New Game Chapter 10 /16

Sequel to Afterglow and third installment in Dive into Destiny Series

Author: T.Claybourne

Rated PG-13 to NC-17. Sex Violence and language

Pairings involve Spike /Original ( as set up in last story) Angel/ ? Wesley/? Faith /?

Thanks to my Beta, Hawera and my muses, Kurt Cobain, John Lyndon (AKA Johnny Rotten) and Joe Strummer.

Chapter 10 Free Agent

Gunn stood starring at Xander in disbelief. “ Ok, Angel told me that you guys used to defeat all the evil sent your way. Please tell me that, by some strange twist, it was by telling them the plan first?”

Buffy shook her head, “No, not usually, I think Xander just got….”

“Don’t go making excuses for me. I screwed up. She pissed me off and I screwed up. I’m sorry.”

Willow waved from where she sat. “Guys, maybe she didn’t get it.”

They all looked at her and said in unison, “Right.”

Giles chose that moment to walk in with Fred and the group’s dinner. He looked around the room but it was Fred who asked. “What, what happened?”

“Mia, large as life but misty as a ghost, standing, say, about there,” Gunn said as he pointed to just in front of Fred.

Giles placed the food on the table. “Her astral projection: she hasn’t used that particular power before today. I suspect it only manifests itself in times of stress. This may be a good sign.”

“Might have been,” Gunn muttered under his breath.

“I said I was sorry. I didn’t mean to tell her that Will was sending them to a hell dimension. I just did what I always do. Crazy things have always just come out of my mouth, it seemed to happen more around Mia even when….”

Willow stood up. “That thing is not her. And the person you’re talking about loved you, Xander, even after you were married to Diana and she was to Spike.” She cocked her head. “You used to make her laugh with the crazy things coming out of your mouth and she loved you even more for it, don’t forget that. That thing now isn’t her, no matter what it looks like.”

Buffy looked around at all of them. “Willow’s right. And so what if Xander made a mistake, we go on. It’s different for each of us when we see someone we love die or even worse, we see the true evil of the demon they have become. Of all people, Gunn, you know what Xander must feel. So let’s stick together, it’s the only way we’ll survive now.”

Gunn glanced at Xander briefly, then out the window, remembering. “Yeah, you’re right.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Angel walked through the warehouse loft apartment Faith had found for them.

“So, what do you think?” asked Faith.

With a grin Mia replied, “I love the dimensions. It’s perfect. It’s huge but a definite fit. I can get used to this. I almost want it all to myself. You met him where?”

“Oi, careful there, pet. Best be sure it’s the apartment you’re talking about.”

Mia smiled, then dramatically sighed and rolled her eyes. “Will you never stop?”

Spike grinned and his eyebrow arched

Wes answered, “Given my past observances of Spike, that is hardly likely. Nor is it likely that you yourself would want him to.”

Mia laughed, “Thank you, Mr. Smarty Pants.”

“You’re welcome,” he smiled.

“Excuse me, she asked me a question. I met him at a Martini bar near the Riverwalk. There’s two bedrooms already walled off but there’s a futon upstairs in the loft. So it’s perfect for us.”

Angel turned, “Perfect? What’s wrong with you, suddenly go brain dead, Faith? The whole east side is covered with windows. How are we supposed to move about during the day?”

“Oh ye of little…. anything.” Faith narrowed her eyes in Angel’s direction, but smiled. She walked over, picked up a remote, pushed a button and some sort of shutter rolled down and shut, locking out all the outside streetlights.

“That’s wonderful,” said Wesley. “They block out noise and light. Faith, you actually found and killed what we would term a young urbanite, a quite wealthy young urbanite.”

“A what?” asked Faith.

Mia smiled up at her. “A yuppie, a loaded one. You know, Faith, mucho dinero.”

“ A yuppie, like from the eighties.”

“Just like,” answered Wes.

“Imagine, a yuppie in downtown San Antonio. Here we are in Texas and do you know, the dude doesn’t even own a cowboy boot, hat, or even a set of spurs. I asked because I was thinking I’d go for a little ride before I killed him.”

