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Not Beneath Me by Tasha
 
(2) Sneaking Around
 
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Not Beneath Me - Chapter 2 (Sneaking Around)

By MissKitty and Tasha


Chapter Summary: The events of this chapter are mixed in with the episode "Shadow" where Joyce is in the hospital, has her CT Scan and biopsy surgery. What happened to Buffy and Spike the day after the porch scene? Will she turn to Riley for comfort now, or will she continue to seek out Spike.

Author's Note: The first several chapters of this story were jointly written. From then on Tasha only writes them. This story was adopted with the permission of Miss Kitty (and at her request). Constructive criticisms are welcome; flaming is not. Do the chapters seem too long?

(Disclaimer and Distribution notes are listed in the Prologue of this story. Thank you ahead of time for reading and accepting or abiding by them. Also any actual dialogue from episodes is of course theirs too, as with the scene between Riley and Spike at Buffy's house in this chapter.

'Single' quote marks surround thoughts in this story. "Regular" quotes are around spoken words.




Spike strode confidently back to his crypt. He didn't give a second thought to what Harmony might say about him coming back without killing the Slayer. A smirk of secret delight was edging his lips at the thought that he was the one to help comfort Buffy and not Captain Cardboard. He'd stuck around long enough in the shadows to see how long good ol' Whitebread had been allowed to stay. When Riley exited the house a short while later, a delighted Spike had begun his trek back to the cemetery for a good night's sleep.

Harmony shrieked as the crypt door burst open. "Did you kill her, Blondie Bear?" She asked nervously. He didn't seem pissed off, but sometimes you couldn't tell with Spike. Something was a bit off about how he looked right now.

"I don't want to talk about it, Harm. Now, go away!" Spike snarled. 'Crazy bint. Why don't I just stake her?' He tossed the gun back into the chest he'd retrieved it from earlier.

"Hey, it's not my fault you can't kill her. I told you not to ..." Harmony's voice was cut off in a choke. Never mind that she didn't need to breathe, the tight hand around her throat still hurt.

"I said to shut your bloody mouth, Harm." Spike's eyes narrowed. He shook the air headed Vampiress and threw her out the open door. "Don't come back tonight or you're dust."

Harmony scampered away in fright and disgust. She had smelled the Slayer all over him and that alone made her sick to her undead stomach.

Spike slammed the crypt door shut. He slumped down into the chair in front of the television. He needed to relax if he was going to get any sleep today. After several hours of being bored out of his mind, he was no closer to finding rest. His thoughts ran the gauntlet from one end to another. It bugged him so much not knowing if the next time he saw Buffy would she kiss him or punch him. He was dying to find out if she'd felt anything when they kissed. He knew that he had definitely felt something, and he couldn't have imagined the feeling of her arms around his neck before the kiss ended.

Finally, he fell asleep in his own bed and dreamt of the Slayer well into the day. Amidst the dreams of warmth and comfort, an underlying fear and grief niggled him. He dreamt of his arms around her, holding her close to him as he murmured soothing words to her. Other times he dreamt that he was afraid, lost, and helpless. There was no way for him to decipher what any of the dreams meant, but he knew one thing, he had to find the Slayer as soon as he awoke. He needed her, and she needed him.

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

Buffy and Dawn sat in the waiting room of the hospital while Joyce was in the CT scan room. Dawn's nervous chatter and questions were getting on Buffy's last nerve, but one look at Dawn told Buffy that her sister was just scared. Neither of them knew what to do, and Buffy felt helpless just sitting in the empty waiting room. It was still too early in the morning to call any of her friends, and there was no way she was going to leave Dawn here alone. So, Buffy wrapped her arms around her sister and stroked her long brown hair, trying to comfort her little "sister".

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

Spike awoke with a start. He kicked off the covers of the bed and tossed on some clothes. Climbing to the main level of the crypt, he growled at the appearance of Harmony in front of the television. "Didn't I tell you not to come back tonight?"

"But it isn't night, Blondie Bear. I had to come back before the sunrise." Harmony looked at Spike fearfully. She hoped that he wasn't mad enough to toss her to the sun.

