Invisible



~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~



Buffy couldn’t do this: she couldn’t be the grown-up. She couldn’t be the one to hold the group together - she could barely hold herself together. There was just too much responsibility being suddenly thrust on her shoulders: Dawn had been hurt; Willow was in magical rehab; Giles was threatening to leave. And on top of all that, she still hadn’t been able to find a job. The only vacancies she had seen were at fast food restaurants and, even as desperate as she was, she wasn’t sure she could lower herself to that. So the search went on and the bills continued to come in and the pressure built up until she thought she might implode.

There was one ray of light in her dim world though and, surprising as it might have been, it was Spike. Her one-time enemy had become her closest friend. The only person she could really turn to. The one person she could reveal her weaknesses to. It was strange and new, this feeling, but at the same time it made perfect sense. Spike had stood at her side many times before now – even before he had been in love with her – so it shouldn’t have been remarkable that that was where he stood now, supporting her when life became too much to bear. She had wondered before if there was anyone who could provide some relief – and she had been pleasantly surprised to find that, once she stopped fighting him, Spike was more than capable of holding her head above water.



Even his support couldn’t stop the world from encroaching though and she found herself overwhelmed. So, you couldn’t really blame her when an accident that turned her invisible gave her a chance to be free, just for a few hours. She had been in town, finally getting her too-long hair cut and styled, and she had been hit by, well, something.

At first, she wasn’t sure what it had done – she certainly wasn’t injured – but after a few collisions with people around her, it quickly became clear that, like some crazy comic book hero, she was invisible. For the first twenty minutes, it had been a little disconcerting, but she had quickly grown used to it and was actually enjoying herself. She had stopped by the shop briefly and Anya and Xander had both been concerned, but she had been on too much of a high to pay much attention to them. They were probably on the phone to Giles and Willow now, but she had more important things to do. Well, more fun things.

She smiled to herself and sped up her steps as she headed across town. She was heading for Spike’s crypt and she smiled as it came into view: the vampire wasn’t going to know what had hit him.



She reached his crypt and pushed open the door quietly, not wanting to give anything away. The main room was empty and she smiled once more, knowing that he would be asleep downstairs. She moved to the hole in the floor and crept down the ladder silently, rounding the corner and taking in the sight of a peaceful-looking Spike. She watched him for several long moments, eyes flicking over his bare chest and then back up to his adorably tousled hair.

She grinned and moved forward, grabbing the end of the sheet that covered him. With one swift movement, she tugged it away from him and let it fall to the floor. Surprisingly – considering how deep a sleeper he usually was – he bolted awake, gaze flying around the room suspiciously.

“What the - ?!”

She had to cover her mouth to stop a giggle from giving her away. Unable to stop herself, she let her gaze slide over his naked form and she felt a blush warming her cheeks. She was just glad he couldn’t see her.

“Buffy?”

At the sound of his voice, she jerked her gaze to him, wondering how he knew it was her – or if he was just guessing. She said nothing and remained deathly still as he shifted to the end of the bed, grabbing the sheet from the floor and draping it over his lap – much to her disappointment.

“Slayer?” he repeated lowly, his eyes searching the room.



She crept forward now, moving just to his side and reaching out a hand to glide her fingers over his bare shoulder. In a flash, he reached up and grabbed her hand and she froze in surprise.

“Buffy,” he got out coaxingly, reaching out with his free hand blindly.

She shifted out of his reach, but with a smile, she lowered her head, letting her breath brush over his ear.

“Yes?”

He laughed and before she could move, he managed to catch her around the waist and tug her down onto the bed clumsily. Keeping one hand locked around her wrist, he sat back and looked at her – or tried to anyway.

“You’re invisible.”

“Well, duh,” she teased and he narrowed his eyes at her.

She smiled and sat up, persuading him to release her with a slight wriggle of her wrist. She wrapped her arm around his shoulders and tucked her legs over his, her free hand coming to rest on his chest. He remained still and she leaned in to press her lips to his shoulder, tracing teasing patterns over his skin as she moved to his neck.

“You gonna tell me what happened?” he asked, his voice delightfully husky.

“Maybe later,” she whispered.



~*~*~*~*~*~*~



She propped herself up against the end of the bed and watched Spike as he lay beside her, a tiny smile on his face, eyes sleepy but sated. She reached out and ran her fingers through his hair – unable to resist. He closed his eyes and moved into her touch. She smiled and sat back, letting out a long breath. Once again, being with Spike had rid her of all of her worries – at least temporarily.

“Spike?”

She had been so caught up in relaxing – and so had Spike it seemed – that neither of them had noticed their visitor until Riley spoke up. Spike sat up quickly and she widened her eyes – and then had to suppress a giggle when she realised Riley couldn’t see her.

“Alright,” Spike replied with a nod, trying for nonchalant.

Riley frowned at him for a moment but then shook it off.

“It’s Buffy.”

“Isn’t it always?” Spike asked with a smile and she pinched him on the arm. He jerked away but turned it into a stretch. “What’s up?”

“She’s gone missing,” Riley explained, “Well, actually, she’s gone invisible. I just spoke to Xander.”

“What’s the problem then?” Spike asked.

Not really interested in their conversation, she was busy amusing herself with tracing patterns over Spike’s bare skin, testing him to see if he would break.

“…she could die.”

Hearing these words, her hand stilled on Spike’s back and her gaze flew to Riley.



“Mind repeatin’ that?” Spike asked and she had a feeling it was because he sensed her surprise.

“She’s, I don’t know, disintegrating.”

She was suddenly very attentive and she sat up straighter.

“What do we need to do?”

“Find Buffy,” Riley replied, “Quickly.
Willow’s trying to find a cure or… something.”

Spike paused and turned to look at her and she let out a little sigh before speaking up.

“I’m right here, Riley.”

She would have laughed at the look of surprise on Riley’s face if the situation hadn’t been so serious. So much for all her worries having dissipated.

“Buffy?!”

“Yeah. I’m here.”

She stood up, drawing her shirt around her and doing it up, even though Riley could not see her. She saw him throw a look at Spike, the bed, and then in her general direction again and had no doubt that he was jumping to conclusions – or rather, figuring out the truth of her presence here.

“Are you okay?” he asked worriedly and she smiled affectionately. Despite their history, Riley would always hold a place in her heart.

“Not disintegrating yet,” she joked.

“G-good.”

“So, we should go,” she said, attempting to draw Riley out of his daze.

“Right. Yeah.”



She brushed her hand against Spike’s shoulder as she passed him and took her place next to Riley.

“I’ll see you later, Spike,” she said quietly, feeling a bit like an embarrassed teenager with Riley stood next to her.

“Later, love.”

Riley turned to go and she paused for a moment before following him.

“Buffy?” he called, just before reaching the ladder.

“I’m still here,” she replied with a smile.

“You could at least talk. You’re kinda freaking me out.”

“I’m kind of enjoying it,” she said with a laugh.

“I can tell,” Riley remarked wryly and she took a look up at his face. He was smiling ever so slightly and she smiled too.

“So I’m melting away…” she commented.

“Not if I have anything to do with it.”

She smiled and fell into step beside him as they left the crypt. She guessed it was probably time to go back to the real world.