“Damn it!” swore Mia. “Now Spike‘ll have to steal a set of spurs.” Quickly she added. “And maybe a horse.”

No one said anything for a moment.

“What, the place is relatively sound proof. It should fit in our bedroom don’t you think, be nice change of pace for us in there?” Mia said with a straight face.

It was Angel that laughed first. “ Mia… I…. You are…I of all people actually have no words.”

Wesley looked at Spike. “Are you speechless, Spike? That would truly be a great historical event.”

“No, I’m just bloody well trying to figure out who’s going to be wearing the spurs and who’s going to be wearing the horse.”

Faith threw up her arms. “And I thought it was crazy driving here in the van with you bunch of vamps. I’m outta here until sunrise. Just make sure Miss Lone Ranger and Silver there take the completely walled room, it’ll cut down on the noise.” Faith stormed out the door.

Mia shrugged her shoulders. “I guess she didn’t appreciate my humor.”

Spike looked at her and said seriously. “You were joking? ‘Snot fair, love, to go and get a man’s hopes up.” He chuckled and kissed her.

Wes went to the door. “I’ll catch up with Faith and let her know how much we appreciate the new dwelling. I think she was expecting a little more gratitude.”

Angel watched for a moment as Wes left. “I’m going to go find Faith a set of spurs and cowboy hat. See if she’ll…”

“Ride you, mate?”

“Spike, just once I’d love it if you were a little more subtle!” Mia slapped his arm

“Oh, and talking about bringing a sodding horse in here, insinuating we’d involve it in sex, what was that?”

“That was funny,” smiled Angel. “Even having to picture you in the mix, it made me laugh.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Mia heard the shutters going up. It was a sure sign the sun had set. She slipped from the bed, leaving Spike lying sound asleep on his stomach, and began dressing. She was getting ready to leave as Spike reached out and grabbed her hand.

“And where are you sneaking off to, love? You don’t hunt this early.”

“Not sneaking. You were still sleeping. I’m just going.”

Spike turned on his side and looked at her. “Going where ? And without me?”

Mia smiled at him. “Oh, honey, how lame does that sound? Don’t want to be on your own?”

Spike yanked her towards the bed. “Dinn’t say that. More like, I don’t want to be… without you.”

Mia pulled away. “Shit, Spike that makes it worse. Now I have to go and stay away all night. That statement sounded so humanly sweet.”

“Bloody well did, dinnit? Look what you do to me. It’s disgraceful.”

Mia grinned at that. “I’m going shopping.”

“With Faith?”

“No, she’s not much for shopping. Things will change tomorrow night and who knows when I’ll be able to go again. “You want to go?” Mia smiled at him knowingly.

“You know the answer, that is why you were on your way without me. But you could pick me up some….”

“I know I owe you some t-shirts and jeans. Let’s see, what color were those?” Mia turned to the door.

“Em, why don’t you pick yourself up a skirt. Been ages since I’ve seen you in one of those.”

Mia looked back at Spike and cocked her head. “Ok, I’ll see what I can find.”

Mia put her hand on the knob.

“And Em, make it a short one.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Mia walked down the riverwalk laden with shopping bags. She needed to get back to the loft to stow her purchases and meet Angel to go hunting for dinner. Wearing one of the new outfits, a short cherry red Dolce and Gabana skirt, and a cherry red and black patterned, extremely backless halter. She wore a pair of matching snakeskin pumps. She felt renewed. The last time she’d felt like this was when she and Spike had arrived back in England and had gone shopping for their coats. There was just something about wearing designer that made even a vampire feel better.

“Mia, I must say you look lovely.”

Mia turned. “Wes, thank you. Hard to tell without the mirrors.”

“You’ve done a great deal of shopping I see.”

“Yes, they had a fantastic going-out-of-business sale at this boutique up the Riverwalk. Seems they found the entire staff with their necks broken. Isn’t that a shame?”

