Chapter 10

“Well, everything seemed alright, that Gunn bloke was noseying around, soon put him in his place.”  Buffy went and sat on the bed.

“I really don’t like that bloke.” Spike said. He was lying in Buffy’s bed, hands clasped behind his head.

“I think he’s frightened of me, every time I look at him, he’s like a rabbit caught in the headlights.” Buffy grinned as she said it. Spike smiled.

“So, how was the brooding one, you say he looked dreadful? – Not that I give a rats ass, you understand!” Spike said grinning.

“Gods, he did indeed look dreadful…covered in blood and mud, his face bruised and cut…he’d got the mother of all hangovers apparently!”

Buffy beamed at this, even Spike couldn’t suppress a smile.

Buffy leaned forward and kissed him. Spike’s arms went round her, and held her tight.

“Enough about that wanker anyway. It was horrible when I woke up alone…”

“Ahh, poor baby…anyway, got you a treat”

“Oh?” Spike gave her one of his lopsided grins that made her heart skip.

“You know you said that the hospital throws out perfectly good blood?” He nodded.

“Well, I got to it before it could be incinerated” Spike raised his eyebrows.

“It’s in the fridge, 36 pints of the stuff, it should keep you going for a while…”

“Baby!” he kissed her again, and she struggled a little, Spike let her go, his eyes questioning.

“I must get on, I’ve got SO much to do…”

“Such as?” Spike still held her close.

“Things!”

“Such. As?” he grinned at her.

“Housework, for one, laundry, and shopping…”

Spike had begun to undo the buttons on her blouse. Buffy looked down and smiled.

“Are you even listening to me?” She was still smiling, but making no effort to stop him!

“Nope, got more important things to do!” Flipping up her bra, Spike moved his hands to her now freed breasts, and circled her rapidly hardening nipples with his thumbs, before raising one to his mouth, where he gentle began to tease the stiff nub.

“S-Spi-ike!”

“Umhmm?”

“Ooooohhhhh!” Two hours later, Buffy was lying back in Spike’s arms.

“Evil, you are. Totally incorrigible!”

She was smiling while she said it. Stretching like a luxuriating cat that had just had the cream, she turned on her side and propped her head up on her arm.

“That’s me!” Spike said, grinning, mirroring her posture, then he added,

“Well, I know how a vacuum works, (he kissed her) and a duster, I presume that this household is furnished with enough patented spray and wipe cleaners for every surface imaginable…(kiss) you put the laundry in (kiss) and then we can go late night shopping at the mall.”

He kissed her neck. Buffy shivered with delight.

“Re-really –ahhh, oh, um, gre-atttt! Oh!” She (with a little effort) got free, began to tickle him.

They play fought, hitting with pillows, tickling, till they both lay giggling and panting on the bed, exhausted.

“Gods, I’m knackered – she turned to face Spike and caught sight of the clock radio.

“Geez, have you seen the time?!” Buffy shot off the bed. Spike turned and looked, 6.10pm.

“’Bout the time I usually get up!”

“Come on, let’s get to it!”

“If this ever got out, Master Vampire, completely domesticated, I’d die of shame!” Spike stood from plugging in the vacuum cleaner

He switched on and began to clean, he even shifted the coffee table to vacuum under it.

“You’re already dead silly, and you move the furniture to vacuum-wow?!” Buffy said, grinning. She began to spray and wipe.

An hour and a half later, the place shone. Polished, vacuumed, garbage out, laundry drying, the only place they had left to do was the bathroom, but they’d do that in the morning.

Buffy phoned Giles.

“I was just going to phone you”

“Really?”

“Yes, to see if things were alright”

“Hunky Dory. Now, have they gone?”

“If by they, you mean Wesley and co, no, they haven’t.”

“Oh, terrific, but why not – I don’t see what they can do to help – plenty to hinder us, yes” Buffy said flatly, and shook her head at Spike, who rolled his eyes.

“Well, we might find a use for them, we could have Wesley waiting in the car for you or something, basically, I still think that they can help.”

“Like how, Angel gonna brood them to death with his hangover?”

