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Something Wicked Cool This Way Comes by The Rhapsodian
 
Chapter Six - Love The One You're With
 
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Sorry about the lateness in updating, my muse had decided to take a break and see other people… but I got the bitch back now…

Chapter Six - Love The One You're With

“Don't be angry, don't be sad
Don't sit crying talking good times you've had
Well there's a girl sitting right next to you
And she's just waiting for something to do
Well there's a rose in a fisted glove
And the eagle flies with the dove
And if you can't be with the one you love, honey
Love the one you're with”
Crosby Stills & Nash, Love The One You're With



It was lunch break at the newly refurbished Sunnydale High, but whoever was calling Dawn on her spanking-new cell phone either didn’t know that or had chosen to ignore it. She sighed, and answered grumpily: “Hello?”

“Dawnie? It’s Buffy. I need you to do me a favor!”

“Sure, what?”

“Gayle’s gone MIA. She hasn’t come home all night. Could you check with Spike, please? They often hang out after patrol, maybe he has an idea of where she’s gone?”

Dawn had spent the night at Janice’s. “Oh my gosh! Do you think anything’s happened to her?”

“Oh, I’m sure she can handle herself, but Dawn, I’m worried! I just wanna make sure she’s alright!”

“Why don’t you go there yourself then?”

“I can’t, Principal Woods will have my head if I miss anymore appointments! Pretty please?”

Dawn quickly agreed and hung up, leaving the school grounds in a second. She wanted a word with Spike anyway.

They hadn’t had much time to talk together ever since his return, and she knew what he had done to her sister. She wanted to make sure that something like that would never happen again. Guy had to sleep, right? Even the dead had to sleep sometimes. He could very well wake up on fire one of these days…

But she had also seen the way he had acted around her during the few weeks leading to his departure, and then after he came back. Like he was always on the edge of a very dangerous cliff. She knew Buffy had been using him as well, and how they had both acted badly towards each other. The blood in her veins would always make her take Buffy’s side, but Dawn was not blind. Neither of them was guilty nor innocent. And both needed each other. Dawn just wished someone could magically clean the slate and they could both make a fresh start, though she was careful not to voice that wish aloud. You never knew who or what might be listening…

She arrived quickly at Spike’s crypt and knocked on the door. No answer. She knocked louder. Still nothing. So she entered without waiting any longer.

The upper level was deserted… well, unless you counted the dozen bottles scattered around the floor. Whiskey, beer, scotch, you name it. All thoroughly empty. The TV had been left on, and a few candles were dying here and there, while some other had completely melted wherever they had been left.

Dawn was officially worried. But before panicking, she decided to check the lower level. She took one of the surviving candles and went down the ladder…

… to find both Spike and Gayle in bed!

She stared in disbelief. Now, they were actually lying on top of the covers, with all their clothes on, and not exactly cuddling: Spike was sprawled on the bed with one arm extended, which Gayle was trying to use as a pillow, but there was no further body contact.

Maybe I should tell Buffy that Gayle is dead… ‘cos she’s gonna want to kill her after this…

The air was reeking of alcohol, and she kicked a couple more bottles on the floor when she landed. The noise woke Gayle up with a start. She opened her eyes with difficulty, and saw Dawn. Surprised, she took a minute to analyze her surroundings… and her bedmate. Her eyes went wide in horror and she quickly turned to Dawn: “It’s totally not what it looks like! Look: I’m fully clothed!”

“I’m not accusing you but… did you get drunk?”

Gayle rubbed her head, embarrassed. “Wouldn’t call it drunk. I believe ‘hammered’ would be the right term. You know: one strong drink led to another strong drink led to an even stronger drink led to something I think got me blind for five minutes… Next thing I know, I wake up here and Spike is sleeping like the… well, if it’s possible to get any deader, I think he just went there.”

“And, just what brought the drinking binge on?”

Gayle smirked. “The Clash did. Oh, and Spike’s broken heart. I caught him and Buffy kissing the other day…”

Dawn held her hand up. “Say no more. She went frantic trying to tell you it was a mistake and so on?”

“Yeah, how d’ya know?”

“What, you think this was the first time it happened? Those two have been doing the ‘will-they-won’t-they’ dance for months now. It’s driving me nuts! I just wish they’d… no, rephrase: it would be nice if they either got together or over it once and for all. Might not want to tell her about this though, if you value your life.”

“I know what you mean. Think we should wake him up?”

Dawn looked at the sleeping vampire, her former crush, stand-in older brother and once official protector. He looked peaceful in his sleep. She liked to think that maybe in his dreams, he and Buffy had made up and they were all one big happy family. It would be cruel to wake him up in those circumstances…

“Nah”, she replied. “Let him sleep. He’ll recover quicker, and it would be nice to have him sober tonight.”