Spike snarled in disgust. "Fine." He walked past Harmony to turn off the TV. "Just get out of my sight." He waved a hand towards the lower level.

Harmony quickly jumped up from the chair and scooted down the ladder to the lower level. 'I didn't like that stupid chair anyways. I wanted to sleep in the bed.' She thought to herself, mentally sticking her tongue out at Spike.

Spike paced back and forth for a little bit, feeling like a caged bird. This was one reason that he hated the daytime. 'Bloody sun always getting in the way of my fun.' He sighed, grabbed a blanket and ran out into the light. He knew just where to catch the best sewer tunnel to get to Buffy's house. It was a partially cloudy day right now anyways. He wanted to see how she and the Nibblet were doing. He hoped to hear news about Joyce.

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

Riley trudged up the front porch steps to the Summer's home. He frowned when he noticed the front door a tad bit ajar. 'Why do they keep leaving this door unlocked?' He almost tripped over a dingy green blanket when he opened the door and moved towards the inner flight of stairs. It looked familiar to him, but he couldn't place it exactly.

Spike hadn't found Buffy home when he'd gotten there, but something inside of him needed the assurance of her nearness. So, he had headed upstairs instead to Buffy's bedroom. He stood in front of her dresser with a light pink sweater in his hands. Closing his eyes he inhaled the scent that was all Buffy: Slayer blood, salty sweat, vanilla, and a sweet musk that always told him she was near. So lost in the memories of her, he missed the presence of Riley as he snuck up on the vampire.

"What are you doing in here?" What was Spike doing in Buffy's bedroom? This day was just getting more and more bizarre.

Spike snapped around to face Riley. He quickly hid Buffy's sweater behind his back. 'Stupid, git, letting someone like that sneak up on you.' He practically bounced from one foot to another in nervousness. "What? Me? I was, um, uh ... what are you doing here?"

Riley shook his head back and forth and walked further into the room. "Looking for the girl who's going to rip your arms off for being in her bedroom." He rolled his eyes. 'What an idiot.'

"Oh, yeah?" Spike stood firm, face to face with Riley, even when Riley stood only inches from him. "Well, me too." He cocked his head to the side, his sardonic smirk in place as if it was nothing out of the ordinary for him to be in Buffy's bedroom.

Riley tried to stare Spike down. He moved to look behind Spike to see what he was hiding, but he couldn't get the right angle. Instead he remembered the bit of pink that he'd seen flash by as Spike faced him. "Were you ... were you just smelling her sweater?" His face contorted into a look of disgust.

"What? No?" Spike scoffed after he dodged Riley's attempts to see what he had in his hands. He smirked then rolled his eyes when Riley put his hands on his hips and didn't budge or seem to believe him. "Well, yeah, all right I did. It's a predator thing, nothing wrong with it. Know your enemies scent. Whet your appetite for the hunt and all that." He brought the sweater up to his face. "You know? Mmmmm." He inhaled deeply. "Ahh, that's the stuff, Slayer musk. It's bitter and aggravating." He growled. 'Am I a ponce or what. He'll never believe it.'

Riley grabbed Spike by his jacket, tore the sweater from his hands and tossed it onto the bed. "Out." There was no way that he was letting Spike stay in Buffy's bedroom, whether Buffy was in it or not. He dragged Spike out of the room, but not before Spike hijacked a pair of panties from Buffy's top drawer.

"Hey, watch it! Easy!" The two practically tumbled down the stairs towards the front door. "You're bruising the leather." Riley practically threw Spike at the closed front door. "Look, I know for a bleeding fact that the Slayer wouldn't mind me being here."

"Right. What's a little sweater-sniffing between sworn enemies?" Riley spat out in disbelief and anger.

"Your girl in the habit of buying her enemies drinks?" Spike was really starting to get pissed. He had no love for Riley or any of the commando's, former or not. It grated him even further that Buffy was spending time with Captain Cardboard as her boyfriend too. " 'Cause she spent the better part of last night with me, doing just that." His cockiness was getting the better part of his good sense with the look he gave Riley.

