Cards On The Table: 1/1
M. Scott Eiland
decides on an unorthodox approach to the problem. . .
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters portrayed here, they remain the
property of their respective owners/creators.
Rating: PG-13, for themes.
Time Frame: "Smashed," with a few changes. . .
Archiving: Be my guest, but e-mail me (eila...@aol.com) to let me know. . .I
like to know where stuff I write ends up and I might want to see what else
you've got.
CARDS ON THE TABLE
Spike stalked out of the basement, as the news that Warren had just given him
overwhelmed the distaste that he had experienced from having to deal with the
young mad scientist and his geek friends. The chip worked. . .the conclusion
he had drawn after his nasty experience in the alley had been confirmed by
Warren's tests. It didn't work on Buffy, and didn't that just raise all kinds
of nasty questions. Spike glanced at the early evening sky, then sat down to
think for a moment.
Spike closed his eyes and thought of the contempt on Buffy's face and in her
voice as she struck him and told him that he was just a thing. * So that's the
way you want to play it, pet? How would you react to hearing that my little
chip just crossed you off of the "not OK to kill" list? * He pictured Buffy's
face changing, showing rage, confusion, and battle lust, and Spike smiled
broadly, anticipating the moment when-
--then his face fell as he saw Buffy's face change again in his mind, and he
saw her as she was over a year ago, hopelessly sobbing at the first news of
Joyce's illness. As it had on that night, the rage filling him seeped away,
leaving him feeling empty. . .and more than a little irritated with himself. *
Now THAT would have been a brilliant idea. . .she's already on the edge. Why
not just walk her over to a bridge before you tell her. . .that would make it
just perfect. She stakes your ass and does a header into the Sunnydale River
* The vampire shook his head in frustration, silently cursing the fate that
had brought him to this place. * I can't win with Buffy. . .whether I'm
trying to kill her or woo her, it always blows up in my face, and I can't even
enjoy whatever misery the process inflicts on her any more. . .maybe I should
just let her-- *
Spike blinked, and the outlines of a plan began to form in his head. He
carefully considered the steps he would take, while the more self-preservatory
side of his nature screamed for a more rational course of action. . .like
sunbathing in boxer shorts. He ruthlessly forced down the fear: he could do
this. . .whether he survived doing it, of course, would be another matter
entirely.
* * * * *
"Go away, Spike." Buffy was in a foul mood, worried about Willow and Amy
running around loose doing God knew what, irritated at the fruitless research
regarding the freezing incident, and above all else wishing to whatever
benevolent powers might be listening to please rid her of this infuriating
vampire. The powers-if they were out there-ignored her silent pleas, and the
Slayer directed her most devastating glare at Spike and grated out, "I don't
have time for this crap now, Spike. . .go off and obsess on your own, please."
"I don't think so, Slayer." Spike's voice was calm, though not without the
usual sardonic bite that marked their more unpleasant confrontations. He
walked around in front of Buffy and locked eyes with her before continuing,
"This thing has gone on long enough, Buffy. . .it's time for you to deal with
it instead of pretending it isn't there."
Buffy blinked, and Spike could see a touch of confusion in her eyes before she
blinked again and reverted to the cold stare as she snarled, "Spike. . .back
off: I won't ask again."
Spike set his jaw. * Here we go. * He smirked at Buffy and asked silkily,
"And what exactly are you going to do if I don't?"
Spike saw her sigh, and reflected that she was hesitating much more than she
would have in a similar situation in the past before a right cross dropped him
to the ground. Buffy looked down at him for a moment, her expression still
cold, then began to walk away. Spike jumped to his feet and shouted, "Slayer!"
As Buffy turned, she walked into a punch that startled her, but did not knock
her down. She blinked again, then waited for Spike to recover from chip pain.
. .it was a moment before she realized that the pain was not apparent, and
Spike was looking at her with a calmly smug expression on his face. She stared
at him and whispered, "What the hell?"