“Right… what’s happening tonight again?”

“Gayle!”

“Oh, yeah, right… Sorry, my brain is screaming for caffeine, it’s… unpleasant.” She sat up on the edge of the bed and stretched with a loud yawn. “Ooh, did Willow find out more about the goop?”

“No, she said that the tissues are too damaged to make a DNA match with any of the missing boys. She’s not giving up though, she says she’ll try a little revealing spell tomorrow.”

“Okay. What time is it?”

“Nearly one.”

Gayle jumped to her feet, suddenly fully recovered. “Oh my God! I gotta get cooking!”

__…-==-…__

“Honey, you’re sure Buffy doesn’t mind?” said Tara as she was coming out of the car.

“Of course not” said Willow while grabbing a suitcase out of the trunk. “The doctor said you should spend your first night out of the hospital in familiar surroundings, and Buffy suggested herself that said surroundings should be her house. She’s very much non-mindy.”

“Can’t wait to see Dawnie… she must have grown!”

“She has, but not so much. Did I tell you she’s in high school now?”

“Only two or three hundred times.”

“Sorry. Anyway, here, come on in.”

Willow helped Tara coming into the foyer with her suitcase. When Tara mechanically turned to the lounge…

“SURPRISE!!!”

… she was faced with the whole of the Scooby Gang, Spike included, clapping, beaming and hurray-ing at her. There were several stacks of balloons in every corner, a banner reading “Welcome Home!” in multi-colored letters, and each Scoob was carrying a present.

Tara’s eyes went wide with glee. She turned to Willow, who shrugged with a wicked grin and said:

“Oh, I’m sorry, did I forget to mention the giganormously cool party awaiting you? Must have slipped my mind…”

Tara smiled and when she turned to face the crowd, she suddenly found her arms full of Dawn… and someone else she was sure she didn’t know…

“Oh, Tara!” cried Dawn. “I’m so happy! I missed you so much!”

“Same to you, Dawnie! You look even prettier than the last time I saw you!” Tara said with a soft smile. She then turned to the other person hugging her: “Um… H-hello?”

Gayle’s head jerked up. “Hi! I’m so happy you’re here! You don’t know me yet, I’m Gayle, the latest Vampire Slayer, I know, we just keep a-coming, but hey, the more the merrier, I do hope you like pizza, this one’s homemade by me, oh I heard so much about you, I feel like I know you already, I’m sure we’ll be great frien –“

“Gayle!” interrupted Dawn. “Word vomit again…”

“Sorry. Welcome home, dear.”

“Th-thank you… erm, Gayle, right?”

Gayle nodded energetically, then led the witchy blonde to the lounge with Dawn. Tara was hugged by Buffy first, then by Xander and Giles. One by one, the gang showed her how glad they were of seeing her again. She was led to sit on the couch, and Dawn sat down on the floor and put her head on Tara’s lap. The present were laid before her on the coffee table, and Anya went around her to put a colorful coned paper hat on her head. Tara was beaming.

“You guys shouldn’t have…”

“Nonsense, my dear” said Giles. “You more than deserve this, and I’d wager you more than need it too.”

“Why ‘shouldn’t we have’?” asked Anya. “You coming out of the hospital at last is perfectly celebration-worthy. And it’s not like we can cancel it now anyway, ‘cos you’re here now!”

Anyone else would have found that comment offensive, of course. But this was Anya. And Tara had even missed her.

Xander arrived with a tray of drinks: several glasses of champagne and one of orange juice. “Here comes the good stuff, coming through! Dawn, I’m sorry but you’re only legal enough for orange juice.” Dawn pouted and took her glass reluctantly. Once everyone was served, Xander raised his glass for a toast: “To Bulletproof Tara!”, and was joined in applause by the whole gang.

Tara bit back tears of happiness and slowly took everything in. The shooting. The three weeks of hospitalization. Half of that in a coma. They had come so close to losing her. She had been so close to losing them. Forget blood ties, this was her true family.

Right down to the blond vampire who had once punched her in the nose to prove her humanity and that was now coming her way, handing her a little pink box. “Happy home-coming, pet.”

Tara smiled, took the box and opened it. Inside was a little silver locket with a pentagram engraved on it. She opened the locket: inside were two tiny pictures of Willow and herself.

Both Willow and Tara leaped at him for a hug. Buffy felt a twinge at seeing Spike surrounded by women… They’re gay, you freak, get a grip! She shook her head to get her senses back, but then her enhanced hearing picked up a few words whispered by Willow: “thank you again… so much… never forget what you did…” What was that about?

