Chapter Six (Hell Hath No Fury)

Buffy stopped short just before the steps up to the entrance and stepped off the sidewalk.

"Slayer?"

"This stuff is getting dry. I want to brush it off out here so I don't end up with a pile of dirt in my room."

She began brushing vigorously at her arms, legs and torso, knocking off as much of the dried mud as she could. When she thought she was through, she made to move back to the steps.

"Hold on, there, Slayer. You missed some." He turned her around and brushed the mud off her back. When his hand slid down to her ass, she grabbed it quickly.

"I'll get that part, thank you very much." While Spike sighed and rolled his eyes, Buffy quickly brushed off the seat of her pants and tried to peer at it over her shoulder. "Did I get it all?"

"Yeah, you got it. Let's go get my aspirin and your dry clothes."

Once again, when they reached the entrance to the dorm, Spike moved ahead and held the door open for Buffy. She stopped and stared at him.

"You need to stop doing that."

"Why?"

"Because it's... it's just weird! William the Bloody, being all gentlemanly and good mannered."

"William the Bloody knew a great deal about good manners, pet," he said, following her down the hall to the stairs. "More than any of you do, I'd wager."

"Spike, you're William the Bloody. You're talking about him like he was somebody else."

"Was somebody else," he said quietly. "Thought we'd covered that the other night."

"That was William. That was you before you became a vampire." When he didn't respond, she turned around to face him. "It was, wasn't it?"

He shrugged and passed her.

"C'mon, pet. I'll race you up the stairs."

Buffy took off after his rapidly disappearing coat, shouting, "Wasn't it? Answer me!"

She caught up with the grinning vampire at the top of the stairs and shoved him as she walked past.

"Don't think I'm going to forget my question," she muttered, flashing an insincere smile at two curious coeds coming from the room next to hers. They stared at Spike with unabashed curiosity and admiration. Turning his back on Buffy, he gave them a warm smile and an appreciative once-over, and was rewarded with giggles and small waves.

Buffy opened the door and waited impatiently for Spike to follow her inside.

"Were you flirting with those girls?"

"Could be. Would it brass you off if I was?"

"Would it— Don't be ridiculous."

"That's what I thought. Was, then." He stuck out his chin.

"Why?"

"Why?" He cocked his head at her, his expression surprised. "Are you starting to take all my complaining about being neutered seriously?"

"You can't bite them, Spike. We settled that tonight."

"Did I say I was planning to bite anybody? I think that little brunette fancied me - might get myself a little—"

Buffy's face went from red to white and back to red. "If you finish that sentence, I will..." She pulled the stake from her waistband and waved it.

Spike moved into her space, disregarding the stake she was clutching. "Make up your bloody mind, Slayer," he said in a low growl. "Rather have you. You know that. But—"

"Don't finish that sentence either. I'm not on the menu—market—whatever! I'm not on it."

"Then don't be busting my balls if I go looking elsewhere. I do still have them, you know. And I'd like to keep them happy."

"You are such a pig!" She whirled, throwing the stake across the room. She pulled off her jacket and dropped it on the floor. Grabbing a pair of jeans and a shirt from a drawer, she snapped, "Turn your back. And don't cheat this time."

"Just give me my aspirin and I'll go, Slayer."

"Go? Go where?" Buffy frowned, softening her posture for a second.

"I don't know. Out. Beat up some demons? Find the cute bird who waved at me? What difference does it make? You know I can't hurt anybody."

"You're not going to wait for me? I thought..."

"You thought what?"

"I don't know...I just thought we were having fun tonight, and...."

"We were having fun, pet. But you're here now, back in your cozy little room, and I've got some excess energy to wear off somehow. Don't see much point in us spending any more time together tonight, do you?"

"So, you don't want to spend any time with me if you don't think it's going to lead to sex? Is that what you're saying?"

He blew out an exasperated breath. "I'm not saying that, dammit! I just... Look, my head still hurts, being around you makes my dick hard, and I'd just like to get a little relief for something."

Buffy threw a bottle of aspirin at his head, watching with hard eyes as he caught it with a quicker than the eye movement.

"Here. Take the whole bottle. Make your head feel better."

"Buffy..."

"Take the damn aspirin and go spend some time somewhere you actually want to be."

"Buffy, if you want me to stay..."

