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 19: You Are My Sunshine
"You're hurt," Drusilla said as soon as Angel and Wesley walked through the door. Angel, naturally, assumed she was talking to him since he had a nice gash across one cheek. Drusilla, however, headed straight for Wesley, who was limping slightly.
Angel was a little put-out. He'd gotten his cut while fighting, while Wesley had tripped and twisted his ankle. "I'm alright," Wesley insisted, sounding both pleased and embarrassed to have her fussing over him.
"Let me look at it," Drusilla suggested, tugging Wesley over to the couch.
Angel grimaced. Having a vampire's sense of smell had never been so inconvenient. Knowing that Wesley and Drusilla were a couple was bad enough without having the evidence right in front of his nose, so to speak. "Aren't they cute together?" Cordelia asked, pulling him out of his thoughts.
He glowered. "Very cute."
"Say it like you mean it, Angel," Cordelia chided. "Come on. You've got to admit that Drusilla's really good for Wesley. And vice versa."
Angel watched as Dru gently checked out the ex-Watcher's injuries, while he interrupted her task with a gentle touch to her cheek. It was apparent that they thought themselves the only ones in the room. Cordelia was obviously right, but that didn't mean Angel had to like it. "I guess."
Cordy rolled her eyes at his stubbornness. "Geez, Angel, grow up. There are plenty of other fish in the sea."
"Not for me," Angel said quietly.
Cordelia tugged him away, towards her small kitchen, in order to give the two lovebirds some privacy. "How did it go tonight?"
"Fine," Angel replied. "Although, next time we have to deal with something that size, I'm going to call Gunn."
"Who?" Cordelia asked, frowning.
"Gunn," Angel repeated, realizing belatedly that he hadn't really told her about the gang leader. "Charles Gunn. He's the one who was in charge of that gang of kids."
"Oh," Cordelia replied. "It probably isn't a bad idea to have a little more muscle on hand."
"You know," Angel began in a tone that told Cordelia to be wary. "I may have to ask you to have Drusilla stay here for a while longer than we thought. Not that there isn't the money, but I'd feel better if she had a little more transition time."
Cordelia sighed, but she didn't argue. Drusilla wouldn't be so bad to have around. She was really nice, she understood about the visions, and she seemed to be getting along with Dennis, all points in her favor. Besides, it wasn't like Wesley didn't have his own place, so they wouldn't be making out—or doing other things—on her couch all the time.
Cordelia peeked around the corner. Or maybe not. "Maybe we should get back out there," she suggested. "Because if they keep going, I'm going to have to have that couch cleaned."
~~~~~
The front door squeaked a bit as Buffy entered, looking back over her shoulder at Spike. "Are you hungry?"
"I could eat," he replied. "You should probably eat somethin' too, luv."
She shrugged. "I'm not that hungry."
"Buffy—"
"Really, Spike. I'm not." She frowned. "You don't think I should have stayed with Mom tonight, do you?"
"They were goin' to kick you out, pet," Spike reminded her gently. The doctor had made the decision to keep Joyce in the hospital overnight for observation. Since the biopsy had occurred later in the day, they wanted to be certain she didn't have an adverse reaction to the anesthesia.
Buffy had wanted to stay, but Giles had strongly suggested she get some rest. Spike, taking his cue from the Watcher, had insisted on seeing her home. The Slayer was still feeling a little dazed by it all. The biopsy results wouldn't be in for a while, and until then they wouldn't have any idea of what would need to happen next.
She attempted a smile. "Yeah, I could see the nurse giving us the evil eye." There was a long pause. "Would you stay tonight?"
Spike blinked in surprise. "I don't—"
"I don't want to be alone."
There was only one response that Spike could make to that, of course. "Then I'll stay. You sure you don't want Willow, though?"
Buffy stared at him. "You don't want to stay?"
"No!" he replied quickly. "I just—I want you to be sure, luv. I want you to know, you're not getting rid of me, Buffy. We do this, you ask me to stay, and I won't be leavin'."
She stared at him, recognizing the warning for what it was. "And if the chip stops working?"
"We'll work somethin' out," Spike replied. "Told your Watcher today, I won't hurt you, Slayer. Whatever comes."
Buffy understood the faith that was required to believe him. Her concerns, stemming from the last vampire she'd dated, were valid, of that she had no doubt. Spike had been one scary guy before he'd been chipped. Even though they had never managed to kill each other—and even though Spike had teamed up with her to stop Angelus—he'd been a formidable opponent.
"I know." Her voice was steady when she did speak. A new strength coursed through her, replacing the fatigue that sitting in the hospital waiting room had brought. It was a strength borne of desire, of hope, of a deep sense of peace. She had seen Spike with Drusilla, knew how he could be with someone he loved—even human.
