Fic: BtVS/Angel: Spike/Riley: Under Glass 4/17: Missing in Action
Title: Under Glass.
Chapter: 4/17: Missing in Action
Author: Trepkos
Fandom: Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel
Pairing: Spike/Riley
Rating: NC17 overall.
Standard disclaimer: no profit made, no copyright infringement intended.
Thanks for beta: shapinglight
Feedback: yes please.
NB. This fic has not been Brit-picked - please let me know if anything ain’t right.
Links to all my fic so far: Altered States
Previous Part An Unexpected Guest
4: Missing in Action
Spike hadn’t seen Riley all day. The man had got up before dawn and left without a word. Sarah said he’d taken a packed lunch and gone to work at the farthest perimeter of the farm.
Then at 5 o’clock Riley’d called to tell her he was going to eat out with some of the guys.
Called Sarah.
He hadn’t called Spike all day and Spike would be damned if he was going to be the one to crack first.
Graham, on the other hand, had been hanging round the farm all day like a stray dog. Spike wondered whether he’d looked like that when he first came here. What was Graham still doing here anyway? Perhaps the warning he wanted to deliver was that he’d come to take Spike’s place.
But much as Spike was in the mood to play the blame game, he didn’t get that vibe; Graham seemed genuinely lost.
Spike begged off dinner and stayed in the cabin. He switched on the TV and flicked channels until he was sure there was nothing on worth ignoring. He wandered around the cabin, picking things up, tossing them from hand to hand and putting them down again. He sat by his bedside table and stared at it.
Something was missing: something that was always there. His chip: his chip, in its little glass pot, was missing.
Maybe Riley had moved it. He looked in the drawer and on Riley’s bedside table, then on every other available surface, but it wasn’t anywhere to be seen.
Well, it wasn’t like he needed it for anything but still …
Riley could have taken it to show Graham. That would be a bit off.
A lot of things about the last couple of days seemed a bit off, but perhaps he was being over-sensitive. Wouldn’t be the first time.
He shrugged, sniffed, sat down at the computer, and tried to occupy himself, messing around with something he was writing, re-arranging sentences. But he couldn’t stop his brain going over and over things, trying to work out whether he’d done something wrong. If he had, he couldn’t for the life of him think what it was.
Then one of those chat window thingies appeared in the corner of the screen.
Spike puffed, a little impatient at the interruption; but he wasn’t getting anywhere much, and it was nice to know someone wanted to communicate with him - even if it was only Harmony.
Turned out she was pretty much on her own back at the Hyperion. The gang had left her and Genevieve minding the store while the rest of them were on some jaunt to a parallel dimension.
‘You okay with that, Harm? All alone in that big spooky hotel with only Gen for company?’
‘Blondie Bear! Hello! I’m a vampire, remember? I am the big spooky!’
He actually had forgotten. Hell, he could almost have forgotten he was one himself, what with the going out in daylight and all - until Riley’s harsh reminder last night.
Another message appeared. ‘I’m bored. Genevieve is off doing … something, somewhere else so guess what!’
‘Okay, what.’
‘I’ve decided to improve my skill-set. I’ve been reading up on magic.’
Spike winced. ‘You should leave the hocus-pocus to the professionals, Harm.’
‘Well, how did they get to be professionals?’ she replied, reasonably enough. ‘They must have started somewhere. Willow did it all by herself, with books and stuff. She’s not much good at fighting but she helps Buffy with magic. So I thought I could be like Willow for Angel Investigations. Then I’d be useful, like a real part of the team. Maybe then Angel won’t keep leaving me behind.’
Spike felt a pang of sympathy. ‘Well, just be careful. That stuff can be dangerous. Don’t go turning yourself into a bright pink newt, alright?’
‘Spikey! I didn’t know you cared!’
‘Well, I do. A bit. But don’t tell anyone, okay? How’s Gen doing anyway?’
So they made inconsequential chit-chat for a while, and it made him feel a little better. But when Riley finally came in at around ten, Spike quickly typed, ‘Night Harm, gotta go,’ and closed the chat window.
