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True Colors by TalesofSpike
 
Chapter 1:01
 
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SECTION 1 - LEAP OF FAITH

And it's a leap of faith
When you believe there's someone out there
It's a leap of faith
When you believe that
Someone cares, oh
And when I call out to you
Will you be right there
Right there

(Michelle Branch, Album Broken Bracelet)



Chapter 1.01
Sunday, May 5th, 2002

Sunday Night

Spike moved around the pool table cue in hand, checking for a viable shot. He absently chalked the end of his cue and then leant over to go for a cushion shot into the centre pocket, speaking as he cued.

".Couldn't give a toss what gets said when it's the two of us." Straight shot into the two touching balls lined up for the corner pocket with a bit of bottom to run back to take the second. "It's not like you haven't been mouthing off as long as I've known you. Truth be known, I quite enjoy a bit of bickering now and again. As long as you don't start about Buffy and me." Clear up that second ball follow through off the top cushion and down to the other end of the table.

"I know I don't deserve her and I'm not going to say I do. I understand her and I think I can make her happy and I'll shift heaven and hell to do it if I have to." Edge that one into the bottom corner off his and get the right amount of side on it the cue ball will just trickle into the other pocket without it being too obvious. "Foul stroke. Two shots to you. Point is there's nothing you can say on that subject that I'm going to listen to. Bringing it up isn't going to cause anything but problems. I'm not asking for your approval, and finally neither is she." Spike pulled a cigarette from his pack, frowning at how few were left, before lighting it.

"Other than that, when it's just us blokes, say whatever the hell you want and use whatever nicknames you want, but in front of your missus and in front of Buffy we either talk civil-like or we stay shut the hell up. I don't want Anya upset and I won't have Buffy upset." Bloody whelp was going to win now, bugger. Oh well, at least there wasn't money involved this time and it might make him a bit too cocky next time there was.

"Agreed?" Spike asked.

"Agreed, Fangless." The black ball rolled into the pocket. Two of Spike's balls still left on the table.

"Best head back over and play nice with the womenfolk then, Whelp. It might be an idea if you 'n' the slayer sort out your differences on the dance-floor. I don't want her frettin' over it when it can all be sorted out if you talk to each other for five minutes. I know I've got a little proposition I need to talk to your better half about anyway."

Spike walked off ahead of Xander who was left wondering what the vampire was up to now. When they got back to their table Willow and Buffy were up on the dance-floor and Dawn had moved to sit between Tara and Anya.

"How about a dance, pet?" Spike asked Anya. "About time I claimed a kiss from the bride and you can dish the dirt on how married life is treating you." He led her over to a corner of the floor away from all of the others. The pair chatted amicably enough for the duration of a couple of songs or so it seemed, though if anyone was to observe really closely they might have realised that Spike had been keen to assure that none of the other Scoobies could overhear. After some time the two came back to the table and Spike gave Anya a kiss on the cheek before sitting down next to Dawn to watch Xander and Buffy. The vampire savoured being able to watch his beloved openly and without having to disguise his feelings.

She had such a frail graceful beauty, hiding a core of inner strength. Her long ebony skirt rippled and flowed as she moved, giving subtle hints as to the figure underneath in a way that Spike found far more alluring than either a mini-skirt or her more customary tight pants. Her crimson halter-top was made of satin and offered a tactile invitation to explore both the areas it concealed and the soft flesh of her back that it exposed. Her hair was held back on either side by a small silver clip so that her face was framed by wispy golden tendrils. It almost reached her shoulders again and bounced and shone as she moved to the music. A black choker adorned with a crimson rose circled her neck. It attracted his attention to that area as it would that of any vampire, yet at the same time, it created a barrier where normally there would be none. It drew attention from the scars left on her by his grand-sire and Dracula, but in doing so, he was reminded of their existence.

He was aware of every aspect of her appearance, yet it was her face that commanded the bulk of his attention. He watched carefully for any sign that Xander might have upset her, ready to rescue her at a second's notice. At first, things seemed a little uncomfortable between the pair but minutes later, when she became aware of Spike's gaze she rewarded him with a toothpaste commercial smile. For a fraction of a second he instinctively answered like with like until the Big Bad regained control and turned it into a leering smirk, which in turn almost made her laugh.

Of late, in repose her face had seemed gaunt, her eyes too big. Yet when she smiled like that the balance of her features was restored, and she was once again the beauty he fell in love with.

He was suddenly distracted from his observation of his girlfriend, (finally he could say she was his girlfriend) by a sharp pain in his arm. He turned to face Dawn.

"Bloody hell. What was that for, 'Bit?"

"When you're quite finished ogling my sister, and you've wiped the drool off your chin, you might notice that Tara and Willow have been trying to get your attention to say goodnight for the last ten minutes."

Spike's hand was halfway to his lips before he paused. "I do not drool." He turned to where Tara and Willow waited with their coats on.

"I thought we'd all be walking back together?" his tone turned his statement into a question.

"We thought we'd stay at the dorm," Tara replied. "But at least one of us will be around to watch Dawn after school tomorrow."