A little while later, as Tara was opening the rest of her presents, Buffy asked Willow to come and help in the kitchen. Willow followed without asking questions…

“Okay, what was with the love fest?”

Willow blinked. “There never was a need for help, was there?”

“No, sorry about that. Look, I heard a few words of what you said to Spike, and I don’t understand! What happened with you guys?

“He didn’t tell you?”

“No, of course he did, he tells me everything he ever does or says every day, but I like it so much I want you to repeat it for me!”

“Alright, enough with the sarcasm, I’ll spill. Last week, Spike came to see Tara at the hospital. You did know that, right? That he visited her regularly?”

Buffy shook her head.

“Oh… well, he did. Freak me right out first time I saw his dusteriness in her room. But he was real nice, to both of us. Said we were… but anyway, a week ago, he was there and told me something didn’t smell right in Tara’s blood. He had me call the doctors and check. Turns out…” Her hand went to her mouth and she bit back tears. “She had a clot, Buffy. Near her heart. An hour later, she would have… oh Goddess…”

Buffy’s arms pulled her friend in a tight hug. She knew what it meant. Willow had almost lost the love of her life for the second time in the space of a few weeks. That was a lot to take in. And now she lived because of Spike…

Why hadn’t he told her? Why would he? You guys aren’t exactly a couple.

They were interrupted by Gayle dragging in an unwilling Xander by the neck. “Sorry to interrupt, but it’s ass-whooping time!” She threw Xander against the island, where he landed with a grunt.

“What happened?” asked Buffy.

“He keeps on taunting Spike! Endlessly! ‘Peroxyde’ this, ‘Evil Dead’ that, ‘could you please get out now’, and so on! Not only am I sick to death of it, he’s ruining the party! I can’t let that happen! It’s Tara’s night, and he’s spoiling everything with his atti – do you smell burning? Oh my gosh, the pizza!”

Gayle ran to the oven. A little smoke came out when she opened it, but it did not seem too bad. “Phew! That was a close one, it’s just slightly toasted. I really thought it was – hey, stop mocking me, you two!”

Buffy and Willow were shaking with laughter. After all, they had just caught the live version of a Marx Brothers comedy sketch!

“Okay, you two, out! But could you take the spicy wings with you and start serving? Xander here is gonna help me with the pizza!”

Willow snatched the dish of spicy wings and scurried out with Buffy. Xander was left alone with Gayle …

She laid the pizza onto a cutting board and took a large knife out of a drawer. Xander gulped.

“I want you to give Spike a break”, she said while starting to cut up the pizza.

“Yeah okay. Shall I start by the arms or the legs?”

Gayle slammed the blade into the board. Xander regretted his sass immediately.

“Are you trying to get beat up?”

“Look, I think it’s pretty clear that I don’t like that piece of…”

“No swearing in my kitchen!”

“… unpleasant smelly droppings. What do you expect me to do, exactly? Give him a hug?”

“That would be a start, but somehow I don’t think he would let you.”

“He’s an evil, soulless…”

“Oh gee, not the ‘soulless’ speech again! You’re being unfair!”

“Unfair? How the hell am I being unfair?”

“Well… what if he was Black? Or Jewish? Or an ex-demon on the path to becoming a useful member of society? What would that make you?”

“That’s different…”

“Of course it is.”

“No, I mean it! It’s not just that, Gayle, he still tried to rape her!”

“And she seems extremely upset about that too.”

“How can you say that!”

“Hey! Don’t use that tone on me, boy! I’ve worked with rape victims; Buffy is not acting like one of them. Yes she’s hurt, of course she is! But try and put things in perspective: how would you be feeling if someone you were sure would never hurt you was suddenly the cause of your greatest pain? Like say… proposing marriage and then leaving your betrothed at the altar?”

Xander’s head sank back between his shoulders. “It’s different…”

“You say that a lot, Xan. Far too much for you to actually believe it. You want the mushrooms off on your slice?”

“Err… no, thanks, mushrooms are fine.”

“Funny thing about mushrooms. Some of them can kill you, you know. Others can just make you sick. Some you get addicted to. How does one make the difference? By trying. Repeatedly. And often getting hurt in the process, but it’s a useful hurt. There you go, I think you’ll like the cheese especially. Low-fat, you don’t need the extra calories, trust me on that.” With that, she carried the pizza tray over to the gang.

