Author: enigmaticblue <enigmaticblue@yahoo.com>
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters below, although I wish I'd thought of them first.
Archive: Anywhere that already has my stuff. Anywhere else, just ask.
Summary: A response to Helga Von Nutwimple's Vamp-in-the-Box Challenge. Wolfram & Hart make a slight error, and bring Drusilla back instead of Darla at the end of Ats S1. Drusilla heads straight to Sunnydale and Spike, and in the process throws a monkey wrench into Buffy's thinking. Oh, and Riley left after "Restless."
A/N: I don't particularly want to post the rules right now because it
will give away too much of the story. Therefore, they will be posted at
the end, and you all can decide for yourselves how well I did answering
my first challenge.
Chapter 13: Spoils to the Victor
When Drusilla began to awaken, it was to the feel of a warm body pressed close to hers, her hand enfolded in a larger one. Even though she felt a little too warm from the contact, Dru found herself relishing the sensations. She recognized Wesley's unique scent of soap and cologne, an earthy, masculine smell that sent a bolt of desire to the core of her being.
Drusilla might be a good girl, but that didn't mean she was dead. At least, not anymore.
Her eyes fluttered open, and she turned her head to see Wesley's face on the pillow next to her. Unsure of what her next move might be, Drusilla stayed still. After a few minutes, Wesley began to stir, his eyes widening when he saw her. "Drusilla," he pulled back quickly. "Forgive me, I—"
"You what?" Her voice was still husky from sleep and the drugs that had been in the dart.
Wesley swallowed convulsively. "I, uh, I had to, uh, get a single room," he said quietly. "I hope you don't mind sharing a bed."
A wicked smile crossed Drusilla's face. "I suppose it will be alright. Are you planning on keeping your hands to yourself?"
The flush creeping into Wesley's cheeks pleased her to no end. "Of course," he assured her. "I would never—"
Her widening grin cut off his words. "Because I'm not certain that's such a good plan."
"Drusilla!" Wesley exclaimed. He was unsure what to do with this rather assertive woman. He wondered if she'd always been like this or if something had changed in the last 24 hours. "I'm not sure that's such a good idea."
Of course, Wesley made no move to get off the bed or to release her hand. "Why not?" she asked, inching closer. "Don't you want to kiss me?"
That was a stupid question. Wesley had actually been trying very hard not to think about kissing her for the last few days. "Well, you see, as a matter of fact—"
Drusilla decided she needed to take action. She liked him. She more than liked him. For once, Dru didn't want to be a good girl—she wanted to enjoy herself. Plus, she was psychic, so she knew exactly what she was getting into with Wesley.
The fact that he didn't have the same advantage didn't bother Drusilla in the least. She planned on being very careful with this man. The glimpses she'd caught of the future suggested that it might be bright indeed.
Her lips caught the rest of what he might have said, and though the kiss they shared was gentle, it shut Wesley up rather effectively. When he pulled back, the soft light in his eyes told her she'd done the right thing. "Are you certain this is what you want?"
"Do I look uncertain?" Drusilla asked, pulling him back in.
Wesley had to say that she seemed to know exactly what she wanted and how to get it.
~~~~~
Buffy was arguing with herself. It wasn't an uncommon problem for her. There often seemed to be two people inside her head, each wanting something completely different. On this particular morning there was one voice that was urging her to forget all about the heated make out session she'd had with Spike.
The other voice was arguing just as strongly for going to the basement, waking him up, and starting all over again.
The second voice was winning.
Buffy bit back a groan. She knew it was stupid to even think about starting up a relationship with another vampire. Especially when that vampire was evil and unsouled.
Except that Spike really wasn't that evil. Sure, he liked to talk about how bad he was, but Buffy had seen him with Drusilla. It was pretty obvious that he would do just about anything for somebody he cared about.
And, yes, Buffy did realize how insane it was to talk about a soulless vampire "caring" about anyone or anything.
Of course, it wasn't like Spike had ever been normal or anything. What other vampire liked little marshmallows in his hot chocolate?
