full 3/4 1/2   skin light dark       
 
Something Wicked Cool This Way Comes by The Rhapsodian
 
Chapter Five - She Will Be Loved
 
<<     >>
 
So the last chapter did not get much in the way of reviews… so I’m guessing it wasn’t that popular. Hope you guys will like this one better. Leave some reviews before I have to resort to blackmail…That’s right: blackmail! Like: review or I stop writing! (cue evil cackling laugh…)

Chapter Five – She Will Be Loved

“It's not always rainbows and butterflies
It's compromise, it moves us along
My heart is full and my door's always open
You can come anytime you want
I don't mind spending everyday
Out on your corner in the pouring rain
Look for the girl with the broken smile
Ask her if she wants to stay awhile.”
Maroon 5, She Will Be Loved


“Gayle! Get your ass over here now!” shouted Buffy while trying to hold her own against two vampires.

“I’m a lil’ busy at the moment!” grunted Gayle bent over a tombstone and struggling with a horned demon weighing down on her axe.

One vamp caught Buffy from behind and held her fast by the shoulders while his friend advanced on her. Buffy sent him a high kick using the impromptu support from the vamp behind her. She then head head-butted the latter, who let her go with a groan. “I could really use a hand!”

“Yeah? Well I could use two! Oh, two!” Gayle had a flash of inspiration and kicked the demon between the legs. He let go of her axe to yelp and grab his shortcomings for protection. “Hey, whaddya know? Works on demons as well!” Gayle got to her feet and in one graceful move, cut off her opponent’s head. She got to Buffy’s side just in time to see her dust one of the vamps.

“Oh, well, see? You didn’t need me in the end!”

Buffy frowned. “What the hell kept you?”

“Hey, you’re not the only one fighting here! I also had my hands full!”

“You had one demon, I had two vamps!”

“My demon was bigger than your vamps!”

“Err… s’cuse me?”

The Slayers looked at the remaining vamp that had just interrupted their almost-argument.

“So… just which one of you is the Slayer?”

“Oh, we both are!” Buffy said with a little hand gesture designing them both. Gayle smiled and gave a little wave.

The vampire’s yellow eyes went wide in horror. “There’s two of you now?!?”

Gayle chimed in. “That’s right! You could actually say it’s even double the fun – hey, come back here!”

The vampire had just disappeared in a running blur into the shadows.

Gayle stomped her foot. “I don’t believe this! We finally get some action after nearly a week of nothing, and the bloody bastard runs away! No fair!”

Buffy stared at her.

“What?” asked Gayle, raising an eyebrow.

“You said ‘bloody’…?”

“Oh… I did, didn’t I? Sorry, must be spending too much time with Spike…”

Buffy’s blood froze in her veins.

“Rewind that for a second: you’re… spending time with Spike?”

“Yeah, we often go out after patrol… We haven’t been fighting, Buffy, I swear, I did ‘get that through my skull’ after the last telling-to you ever so gently laid out on me! Not even play fighting! Haven’t laid a finger on the guy, promise!”

“Then… what have you… been doing?” she asked nervously, dreading the answer.

“Mostly going to the Bronze for drinks. Oh, and we play pool, too, he’s really good at it. I used to play a lot of pool back in Philly, I kinda missed that.”

“So that’s why you’re so often out… But… you… buddy with Spike?”

“Kinda, yeah. We talk a lot. But he hasn’t found me a nickname yet, so I’m not sure we’re that close…”

“What do you talk about?”

“Stuff. You know. Music, movies, books… did he tell you he’s been to Thailand? He’s learned most of his fighting skills there! I’m like sooo jealous, I’ve always wanted to go to Asia!”

Buffy frowned. No, he hadn’t told her that…

“Are you… meeting him tonight again?” she was so relieved when she replied:

“Not tonight, no, I’m beat! Come on, let’s go home, I’ll make you some hot cocoa. I’ll make it up to him next time by buying him a round, just hope he won’t get rat-arsed on it, I’ll have to carry him to his crypt…”

“Gayle?”

“Mmm?”

“’Rat-arsed’?”

“Oh god, I’m doing it again! Good thing I get the night off, I’ll be speaking soddin’ cockney next!”

They left the cemetery. Two silhouettes watched them leave from the shadows. One of them asked wearily:

“Does this change anything?”