Wes grinned as he took some of her shopping bags. “Yes, terrible the violence today. I don’t see you out just by yourself much.”

Mia looked his direction and cocked her head. Her eyebrow came up. “Wes, I’m not sure what to make of that comment.”

“What do you want to make of it?” He smiled.

“Oh, answering with a question. Wes, what do you want?”

He stared at her. “Honestly, I’m not sure. More. More of something”

“Come on, follow me,” she said as a smile came to her face.

Wes took some of her bags as Mia led him up a block and to a restaurant open to the river and the riverwalk. She led Wes to a table where she ordered a bottle of wine.

“Things will change tomorrow night. If it’s not enough after that then I’ll understand if you want to leave.”

He gazed into her eyes. “I don’t want to leave.”

Mia’s eyebrows came together in confusion. “Wes?”

“To be honest, Mia, I don’t understand your desire to share everything, especially your bed with him. He hardly seems….”

“Oh….oh…. This is of because Angel and Spike, I let them have a part of me I don’t allow any one else to have. Wes, please I’m not as they say ‘all that’.”

Wes grinned, “Presumptuous of you but…”

“But, after tomorrow you and I will be working together more. Perhaps that will be enough. If not, we’ll get you a fledgling to….”

“This isn’t just about sex….”

“We’re vampires, Wes. It shouldn’t be about too much more.”

“If you think that, you should be sleeping in Angel’s bed on a regular basis. Maybe this is about dominance,: who has it, who wants it and…. who likes it.”

Mia’s eyebrow went up. “You’re right about me having a single bedfellow but you already know my weakness is Spike. Your other statement about domination, that intrigues me, but none of it will change who’s in my bed. For some reason my close connection with Spike transcends the demons. I don’t understand it and neither does he, it just is. But, Wes, if you want to try and dominate either of us give it a try.”

Wes laughed, “And risk my very existence? I said I wanted more, not less, as in nothing but dust.”

“So, you’ll wait, see what tomorrow night brings and we’ll go from there.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“Have a nice glass of wine with Wes, pet?” Spike asked, following Mia into their room.

“Yes, thank you.” Mia put her packages on the bed. She threw the previous owners’ clothes to the floor of closet and began hanging up hers.

Spike stood watching her, his arms folded across his chest.

“Look, I got more than one skirt. Do you like this one?” Mia held a black skirt up for Spike, whose anger was all too apparent.

“Is that a no? Because it’s short, like you suggested. I doesn’t matter if you don’t care for it. I like it, and it goes with the over-the-knee boots I got.”

“You’re just going to stand there and talk about a skirt?”

Mia shrugged, “What, you want me to talk about the boring black jeans and t-shirts I bought for you?”

“Mia, you wear an outfit like that and then Angel and I run across you having a cozy, romantic bottle of wine with Wes.”

Mia laughed out, “Cozy, romantic bottle of wine? It was a Pinot Noir: do they consider that cozy and romantic? Will you stop acting like an idiot? Wait, were you and Angel both jealous, because that will just thrill Wesley.”

Spike glared at her. “I’m not bleeding jealous.”

“Then what is this?”

“It’s a dominance thing, who has it, who wants it, who likes it.”

Mia smiled, then she laughed, and then she smiled again. “Wait, I get this now. Angel and you listened in to the conversation. Oh, that is rich.”

She breezed out of the room and found Angel sitting in a chair. She punched him, and the entire chair fell over backwards with Angel in it.

Angel bounced up laughing, “What the hell?”

“So, did Wes tell you where he was going this evening?”

Angel cocked his head. “ Excuse me? Nice outfit, Mia. Is it new?”

“Does this look like Europe in the 1800’s? ”

“I have no idea what you talking about,” he said, feigning innocence

“Right, okay. So you are not confused to just which scourge this is? ”

Angel shook his head and shrugged his shoulders.

Mia closed her eyes slowly and opened them again. Spike had come into the living room.

“And the two of you together keeping tabs on me, like I was, say, the woman Angel once sired? Just what was that?”