He didn’t turn round; waited for Riley to say something, but Riley still wasn’t speaking to him. Spike heard first one boot then the other hit the floor; the sound of teeth being cleaned and then the creak of the bedsprings. At last he turned round, to see Riley sitting up in bed, reading a book. The cover featured men in uniform, carrying guns.
Spike turned off the computer and heaved a deep, attention-seeking sigh. Riley didn’t seem to notice. Finally Spike could wait no longer. “Ground Control to Riley Finn.”
Riley looked up with a start. “Spike. I didn’t know you were there.”
“What am I, the Invisible Man?”
“No, I … just wasn’t expecting you to be sitting there.” Riley frowned.
“Well, where did you think I’d be?”
“I don’t know.” Riley was starting to look annoyed. “I didn’t think about it at all. I don’t always know where you are, I don’t have to. I’m not your keeper.”
It was a good thing Spike was sitting down because that - and the way Riley said it - would have put him on the ground for sure. He lashed out, “What crawled up your arse and died?”
“Sorry, I … don’t know where that came from.” Riley stared at him, as if he were trying to remember something. He twisted the ring on his finger, then batted at the air, like there was a mosquito in front of his face. “Things have been weird today. I’m feeling … dunno, like I’m not really here or something. And seeing Graham like that …”
“You’re bored,” Spike said. “We could go back to LA. Angel’s off somewhere and Harmony says a few cases have come in -”
“It’s not that.”
“What then? And what’s Graham got to do with it? Hey, you two weren’t -”
“No we weren’t,” Riley snapped. “Don’t be ridiculous. Does everything have to be about sex with you?”
“No. It’s -”
“I don’t know what it is,” Riley cut Spike off as though he hadn’t heard him. “I just feel … I dunno, kinda trapped. I think it’s just … one of those things. Maybe I’m at a difficult age or something. Or maybe I just need to sleep. It’ll be better in the morning.”
“Sure it will.” Spike really hoped so. He stripped and got into bed.
But though they lay side by side, they might as well have been on different planets. Riley pretended to sleep, but he wasn’t very convincing. He kept twitching as though something was biting him.
Spike lay dead still, staring at the ceiling.
How could Riley have come in and not even known he was there? Perhaps the enchantment on the ring Spike had given him was wearing off. Come to think of it, Riley hadn’t seemed too clued-in on his feelings for a day or so; or if he was, he’d ignored them.
Spike lay there for over an hour, unable to relax. He badly needed a cigarette. Finally, he slid out of bed, retrieved his secret stash from on top of the wardrobe and went outside.
Graham was sitting on the porch steps of the house, staring up at the stars.
“Mind if I join you?” Spike said.
Graham shook his head.
Spike went and leaned over the porch rail, and lit up. He took a draw on the cigarette. It made him feel more calm. He asked Graham, “Did Riley happen to show you the chip they took out of my head?”
“No, he didn’t,” Graham said. His head whipped round. “Someone took it out?”
“Angleman.”
Graham started to get up, then apparently thought better of it. “Guess you could have bitten me by now if you’d wanted.”
“‘We never bite our friends’,” Spike said. “Or their friends.”
Spike shook his head. He wasn’t even sure that Riley still counted him as a friend any more. Perhaps he should go and find out.
In a little while.
He smoked two more cigarettes.
“Night, then,” he said.
Graham nodded. “Night, Spike.”
So Spike went back to the cabin.
But Riley was lying on his side, with his face to the wall. Though his vitals showed he was awake, he gave no outward sign of having noticed Spike’s return.
Spike sighed. If Riley didn’t want to talk to him … well, what was the point in forcing it?
He slipped into bed.
Riley lay still as stone.
Was this it then?
Spike felt a cold panic awaken in his belly. He could hear himself taking harsh ragged breaths. It was bound to be annoying Riley, and the more he tried to stop doing it, the louder it got. There was a lump in his throat.
A tear ran down the side of his face and into his ear.