Buffy asked with as much sarcasm as she could muster. Spike snorted a giggle, making Buffy smile.

“Buffy, come to the shop, and bring Spike, soon as possible, time is getting on”

**********

Buffy came striding into the shop. Gunn visibly shrank in his seat.

“Where’s Spike?” Giles asked.

“Just coming, parking the car…we stopped off at his crypt” Spike came in, glaring at the trio at the table, but nobody would look at him.

“So, what’s so urgent?” Buffy asked, leaning against the counter. Spike came and stood by her, rested his arm on the countertop behind her back, leaning towards her slightly.

“We should go and do a reccie of this warehouse, find out things.”

“What things, and why?” Buffy asked puzzled.

“Well, um, it’s important for us to …know their, um, movements…and”

“This is bollocks, and you know it. We’re not going to kill them, it’ll rouse too much suspicion; you know that.” Spike said

Buffy nodded. Giles took off his glasses, put them back on, removed them and began to clean them. There was silence for a few seconds.

“Oh, for Gods sake, come on babe, were wasting time here, we could be doing more important things, like… buying ketchup…”

Spike said and they both went to leave.

“Buffy” Giles said, she stopped, turned and looked at him in a bored fashion.

“Giles?”

Giles put his glasses back on, looked at them, then the three at the table.

“Um I er…”

“I’ll phone, later” Buffy said, and went through the door Spike was holding open for her. Angel banged the table with his fist, but said nothing.

Spike pulled up on the driveway of her house. Buffy put the shopping away.

Spike fed, Buffy had some pizza, and then Spike said to her,

“Never mind about that lot at the warehouse, want to go see the interesting stuff?”

“Dracula you mean?” Buffy asked grinning, holding both of Spike’s hands. He nodded.

“You’ll need to change though pet, something practical for climbing” Spike said.

Five minutes later Buffy came down in slim black pants and a black polo neck sweater.

“This do?”

“Great, now, it’s that old vineyard in WestPoint, do you know it?”

“Heard of it, never actually been there” They went out.

“Do you want to tell Giles where we’re going?” Spike asked as they got in the car.

“What, and risk the three mouse-ket-eers wanting to come too?”

Buffy smiled at her own joke. Grinning, Spike reversed off the driveway.

Parking a little way off from the entrance, they looked down on the huge lodge.

There was a lot of coming and going, vans and trucks. Buffy shielded her eyes from the bright moonlight, and squinted down. Spike morphed into game face, and watched for a few minutes.

Turning back into his human guise, he said to Buffy,

“Well, he’s not there yet, that’s for sure, he couldn’t stand the noise or all the coming and going on of the preparation…”

“Where do you think he could be?”

Spike pouted,

“Well, in his coffin, in some quiet dark cavern or dungeon somewhere, it would have to be unused by anything else…he wouldn’t use a vault or a crypt or anything like that…and no sound of running water, and not anywhere near anything religious, that’s why he doesn’t go into graveyards…”

Buffy came over and stood by Spike, and he put his arm around her.

They made their way down the steep rough scrub of the embankment to the lodge.

Quickly and stealthily they looked in through one of the windows. They could see this funny looking little man ordering people about, tables and chairs stacked … minions running back and forth.

A platform being built, sawing and hammering could be heard. They left and went back to the car, drove to the Magic Box.

It was empty.

“I wonder if that gizmo has come yet?” Buffy said

“What the thingy for killing Dracula?” Buffy nodded.

“Giles didn’t say?”

“No, he didn’t mention it, but yesterday he said it would be here today. Spike”

“Hmm?”

“Want to…go look see at the warehouse?”

Throwing his cigarette down, he ground it out with the toe of his boot, he grinned and they got back in the car. Half an hour of hard, fast driving, and they were there.

Turning down one of the side roads about half a block away, Spike turned off the ignition.

Seeing some people walking towards them, Spike quickly pulled Buffy into an embrace and kissed her.

“Wha-hmm!” She grinned at him.

“They were vamps, love” Spike said seriously.

The smile went from Buffy’s face and she nodded, she really did need to concentrate, she didn’t even sense them.