She knew, somehow, that he loved her.
Spike took a step in her direction. "Ready to take this to the next level then?" he asked, a challenge in his tone. "I could sleep in the basement."
"That would entirely defeat the purpose of having an empty house," Buffy pointed out logically. "Might as well take advantage of every opportunity."
"Not a bad idea," Spike agreed, his voice becoming husky with desire. "Never know when it'll happen again."
Buffy smiled, taking a step closer. "I've been meaning to talk to you about that. You really are going to have to do something about your crypt. At least get a bed."
"Only for you, luv," Spike said in reply, close enough now so that their lips met in a frenzy of desire.
Buffy needed to feel—to feel someone's arms, someone's lips and tongue. To know that she wasn't alone, and that her mother's illness would not completely shatter the foundations of her world. That Spike, at least, would stay constant—her north star.
Spike simply wanted her. He'd dreamed of this moment, though never of the emotion that lay behind it. He loved her, as crazy as it might sound. Somewhere along the way, Spike had fallen for the Slayer. It was bleedin' pathetic, was what it was.
At the moment, he didn't care.
The kiss was rapidly heading into previously unexplored territory as Spike allowed his hands to wander freely. Buffy's own hands were just as courageous, beginning to blaze a trail down the front of his shirt, leaving buttons undone in their wake.
His shirt was half off before Spike managed to suggest that it might be better to go upstairs. "Not that there's anyone here to see us, but a bed might be nice," he muttered against her lips.
"Bed," Buffy echoed, nearly incoherent. She didn't remember anything feeling this good in the past. "Upstairs then."
They managed to stumble their way up the stairs, neither one of them willing to lose contact. Once inside Buffy's door, however, things slowed down a bit. "There's no goin' back," Spike warned her. "This isn't a one night stand, Buffy."
"I don't do one night stands," she replied evenly.
And then there was no more waiting.
~~~~~
Buffy lay in a boneless, satiated heap on top of Spike, who was also sprawled out. She couldn't ever remember being this relaxed or contented, not for a long time. They were supposed to be heading out to pick her mother up at the hospital soon, but neither one of them cared to move.
"I love you."
The quiet words sent a thrill through Buffy. She'd suspected it, but hadn't been certain. For all she'd known, Spike just wanted her.
Moving just enough to see his face, Buffy caught a flicker of fear in his eyes. "I know you do, Spike."
Understanding lightened his expression as Spike realized that even though Buffy couldn't say the words, she would accept them from him. He didn't mind waiting, as long as she wanted him there. "Buffy—"
He was interrupted by an impatient knocking on the door. "Buffy! We have to leave in thirty minutes to get Mom!"
Spike frowned, at first not recognizing the voice. Buffy had no such problem, however. "Just give me a minute! I'll be right there!"
"If we're late, I'm going to tell Mom you were jumping Spike's bones all night and kept me awake!"
Spike frowned as Dru's words echoed in his memory. The second thing is the Slayer's sister… she's the Key to the whole thing. You have to protect her, Spike, just like you protected Mummy.
"I'm going to kill Dawn," Buffy groused as she pulled herself up. "We don't have to leave for at least an hour. She knows that! She just hates me."
"She doesn't hate you, luv," Spike replied, amusement displacing confusion. He'd have to discuss Drusilla's warning with the Slayer later, but they had more important things to take care of at the moment. "She's just bein' a pest. It's in the job description."
"I'm still going to kill her," Buffy mumbled, giving him a quick peck on the lips. "She ruined my afterglow."
~~~~~
Having Drusilla around was turning out to be something of an interesting experiment. Cordelia had never before shared an apartment on what could be a long term basis, but she thought it might work out with the other woman.
Provided, of course, that Wesley wasn't underfoot all the time.
With Drusilla there, the ex-Watcher always seemed to have a good reason to be there as well. Cordy was going to have to discuss the benefits of going out on dates, rather than staying in before she strangled him and broke Drusilla's heart.
Not that she didn't like seeing either of them happy, but Wesley in particular was just so—sappy about the whole thing. It was obvious that he was in love, but more than that. He was infatuated. He basically worshipped the ground that Drusilla walked on.
It actually was bringing back memories of high school, when Cordelia had men at her beck and call at all times. While Cordy wouldn't have gone back for all the money in the world, she missed that part of it. She hadn't had a date in—forever.
Not since Doyle had saved her life, at least.
Trying to explain the head-splitting visions to a guy was pretty much out of the question, though. The only men Cordelia thought might understand were Wesley and Angel. Wes was obviously taken, and Angel—
It was only in the depths of her heart that Cordelia could acknowledge the growing affection for the vampire. It wasn't love, but—there was something.
Something she wasn't ready to even consider as of yet.