At some time after 3 am by the bedside clock, he fell into an uneasy sleep.
~~
Chapter: 4/17: Missing in Action
Author: Trepkos
Fandom: Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel
Pairing: Spike/Riley
Rating: NC17 overall.
Standard disclaimer: no profit made, no copyright infringement intended.
Thanks for beta: shapinglight
Feedback: yes please.
NB. This fic has not been Brit-picked - please let me know if anything ain’t right.
Links to all my fic so far: Altered States
Previous Part An Unexpected Guest
4: Missing in Action
Spike hadn’t seen Riley all day. The man had got up before dawn and left without a word. Sarah said he’d taken a packed lunch and gone to work at the farthest perimeter of the farm.
Then at 5 o’clock Riley’d called to tell her he was going to eat out with some of the guys.
Called Sarah.
He hadn’t called Spike all day and Spike would be damned if he was going to be the one to crack first.
Graham, on the other hand, had been hanging round the farm all day like a stray dog. Spike wondered whether he’d looked like that when he first came here. What was Graham still doing here anyway? Perhaps the warning he wanted to deliver was that he’d come to take Spike’s place.
But much as Spike was in the mood to play the blame game, he didn’t get that vibe; Graham seemed genuinely lost.
Spike begged off dinner and stayed in the cabin. He switched on the TV and flicked channels until he was sure there was nothing on worth ignoring. He wandered around the cabin, picking things up, tossing them from hand to hand and putting them down again. He sat by his bedside table and stared at it.
Something was missing: something that was always there. His chip: his chip, in its little glass pot, was missing.
Maybe Riley had moved it. He looked in the drawer and on Riley’s bedside table, then on every other available surface, but it wasn’t anywhere to be seen.
Well, it wasn’t like he needed it for anything but still …
Riley could have taken it to show Graham. That would be a bit off.
A lot of things about the last couple of days seemed a bit off, but perhaps he was being over-sensitive. Wouldn’t be the first time.
He shrugged, sniffed, sat down at the computer, and tried to occupy himself, messing around with something he was writing, re-arranging sentences. But he couldn’t stop his brain going over and over things, trying to work out whether he’d done something wrong. If he had, he couldn’t for the life of him think what it was.
Then one of those chat window thingies appeared in the corner of the screen.
Spike puffed, a little impatient at the interruption; but he wasn’t getting anywhere much, and it was nice to know someone wanted to communicate with him - even if it was only Harmony.
Turned out she was pretty much on her own back at the Hyperion. The gang had left her and Genevieve minding the store while the rest of them were on some jaunt to a parallel dimension.
‘You okay with that, Harm? All alone in that big spooky hotel with only Gen for company?’
‘Blondie Bear! Hello! I’m a vampire, remember? I am the big spooky!’
He actually had forgotten. Hell, he could almost have forgotten he was one himself, what with the going out in daylight and all - until Riley’s harsh reminder last night.
Another message appeared. ‘I’m bored. Genevieve is off doing … something, somewhere else so guess what!’
‘Okay, what.’
‘I’ve decided to improve my skill-set. I’ve been reading up on magic.’
Spike winced. ‘You should leave the hocus-pocus to the professionals, Harm.’
‘Well, how did they get to be professionals?’ she replied, reasonably enough. ‘They must have started somewhere. Willow did it all by herself, with books and stuff. She’s not much good at fighting but she helps Buffy with magic. So I thought I could be like Willow for Angel Investigations. Then I’d be useful, like a real part of the team. Maybe then Angel won’t keep leaving me behind.’
Spike felt a pang of sympathy. ‘Well, just be careful. That stuff can be dangerous. Don’t go turning yourself into a bright pink newt, alright?’
‘Spikey! I didn’t know you cared!’
‘Well, I do. A bit. But don’t tell anyone, okay? How’s Gen doing anyway?’
So they made inconsequential chit-chat for a while, and it made him feel a little better. But when Riley finally came in at around ten, Spike quickly typed, ‘Night Harm, gotta go,’ and closed the chat window.
