Jealousy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“It feels like forever since we’ve been to the Bronze!” Buffy called across the table to Willow.

“It has been forever! Thank Goddess midterms are over!”

“I’ll drink to that!” Buffy called, clinking her glass against Willow’s and taking a
mouthful.

She was definitely in party mode after what had seemed an endlessly long day at work- with thousands of applications to sift. She downed the rest of her drink and placed the empty
glass down on the table.

“I’m in need of more refreshment. Anyone else?” she asked, looking round the table at her friends: all of them paired off. Except Dawn, of course. Thank God.

They shook their heads and she headed for the bar alone, pushing her way through the crowd- and exerting a little Slayer strength to do so. With a smile, she finally reached the bar and leant over it, trying to draw the bartender’s attention. The Bronze was crowded tonight though and it looked like she was in for a long wait. With a sigh, she leant back, surveying the crowd- and breaking into a smile when she spotted a familiar blonde head. Spike seemed to spot her at the same moment and with a smile, he began to make his way through the crowd.


He finally reached the bar and leant on it next to her.

“Evenin’, luv.”

“Hey!”

“Can I get you a drink?”

She raised an eyebrow at him, surprised by his possession of money, but then smiled and nodded to the crowd around them.

“If you can get to the bartender.”

He looked around and smiled.

“See what you mean. Bit of a madhouse in here.”

“I think the whole of Sunnydale’s in here tonight.”

“Including Mr. and Mrs. Whitebread,” Spike commented with a smirk, nodding just to their left, where sure enough, Riley and Sam were dancing.

“Ugh! Just what I need.”

Spike smiled and turned back to the bar, finally catching the bartender’s attention and ordering their drinks. He placed her drink down in front of her and she took it with a wide smile, taking a sip through the straw.

“Let’s sit,” she suggested with a nod of her head and he nodded, following her through the crowd back to the Scoobies’ table. Most of them were off dancing by now but Dawn and Tara were still at the table, both looking slightly out of place.


“Look who I found lurking!” Buffy teased, sliding onto a stool next to her sister as Spike glared at her and took the seat next to her. It was only as he slid his duster off that she realised he was wearing something other than black underneath and she raised an eyebrow at the light blue T-shirt. He caught her looking and raised an eyebrow of his own.

“New clothes?” she asked, leaning close to him so he could hear.

“Nibblet told me I had to update my look,” he explained, his breath cool in her ear as he leaned in close as well, “Decided it might just be time for a little change.”

She smiled and pulled back, meeting her sister’s gaze and giving her a thumbs up.

“Good move,” she mouthed, gesturing in Spike’s direction, and Dawn grinned and nodded. She brought her glass to her mouth again and struggled to grasp the straw with her lips, flicking drink all over the place when she missed. She gave Spike a sheepish look after having splashed him and caught the straw in her hand.

“Are you drunk, Slayer?” he asked, leaning in close again.

“Of course not,” she answered, meeting his gaze under lowered lashes.

He shook his head and sat back again with a little smile. Smiling widely, she caught her straw again and took a long sip of her drink, watching the dancers. As she was watching them, she spotted a familiar face and she waved the girl over, almost spilling her drink over Spike in the process.


“Nina!” she cried when the girl reached her, sliding off her stool and catching the girl in a sloppy hug.

“Hey Buffy! How’s it going?”

“Am enjoying the Bronzeing.”

“Looks like it,” Nina answered, pulling back and looking around the table curiously, her eyes resting for a long moment on the vampire.

“Oh, these are my friends,” Buffy explained, “This is Dawn, my sister. And Tara. And this is-“

“You must be Spike,” Nina cut in, smiling at the vampire, “Buffy’s told me so much about you.”

“Don’t. You’ll give him a bighead!” Buffy protested and the vampire laughed.

“Nice to meet you, pet. How 'bout I get you a drink and you can tell me what Buffy’s been saying about me?”

“Sure,” Nina answered with a smile, sending a wink Buffy’s way as she began to follow the vampire through the crowd. Frowning, Buffy slipped back onto her stool, her eyes following the pair to the bar.


“You know, Buffy, you’re not allowed to slay humans.”

She had been so engrossed in watching Nina and Spike that she hadn’t noticed her friends’ return to the table, or their conversation around her until Willow spoke up.

“Huh?”

“You’ve got Slayer-face on.”

“That’s because her friend from work went off with Spike,” Dawn remarked with a smirk to match the vampire’s trademark one.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Buffy answered primly, drawing her eyes away from where Nina and Spike were laughing at the
bar.

“You’re jealous.”

“I am not,” she answered shortly, unable to stop herself from glancing at the pair once again, “I’m fine. In fact, I’m going to patrol. If Spike decides to come back, tell him that’s where I’ve gone.”

With a ‘humph’, she grabbed her jacket and quickly left the club, pulling her jacket on roughly as soon as she got out into the fresh night air.