They got out of the car, and walked to the end of the block.

She tapped Spike on the arm, and he turned his head and looked at her, then to where she was pointing.

It was Gunn’s van.

Spike rolled his eyes, and motioned with his head for her to follow him. They stealthily ran / crept to the entrance, keeping low, ducking under the windows. Spike looked in, it was pitch black. He morphed, Buffy wasn’t scared, knew that with his preternatural hearing and sight he could do things she couldn’t.

Letting his human guise back, he whispered,

“All I can hear is Pain-gel and the three stooges! Gods, if any vamps are in there, and any of them are game face ………” Spike waved his hand for Buffy to back up, and they ran around the corner.

Seeing a gang of vamps walking down the road, Spike pulled Buffy into a doorway; he dropped his head to her neck, watching till they passed.

“Do you think that Giles and Co be in bother now?” Buffy whispered.

“No, look” They saw Wesley and Gunn run to the van, quickly followed by Angel and Giles.

Spike and Buffy walked hand in hand back to their car. They heard running and shouting, and he quickly got Buffy then himself inside and locked the doors.

“Some fuckin’ human’s sniffing and nosing around…’er ladyship will go ape shit if she finds out…”

Spike looked at Buffy, they smiled at one another.

“A lesson in how not to do things, I think.” Spike threw the car into gear, and roared off to the shop.

Spike went the back way taking the lanes, and pulled up a good five minutes before Giles and co did.

Buffy had agreed to let Spike do all the talking. They were sitting at the table when Giles and the others walked in.

Chapter 11

Buffy and Spike sat at the research table at the Magic Box waiting for the four to return.

“Oh, Spike, Buffy, you’re here, we’ve been-“ Giles began

“We KNOW where you’ve been, and, because you gave an excellent lesson in how NOT to do things, so do they.” Spike said.

“Whu-what?” Wesley looked worried and sat down

“Man…I said it was a bad idea…” Gunn shook his head

“We went to the warehouse too, we were outside, and all I could hear, was you, asking what you were looking for, (Spike pointed to Gunn) you (pointing to Angel) telling someone to get off standing on your coat, and you (pointing to Giles) having the sense to try and shut everyone up. What you omitted to do was wear gloves.”

Spike said. Wesley opened his mouth to speak; he frowned and was cut off by Spike continuing,

“And from our hidden vantage point we heard Daria run passed shouting, and looking for, and I quote, a bunch of fuckin’ nosey human’s, that was going to make her ladyship go ape shit when she smelt them, unquote”    

“See, I told you we were…” Giles started to say angrily.

Angel pulled a face, and said,

“Huh, surprised that you two could drag yourselves out of bed to …” He didn’t finish. Spike hissed,

“Oh piss off! Grow UP! Let’s just hope that you drank enough last night to mask your bloody essence, mate, else this could all go pear shaped, if Darla and Dru smelt you.”

Spike said truthfully. Giles closed his eyes, Hell - he hadn’t thought of that.

“No one could smell me” Angel said irritably, hoping to the gods that that was true.

“Know that for a fact, do you? - Look, you poof, it’s ME on the bloody guest list, ME that’s taking Buffy, and if they think for one minute you’re around, it won’t take Dru five minutes to think that we’re all in league somehow, and that puts us in danger, me and Buffy, and I WILL NOT, repeat, WILL NOT have Buffy put in any more danger than is necessary, you got that, Peaches, it’s US two that’s taking the risk, not you, so just bloody well think on before you do anything else reckless, ok, just butt out”

The silence was deafening. Buffy had slipped her hand into Spike’s. Giles then said tentatively,

“Well, um, erm I er, I, I wonder if Dracula’s arrived yet?” Giles said, desperately trying to change the subject of their incompetence.

“No, he hasn’t, the stage is still been built, too much coming and going yet, too much noise and preparation” Spike said.

“You’ve been there, without back-up?” Giles frowned.

“Back up? Yeah mate, managed great without Grumpy, Sleepy, and Dopey there too”

Buffy found it hard to suppress a grin and she looked down, biting her bottom lip.