He didn’t turn round; waited for Riley to say something, but Riley still wasn’t speaking to him. Spike heard first one boot then the other hit the floor; the sound of teeth being cleaned and then the creak of the bedsprings. At last he turned round, to see Riley sitting up in bed, reading a book. The cover featured men in uniform, carrying guns.
Spike turned off the computer and heaved a deep, attention-seeking sigh. Riley didn’t seem to notice. Finally Spike could wait no longer. “Ground Control to Riley Finn.”
Riley looked up with a start. “Spike. I didn’t know you were there.”
“What am I, the Invisible Man?”
“No, I … just wasn’t expecting you to be sitting there.” Riley frowned.
“Well, where did you think I’d be?”
“I don’t know.” Riley was starting to look annoyed. “I didn’t think about it at all. I don’t always know where you are, I don’t have to. I’m not your keeper.”
It was a good thing Spike was sitting down because that - and the way Riley said it - would have put him on the ground for sure. He lashed out, “What crawled up your arse and died?”
“Sorry, I … don’t know where that came from.” Riley stared at him, as if he were trying to remember something. He twisted the ring on his finger, then batted at the air, like there was a mosquito in front of his face. “Things have been weird today. I’m feeling … dunno, like I’m not really here or something. And seeing Graham like that …”
“You’re bored,” Spike said. “We could go back to LA. Angel’s off somewhere and Harmony says a few cases have come in -”
“It’s not that.”
“What then? And what’s Graham got to do with it? Hey, you two weren’t -”
“No we weren’t,” Riley snapped. “Don’t be ridiculous. Does everything have to be about sex with you?”
“No. It’s -”
“I don’t know what it is,” Riley cut Spike off as though he hadn’t heard him. “I just feel … I dunno, kinda trapped. I think it’s just … one of those things. Maybe I’m at a difficult age or something. Or maybe I just need to sleep. It’ll be better in the morning.”
“Sure it will.” Spike really hoped so. He stripped and got into bed.
But though they lay side by side, they might as well have been on different planets. Riley pretended to sleep, but he wasn’t very convincing. He kept twitching as though something was biting him.
Spike lay dead still, staring at the ceiling.
How could Riley have come in and not even known he was there? Perhaps the enchantment on the ring Spike had given him was wearing off. Come to think of it, Riley hadn’t seemed too clued-in on his feelings for a day or so; or if he was, he’d ignored them.
Spike lay there for over an hour, unable to relax. He badly needed a cigarette. Finally, he slid out of bed, retrieved his secret stash from on top of the wardrobe and went outside.
Graham was sitting on the porch steps of the house, staring up at the stars.
“Mind if I join you?” Spike said.
Graham shook his head.
Spike went and leaned over the porch rail, and lit up. He took a draw on the cigarette. It made him feel more calm. He asked Graham, “Did Riley happen to show you the chip they took out of my head?”
“No, he didn’t,” Graham said. His head whipped round. “Someone took it out?”
“Angleman.”
Graham started to get up, then apparently thought better of it. “Guess you could have bitten me by now if you’d wanted.”
“‘We never bite our friends’,” Spike said. “Or their friends.”
Spike shook his head. He wasn’t even sure that Riley still counted him as a friend any more. Perhaps he should go and find out.
In a little while.
He smoked two more cigarettes.
“Night, then,” he said.
Graham nodded. “Night, Spike.”
So Spike went back to the cabin.
But Riley was lying on his side, with his face to the wall. Though his vitals showed he was awake, he gave no outward sign of having noticed Spike’s return.
Spike sighed. If Riley didn’t want to talk to him … well, what was the point in forcing it?
He slipped into bed.
Riley lay still as stone.
Was this it then?
Spike felt a cold panic awaken in his belly. He could hear himself taking harsh ragged breaths. It was bound to be annoying Riley, and the more he tried to stop doing it, the louder it got. There was a lump in his throat.
A tear ran down the side of his face and into his ear.
At some time after 3 am by the bedside clock, he fell into an uneasy sleep.
~~