
life. Still hated the taste of tobacco though. Never could quite get over
that distaste.
 

"We aren't here to discuss my wardrobe," Buffy said with a frown as she
remembered her purpose for being there in the first place.
 

"And here I thought you wanted my expertise," he said sarcastically with a
roll of his blue eyes.
 

"You know, I promised her that I wouldn't interfere," Buffy said, ignoring
his sarcasm. "I hate breaking my promises."
 

"Slayer, I may have gone to the Angelus school of cryptic words, but that one
even has him beat," Spike said, annoyed that she was delaying him in finding
Willow.
 

"OK. You want me to get straight to the point?" Buffy asked, folding her arms
as she studied him intently.
 

He shifted under her gaze, cursing under his breath, "Bloody hell, slayer, am
I on some microscope or something?"
 

"What did you do?" Buffy asked, watching closely to try to see the truth. She
knew Spike well enough to know that he wouldn't be honest. Not with her at
least. Too much bad blood and failed crushes and just plain old hatred
existing between them. But, she thought that maybe she'd be able to see
something in his eyes, that maybe there'd be a second where his true thoughts
would show in those blue eyes before he could hide them away.
 

"Have you been watching those silly game shows again, slayer?" he asked,
annoyance flashing again. "Is this the one where I get to call the lifeline?"
 

"You might need one, depending on your answers to my questions," she said
seriously.
 

"What the hell are you talking about?" he finally asked, moving to sit on a
headstone. From the stubborn look on her pretty face, they'd be there awhile.
 

"Willow," Buffy said, watching as his eyes flashed with several different
emotions before becoming cold and hard. Surprised, she leaned back and waited.
 

"What about her?" Spike asked, looking at the tree behind the slayer.
 

"What did you do last night?" Buffy asked, tapping her foot as she waited.
 

"What the hell are you talking about?" he demanded, taking a calming, lengthy
drag from his cigarette.
 

"Spike, I'm not stupid. Just keep your mouth shut. I mean, you've been
fucking in my house for weeks. Did you not think I knew? Hello! Slayer here.
I trust Willow, she's my best friend. And I did promise to stay out of it as
long as she was all right. BUT, this morning, I could tell she'd been crying.
She tried to smile and act like everything was fine, but I know her. So, I
broke my promise and came here. Now tell me, what the fuck did you do to
her?" Buffy demanded.
 

"She was crying?" he said sharply, his eyes narrowing. "What did you do to
her? She was fine when I left. And what do you mean that you've known? You
knew and didn't come after me?"
 

"Trust me, she wasn't crying over me. You see, I'm not the one sneaking into
her room every night and fucking her," Buffy said sweetly though her hazel
eyes were flashing.
 

"You sure as fuck better not be," Spike growled, eyes yellow as he glared at
her. Willow was upset? He had to see her...to make sure she was OK.
 

"Spike," Buffy sighed, raking a hand through her thick light brown hair, "I'm
not here to fight with you. While I don't approve of her sharing herself with
you, that's Willow's decision. It's her body, her heart, her life. I can
accept it, and I can accept you. BUT, today, there were tears. I haven't seen
her that unhappy since Oz left....Hell, she wasn't even that unhappy then. I
just came her to talk to you, to find out what happened. To see if there was
anything that I could do to help her."
 

"I don't understand it," he admitted softly, seeing the truth in her eyes.
She just wanted to help. She still hated him, but, for Willow, she'd make a
truce. Her love for her friend was one of the few redeeming things about her,
he realized. "It was fine, when I left."
 

"Well, I'd hazard a guess and say that you're wrong," Buffy said, rolling her
eyes. "Men. You probably don't even know what you did. I don't know why I
bothered to ask."
 

"Bugger off, then," he said sharply, searching for another cigarette as he
strained his memory for a reason Willow might be upset.
 

"Sorry, can't do that. You see, if I have to accept your place in Willow's
life, you've got to accept mine. As her best friend," Buffy said sweetly.
"And as her best friend, I'm now going to ask you what exactly your
intentions are with her."
 

"My intentions?" he repeated before laughing. "You've got to be out of your
mind. I am not going to sit here and discuss my life with you of all people."
 

"Hmm...that's too bad," Buffy said, holding a stake in her hands as she
smiled, "You see, I promised her I'd stay out of it, not interfere or make
any judgments. But, I didn't promise that I wouldn't stake you, say if I came
across you snacking on some poor defenseless coed."
 

"I've got the implant, remember, slayer?" he reminded with a snarl.
 

"And we're talking about my best friend. Oops, looks like my memory is
fading," she said, tossing the stake back and forth between two hands as she
waited expectantly.
 

Spike glared at her, getting up from the tombstone and pacing as he
considered telling her to where she could fuck herself. Then, he saw the calm
and serious look in her eyes and knew that he'd met his match. Silly damn
thing probably would stake him just to keep her friend safe. Then what the
hell would she do if she knew how he really felt? He was thinking tied down
in a large open space to see the sunlight personally. "It's sex, slayer. You
remember that don't you? Two people in lust, the ache to feel each other,
skin touching skin, mouths touching mouths, cries of pleasure mixed with
pain."
 

Buffy gulped, almost looking away but caught by the look in his eyes. He was
lying. She got a thoughtful look on her face as she asked, "So, sex. That's
it? Nothing else?"
 

"Not a bloody damn thing," he hissed, kicking a tombstone.
 

Buffy smiled, moving to put the stake away. "You know, I should stake you for
lying to me, but I'll forgive you. I mean, you are a vampire after all. I'm
sure telling me the truth is a pride thing or something like that. Same way I
wouldn't tell you the whole truth either, in your position."
 

"What the bloody hell are you talking about now?" he demanded, eyes narrowed.
 

"It's all right, Spike. I'll keep your secret until you're ready to tell her.
But, if I find her with tears again, we'll play a new game just for you,"
Buffy smiled a sincere smile, "how loud can Spikey scream."
 

"You silly little bint. You're nuts," he cursed, tossing his cigarette to the
ground as it burned his fingers. "I don't have any secrets."
 

"Sure you don't," she agreed with a smile. "Like I said, I won't say a word.
My lips are sealed. Thanks for the talk, Spike. I feel much, much better
about all this now."
 

"You've gone insane. I'll go get the watcher. He'll know what to do," Spike
said, looking at the slayer as if she was crazy.
 

"You know what? We now have something in common, don't we?" she said as she
started to walk away.
 

"What's that you crazy bitch?" he called out, shaking his head as she just
laughed at his insult.
 

"Willow, of course," she answered. "Anyway, you'd better get going. She'll be
worried if you don't show up soon. Oh, and let's keep this little meeting to
ourselves, OK?"
 

"I sure as fuck don't want anyone to know about it," he said, glaring at her.
 

"You'd better think about being honest soon, Spike," Buffy said seriously.
"Willow's a special person. She doesn't give her heart often, and, when she
does, it means something to her. You need to tell her soon."
 

"Tell her what?" he asked, wondering for a brief moment why he hadn't killed
the slayer when he had had the opportunity.
 

"That you love her, of course," Buffy said with a smile before turning and
leaving him frozen with a mixture of denial and acceptance on his handsome
face.
 

******THE END********

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