Her stiff back was the only response he got, and with another growl he slammed out the door, allowing it to hang open as he strode down the hall and into the stairwell, almost knocking Willow over as she was coming up the stairs.

"Spike!"

"Witch."

Without more of a greeting than that, he leaped from the top step all the way to the bottom, coat billowing out behind him. He was through the door and gone before she could say anything else. Shaking her head, she walked toward the open door of her room, only to watch it slam shut with so much force it quivered. Moving carefully, she inserted her key and pushed it open.

"Buffy?"

"Oh! Hi, Will." Buffy lowered the arm that was clutching her stake and flushed with embarrassment. "Sorry about the door. Spike didn't close it behind him when he left."

"Um. Yeah figured that. Did you guys have a fight? Cause he was being all...grrr, argh when he left. Jumped down the stairs like something out of a movie."

"He jumped down the stairs?"

"Yeah. It was pretty cool, actually."

At Buffy's narrowed eyes and tightened lips, Willow quickly added, "He looked pretty mad. You should probably follow him in case he decides to risk biting somebody."

Buffy tossed her head. "He isn't planning to bite anybody. Trust me. That's not what's on his mind." At Willow's carefully raised eyebrow, she continued, "And he can't bite. I saw that for myself tonight. It really knocks him down for the count."

Willow didn't ask how Buffy knew, just nodded her agreement. "I kinda knew that already. Although, when he tried to bite me, it stopped hurting pretty quickly and he tried again. I think the chip wasn't finished setting in to his brain yet. It probably took a few days for all the connections to go live."

In an effort to somewhat change the subject, Buffy said, "On the plus side, it turns out he can kill other vampires, so yay for that."

"Huh. So, is he going to help you with slaying?"

"I...I think so. If we can manage to be around each other for more than a few minutes without getting into a fight about something."

"Which, I take it, is what happened tonight?"

Buffy sighed, slumping down on the bed.

"Yeah. You could say that."

"What about?"

At Buffy's expression, she backtracked. "Not that it's any of my business..."

"It's about him being a pig and thinking with his—" She was interrupted by the phone.

"Kinda late, isn't it?"

Buffy nodded and picked it up. "It's probably Giles with some sudden emergency— Oh. Hi, Riley. What's up? Now? You want to meet for coffee at 10:00? Yeah, well, no, I wasn't asleep, but... Oh, really? Well maybe we should talk then. I'll meet you in about twenty minutes."

"Riley?"

"Yeah. Says he wants to talk to me right away. That he knows who I am and that I'm probably not going to sleep this early."

Willow watched Buffy quickly change out of her muddy clothes and into clean jeans, a tee shirt and a hoody.

"What if Spike comes back? What do you want me to tell him?"