After a moment of introspection, Xander joined them, and allowed himself for the first time to look at Spike, who was sitting on the couch’s armrest, with different eyes. What he saw shook him. Every now and then, Spike would glance at Buffy and Buffy would glance at Spike. They would only stare at each other for a few seconds before averting their eyes again. You could see so many emotions in that brief look: longing, sadness, tenderness… and pain. So much pain…

Oh my God.

__…-==-…__

The party was going well. Buffy took advantage of a commercial break to signal Spike to follow her. He followed her wearily into the kitchen. There, she spun around to face him with daggers-filled eyes.

“Why didn’t you tell me about saving Tara’s life?”

Spike considered her for a moment before speaking. “As usual, pet, you didn’t ask.”

“Damn it, Spike, stop playing around! Just answer the freakin’ question!”

“Since when do I have to give you daily reports on my activities?”

“What? No, I just…”

“What if I had done? You probably would have just thought I was trying to win you over, like you always do, simply because a thing like me can’t do anything selfless! Am I wrong?”

Buffy swallowed hard. He was right, that would probably have been her first reaction…

… but Hell would freeze over before she admitted it. “No, I wouldn’t have! I-I would have been… impressed! I might even have patted you on the back… or on the shoulder or…”

“Oh, spare me, Slayer! You know damn well it’s not true!”

“Why are you flying off the handle about this? I only asked…”

“I’m flying – Look, kitten, I’m at the end of my rope here! Will you just make up your bloody mind up!”

“Oh, like it’s so easy!”

Spike’s jaw dropped. “What?”

“I crave you, Spike! There, I said it! But I can’t allow myself to endanger everything my life is based on because of a craving! I just don’t know how to feel anymore! And then I hear that you’ve been seeing other women…”

“Oh, fer cryin’ out loud, I’m not shagging Chirpy! Not shagging anyone else, for that matter! An’ you’ve got a nerve keeping tabs on my sex life, luv!”

“And you”, said Gayle, coming into the kitchen, “could really lower the volume! I swear, it’s impossible to have a drama-free evening in this town!” She then went to the pantry to retrieve the cake she had made earlier and wrapped in tinfoil.

“Gayle,” said Buffy between her teeth, “this doesn’t concern you!”

“What, the cake?” She started to dispose of the tinfoil and move the cake onto a proper cake dish.

“No, not the cake! This is a private conversation!”

“So private you’ve been broadcasting it though the house-waves. Am I gonna have to try and fix it between you two again? Because I have to tell you, I’m getting tired of being your emotional bumper…”

“No-one asked you to be!” raged Buffy.

Gayle frowned, clearly piqued. “Indeed, no-one asked me! No-one asked you to be the Slayer! No-one asked Dawn to be the Key! No-one asked Xander to go stop Willow when she was on a rampage! No-one asked either of you to be one single gigantic pain in my delicious little behind, but you still are! And no, no-one asked me to be nice to you, so maybe I’ll stop! Now if you’ll excuse me, there’s a girl expecting her homecoming cake, and she’s much more polite than either of you!” With that, she grabbed the cake dish and left the kitchen.

Buffy and Spike were left looking sheepishly at each other.

“Look, pet…”

“I’m sorry.”

“… beg pardon?”

“Don’t make me repeat myself! Look, I realize this is complicated for you, but… I need time, okay?”

“To do what? Decide whether I get a crumb or a stake?”

“… something like that. Minus the stake.”

Spike smirked. He was about to kiss her when…

“I’d understand if you liked Gayle though…”

“Oh, bloody hell! You just don’t get it, do you?”

“Well it’s obvious you like her!”

“Like everyone else! That’s it, I’m off! Tell the witches I said goodnight!”

He grabbed his duster and stormed into the night.

Buffy growled to the empty room.

__…-==-…__

Two hours later, a very pretty brunette entered the infamous “Willy’s” demon bar. She scanned the crowd and found what she had come for at the bar.

“Fancy meeting you here”, she said to the slumped leather covered shape on the bar.

Spike raised his head. “Hey Chirpy, what you’re doing in this neck o’ the woods?”

“Duh, looking for you. Tracked down all the seedy demon bars in Sunnydale, and here I strike gold. Third time’s a charm indeed.”

She extended a hand to Willy across the counter.

“Hi, we haven’t met: I’m Gayle, Vampire Slayer.”

Willy hesitated for a second, then shook the offered hand. “Willy, bartender to the damned.”

“How fitting. Willy my boy, I need to get very drunk, very badly and very fast if possible. Think you can help me?”

“I’ve got a nice twelve year-old bourbon that should do the trick.”

“That’s a start, bring it on. Can you serve it in a pint glass?”

Willy stared for a second, then nodded and went to get the glass.