“So, um any idea’s as to where he’d be?”

“Know his M.O, yeah” Spike said.

“Shall we have some tea and talk about things?” Giles suggested.

“Rather chew my own arm off” Buffy whispered to Spike, who giggled.

Angel shot her a hurt, angry look.

“I don’t notice you wearing gloves, anyway” Angel said to Spike.

“What? – What for? That’s because we had no plans to do anything other than watch for a while, anyway, I’m on the guest list, being head of Clan Aurelius, and not persona non grata like you”

Angel stood up, and said angrily,

“You’re NOT head of Clan Aurelius…”

“Oh, you telling us Darla succeeded then, ANGELUS?” Spike asked defiantly.

Deflated because Spike had a very valid point, Angel blustered,

“NO! No, erm, no, she didn’t…”

“Actually Angel, as the right of succession isn’t cognatic, and in point of fact, as Angelus doesn’t exist, Spike IS in fact the rightful-“

“OKAY, ok, don’t go on” Angel snapped at Wesley, wishing he was anywhere but here, right here, right now.

Every single word Spike had said was true, much to Angel’s chagrin, and what he’d said about putting Buffy in danger, well, that was true also. 

He’d been shocked at the depth of feeling that Spike had put into the ‘not putting Buffy into anymore danger than is necessary’ speech, he could tell, Spike REALLY meant that.

“Has the device come?” Buffy asked.

“Erm, well, we thought it best that um…”

“That you keep it away from me in case I get tempted to use it on some other vampire?” Buffy quirked an eyebrow, and pushed herself away from the counter,

“Probably right, come on lover, let’s go home”

“But Buffy, we-“

“Later, Giles, bye” They left.

“You were brilliant!” Spike said, catching her around the waist.

“Me? –What did I do – Nothing! Funnily enough though, I was just thinking the same about you…”

They’d stopped just outside the shop. Buffy gave Spike a rather passionate kiss.

Giles coughing discreetly interrupted them; he’d followed them out to talk to them. He was embarrassed.

Buffy rolled her eyes. He walked towards them as they stood next to Spike’s car.

“What is it, Giles?” She asked in a bored fashion.

“Buffy, I don’t have to remind you how serious this matter is, the device is here, well, half of it, come to the shop early in the morning please, and we’ll go through things”

Without smiling, Buffy said,

“Fine, but just remember, it’s not us that’s been acting amateurish in this situation, is it?”

She got into the car; Spike said nothing, drove off.

“Pompous prick!” Buffy folded her arms and pouted.

Giles went back inside the shop, to find Angel and Wesley bickering.

“Whatever happened to loyalty, eh?” Angel asked.

“I wasn’t being disloyal! I merely pointed out that as the females can’t be clan heads, and you are no longer Angelus, then –“

“Alright, ok, you don’t have to go on.” Angel said irritably

“I never did find out, what were we looking for” Gunn asked.

“I told you we should have worn gloves”

Giles thought he’d add his four pen’noth

“Spike DID make a good point about them smelling you though, Angel” Wesley said. Angel looked at his feet.

He felt wretched, never felt so alone and miserable in all his existence.

“Can we go back to LA, my sister Letitia is due to give birth anytime soon and-well, I’d like to be there for her.” Gunn said.

“Might as well, you’ll ring me if you need help?” Wesley said. Gunn and Wesley stood.

“Angel?”

“You carry on, I’m staying”

The three males frowned.

“Do you think that’s wise, after all that’s been said?” Wesley asked.

“Where will you stay?” Gunn asked.

Giles was still frowning, he didn’t want Angel staying in the shop, or his place, he’d never forgive him for Jenny, he knew it wasn’t strictly Angel, but…

“Don’t worry about me”

“Hey, man don’t go to that dude’s crypt, the slayer’ll …” Gunn didn’t finish.

Wesley and Gunn shook hands with Giles, and patted Angel on the shoulder.

“Are you sure you won’t come home Angel?”

“I have things to find out” Angel said quietly.

Wesley nodded, and the two left. Giles came in and shut the door. Sighed, this wasn’t going to be fun at all.