"He won't come back tonight, but if he does, tell him I had a date—with Riley." Buffy brushed her hair, put on some lip gloss, and smiled triumphantly. "That's exactly what you should tell him," she said. "Tell him I have a date with a commando."

~~~~~~~~~~~~
Spike slammed into Willy's and demanded "a bottle of Jack". He shoved a small demon off a stool and sat down, glaring at the counter in front of him.

"Hey!" the red-scaled demon said. "You can't do that!"

A larger version of the demon stepped up behind and agreed. "Everybody knows about your 'handicap', Spike. You're not in a position to push people around, now that you can't hurt anything."

Spike turned a feral grin on them, his fangs beginning to protrude. "Turns out, boys, that my little handicap only applies to humans. Be happy to prove that to you, if you'd like..."

One look at the eager expression on Spike's face and the way he was already rising to his feet sent the two vampire-baiters into a quick retreat. Spike sighed in disappointment and turned back to his drink.

"Does this mean you're going to start trashing my bar again?" Willy asked, his unhappiness plain.

"Not tonight, it doesn't. Not unless someone else starts it. Just keep the whiskey coming."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Spike was on his way to Restfield cemetery, planning to spend the night in the crypt he'd found, when he noticed the men in black gliding from shadow to shadow. Using skills he rarely bothered with, Spike became part of the shadows, remaining immobile and invisible as he listened in on the conversation.

"So, do you think Finn is doing this for Maggie, or does he still have the hots for that girl?"

"Seeing as how he's taking her back to her dorm, rather than where he was told to, I'm gonna go with still has the hots for her."

Both the voice and the name he'd used nagged at Spike's memory, sending him even deeper into the shadows as he remembered where he'd heard them before. But what was Buffy doing with one of them? More racking his brain and he remembered that Willow said Buffy had been dating one of the men living in Lowell House. He smothered his growl, and continued to follow the men from a safe distance.

"They're getting pretty close to campus," one of the men whispered. "I think we need to move now. We don't want any witnesses."

"I don't know. Riley didn't give a signal yet. Maybe he's changed his mind and wants to wait to bring her in."

"Maybe he thinks he's going to get lucky," another man added with a low laugh.

"Well, our instructions were to engage and capture her, if possible, and to assess her skills if not. If I have to choose, I'd rather piss off Riley than the boss lady."

"Good point. Let's go, then. We'll hit her just ahead of that wall."

With no more discussion and moving like well-oiled cogs in a machine, the men moved rapidly into position to ambush Buffy and the man with her. Inwardly furious about his lack of ability to do anything, and firmly reminded of that inability when he moved in the direction of the closest man and was rewarded with a warning shock to his already sore head, Spike could do nothing but try to silence the snarls straining his throat.

Buffy and the tall man with her reached the end of the wall, only to be surrounded by a small squad of black-clad commandos.

"What the hell—" Riley's response was completely genuine, as his men jumped out without any signal from him.

"You son of a bitch! You set me up!" Buffy managed to snap out before she was fighting to avoid the net they were trying to throw over her. Evading it fairly easily, she took out the first man who tried to grab her with an elbow to his diaphragm. Spinning faster than they could follow, she swept the legs out from under another soldier and threw a third one into the wall. The one she'd knocked to the ground was searching frantically for the net, planning to use it to entrap at least her legs. However, it seemed to have vanished; he couldn't locate it where he'd been sure he'd dropped it.

Within a very short amount of time, all three commandos were on the ground nursing various injuries, and Buffy was facing off against a bewildered Riley.

"You bastard," she growled, starting towards him. "I trusted you."

He retreated quickly, only to find his feet tangled in the net, which had appeared again, albeit in a completely different area from where it had vanished. Buffy's slayer senses told her there was a vampire in the area; she smiled to herself when she realized who it was. A leaf drifted down from one of the big trees surrounding the area and she fought to keep her gaze from going there.
Riley's tangled feet had resulted in his joining his men on the ground, sitting shamefaced and angry as he tried to get the net off his boots.

"Buffy, I didn't...you have to believe me. I never told them to do that. I'd already decided that you should come in willingly to talk to Maggie—Professor Walsh. I don't know why they went ahead without my order."

"But you were going to give that order? When you asked me to meet you, that was the plan, right?" She stared at him with contempt. "I can't believe I was dating you. I've done nothing since I got to this school but make bad decisions about the men here." She would have sworn she heard muffled laughter from the trees, but ignored it as best she could.

"Maggie just wants to know more about you," he pleaded.

"Then she should have asked me," Buffy said coldly. She gazed around at the moaning men now staggering to their feet. She was about to suggest that they knew as much about her as they were going to when a voice from overhead shouted, " Slayer, taser!" and she whirled just in time to kick it out of Riley's hand.

The two former dating partners stared at each other, one in disgust, one in rueful dismay. Taking up a position between the commandoes and the dorm—one where she knew she could be seen by any students going in or out—Buffy put her hands on her hips and glared.