“Heart trouble, luv?”

“You’re one to talk. How many have you had?”

“You know, not that many if you consider my life span… First there was that posh bird, Cecily…”

“I meant drinks.”

“Oh… not sure…”

“Sounds like too many. Give me five minutes to catch up, okay?”

__…-==-…__

Every woman has a “secret box”. A cardboard box sitting in a closet or under the bed, full of keepsakes. Some are full of pictures of family, friends or ancestors. Some contain random souvenirs, like a pebble one picked from a historical landmark, school medals, seashells, strands of hair. Others are filled with dreams of the future: baby clothes, magazine cut outs of beautiful clothes or faraway countries.

For Buffy Summers, it was a yellow shoebox that had once homes one of her favorite pair of boots. Now it held many objects that had value or signification only to her. And tonight, after her heart had once again been mangled by her own means, she was feeling nostalgic. She was sitting alone in her bedroom, everyone else had gone home or to bed, the house was silent. So she crouched down on the floor and retrieved the box from under the bed. She softly caressed the lid, that her Mom had decorated with painted flowers, and opened the box.

One by one she lifted the items in her hands to contemplate and reminisce. Merrick’s hat, beaten and flattened. Angel’s Claddagh ring. Her old Divinyls CD. A picture of her cheerleading squad at Hemery High. Faith’s knife (urgh! what’s that doing here?) . One of her name tags from the time she had run away to L.A. and worked as a waitress, the ones that read “Anne”. An intricately woven friendship bracelet Willow had done for her.

And just underneath the only ever English composition that had gotten her an A, she found a small green, softly glowing crystal. She picked it up and considered it for a second, trying to remember its origins. She smiled when she remembered at last its purpose. Willow had given it to her during her body swap with Faith, to retrieve her own body.

Funny how she could smile about it now. It certainly had not been funny then. She wondered how it would have been if Faith and her had still been friends then, swapping bodies for a laugh. She could have skipped school to go shopping, buy some stuff she never would have dared to before, gone to her friends and find out what they really thought of her…

Oh…

__…-==-…__

When Willy decided to close for the night, the last people to come out were a very inebriated couple. They stumbled onto the street holding each other by the shoulders, laughing and singing to the top of their lungs.

“On the floor of Tokyo-o…”

“Or down in London town to go, go, with the record selection…”

“And the mirror's reflection, HA! That’s funny! ‘Cos you don’t have one! HA!”

“Sod off. I'm a-dancing with myself, oh oh oh-oh…”

Gayle slipped and almost fell over, but Spike caught her in the nick of time, and she held on to him by his duster’s lapel, laughing out loud as she did.

“Whoops!”

“S’alright, Chirpy, I got ya.”

“Wow! That would have been embarrassing!”

“Sure would ’ave…”

They stare at each other for a few seconds, both still reeling from the drink.

Then lips crashed.

The kiss was intense and fiery. Spike lifted her and pushed her against the closest wall. Gayle cried out in surprise (like it rough do you) but took his lips back immediately. He started to grind against her and she could feel his erection through both their jeans. Her mouth watered at the idea of a naked Spike…

Spike abandoned her mouth to start nipping at her throat, the smell of Slayer blood just under her porcelain skin arousing him even further. How he had missed that smell…

She squeezed her legs around his waist and called out his name in a moan…

He called out back… and Gayle’s body went rigid.

Spike felt her stiffen and realized in horror what had happened. What he had called her.

They broke apart. Gayle was looking at her shoes, trying to keep a normal face.

“Well I sure never sobered up so quickly”, she said.

She walk past him and started to leave.

“Gayle, baby, I’m…”

“Don’t! Don’t you dare ‘baby’ me!”

And she stormed into the night. Spike made no attempt to follow her.

Gayle took the directing of the cemetery, looking for something to kill.

Rejection, she could handle. Before or after action. Hell, she could even handle rejection-during-action…

But being-called-another-girl’s-name-during-action was downright awful.

End of chapter Six.

Some sentences inspired by the Season Six episode “Beneath You”, written by Doug Petrie. Now I know some of you are hating me right now about what just happened between Spike and Gayle, so I should clear the air. Gayle is not going after Spike, nor is Spike falling for Gayle. He’s just a broken heart desperately in need of love and she was just… happy to oblige. Come on! Put yourself in her place! Would tell him to get stuffed? I certainly wouldn’t…

I actually don’t have a box like Buffy’s. Used to, but not anymore. Got too much stuff in it and had to invest into a whole chest of drawers. It’s about to get too full too…

Send in the love and see ya all in chapter seven…

 
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