Spike glanced at Angel and they both shrugged nonchalantly

Mia looked from Angel to Spike and said calmly, “Well I’m definitely completely sane and not her, so if you two want to play games fine, I’ll play, but here are my rules: I’ll fucking go where I want, with whom I want, and FUCK whoever I want. Do you both understand? As for dominance I’ll find who likes it and wants it.” Mia turned. As she left the loft she looked in their direction. “Oh, and by the way if you thought I’d be playing that game with either of you anytime soon, you were wrong.” She went out into the night.

~ ~ ~ ~

Spike held Wesley to the brick wall of the living area. “Where is she, Wes?”

With gritted teeth Wes replied, “I have no any idea, Spike. I haven’t seen her since last evening. ”

Faith punched Spike. “Get off of him.”

Angel backhanded Faith. She fell to her butt, hitting the highly polished cement floor. He looked down at her. “The sun’s been up a while, Faith, and the last person that saw her was Wes.”

Faith flipped and swung her leg around, knocking Angel’s feet from under him. “Wes was with me last night. You two asses were the last ones to see her. What did you do to her?”

Just then the elevator came up, the cage door was thrown open and Mia walked in. “It’s long after sunrise: shouldn’t everyone be in bed?” she asked casually.

They all looked at her. She walked up to the little group.

Faith spoke. “ Seems Heckle and Jeckle were too concerned about where you were to let the rest of us get some shut eye.”

Mia raised her eyebrow. “Oh, that, I was just out, doing what and who I wanted. What do you think about that, Faith?”

“Fucking.. Aaay… girl.”

“And, Wes, what do you think?”

“You are your own woman, Mia.”

“ Wes, if I mentioned domination to you, how would you feel about that?”

Wes’s brows came together for a moment. He looked at Mia and lifted them. “ I’d say I would….”

Spike punched Wes knocking him out. He swung around grabbed Mia and then connected with her jaw sending her sprawling toward the bedroom. “ You lot go on without us..”

He was on Mia quickly and slammed her through the door and held her to the bedroom wall.

Mia head butted him and elbowed him but he held fast pinning her arm.

Spike glared at her. “Fuck who you want?”

Mia glared at him. “That’s what I said last night.”

“I hardly think so, pet. Not just anyone would be able to handle you.”

Mia stared at him for a moment, then grinned. “True.”

Spike smiled and an eyebrow came up. “Bleeding sun full up in the sky, and you just come marching in like it’s nothing.”

“You were worried? How very sweetly human of you.”

“You keep saying that and it’s beginning to irritate.” He punched her in the jaw again.

Mia laughed and licked her lip where he’d drawn blood.

“Fine. Spying on me is low even for you, you vampire prick.”

“Was Angel’s idea.”

“What, are you his bitch?”

Spike hit her in the jaw again.

“Hit home, did I? Put me in my place in front of them, but you let him pull you around by your….”

“Em, I planned on fucking you in a moment, not making you unconscious, but you are pushing me.”

“Please…” Mia broke his hold easily and threw him across the room.

Spike jumped up. Mia grinned at him and raised both her eyebrows. Very calmly she said, “Angel’s bitch.”

Spike ran at her. He pulled his demon forth and she laughed, then mocked a scream. He sank his teeth in her neck after grabbing her around the waist, he quickly removed them and spun her around throwing her to the bed.

“Take it back,” he said as he pounced on her.

“No. Just admit you are his bitch. You started out that way back in the beginning when you were first sired, and now when we are all together doing all this evil you can’t help it, you just automatically drop back into the role. ” Mia pushed him and he flew hitting the wall with a thunk. “Say it. You’re his bitch.”

Spike stood at the end of the bed. He grabbed her foot and leg then swung her off the bed to hit the far wall. “I’m not bloody saying it. It’s not true. And you’re taking it back.”

Mia stood up rubbing her head. “You say it out loud and I’ll say you dominate me.”