Today, however, it was going to be just Cordy and Dru, going shopping. The paperwork for the trust had come through, and Cordelia—who had just barely learned about things like budgets and rent-paying—found herself in the position of teacher.
Cordelia was more than a little suspicious about Wolfram & Hart's ready acquiescence to Angel's demands. It smacked of them having something else up their devious little sleeves. She had also learned never to look a gift horse in the mouth. Lindsay and the rest of them might not be done with Angel yet, but then again, they probably never would be.
Cordelia hadn't had the chance to look for a new bikini in ages—of course, she hadn't had a lot of opportunities to go to the beach, either. So shopping promised to be fun and exciting, even if looking for swimming suits was about the hardest thing ever on a woman's self esteem.
"Try this," Cordy suggested, handing a deep purple two-piece to Drusilla.
The other woman eyed it doubtfully. "Are you sure? It seems a little—"
"Revealing?" Cordy asked. "Trust me, this is nothing. Besides, something like this is guaranteed to render Wes speechless."
Drusilla nodded and then handed her own choice to Cordelia. "I think you ought to try this one on."
Cordelia hesitated, having seen the price tag. "I don't know. I'm not sure that it's me."
It was definitely her. Drusilla was getting the hang of the fashion thing, and Cordy thought Dru might actually rival her someday. "My treat," Drusilla insisted. "You've been so kind, it's the least I can do."
Her hesitation only lasted a moment more. "Okay," she decided. "I'll give it a try." Cordelia looked over at Dru. It had been ages since she'd had a girlfriend to do these kinds of things with. After her parents had lost everything to the IRS, most of her Sunnydale friends had deserted her. Or rather, she had distanced herself, having no desire for anyone to find out what had happened. Now, however, Cordelia knew she had a shot at a real friendship with another woman.
It felt good.
"We should go to the beach sometime," Cordelia said impulsively. "Just us girls."
Drusilla smiled slowly. "I think I should like that very much."
~~~~~
Willow could barely hold her tongue on the way to the hospital. She'd offered to accompany the Summers girls to pick up Joyce from the hospital, having the dual motives of wanting to assure herself that Mrs. Summers was okay and to pump Buffy for information about Spike.
She'd noticed Spike's change of dress, and had her own theories on why the vampire would have done it. Once Buffy had picked her up, and Willow saw the post-coital glow, she had her confirmation.
Not that she wanted details, but Willow was a sucker for gossip, especially of the boy variety.
To curb her enthusiasm, the redhead willingly chatted with Dawn about the newest Harry Potter book and let Buffy concentrate on driving. The Slayer still wasn't that great at it, but at least Willow no longer felt as though she was taking her life in her hands when Buffy climbed behind the wheel.
Once they'd reached the hospital, however, and Dawn ran ahead, Willow looked over at her friend. "So? How was it?"
"How was what?" Buffy asked innocently.
Willow mustered her resolve face. "Don't give me that, missy. You have satisfaction face. You got satisfied last night."
A bright red flush began creeping up Buffy's face. "There might have been some…satisfaction."
"And?" Willow insisted. "On a scale from one to ten?"
Buffy got a dreamy look. "Off the charts."
Willow's eyes widened. "Really? That good?"
"Oh yeah," Buffy murmured. She grimaced. "Although, Dawn was threatening to tell Mom we kept her up all night. If she says anything at all…"
"I'll distract her," Willow said loyally. "But there's definitely a you-and-Spike now?"
Buffy smiled. "Yeah. Pretty crazy, huh?"
"No crazier than there being a me and Tara."
~~~~~
Spike was in the kitchen heating up the last of the blood when he heard them come home. Dawn was telling her mom about everything they could do while Joyce was recovering, and Buffy was reminding her sister that their mom should be resting and Dawn shouldn't bother her.
Chuckling as he listened to the fight get started, Spike decided to drink his meal before going out there. He hadn't expected Willow to join him in the kitchen. "Hey, Spike."
"Red," Spike said evenly. He wasn't quite sure what to expect from the girl, even though she'd been in on the rescue attempt. "How're things?"
"Good," Willow replied. "I hear you and Buffy are good too."
Spike raised an eyebrow. "How would you know anythin' ‘bout that?"
"Please, Spike," Willow replied. "Buffy and I have been friends for years. I know when she's had a good night."
If vampires could blush, Spike certainly would have. "Yeah, well…"
"Spike—" Her unusually serious tone cause him to meet Willow's eyes. "Buffy's really happy with you for whatever reason. Don't make me regret supporting her decision."
Spike was slightly taken aback, recognizing her tacit offer of support. "I won't."
"Good," Willow replied, cheerful once more. "I'd hate to have to dust you. You kinda grow on a girl."
Spike couldn't keep from laughing.