“… no, no it won’t. I’m just surprised about this Slayer business. I was not expecting her to be here, though in truth, I shouldn’t be surprised… It might make things a bit more complicated. More difficult.”

The other silhouette cooed in a soothing voice: “Do not fear, my love. I will not let them stop us. We might need a little more time, but soon the Hellmouth, and everything under it, will be ours.”

__…-==-…__

The next day, Buffy had told her roommates that she was going shopping, but had declined their company, pretexting a need for “me” time. It being a sunny Saturday, Gayle was taking Dawn to a car boot sale further down on Revello Drive. She had explained that car boot sales were often an infinite source of “bargainy treasures”.

This one was no exception.

“Hey look!” Gayle exclaimed. “A Clash on Broadway box set. And in good condition too. I’m sure Spike would just love to have that.”

“You’re buying gifts for Spike, now?”

“He’s been a bit down lately, I just think it might cheer him up.”

“Yeah, well, it’s fifty dollars, so unless you can flash the cash…”

“Oooh, my darling girl, how badly you know me. Watch and learn.”

She walked decidedly towards the young man responsible for the sale. Dawn followed, intrigued.

“Hi!” Gayle said while shaking the man’s hand, her trademark smile plastered on her cheerful face. “What a lovely day for a car boot sale! You the person responsible?”

“Yes miss, I am. I’m Dylan.” he answered, clearly smitten.

“Nice to meet you, Dylan.” She showed him the box set. “This yours?”

“No, it belonged to my father, God bless his soul. Had a whole punk period going on in the 70’s. It’s a good price for it, you know.”

“Oh I know! It’s real cheap for what it is! Or at least it would be… if it was the real McCoy.”

“I’m sorry?” gasped Dylan.

Dawn’s eyes went wide. Gayle turned the box set over and showed Dylan something at the bottom. “See this? It says this was released in November 1991 by Epic. But the real box set was released in May 1992 by EMI.”

“Huh?”

“I used to work for EMI. Basically, what you have here is a big fat fake. The FBI tracks those down, you realize…”

Dylan was dumbstruck. And a little scared…

Gayle continued. “I know. I realize you must be so disappointed… not to mention worried. Now me? I’m not a fan of the Clash, but my friend from France likes them, and she’s leaving tomorrow for her home country. So, I’d be delighted to take this off your hands… but I don’t have fifty dollars…”

“Oh my God… erm, sure… erm… is twenty too much?”

“Five.”

“Ten.”

“Nice doing business with you, Dylan”, cooed Gayle while handing the poor Dylan a ten-dollar bill. He took it gratefully, and she went back to Dawn.

“Wow, that was… a-amazing! I didn’t know you worked for EMI!”

“I didn’t.”

“Huh? But then… how did you know it was a fake?”

Gayle checked that Dylan was out of hearing range, then looked back at the teen with a smirk and an arched eyebrow.

“Fake?”

A beat. Then Dawn’s eyes went wide in realization.

“Oh my God! That’s like… oh you are sooo bad!”

“So bad I’m actually good. Like so many 80’s movies. Come on.”

__…-==-…__

“Why are you going out with Gayle?”

Buffy had just busted into Spike’s crypt. The vampire had just been enjoying an afternoon nap in his underground home, and was still trying to wake up properly following his ex-lover’s wake-up call.

“Umph… ‘Afternoon, Slayer… Fine day isn’t it, yes I did sleep well thank you, wonderful dreams, mostly about you and me starkers… did you bring me brekkie?”

“Spike, I’m serious!”

“You always are, and right now so am I. You wake me up so rudely, you could make up for it!”

“I’ll make up by not beating you to a pulp! Now answer the question!”

Spike sighed, now perfectly awake. He sat up and looked straight at Buffy. “It’s always threats, with you, right Slayer? You know, I wager you’d also have had an answer by simply asking politely… Now, what’s this about the newbie?”

“You guys have been going out! Every night! Together!”

“So?”

“’So’? I wanna know why! Are you trying to charm her to win her over to your side?”

“Wasn’t aware I had a side. As for charming her, I’ll be honest with you, I don’t think I’d have to try very hard…” Buffy raised her fist but he stopped her by holding out his hand and smirked. “… but no, I haven’t been. Yes, we’ve been going out, but only in the friendly sense. The girl’s good company and plays wicked pool. Now, you wanna tell me what this is really about?”