"Okay then, pet." He hugged both the women in turn. "Take care of yourselves."

He looked around for a clock; surprised to see it was already quarter to eleven. "Great, looks like you're going to miss your curfew, Niblet."

"Yeah, but Buffy's with me so it doesn't count."

"There might not be anyone sitting at home wondering where you are, but you've still got to get up for school in the morning, love. Best get your coat."

Spike had just shrugged into his own coat when a petite pair of arms circled his waist from behind. He turned to give Buffy a gentle kiss. "Figured it was time we got Bit home and into bed or she won't make it to school in the morning."

Buffy looked at the clock. "I guess that bit of the night where you hid on the balcony while the cops did the statement thing took longer than any of us realised." She released her grip on Spike to reach for her coat, but he got there first and held it out ready for her to put it on. Instead of letting her shrug her shoulders into position she felt his hands gently run from her collar down over the top of the lapels laying the soft hide gently in place. His cheek brushed against hers in a touch so subtle she almost thought she dreamt it except for the cool tingling sensation that affected her skin for minutes afterward.

Spike watched as his two girls said their good-byes to the newlyweds, pleased for Buffy's sake to note that she must have got things pretty well patched up with the boy if he was getting a hug. Then he moved forward, enfolding Anya in his arms.

"I hope you're going to be very happy, pet. You deserve it. I'll see you some time tomorrow."

He moved across to Xander and held his hand out toward him. 'Go on, Whelp, take it or we both end up looking like a couple of prats.' For a couple of seconds the other man stared at the proffered hand as if unsure as to what was expected, before he grasped it in a brief handshake.

"Take good care of her. You're a lucky man." Spike's words held the vaguest of threats, which was reciprocated in the groom's reply.

"You too, Spike." Xander nodded in Buffy's direction and his voice dropped almost to a whisper. "You too."

 




 

Spike and his slayer strolled hand in hand towards Revello Drive. Dawn teetered along holding on to his other arm and cursing the vanity that had made her wear her new high heels. Now aside from having sore feet, the longer the walk home took, the more certain she was of having blisters by the time she got back.

Buffy smiled across at the vampire. "Did I hear you making a date with Anya? She's a newly married woman, you know and I don't know what your arrangement with Dru was but I expect you to be a one woman vamp."

"Green suits you, pet." Spike grinned back at her. ".But if you want the sordid details about my sex-life you're going to have to ask again when there isn't a minor with us."  

"I hope it's just the Dru part of that question that you're including under that definition."

"You already know the answer to that one or you would have been asking about it before you agreed to a date. I told Anya I'd drop in at the shop tomorrow to take back what's left of the stuff I liberated the other night and pay her for the rest." '.And to make a little down payment on something else.'

"So you don't think that I would just happen to trust you?"

"Have you ever given me any reason to think you might?" asked the vampire.

"No. I suppose not, but I've got to start practising sometime."

"Too right, slayer." Spike released his grip on Buffy's hand and turned to lead her sister over to a waist-high wall.

"When are you going to start wearing shoes you can walk in, Bit?" he asked the rhetorical question. Picking her up by the waist, he stood her on top of the wall and turned round to allow her to climb on his shoulders. The movements smooth and practised as if it was almost routine, which it had been last summer. Once the younger sister was settled he lit a cigarette before he took Buffy's hand in his own again.

"So do you make a habit of carrying my sister home after a night out?" Buffy queried.

"Now and again, when she can't walk and there aren't any witnesses," was his response.

"I can see," said the petite blonde.

"Yeah, but you already know that I can act like a right soft poof. If the likes of Harris saw this I'd have to kill 'im. Besides, this way we might get home before midnight." He ran his tongue along his upper teeth, his scarred eyebrow slightly raised.

Buffy flushed, feeling a familiar tingling sensation in the region of her abdomen and quickened her pace towards home. "Well, it is a school night. The quicker we get Dawn home the better."

"Yeah, right," came an unconvinced voice from high above her head. "I'm fifteen, not deaf, dumb and blind."

 




 

Spike collapsed on the sofa and turned the TV on, flicking through the channels until he found one that was showing the news. Buffy was through in the kitchen making hot chocolate and Niblet was upstairs getting showered and changed into her pyjamas. He was there, in their home, accepted. The only thing that could have made it any better would be if Joyce were still alive, but then it would be extremely doubtful that he'd be allowed to stay overnight in Buffy's room. Even Cardboard only stayed the night when Joyce was in the hospital and presumably didn't know he was there.

The main news program finished and was followed by a local news show. The nerds' capture actually made lead item. They were being charged with Katrina's murder as well as the bank robbery and the diamond theft. Spike was wondering how they had come to be charged with murder when the girl's death had been ruled as accidental, when the report revealed that one of the group had turned state's evidence against the other two, in hopes of lighter sentencing.

The report also stated that the bank had agreed to pay a finder's fee on that portion of the money that was recovered. The money was to be shared by a group of people who detained the bank robbers until police could arrive following a fight in a local nightclub.

