Chapter Four

“So, what do you wanna do, Slayer?”

Buffy sighed. “I want to go in there and turn the whole place to a pile of dust—which I would, if I was sure there weren’t any still live victims in there.” She looked at him from the corners of her eyes. “Did I ever tell about burning down the gym at my first high school to get rid of the nest of vamps under it?”

Spike gave an appreciative laugh. “No, pet, you never did. Knew what you did to the bite houses back in Sunnyhell, but I’d no idea you started your career as a pyromaniac before that.”

“I’m a slayer of many talents,” she said with mock smugness, blushing when he agreed with a leer.  “And, anyway, fire–pretty.”  Her smile faded when she remembered how he’d died the second time. “Oh, God, Spike. I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to….”

“’S okay, Slayer. I’m not touchy about it.”  When she continued to breathe hard and whimper, he stopped walking, held her shoulders and turned her around to face him. “Buffy, stop it. I know bloody well you didn’t mean to imply you enjoyed watching me burn up. I know you were talking about the good memories, not… not bad ones. Saw the tears for myself, didn’t I?”

She nodded, leaning into him just enough to rest her hand lightly on his chest.  “I know that. But still, it was too much ‘yay, fire good’ to be celebrating in front of somebody I was responsible for—”

He dropped his head and sighed before pushing her away. “Don’t hold you responsible for anything, love. You didn’t know what was going to happen, and even if you had, the smart thing would still have been to use the weapons you were given. I’ve never faulted you for that, and I won’t have you adding my choice to wear that ugly hunk of jewelry to your list of ‘Things Buffy wishes she’d never done’.”

“You’re not a weapon!”

“I was a weapon, Slayer. That was my role, and you used me just the way you should have. It was my choice to fulfill the role. We both did what we had to do.”

“Sometimes being the hero sucks,” she muttered, giving him a grateful smile.

“Sometimes it does,” he agreed, beginning to walk again. “And sometimes it’s bloody brilliant.”  He nudged her arm. “Women tend to be very grateful when a handsome bloke saves them….”

“Ha, ha, ha.”  Buffy glared at him, her face softening into a smile at the playful twinkle in his eyes.  “So, I guess I should concentrate of saving eligible bachelors from now on?  You know, just in case I ever have a life that allows me to go out on an actual date someday….”

“Touché,” he laughed.  “Grateful victims aside, I expect you’ve got a better chance at that than I do, pet.”

“How do you figure that? I spend my days serving coffee to gay guys, and my nights slaying things and getting covered in dust and goo!”

“I live with giant bugs.”

“Right. You win.” She gave a theatrical shudder and they both laughed. Buffy stopped in front of her apartment building, shuffling her feet and looking at the ground.  “Do you… I could….” She stopped and looked up at him, setting her jaw firmly.  “I got blood today. It’s in the fridge. Just in case you….”

Spike shook his head, regret mingled with some emotion she couldn’t identify on his face.  “I can’t tell you how much that…  I appreciate it, Buffy. I truly do. But I’ve got to go away for a bit again.  Was going to tell you earlier, but then we got busy with strategizing and fighting and what not.  The ship is waiting for me.” He pointed overhead and Buffy looked up to see the cable dangling from what looked like thin air.  “I’ve got to go.  You round up your soldiers, and I’ll be back in… two days. Three, tops.”

“You’re leaving again?”  A silent “already?” hung in the air between them.

He tried to touch her face, but she flinched away. Spike sighed and put his hands in his pockets.  “Got a… a life, pet. Responsibilities, things that need doin’. I’ll be back soon. I promise you.  You wait for me before you go in there. You’ll need at least one person who can’t be killed with bullets.”

“Don’t tell me what to do,” she said through clenched teeth. “We’ll go in when we’re ready to go in; whether you’re here or not.”

He rolled his eyes up to the heavens. “You are the most stubborn….” He took a deep breath. “Not trying to tell you what to do, Slayer. I know you’ve been running your own army for years, and don’t need me to tell you how to do it. Not that you’ve ever listened to me anyway…” he muttered mostly to himself. He shook his head and faced down her steadily growing anger.  “I just want you to make use of all your resources, Buffy.  The world isn’t going to end if you have to wait for me to get back.”

“Is that what you think you are? A resource?”

“Could be. If you’ll allow it.”

Buffy held his gaze long enough to see that he wasn’t going to be swayed by either her anger or a full-fledged pout—not that she had any intention of pulling out any feminine tricks to change his mind. She shrugged. “I’ll give you three days. If you’re not back, I’m going in with what I’ve got by then.”

Spike’s shoulders relaxed and he exhaled. “I’ll be here, love. If I’m not you’ll know I’m—” He bit off his words as her eyes widened in fear. “I’ll be here. Just put that blood in the freezer for a while.”

The cable dangling from the still-cloaked ship moved over and hit Spike on the head. He glared up at the sky and yelled, “I’m coming, you overgrown roaches. Just keep your exoskeletons on!”  He turned back to Buffy. “Got to leave, Slayer.  I’ll come back.”

“You always have,” she said, trying for a smile. “Don’t break your streak.”

“Wouldn’t think of it.” 

There was an awkward moment when he moved toward her, then stopped and put his hands in his pockets.  Buffy stepped back and put her hand on the railing of the front stoop.

“You’d better go. Your bugs are waiting.”

He grimaced. “Yeah. See you soon, Buffy.”

“See you,” she echoed.  Buffy went up the steps, halting at the door and watching as Spike was pulled up so quickly, he seemed to have vanished into thin air.   “I hope,” she added softly as she opened the door.