Buffy frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Just that. What’s it to you if I spend time with Lil’ Miss Perfect? I told you I wouldn’t be asking you permission to do anything… or anyone, for that matter…”

She punched him.

Ouch! Jesus Christ, Buffy, what is your problem?”

“Do you need to ask? You are my problem Spike, always are!”

“Obviously! Except this time I haven’t actually been doing anything wrong! Just admit you’re jealous and stop taking out your bloody frustration on me!”

Buffy clenched her teeth. Jealous?

She turned on her heels and went up the ladder. Spike sighed, then grabbed his jean and went after her. When he got to the upper level, she was nearly at the door…

“Buffy, I’ll stop seeing her if you want me to!”

She stopped, and slowly turned to face him. “What?”

“I won’t go out with her anymore, if it bothers you so. Just say the word.”

“What happened to ‘won’t be a damn lap dog anymore’?”

He shrugged. “Wishful thinking. Truth is, Slayer, I’m your soddin’ slave, whether I like it or not. Love you too much not to be anything else. It pains me to admit it, but it’s true. I’ll do anything you want.”

She stared at his face. It just radiated love and worship. She believed him. God, why did everything have to be so damn complicated?

Her eyes started welling up. “Spike… I can’t be with you!”

“I’m not asking you to be!”

“No, you’re not! You won’t! A-and you shouldn’t, cos it would be just… too darn wrong!”

“I know that, pet.”

“But… I don’t want you to be a lapdog, because that would be even more wrong! And I know I have no right to tell you what to do or who to see, or vice-versa, but… You never told me you’d been to Thailand!”

Spike chuckled. “There’s a lot I haven’t told you, love. Mostly because you haven’t asked.”

“See? That’s wrong too! You’ve known me the longest, but you talk to her! You get your chip out for me, but you fight with her! A-and she likes you too! And I shouldn’t care! It’s all so wrong and-and… why the hell am I jealous if I really can’t feel anything for you?”

She nearly collapsed in pain, but Spike caught her in the nick of time. They found themselves on their knees, him with his naked arms wrapped around her, and her crying with her head nestled in the crook of his shoulder.

They could not be together. It all came down to that, and they both realized it. Too much had happened, and too much would be happening. But above that, they couldn’t bear to be apart. Somewhere, somebody was playing with their hearts, and it would end only with their deaths…

Spike held her while she cried. Then he felt her shift. He looked at her: her beautiful green eyes were staring at him, full of pain and… something else he did not dare identify.

“William?”

He twitched at the use of his real name. “Yes, my love?

“Would you hate me if I kissed you right now?”

He smiled wryly. “I could never hate you for anything.”

And so their lips fused. She opened her mouth under his pressure and received his tongue against hers. That kiss was different. It was still needy and demanding, but softer, more passionate. They lost themselves in the tenderness of the moment, of that perfect instant during which they could pretend that nothing outside this kiss mattered. For just a few seconds, they could be each other’s, and let their love –

“Hey Spike, you’ll never guess what I f-WOW!

The kiss stopped and the lovers looked at the cause of the interruption. Gayle had just stumbled in the crypt and was staring at them, eyes and mouth wide open. She stayed like that for a bit. Then she waved.

“Bye!”

She abruptly spun around and left. Buffy quickly got to her feet and ran after her, not even glancing back at Spike who just sat there dumbfounded.

Gayle was walking briskly, muttering to herself. “Gayle, wait up!” Buffy called, but Gayle kept going. When she managed to catch up, Gayle was still muttering with a haunted look on her face.

“Why didn’t I knock first? What’s wrong with knocking? Knocking would so have been of the good, I should really learn to knock, it’s rude and impolite not to, stuff happens when you don’t knock…”

Buffy seized Gayle by the arms and made her face her. “Gayle! You’re doing it again!”

“Doing what?” said Gayle more than asked, startled.

“The word vomit! Please come back to earth, you’re gonna run out of oxygen!”

“Sorry! I’m back! I’m so sorry I didn’t knock!”

“It’s okay! Well, not really but… about what you saw…”

“You mean the thing that’s burning my retina as we speak?”