"Oh, that. . .yeah, the little gadget isn't working any more. You know those
military types. . .contracts to the lowest bidder and all that. Noticed it
wasn't working during our last little confrontation, so I went to check it out
on some tasty young thing in the alley behind the Bronze." Buffy's eyes
clouded with guilt, and Spike snorted in amusement as he elaborated, "You can
relax. . .I did a little bit of bite and release. . .she's probably at home
shivering like a leaf, but she'll be fine otherwise."
Buffy glared at him, looking for signs of deception, but saw none. She smiled
coldly and commented, "Well. . .the last time we were in this spot, I believe
my next line was 'Now I get to kill you.'"
Spike nodded, and replied, "And mine was 'You get to try.'" He shook his head
in disgust and added, "I don't want to kill you, Slayer, but I'm not going to
put up with the crap I have been for the past two months, either, particularly
now that I've got my hunting license back. You've kicked my ass pretty
thoroughly the last few times we've fought with gloves off, but you've never
been able to stop me from taking off when I was beaten. . .press it now, and I
just take a powder and you can wonder what nasty things I'm up to somewhere
that isn't here."
"And the reason you didn't just do that rather than bugging me is why,
exactly?" Buffy looked visibly uneasy, but her voice was harsh.
"I wanted to give you a chance to make me a better offer," Spike replied
quietly, watching Buffy as she visibly tensed in anticipation of a fight. He
sighed, then concluded, "Give me a reason to stay, and I will."
Buffy's eyes grew colder yet, and she whispered, "I'd think you'd have figured
out by what went down with Riley last year that I don't respond well to
ultimatums, Spike. . .so if you think I'm going to sleep with you just to keep
you from-"
"Oh, please, Slayer. . .give me some credit for having a brain and a sense of
reality." Spike's casual reply caused Buffy to stop in mid-sentence, and the
vampire snorted in amusement and added, "I've got something a bit more basic in
mind." He walked forward until he was standing right in front of her, then
continued, "I want you to accept my word that I'll continue behaving as if that
damned chip was still working, and that I'll continue to help out with all of
the nasty things that come to this town. I want you to stop treating me like
pond scum, when we both know that I've the one you've been coming to when you
needed to pour your heart out about your deepest, darkest secrets since you've
been back. I want you to admit that however pissed off you are about it, these
feelings you've been having about me are just as real as they would be if you
were having them about the Watcher, or Xander, or Peaches. In other words,
Buffy. . .I want you to treat me like you would anyone else who has been to you
what I have been to you since you came back. . .that's all."
Buffy took a step back, and turned away from Spike, her body language shouting
discomfort as Spike waited for her to respond. After a few moments, Buffy
turned back and asked quietly, "And if I don't like those choices, Spike? I'm
still the Slayer, and letting a soulless vampire run free and unrestrained
isn't exactly in the job description."
Spike nodded, apparently considering the question, then reached into a pocket.
Buffy tensed, then stared as Spike pulled out a stake and tossed it gently to
Buffy. She caught it automatically, then looked down at it involuntarily as
Spike replied, "How's that for Plan B?"
Buffy, with great effort, forced herself to look back at Spike as she
whispered, "What in the hell are you doing?"
Spike smirked at her again, then removed his jacket and knelt in the alley,
looking up at her with serene eyes as he replied, "I thought it would be
obvious, Buffy. . .I'm putting my life in your hands. One plunge of the stake,
and you can be rid of me forever. No more worrying about who I might hurt,
what nasty thing I might say to you, when I might turn on you. . .all of those
worries consigned to an anonymous pile of dust in a forgotten alley."
Buffy's eyes hardened again, and she snarled, "You think I won't do it?"
Spike sighed, then responded, "Actually, I'm fairly certain you will. . .there
are some advantages from my end, too. It'll all be over for me. . .no more
worrying about you or the Niblet, no more having to look over my shoulder for
pissed-off demons, no more pain." He paused, then looked into Buffy's angry
eyes as he continued, "No more sitting in my crypt at night listening to how
terrible it's been for you since you've been back. . .no more struggles to
convince you that life is still worth living. . .none of it." He looked down
for a moment, then back up at Buffy before concluding, "Well, what's it going
to be, Slayer? I'm sure you've got things to do, other demons to kill."