Spike’s lips pursed. “It’s bleeding tempting but I already know that particular truth, don’t sodding need to hear it.”

“I’ll walk out there and say it in front of them.”

He grinned, “And all I have to do is say that idiotic phrase out loud to you?”

Mia cocked her head and lifted her brow. “Yes.”

“And that’s it?”

“Yes.”

“And we’ll never speak of it again?”

“No, never again. Think about it, it would be cathartic. You have to admit it, he likes to use you like a tool.”

“ Please, he doesn’t even know what they are. You put donut boy Harris’s box in front of him and Angel wouldn’t know what to do with any of ‘em.”

She cocked her head to the right just a bit, “ Donut boy?”

“Harris, always went for the donuts back…Never mind, it loses its bite when you have to explain. Point is, Angel doesn’t know what a tool is or what to do with it. ”

She smiled, “ Sure he does. Torture. Angel would come up with some fun stuff using those things in Xander’s big tool kit. Did you ever see in it? I did.”

Spike glanced away, and then back at her, “Fine, you’re right, he would come up with some exciting and entertaining ways to use them. But you have to admit, Mia, it’s you who is the one who uses me that way, and it’s all the bleeding time.”

Mia lifted her brow. Spike, are you seriously comparing us to you and Angel? Shit!” She shook her head. “Damn! What did you two do that the Watchers never recorded? If that’s the case, why can’t we have a three….”

“Mia, shut it. The vamps out there already saw you thrown into this bedroom. There is no sodding reason for me to say a thing to you about Angel.”

“Oh, right. They all know that was just foreplay. They also know you will be seeing payback for that.”

“Will I?” He grinned and stuck his tongue between his teeth. “When? When will I see the payback? Will you be having your new pet vamp deliver the punches or will you deign to honor me with your lovely….”

“ Later. You’ll have to wait and see. We might get a toolbox if you are good. Now take off your shit.”

Spike grinned, then asked with a smirk “Why? Am I the one you want to fuck?”

Mia threw herself into his arms wrapping her legs around his waist. The force of the move caused them to fall to the floor with a thud.

“Now that is the stupidest question. But then again, you are an admitted idiot.”

“ That was only to you and when it comes to you and Mia, love, you do realize you keep making me want to hurt you.”

Mia pulled at his coat, removing it.

“I know, we just established that was foreplay.”

Spike stood up with her wrapped around him, mouth to mouth. He untied her halter and it slipped to the ground. Lurching, they hit another wall, this time breaking a glass framed picture. Mia laughed as the glass cut her shoulders. Spike growled. He pulled at her skirt. She untangled herself from him, and pushed him several steps away.

“Stop…. it’s Dolce and Gabana.” Mia undid the skirt and dropped it, standing naked in front of him.

She threw Spike against the wall, breaking a bedside lamp as she did, then she kissed him hard. She unbuttoned his pants and unzipped.

Spike pushed her to the bed, knocking the nightstand over. He pushed off his boots and was working at his pants while Mia was pulling up his shirt, kissing along his ab muscles. She nipped at them and then reached for him, pulling his face in front of hers.

“Baby, what are you waiting for? It’s out, and I’m wet and waiting.”

Spike thrust into her and Mia groaned. “That’s it, Spike, dominate me.” Her blue eyes looked up into his blue eyes, “Only you can do that. Only you.”

Spike let out a growl and slammed into her, the force of it moving her across the bed. Mia growled with him as she gripped the bedspread. They both yelled out as they reached their climax.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Xander sat next to Buffy on the plane. “Something’s bothering me. She talked about our team having six players. She would have killed one of us by now if she meant to even the teams. To me that means she is thinking of adding another player to their side.”

“I don’t think so, Xander. They’ve had five for a while now. If she meant to have six on their team she would have added someone new to their team before now.”

“Ok, it’s just she keeps referring to it as a game, and you don’t play any game with odd numbers on the teams.”

“I’ll bring it up when we get back to Los Angeles.”

“Good, because all we need is to have to deal with one more of them.”