Buffy was well aware that the idea of them embarking on something physical without their hearts getting involved was ludicrous. She already knew she felt something for him—she just didn't know what it was yet.
She wondered if Spike thought of her as more than just the Slayer, more than a trophy to be obtained. She thought the severity of his reaction to her lying to him was a clue. Spike had been pissed off enough to suggest that she had the capability of hurting him, which seemed to indicate that he might care for her more than he let on.
Then there was that little niggling doubt again, because even if he did care—at all—it didn't mean he'd stick around. Angel and Riley had both cared, and they had left. Buffy almost thought it would be easier if neither she nor Spike shared more than lusty feelings, since that might keep both their hearts intact.
"You're thinkin' awful hard."
Buffy whirled to face him, noting that he didn't have his shirt on again. The sight of his well-toned chest and abs caused all rational thought to go right out of her head. "Would you stop that?" she demanded. "You're always doing that!"
"Doin' what?"
"Sneaking up on me!" Buffy snapped. "Should I get you a
bell?"
"Does it come with a leather collar?" he asked, leering.
Somehow Buffy didn't find his leer nearly as annoying today as she had in the past. "It might, if I thought it would help."
Spike's face softened slightly, and he gave her a genuine smile. "Gotta get my kicks somehow, Slayer," he replied.
When Buffy merely rolled her eyes at him and went about the business of finding something to eat, Spike cleared his throat. "We need to talk about last night."
"What about last night?" Buffy said, wanting to give nothing away. She wanted to hear what Spike had to say for himself first.
"Don't play that game with me, Slayer," Spike growled. "You know what about last night."
Buffy sighed. "No, actually I don't. If this is about the fact that we kissed, we kissed, Spike. That doesn't mean we have to do anything about it."
Spike scowled at her. "Why not? Are we doing the whole 'me, Slayer, you, evil vampire' thing again, because that's gettin' old."
"I don't know," Buffy shot back, sounding just as frustrated. "What do you want?"
"What do you want?"
They stared at each other in a stalemate that didn't look to be ending any time soon. Something in Spike's eyes gave Buffy the courage to say, "I don't know why you want me."
"Because—"
She interrupted him again. "I mean, I don't know if this is just—you know, about kissing, or if you—" Buffy winced. "Have feelings."
The last two words were spoken in such a low tone that Spike probably would have missed them if he hadn't been a vampire. "What kind of feelings?"
Buffy blushed. "Well, feelings."
Spike was beginning to become amused. The Slayer's ability to live in the land of denial was truly amazing. "If you're askin' if I want you dead, the answer's no, pet."
"That's good," Buffy said, knowing how lame it sounded even as the words left her mouth. "Because I don't really want you dead either."
He took a predatory step forward. "That right? Anything else goin' on in that pretty little head of yours I should know about?"
Buffy's mouth was watering. Literally. Why was it that Spike could stop her brain from working at ten feet? It wasn't fair for a person of the undead persuasion to be that sexy. It would be so much easier if he were human. Or had a soul. Anything that would let her haul him upstairs and make use of the empty house guilt-free.
"There might be some friendly feelings there," Buffy admitted.
Spike smirked. "Really? Matter of fact, I might have some friendly feelin's of my own."
Buffy took a step forward. "What are you going to do about it?"
He didn't allow her to wonder for long. Spike had been thinking about kissing her again pretty much from the moment she'd gone upstairs the night before. He was just amazed that she wasn't running in the opposite direction. She was, in fact, an enthusiastic participant.
As had happened the previous night, Buffy found the little voice in her head that warned her about what a bad idea this was became completely silent when Spike's lips met hers. When his tongue came out to play, all coherent thought left her head completely.
Her hands on bare skin, Buffy pulled him close—as close as two people could get without sharing the same skin. They were so caught up in the moment and in the sensations, that they didn't realize they had a visitor.
At least not until Willow cleared her throat. "If you guys are done playing tonsil hockey..."