 

~~~~~~~~~

 

Buffy had almost forgotten about her promise to give Julie some training, groaning when the excited girl showed up just before the end of Buffy’s shift. 

“I’m ready!” Julie said, waving her stake in the air.  “Are you ready?”

“Put that away,” Buffy hissed, pushing her out the door. “Just wait here for me. I’ll be right out.”  She took off her apron, put it away and took her purse and jacket from her cubby in the back.  “See you tomorrow, Mike,” she said, waving to the night manager.

She left the coffee shop and looked around for Julie, finding her leaning against the wall and pouting.  She straightened up when she saw Buffy coming.

“Are you always this bossy?”

“Yes,” Buffy replied, striding off and leaving it to Julie to catch up.  The other girl sped up until they were walking side-by-side.

“So, where are we going? Are we gonna kill vampires?”

“Slay. We slay them, and no. We’re going up on a roof where we can work out without attracting attention.”   Turning into an alley, Buffy jumped up and grabbed the dangling piece of an old metal fire escape. She swung up onto the first landing and looked down at Julie.  “Come on. I know you can do that.” When Julie continued to stare dubiously, Buffy added, “Unless, I mean… maybe you can’t… or you’re too afraid….”

With a reasonable effort at a growl, Julie jumped and, while not as gracefully as Buffy, pulled herself up with a minimum of effort.  Buffy didn’t say anything to her, only started climbing without looking back.  She stepped out onto the flat roof of the building and waited for Julie’s head to appear over the wall. She didn’t even try to hide her smirk at the way the other girl was breathing hard when she dropped to the surface of the roof and glared at Buffy.

“What the hell was that? Some kind of test?”

Buffy shrugged. “Not really. Just something you ought to know how to do in case you need to use it someday. Anyway, I thought you liked it on the roof? That’s where you were when you jumped me.”

“We used the stairs and went out a door,” Julie said.  “And my friends wouldn’t have been able to do what we just did.”

“Actually, they probably could if a vamp was after them. It’s all about the motivation…. Wouldn’t do them much good, of course. The vamp would be able to do it faster and easier, but still…”

Julie rolled her eyes. “So, what do I need to know about vampires to kill them?  And how do I know which ones need to be killed?”

“Pretty much any vamp that looks hungry,” Buffy said, sighing when Julie gasped, “But…”  “There are no ‘buts’, Julie. All that stuff about vamps being harmless and misunderstood is just… it’s just crap.”

“I can’t believe that.  I saw that blonde girl on TV when I was still living at home. Heather, Holly… something like that. She seemed okay. Not very bright, maybe, but she didn’t seem dangerous.”

“Harmony. Her name is Harmony. I went to high school with her.  And you’re right, she’s stupid, but she’s killed her share of people.  She isn’t very good at it, and Spike claims she…. Never mind. It’s complicated.”

“You went to high school with a vampire?”

“She wasn’t a vampire then!” Buffy said. “She was just a snotty, stuck up….” Buffy threw her hands up.  “Fine, if you run into Harmony, don’t stake her. Unless she looks evil, or hungry, or says something catty about your clothes.  But if some guy with no pulse tries to pick you up in a bar, you better have your stake with you when you leave with him.”

“Are there any good vamps?  Any guys who are safe to go out with? That I shouldn’t stake?”

Buffy’s face clouded and she squeezed her eyes shut. “Well, there’s…. he used to… but then he….” She raised her head and met Julie’s eyes. “There’s only one now. And you couldn’t stake him if he was unconscious. Don’t bother wondering if they’re evil. If you wait until they show you they are, it could be too late.”

Julie shrugged. “You could say that about a lot of human guys.”

Buffy smile wryly. “Well, there you go, Y chromosome and a vamp – double evil.”

“Okay. So, I spot a vamp in a bar. What do I do?”

“You call me,” Buffy said.  “I’m going to teach you how to defend yourself if you ever have to again, but I can’t turn you into a real slayer in a couple of hours on a roof!”

Julie glared, then shrugged. “Fine, it’s not like I want to spend my time looking for something to kill. I’ve got better things to do with my nights… sometimes.”

“Good for you,” Buffy said tersely, dragging an old mattress from behind some machinery.  “Now let me show you where the heart is and how to get to it.”

~~~~~~~~~

 

An hour later, Julie was sweating, out of breath, and rubbing her right arm.  Buffy, looking as calm and cool as she had after scampering up the fire escape, smothered a smile and said, “I guess that’s enough for tonight. You know where to strike and how hard to do it.”

“But…” Jules panted, “I never even touched you.” She pointed at the old mattress Buffy had been holding for her. “I barely even managed to stake a moldy mattress!”

“I’m not a vampire,” Buffy said. “I’m faster and stronger. If I’d been a fledgling vamp, you could have had me.  You just need to remember not to get into a fight with one until you’ve learned how to kick and punch. Just go for the heart, first chance you get.”

“How am I supposed to learn that? Watching ninja movies?”

Buffy sighed. “There’s a dojo – a mixed martial arts school – a few blocks from the coffee shop. You can pick up some stuff there. A kick boxing class would be good – just be careful not to hit anybody for real. You’ll hurt them.”

Julie gave a tired giggle. “Yeah, I already know that. I slapped a guy once, he was out for ten minutes.”

“Okay, let’s go.  I’ve got to slay a few vamps tonight before I go to bed.”

Julie eyed the fire escape unhappily.  “My arms are tired,” she complained.

“Oh,” Buffy said innocently. “There’s an elevator. We just have to go through the door and down the stairs.” 

She walked to the small building in the middle of the roof and twisted the doorknob until it popped off in her hand and the door swung open. Without looking back at the shocked Julie, she walked into the dark space, waiting until her eyes adjusted to the dim light. When she could see the stairway leading to the top floor of the building, she walked to it and started down, not waiting for Julie.  Who was moving quickly to not be left alone in the dark.