"Get away from here. All of you."

Without comment, they gathered up their net and moved off into the shadows, only Riley remaining to counter Buffy's glare.

"Buffy...I'm sor—"
"Goodbye, Riley. It's been nice."

She turned her back and walked toward the dorm, confident that the vampire guarding her back would warn her of any more attacks. She reached the steps and turned around to see that Riley had also disappeared. Buffy could see the branches in the trees shaking, first going away from the dorm, then coming back towards it. She stared at the nearest big tree, waiting patiently until a black shape dropped to the ground, coat floating out behind him. Spike landed easily, straightened up and stood staring at her, unsure of his welcome.

"Come on," she said, turning to go in, confident that he could hear her. By the time she had reached the door, the now-familiar hand was reaching past her to pull it open.
Buffy didn't speak again until they were just outside her dorm room. She held a finger to her lips and said, "Shhh. Willow's probably asleep."

"I probably shouldn't come in, luv. It's late and—"

"Are you turning me down again?" she hissed, her back already growing stiffer and her eyes narrowing.

"Not turning down anything, Slayer," he hastened to assure her. "Just don't want to scare the witch."

"She's not afraid of you," Buffy said, opening the door and peering in. "Oh, she's still up. Hi, Willow."

"Hey, Buffy. How was your date with Ri—" Her eyes darted from Buffy to the figure following her into the room.

"It was peachy, with a side of keen," Buffy said, forgetting that one of her main reasons for going had been to punish Spike for leaving.

"Uh, Spike? If you're looking for Buffy, she's out with Riley. On a date." She frowned. "Or, she was anyway. That's what I would have told you if you'd come by earlier."

"He knows where I was, Will."

Buffy sat on her bed and kicked off her boots. Spike stood awkwardly near the door, unsure of his welcome, but afraid to make Buffy angry by leaving without being sent away. Willow continued to look back and forth between them and then suddenly stood up.

"You know...I just remembered that I need to...to get something from the snack machine. I'll just go do that and...and then I'll do something else, and..."

"Don't leave on my account, Red."

"It's okay, Willow. I think we're through fighting for the night." She gave Spike a small smile. "Aren't we?"

"If you're through being all offended because I—" Remembering his audience, he stopped himself before he could say just what he thought she had been offended about.

"I really could use some popcorn. I'll be right back." Before either of them could argue, Willow slipped out the door, pulling it shut behind her.

"I'm through," Buffy said quietly, as though he had finished his comment. "I've got no right to expect you to spend all your time with me just because I'm not planning to slay you anymore. It was immature and selfish and I'm..." She glanced up apologetically. "I just can't get that word out," she said, frowning when he laughed.

"You wouldn't have meant it anyway, Slayer."

"I might have! You don't know."

"Hell hath no fury, pet. Learnt that over a hundred years ago. You offered me some time in your company, and I blew it off like the wanker that I am. You had every right to be mad. 's me who should be apologizing."

"I think the saving my butt from Riley and his buddies was a pretty good apology," she said.

"So, we're alright?"

"I guess we are."

"I should go, then," he said. "You and the witch need to get some sleep." He turned toward the door and put his hand on the knob, pausing as if thinking, then turning his head toward her. "Did you tell her to tell me you were out on a date?"

"Maybe. Did you go out looking for that girl?"

He shook his head. "Went to Willy's, had some Jack and was on my way to Restfield when I heard the ninjas."

"Well then, I wasn't really on a date. I was trying to find out what his boss knows about me."

He nodded and opened the door. "You know, pet. We're going to have to sort this out one of these days."

Buffy didn't look at him, picking at a loose thread on the bedspread. "Can't we just ignore it and hope it goes away?"

"Hope what goes away?" Willow entered the room just in time to hear Buffy's reply.

"Nothing."

"Nothing."

She looked back and forth between them, suddenly remembering what they'd told her about lingering effects from the spell.

"Oh," she breathed. "Oh, oh my. Still?" When neither one answered her, she offered, "I could try another spell. Maybe make you hate each other again. Do you want me to try that?"

"No!"

"No!"

Simultaneous and emphatic rejections had Willow giving an offended little sniff as she went back to her desk. "Fine! I was just trying to help. Drive each other crazy for another week or so, then see if you don't appreciate my offer."

"We—I appreciate it, Willow. I just don't think we want..." She looked up at Spike who stared back, his eyes telling her he would abide by whatever she said. "I don't think we want to hate each other anymore. Do we?"

He shook his head slowly, never taking his eyes off hers. "We'll work it out, Red. Don't worry about it."

Willow shrugged and sat down to eat her popcorn.

"Okay. The offer stands. Goodnight, Spike," she added as he started through the open door.

"Goodnight, Witch, Slayer."

Buffy raised one hand in a small wave and watched the door shut behind him. She fell back on her bed with a loud sigh, staring at the ceiling as if it might hold answers.

"Okay," Willow said from her cross-legged perch on her own bed. "Spill."

"I hate men!"

"Duly noted. Now, what happened out there?"

Buffy sat up, reached for some popcorn, and prepared to enjoy some girl time before sleeping.