Buffy broke away from Spike somewhat sheepishly. - Willow ."
Willow had a smug grin on her face. "I thought you said you didn't have the hots for Spike."
The Slayer opened her mouth to protest that she didn't, but the words wouldn't come. It would be an outright lie given what Willow had witnessed with her own eyes. "Whoops."
Spike, not at all happy with the interruption, crossed his arms in front of his bare chest. "What is it, Red?"
Willow flashed him a bright smile, not at all phased by his growly tone. "Angel called. Wolfram and Hart went after Drusilla last night. I guess Wesley got her out of harm's way, and they're holed up somewhere. Angel just wanted to give us a head's up."
"You couldn't have just called?" Spike asked sardonically.
Willow shrugged. "I could have, but Buffy and I were supposed to hang out today." She gave her friend a look. "You still up for it?"
Buffy hesitated, and then threw an apologetic look at Spike. "Do you mind?"
Spike minded, but the fact that Buffy wasn't actively freaking out that Willow had caught them kissing was something. She was also asking him if he minded in a tone of voice that suggested what he said mattered. "S'pose not. We can suss this out later."
"Absolutely," Buffy said, almost too cheerfully. She was grateful for the reprieve. "We can certainly 'suss' away."
Spike watched her dash out of the kitchen, meeting Willow 's eyes. "Well? You got somethin' to say to me?"
Willow smiled, although there was a bite to her tone. "You hurt her, and I will make you wish you'd never been born."
Somehow, Spike found himself believing her.
~~~~~
"Want to tell me what I walked in on?" Willow asked as soon as they were outside.
Buffy shrugged, refusing to meet Willow 's eyes. "We were kissing."
"I know that much," Willow replied, exasperated. "I thought you didn't like Spike."
"He grows on a person," Buffy said. She glanced nervously at Willow . "I don't know what I'm doing," she suddenly confessed. "It's just—last night we were sitting on the couch, right? All of a sudden Spike has his hand in my hair, and it felt so good. Then we just started kissing. He's just been so different lately, Will."
"So you do like him."
That seemed like too much of a black-and-white statement for Buffy. "There might be some like there," she hedged. "He is a really good kisser."
"So you're using him for his body." Although Willow 's tone was both serious and disapproving, she had a suspicious sparkle in her eyes. Buffy was just so much fun to tease.
"No!" Buffy replied. "There's no using! It's more like we're friends with benefits, you know?"
Willow was still trying hard to hide a smile. "You're friends with Spike."
Buffy was now officially confused, if she hadn't been before. "I—yeah, I guess I am," she said defiantly.
"I knew it," Willow said smugly. "I knew you had feelings for Spike."
"And you don't care?" Buffy asked.
Willow shrugged. "It's not like you've never dated a vampire before," she replied. "Besides, I've dated a werewolf, Xander's with an ex-demon, and you've been really supportive about Tara." Willow gave her friend a serious look. "Are you sure this is what you want, Buffy?"
"I don't know," Buffy confessed quietly. "You're right, Will. There's something there. I just don't know what it means yet. I know I could be making a huge mistake, but—"
"Carpe diem?"
"Something like that," Buffy replied. "Besides, if nothing else my mom likes him. You know how many of my boyfriends Mom's liked in the past?"
"None?"
"You got it." Buffy shook her head. "I have a feeling she'll be thrilled."
"Xander's going to flip his lid," Willow observed.
Buffy snorted. "Since when has Xander been a big fan of me dating anyone?" she asked. "He's just going to have to learn that he does not get a say in my personal life. If I want to date Spike, I'm going to date Spike."
Willow didn't bother pointing out the fact that this was the first time that anyone had suggested that Spike was Buffy's boyfriend.
~~~~~
Cordy watched Angel pace. "Now what?"
"I don't know," Angel grumbled. "It's not like I can just call up Wolfram and Hart and say, 'Hey, leave Drusilla alone!'"
Cordelia was curled up in her chair, a thoughtful expression on her face. "Why not?"