Spike saw the rage blossom in Buffy's eyes, and watched as she brought the
stake back. He tensed, but forced himself to remain completely still as her
hand began to move forward. He closed his eyes and waited for death.
There was absolute silence in the alley except for the harsh sound of Buffy's
breathing, and Spike listened to five breaths before opening his eyes. The
point of the stake was about a millimeter from Spike's chest, and Spike
inwardly shuddered before commenting quietly, "Not exactly the most efficient
technique, Slayer."
Buffy flinched at the sound of Spike's voice, then dropped the stake before
falling to her knees and burying her face in the vampire's shoulder, sobbing.
Spike involuntarily drew her closer to him, then held her for long moments
before whispering in a tone of mock annoyance, "Is it really that upsetting to
you that you couldn't bring yourself to stake me?"
The sobbing stopped, and Buffy pulled away from Spike and got to her feet,
though her posture was visibly slumped. She looked down and whispered, "I'm
just so frustrated. . .nothing seems right any more. If I can't even make
myself stake you when you're a danger to others, then what in the hell am I
still doing here? How messed up is it to be a Slayer who needs a soulless
vampire to keep me from losing it?"
"About as messed up as it is to be a soulless vampire in love with a Slayer. .
.more or less," Spike replied quietly, getting to his feet and putting his
jacket back on. He met her eyes again and added, "Oh, and I wouldn't worry
about my going on any rampages any time soon. . .I wasn't quite up front with
you about the chip being out altogether. . .it worked just fine when I tried to
bite that woman in the alley." Buffy's eyes narrowed, looking skeptical, and
Spike shrugged and added, "I'll prove it to you later. . .you can let your
buddy Xander take a few punches at me, and vice versa." He sighed, then
concluded, "As near as I can tell, the only one the chip doesn't work for any
more is you, Buffy."
Buffy took a couple of steps backwards, shock and horror slowly becoming
visible in her eyes. She looked away and whispered, "What does that mean. .
.am I--?"
"It means the chip doesn't work for you. . .and that's all, Buffy." Spike
replied in a matter-of-fact voice, then shrugged and commented, "It's a
glorified piece of gadgetry, Buffy. . .not a mirror for your soul. You've been
to heaven and back: it's hardly shocking that some things just don't know how
to react to that." He smiled at her and concluded, "You're still you. . .no
imposter could possibly be this irritating."
Buffy chuckled involuntarily, then looked downcast as she asked, "Now what?"
Spike shrugged, then suggested, "Patrol? I hear there's a diamond-eating frost
demon out there." He started walking down the alley, then realized Buffy was
still standing still. He turned back to her, and asked, "Was there something
else, Buffy?"
Buffy blinked, then nodded before replying, "Yes, Spike. . .I just wanted you
to know. . .I trust you, and I'm glad you're here." Spike smiled, and Buffy
continued, "Oh. . .and I won't be kissing you again. . .unless I mean it."
Spike raised an eyebrow and replied, "Really? And when exactly can I expect
that to happen?"
Buffy met his eyes, and the old fire was back in them as she smiled and
responded, "I'm not sure. When is hell scheduled to freeze over?" She grinned
at him and walked past, and Spike shook his head in annoyance and followed,
wondering if he'd handled it right. After a moment, he saw that Buffy was
moving with her old energy, and he realized that he had. He shook his head
again and followed her into the night.
As before, comments are welcome and desired.
M. Scott Eiland
The Unicorn and The Slayer: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/buffyofamber
A place to read and discuss Buffy and Angel fanfic, talk about stuff, and
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Dave
Scott Eiland) writes:
>He smiled at her and concluded, "You're still you. . .no
>imposter could possibly be this irritating."
So true. Wish he'd thought of this plan on the show.
Dave
"...it is the way of our living that is
testament to our spirits, and perhaps
the way we die..."
---Tuckerby Underbank