"Right." Riley almost chuckled at the supposed idiocy of that statement, especially coming from Spike. " 'Cause you guys are such tight pals?"

Spike was tired of being the butt of Riley's jokes. It was time to put the boy in his place. "Yeah."

Riley put his hands on his hips. 'Why does Buffy let this idiot stay around anyways.' He couldn't believe the nerve of this guy. There was no way that Buffy would sit down with Spike over drinks. "That's good. Tell me another."

"Okay. How about this one?" Riley was definitely getting on Spike's last nerve. He had to think only a moment before finding another tidbit to drive the nail into Riley's coffin further. "Twice in recent memory she's had the lover Wiccas doing a de-invite on the house, keep out specific vamps. Ever ask yourself why she's never taken my name off the guest list?" He leaned in closer to Riley to emphasize the point.

"Because you're harmless." Riley scoffed, but a moment of stuttered paused ruined the effect of his confidence.

"Oh. Yeah. Right." Spike almost laughed at Riley's naivete. "Takes one to know, I suppose." He kicked back to rest his weight on his left leg, all swagger and attitude. "Least I still got the attitude. What do you have? A piercing glance?"

Riley was getting pissed. What right did anyone have to say that to him, let alone to hear it coming from nothing but a worthless vamp.

Spike watched Riley's jaw clench tighter, and he knew he was finally getting to the corn fed Iowa boy. "Face it, Whitebread. Buffy's got a type, and you're not it. She likes us dangerous, rough, and occasionally bumpy in the forehead region." He wiggled his fingers near his brow. "Not that she doesn't like you," he pointed to Riley with a sardonic grin on his face, "But sorry, Charlie you're just not dark enough."

Riley had enough of this bull crap. Spike had more than peeved him off, and it was time to pay the piper. He grabbed Spike by the lapels of his duster, opened the door and forced a "Hey" yelling vampire out into the sunlight on the porch. "This dark enough for you?"

"Bloody pull me back in, you sod." Spike screamed. No matter his confidence he knew the sun would toast him pretty quickly. "I'm starting to sizzle." Even with only a few moments in the sun the smoke started to waif up from Spike's skin.

"You don't know anything about Buffy. You never did. I'm the one that knows what she needs."

'Oh that's it. No holds barred now!' Spike snarled at Riley. If he was going to toast, his last digs would be into this fool's pride and heart. "Oh yeah? That's why you're with her at the hospital right now giving her what she needs."

Riley pulled Spike back into the house. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't you know? Didn't she tell you?" Spike almost laughed. Buffy hadn't told Riley about her mom last night. She'd only told him? That made him feel good. Not about Joyce being sick of course, but the fact that Buffy hadn't told Riley made up for the little sizzle.

"You tell me."

"Her Mum's sickly." Spike couldn't keep the concern out of his eyes and face at the thought of Joyce being in the hospital. "Buffy took her to the hospital for a bit of prod and probe. Bite size one went too."

Riley's gaze left Spike's face. 'How could she not have told me? She had to have known last night.'

"You know, it's funny her not telling you about that." Spike had to hammer that nail in a little more. "I've known since last night."

Riley's temper got the better of him. In an instant he manhandled Spike and threw him completely out the door. Amidst the cries of Spike calling for the blanket, he kicked it out onto the porch and slammed the front door. He had to get to the bottom of this. He had to head to the hospital ASAP.

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

Buffy walked towards the examination room. She stopped several times not quite being able to make her feet cover the last bit of distance to reach the room. Just as she felt she had enough courage to go in a hand on her shoulder stopped her from moving. She turned around. "Riley?"

"I heard." Riley looked at Buffy lovingly. The vampire had to be wrong. He swore that he saw something behind Buffy's eyes that told him his presence mattered to her. "I thought you might want some company."

"I do. I do." Buffy hugged Riley, a brief moment of disappointment flashed in her eyes when she realized that it wasn't Spike holding her. She berated herself for those thoughts. When she pulled back again to look at Riley, she tried to keep a happy face on for him. "I was just about to go in and get the results from the CT scan. Would you go sit with Dawn?"