"Buffy! Niblet! I think you might want to hear this."

The two girls came running through to the living room, Dawn's hair still wet from the shower as the chat between anchorman and the reporter at the local jail continued. Once Buffy was safely installed in front of the TV Spike went through to the kitchen to take over making the drinks.









"So, are you going to give yourself up and claim your reward?" Dawn asked Spike as he brought the drinks through.

"Nah, no point. I'd just end up giving the money to you two anyway and it would start all sorts of questions about green cards and visas and all that crap. I'll steer clear."

"What are you going to do for money now that you've promised to be a good boy?" Buffy asked.

"I never promised to be good, pet. Just that I wouldn't nick stuff anymore. And that depends on you."

"If you think you're going to turn pimp and put me on the streets you can forget it," she teased.

"Me neither," Dawn added.

"Well, what do you think of how that lot got those orbs? Assuming they didn't have to kill anyone to get them and that even if they used to belong to someone, they were long dead. say it was just a matter of digging them up? Is there anything about it that violently offends your moral code?"

Buffy's head tilted slightly to one side as she considered the matter. "No, if nobody was harmed and they didn't really belong to anyone. I don't suppose there's any harm. Why?"

"'Cause that means you can't complain about me living off the stuff I found along with the Gem of Amara."

Buffy cast her mind back to the room filled with golden jewellery. "You sneaky little vamp. No wonder you said you could get money."

"Yeah, well. It's not like I didn't offer and if knowing where it comes from makes a difference you can take it that I'm offering again."

"And you can take it that I'm refusing again at least until I'm totally desperate or we've made some sort of formal commitment."

"How about, if this reward doesn't give you enough leeway to get out of that burger joint and get a decent job, then you let me make you an interest-free loan that you can pay back as and when?" Spike gave her his best puppy-dog look. "Please, love, I hate the idea of you working in that place. It's killing you a bit at a time. There's got to be other options."

"We'll see. If the reward doesn't cover it I might take you up on it. But I want to be sure I'm not cleaning you out. It would be like me selling the house and then living off the proceeds. It's destroying what you do have in the way of capital."

The vampire sighed and pressed his argument further. "Okay, time to come clean. The Amara stuff is kind of like my spare change. Most of what I've got is tied up in investments and stocks and shares. The bulk of it is basically legit. When I died it wasn't officially reported. I was able to sell the house and most of the valuables and convert them into investments, which have since multiplied. On occasion I've added to the accounts by not so legitimate means but the overwhelming bulk of it is honestly come by. With enough warning, I could pay the mortgage and the bills for this house and put the two of you through college and still not touch the capital, if you would let me."

"If you were never officially reported dead, then how did you end up getting buried? You wouldn't be buried unless someone found the body and surely even then they would try to have it identified."

"Or unless it amused grandpa dearest to stick me in a coffin and bury it just so he could see my face when I finally crawled out."

"You mean Angel."

"Yes, pet, or if you prefer, Angelus. Look, just say you'll let me give you enough to get you out of that bloody place and let's change the subject."

"You didn't exactly look that wealthy in that dream you had. You looked more like the poor relation."

"Yeah, well, my grandfather made some bad investments. Ended up selling half the land that originally went with the house to cover his debts. After that the income from the estates barely covered the upkeep on the house. There wasn't a lot left over. Father did his best to keep things afloat, but even if I hadn't been turned I'd probably have had to sell the house eventually and get something a bit smaller. The house itself was still worth a fair bit.

Like you say I didn't exactly look wealthy so Angelus never suspected that I had money hidden away or he'd have spent it all on frilly shirts and hair ribbons."

"Okay, I will accept a loan so that I can get out of that place, if I need more than my share of the reward."

"Thank you, pet."

At this point, Dawn who had been quietly listening piped up. "So does this mean that I can keep my share?"

"Yeah, you can keep it. in your college fund," replied her sister. "And get your hair dry, and go to bed or you'll never get to school in the morning."

"Whatever. Don't bother getting up tomorrow morning. I'll get myself ready for Xander coming round. if you can give me my lunch money now?" Spike fumbled in the pocket of his duster and came out with a ten-dollar bill. Dawn snatched it from his hand and headed upstairs calling her thanks as she left.

Buffy moved to the couch, snuggling in against his side and taking the remote from his hand to flip channels. Finally, she switched the TV off having failed to find anything to hold her attention, other than the vamp at her side.

"It's going to be a while before Dawn gets off to sleep. maybe we could go sit on the porch for a bit. if you want?" Buffy suggested nervously.

"We could." A slow smile came to his face, his deep blue eyes holding her own. His hand came up gently stroking her cheek pushing a few stray hairs aside before his cool lips claimed hers with a soft sweep. His fingers brushed a trail over her earlobe and around to the back of her neck where they kneaded gently at her tense muscles. ".Or I might have a better idea." He kissed her again and her hands moved to his shoulder and into the short curls at the back of his head deepening the kiss. She wasn't even aware of his other arm slipping beneath her knees until he had already carried her halfway up the stairs.
 
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