“Yes, about that…”

“You and Spike! Totally all over each other! This is huge!”

“It’s really not a big deal…”

“Huge!”

“… yes, he is – I mean, it is, but it’s not what it looks like…”

“I mean, I knew he… you, but I didn’t know you… him!”

“I don’t!”

“Then what’s with the smoochage… Oh…”

Gayle’s face fell.

“Oh, Buffy, this is wrong…”

“I know… him vampire, me Slayer… this is against everything we…”

“What? I’m not talking about that!”

“…You’re not?”

“Buffy, that would be like telling you can’t date a guy because he’s Black, or republican! Not me, that! No, no, no! This is me telling you about playing with the man’s feelings! He loves you, dammit!”

Buffy scowled. “How can you say that? It’s totally different! We kill vampires, what is wrong with you?”

“Okay, one: don’t you dare make this about me, it’s not, you know it, you’re just trying to alleviate the guilt, stop it. And two: please get your priorities right! If we just killed vampires, Angel would be dust. We hunt evil. And Spike’s not evil!”

“Spike is standing right here…”

Both Slayers looked in the direction of the crypt where the deep voice had come from. Sure enough, there he was, leaning on the doorframe, shaded from sunlight. He had put on a button-down shirt but had left it open, revealing a muscular chest that Gayle couldn’t help but stare at for a second. “And please try louder, luv: I don’t think they heard you in Paraguay.”

Gayle felt sheepish, but would rather eat glass than let it show. “I stand by my words. You’re not evil.”

“Now, let me make this clear to you, pet: I’m an evil, rude m…”

“Yeah yeah yeah, and the whole world’s got to answer right now blah blah blah. I’m kinda having a conversation right now?”

“Oi!”

“Just get back in, Spike!” said both slayers in unison.

Spike growled… then complied. Gayle looked back at Buffy.

“Right, so, three:” she pointed one of her long fingers towards the crypt, “yum! And finally, four…”

Her face softened.

“Buffy… what’s wrong, baby?”

Buffy stared. “Me?”

“Yeah you! Who else is blowing things out of proportion when they could be so simple here?”

“I’m blo – Hey, I’m not the one wearing the rose-colored glasses! Why do you care anyway?”

“Because that's who I am, Buffy! I need to have everyone around me happy within a five-mile radius!”

“He’s a vampire!”

“I heard you the first five hundred times. So?”

“Whadya mean, ‘so’? He’s killed people!”

“So has Angel, and a lot more. And Riley was no saint either.”

“Riley killed demons!”

“Good or bad ones. Hardly saintly.”

“Spike hasn’t got a soul!”

“Because a soul is an absolute guarantee of good behavior. I’m pretty sure Ted Bundy had one though…”

“He’s killed slayers!”

“Err… newsflash? So have a lot of other vamps, and even a lot of humans! Three were burnt as witches, one was beheaded during the French Revolution, one died in the camps during WWII, two were killed off by invading soldiers during the Hundred Years war, and so on! Wanna have a go at the rest of the population?”

“It’s different!”

“How? Because slayers are supposed to be better than the rest of humanity?”

“What? No! I just…”

“You know what, Buff? You find a suitable excuse, you get back to me. Now go home, Dawn’s expecting you.”

Buffy gasped. “You can’t tell me what to do!”

“Why not? Everyone else is, and you let them, so why not me?”

Buffy opened her mouth to speak, but could not find the words. She lowered her head and stared at the ground.

Gayle suddenly felt bad. “Look, Buffy… only you can figure out what to do. Ok? But right now, you’re in no state to make a decision. Willow called earlier, she’s done analyzing that creepy stuff we found and she’s called a Scoobie meeting. Just… go home and… I don’t know, take a shower or have a drink, to clear your mind. I’ll see you at the Magic Box in a couple of hours, ok? I’ll bring Spike.”

Buffy stiffened. I’ll bring Spike. That was just information, not a request. But she did want Spike to be there, so she just nodded in silence and walked away.

Gayle watched her go. As soon as Buffy was out of sight, the brunette bent down in pain and took several deep breaths. She leaned against a tombstone for support until she regained her composure. Then she got up, smoothed her hair back, and went into the crypt.

Spike was pouring himself a drink. He barely acknowledged her presence. She took her cigarette pack out of her jacket, figuring he wouldn’t mind, and lit up. She took a long drag before speaking.