"Sure, whatever you need me to do." Riley's arms dropped back to his side when Buffy stepped out of them. Why didn't she want him in there with her? He wanted to support her.

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

'A shadow? What hell is a shadow?' Buffy thought to herself as she sat once again in the waiting room of the hospital. She was really beginning to hate Sunnydale General. This place brought her nothing but bad memories.

Riley draped his brown leather half-coat over Dawn's sleeping body. The poor girl was worn out already. He moved back over to sit next to Buffy on a double length bench chair.

Buffy turned her lost gaze from the cracks in the walls into a reflective one towards Riley. They hadn't said a word to each other since she'd left the examination room, except for a brief explanation from Buffy about her mother's condition that was more for Dawn's benefit than Riley's.

Riley coaxed Buffy to lay her head on his shoulder. Draping his arm over the back of the bench chair, he pulled Buffy in closer to him. He stroked her hair as soothingly as possible, hoping that it would help her to drift off for a few moments. 'Why won't she talk to me?' He wondered once Buffy's eyes closed. 'She just sat there staring into nothing, as if I wasn't even here.'

The operating doctor walked down the hallway to the waiting room. Riley recognized him from an earlier conversation about pre-op. He gently shook Buffy, trying to wake her.

Buffy was pulled from her dreams abruptly. She hadn't slept well the night before, and her body was beginning to shut down even without her wanting it to. She sat upright quickly still partially stuck in the dream. "No. Wait. Spike!" She called out before she realized that she wasn't with Spike, and she was sitting in the hospital waiting room. She quickly noticed the doctor though and met him near the wall before he could reach the waiting room.

If Buffy had seen Riley's face she would have noticed the hurt and confused look on his it. 'What the hell was that all about?' He questioned inwardly. 'When did she start calling out to Spike in her dreams?' He couldn't pinpoint what disturbed him more: the fact that Buffy was dreaming about Spike or the fact that she was calling out for her supposed enemy like she needed him.

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

'This isn't real. It can't be happening.' Buffy tried to reassure herself. The doctor just droned on and on about the technical terms and placement of things in her mother's brain. What did she care about that? What did it matter? All she knew was that her mother had a tumor in her brain. Her own brain wanted to shut down. It couldn't comprehend all of the information that it was being given.

'Why won't he shut up?' The doctor moved them to sit down in a couple nearby chairs. "What can I do?" She meekly asked.

"We need you to answer a few questions for us." The doctor went through his checklist of does she and has she's. Buffy didn't know the answers to hardly any of them. Her mom always took care of the medical insurance and other issues. With each question, Buffy only became more confused and when she could handle no more she jumped up and ran to the bathroom.

Ben, a nearby intern, stepped up to the doctor and informed him that someone needed him in ICU. Ben knew that no one had called specifically for the doctor, but he could see that the young lady needed a break from the man. 'At least when she gets back here, she won't be bombarded again immediately.' He thought to himself and headed out the door, as it was the end of his shift.

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

"You are such an idiot, Spike." Spike paced his crypt back and forth. Harmony was still asleep downstairs. So there was no way he was going to try and get any more sleep, not like he could anyways. 'You probably sent him straight into Buffy's arms. Where you can't be right now.' His inner William chided his more aggressive Spike side for his temper. 'You just had to get snippy with the man, didn't you.'

"Do shut up you Nancy Boy. Like you could have done much better." Spike rolled his eyes at himself. He knew that he shouldn't have taunted Riley so much, but it was just too much fun to see the look of pain on his face. He figured that Riley headed straight to the hospital after he kicked Spike out Buffy's house. Now he'd have to wait until he could run into her somehow. He tightened his hand into fists. "She doesn't belong with him. She belongs with me."

'Perhaps you will listen to me more next time then." Spike's traces of humanity warred with the demon. 'I know you care about her too. So, don't mess it up for both of us.' Spike could practically feel his inner William remove his glasses to clean them. 'Now, if you're done growling, here is what we need to do.'

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

(To Be Continued)
 
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