She marched through the cemetery- if a little unsteadily- mumbling to herself, but stopped when she spotted a fledgling approaching.

“Ah, just what I need!”

The fledgling looked up at her approach and smiled, amber eyes glowing at the sight of what he thought was dinner. She surprised him with an instant jab to the nose, sending him backwards.

“Come on! That was too easy!”

“Slayer,” he growled, finally figuring out who she was.

“That’s right,” she said proudly, lashing out with a roundhouse kick that sent him to the floor. He grabbed her leg though, pulling her to the floor as well, and she practically growled as she spun and kicked him in the chin. She scrambled to her feet- and succeeded to rip her skirt as she did so.

“Oh, now I’m mad! You made me rip my skirt!”

He smiled and she launched herself at him, flying into a combination of kicks and punches that stunned the vampire and finally gave her the ultimate opportunity to slam a stake through his heart. He exploded into dust and she gave a little self-satisfied nod, brushing her hands and tucking her stake back into her jacket. She then looked down at her skirt and pouted.

“Stupid vampire!”

“Me or him?”
She spun round at Spike’s voice and frowned at him.

“Both,” she answered, “Shouldn’t you be back making nice with Nina?”

“Figured you wanted me here.”

“Don’t know why you’d think that,” she murmured, still fiddling with her ripped skirt.

He laughed and she raised her gaze to him, frowning.

“You’re jealous.”

“In your dreams,” she bit out, going back to her skirt and managing to almost trip over it, “Arghh, stupid skirt.”

His steadying hand was at her elbow then but she shook him off.

“I’m fine.”

“Think you’re edging on tipsy actually.”

“Whatever,” she answered, raising her hem to inspect the long slash.

“Much as I’m enjoying the show, love,” Spike drawled and she raised her eyes again to find his on her legs, “Don’t think you should be doing that in the middle of the graveyard.”

“Why not? S’not like you care!”

He just raised an eyebrow and the next moment, he was at her side, one hand on her back as he began to guide her through the cemetery.

“Where are you taking me?”

“To mine.”

“I’m not going to sleep with you.”

“I’m well aware of that, love,” he answered with a laugh.


He guided her into his crypt and onto the sofa, forcing her to sit as he disappeared in search of something. He returned and crouched before her with a small sewing kit.

“Let’s try and fix this up, eh?”

“I’m not taking it off,” she sulked.

“Didn’t ask you to, did I?”

Folding her arms across her chest, she watched him through narrowed eyes as he knelt before her, one hand holding the hem of her skirt.

“Bet you don’t even know how to sew,” she murmured, half to herself.

He said nothing but got out a needle and threaded it, before taking hold of her skirt again and going to work on the long slash. She watched him in silence, head tilted to one side as he worked.

“Spike, do you think Nina’s pretty?” she asked after a long silence and he raised his head, a slight smile on his face.

“She’s pretty enough. Why do you ask?”

“No reason,” she sulked, looking away and waiting for him to continue in his work.

“Now, love, jealous isn’t a good look on you.”

“I’m not jealous,” she sulked, staring down at him with hard eyes.

“Well, good. Because I’m yours and you know that.”

“Do I?” she asked.

He looked up again, eyes soft as they met hers.

“Should hope so.”


She said nothing, drowning in his too-blue eyes.

“She’s not prettier than me?” she whispered, her hand reaching out and finding his arm, her fingers latching onto him.

“Never,” he murmured, his voice low and husky, “You’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen.”

“You’re just saying that,” she murmured sadly, ”You don’t mean it.”

“You know I do,” he whispered, reaching up and brushing her hair away from her face. She closed her eyes at his touch and leant into it with a little sigh. When she opened her eyes again, he was watching her with a burning gaze and she trailed her fingers up his arm, tracing them over his shoulder and bringing them to rest against his neck.

“Show me,” she whispered, leaning forward.

They were inches apart and she saw his eyes flick to her lips- but then he sat back on his heels.

“We should get you home.”

“I don’t want to go home. I want you to kiss me.”

“I know, love. But I think it’s best we get you home and you can clear your head, yeah?”

“I knew it!” she cried, jumping to her feet, “You don’t want me anymore.”

She was halfway to the door when he caught her, spinning her back round and capturing her in his tight embrace. His eyes were burning as she raised heavy-lidded eyes to his and she sank against him.

“You know I do, Buffy. I always want you,” he insisted, shaking her slightly as one hand cradled her face, “But I want you sober.”

“I’m not drunk,” she protested weakly.

“If that’s true, you’ll still want this tomorrow.”

He released her then and took a step back, shrugging his duster back into place.

“Let’s get you home.”

With a meek nod, she made her way out of the crypt with him following behind and they worked their way back to her house. They finally got into the house after a struggle with the keys after she refused to accept his help, even though her co-ordination was not at its best.

“I’m going to bed,” she announced, half expecting the vampire to follow her as she stormed up the stairs and flopped down on her bed, still fully-clothed, and swiftly passed out.