“You know, I’m pretty sure they had a similar scene on Passions last week…”

He snorted. “Yeah, that’s my life these days, pet: a bloody soap opera… sans the good bits.” He downed his drink in one gulp then stared at the empty glass. “And in a second, you’re gonna tell me that everything’s gonna be alright…”

“…’then we would cook cornmeal porridge’? Doubtful. I told you, I don’t do the rom-com crap. But for what it’s worth… Love seems to always find a way.”

He looked at her wryly. “That right?”

“That’s what they say anyway. Never got an occasion myself to find out though. But, in the mean time, I have something for you that might ease the pain…”

She handed him the box set. He took it in his hands and instantly his face lit up. That’s better, she thought.

“Where’d you get that?” he asked.

“You don’t wanna know.”

Spike arched a brow and grinned. Gayle reacted quickly.

“Hey, I paid for it! Real money, too! Just nowhere near what it was worth. Don’t you throw me any stones!”

Spike chuckled. “Come along, Chirpy, I’ve got a CD player downstairs, let’s hear what this is worth…”

Gayle smiled and started to follow him… then stopped dead. Blood had drained from her face.

Spike was suddenly worried. “S’wrong?”

She just glared at him. “Chirpy? That’s my nickname?”

__…-==-…__

“Right, so if everyone’s here…”

“Err, Will? Spike and Gayle aren’t here yet…”
protested Dawn.

“Oh, are we expecting Captain Peroxide now?” grunted Xander.

“Xander, shut up!” was the collective response.

Xander’s head sank in his shoulders. Nobody has forgotten his little outburst a few days before and Buffy especially was giving him the cold shoulder. Right on cue, though, Spike and Gayle entered the shop, both singing at the top of their lungs: “So you gotta let me knoooow / Should I stay or should I…”

They stopped when they saw the whole gang glaring knives at them. Gayle swallowed. “… stay. Hey guys! Sorry we’re late, we got a bit carried away, shut up Gayle and sit down, sure right away.”

She sat down on a chair near the central table while Spike propped himself up on the counter. He and Buffy exchanged glances without a word. For a change, there was no anger or pain in their eyes.

Willow started again. “Right, so now we’re all here. I wanted to talk to you about the… the thing we found near the Bronze. Well, the same night, there was another disappearance. Another young man, aged 22 this one. That’s the sixth in a space of five weeks. All young men under 25, all in good health, all last seen alive at night. But I tried to cross reference them, they had nothing else in common. Different backgrounds, ethnics and jobs. And every time one of them disappeared, a big puddle of… slime was found in a deserted street or alley near where they were last seen.”

Giles took off his glasses. “Are you telling us you think the two subjects are related?”

“I’m pretty sure they are. ‘Cos, the stuff? Turns out, I was wrong. It’s actually human.”

“Ha! See? Somebody did get sick, no need to panic!” said Anya with a wide smile.

Willow made a face. “Weeeell… yes and no.”

“Yes and no? I don’t like yes and no! Why can’t there be just a yes?”

“Willow,” said Buffy with a worried frown, “why the ‘no’, and why the ‘yes’?”

The red-haired witch swallowed hard. “Well, I think there might be reason to panic, ‘cos somebody did get kinda sick… so sick they melted into a puddle of yucky goo. When I said it’s human, I didn’t mean it came from a human… more like was a human…”

A beat. The Scoobies, old and new, were staring at her, the information for a moment refusing to sink in. surely she couldn’t be suggesting… Buffy came closer to her friend.

“Will… what are you saying?”

“The fluids, Buffy. It’s human remains… melted.”

End of chapter five.

Gayle quotes lyrics from Michael Jackson’s “Bad” and Bob Marley’s beautiful “No Woman No Cry”, both for a laugh. The duet with Spike was “Should I Stay Or Should I Go”, by the Clash. Everything about the Clash box set is true, she lied, she lied… For those who don’t know, Ted Bundy was a serial killer who killed over 30 young women between 1974 and 1978 (I was a criminal psychology major once upon a time…). Oh, and “rat-arsed” is rude British slang for “drunk”.

I hope I’m doing a good job of keeping you on your toes. Lemme know what you think…
 
<<     >>