"Like that's going to work," Angel scoffed. "They'll do what they want. They always do."
"Why don't you make sure they won't come after her then?" Cordelia asked. "I mean, it's pretty much your job to take care of her, right?"
Angel stared at her. "Yeah, but I can't stop them."
"Why not?" Cordelia asked. "It's not like they're unkillable or anything. If you just let them know you mean business, maybe that would work. Go find somebody and smack 'em around a little." She smiled brightly. "It might even let you work off some of that tension and stop wearing a path in my floor."
Angel grimaced. "Lilah and Lindsay were both at the raising," he commented. "Maybe they know what's going on."
"Go after Lilah," Cordelia suggested.
Angel glanced over at her. "Why Lilah?"
"Please," Cordelia said. "She's probably not nearly as pissed off at you as Lindsay is. After all, you cut off his hand. Why would he want to do anything for you?"
It was a good point, and Angel nodded slowly. "That might work. At least I might get her to tell me what they want."
"Good plan," Cordelia said. "Now go out there and carry it out," she encouraged.
Angel smiled. "Are you getting fed up with me again?"
Cordy smiled. "No, but I had plans for a nice, hot bath and a good book."
~~~~~
Drusilla relaxed into Wesley's touch as he stroked her cheek. "When this is all over, I'm going to show you how wonderful this can be."
"I can already see it," Drusilla replied. "It's dancing in your eyes."
As much as Wesley really had wanted to make love to her, there was still the possibility that Wolfram and Hart would find them. He hardly wanted to be caught in flagrante delicto. "We're probably moving too fast," he murmured regretfully.
"It's only too fast if you don't know what you want," she pointed out.
Wesley smiled in return. "I know what I want," he replied. "You're so beautiful."
Spike had spoken to her in such a manner, even after he'd been turned. The gentle poet had never been completely banished, and he would often speak to her in soft words that would have delighted any woman's soul.
Angelus had caused her to be incapable of truly appreciating anything but pain.
With the return of her sanity had come the return of her hope for the future. Drusilla could now see what it might be like to have Wesley work his magic on her with his hands and lips. She could very nearly taste the ecstasy to come.
She drew his head down for another kiss, but stiffened as the images intruded.
The threat of sunlight—Drusilla no longer feared it, but it still held danger for Spike. The man speaking to him—threatening him—was the same man who'd had his hand cut off. He was threatening Spike with death unless he cooperated.
The light brightened the room, leaving only one small corner in shade. Spike was effectively trapped and obviously weakened, although he still didn't seem inclined to cooperate.
Spike never had reacted well to threats.
If they couldn't have Drusilla, they would take the chip, use the technology for their own gain. And they would leave nothing of Spike behind.
"Drusilla?" Wesley's concerned voice brought Dru back to reality. She glanced up at the ex-Watcher.
"They have him," Drusilla said with conviction. "Oh, Wesley, they're going to hurt him."
~~~~~
Buffy felt slightly guilty for having been gone all day. She had figured that Spike probably could use the time to sleep, but she'd also needed the time away from him. Time to think about what had happened between the two of them.
Of what she wanted to happen.
She didn't think she could stop it now if she tried. Buffy believed that whatever hung between them would have to be ridden out to its end, whatever that end might be. Perhaps it was foolish. She knew Giles would certainly tell her as much when he found out that there was something between her and Spike.
At the moment, however, Buffy really didn't care. She just wanted to feel his lips on hers again.
The front door was open when she got home, and Buffy blinked in surprise and a sudden sense of fear. She rushed inside. "Mom? Spike?"
There was no answer, and Buffy rushed through the rooms on the first floor, finding them empty. Only a few things were out of place, but it was enough to send fear into her heart and to have Buffy rushing to the basement. She knew full well that Joyce had most likely not returned home again. "Spike?"
His cot was empty, the blankets tangled, the indentation from his body still clear on the thin mattress. With fading hope, Buffy ran up two flights of stairs to find the second floor empty as well.
Spike was gone.