Balloons
Title: Balloons
Author: maryfic
Rating: PG-13
Character(s): Spike, Willow
Prompt: #099 - Writer’s Choice
Word Count: 720
A/N: Set in my Psych 101 ‘verse. But a stand-alone drabble, also.
Dedication: For not_purrrfect to cheer her up.
Spike tossed his shoulder bag into the passenger seat of the DeSoto as he slid into the car just after sunset.
He was on his way to something none of the gang knew he did, not even Willow. God, he could imagine their responses if they ever found out he was doing. That he even knew *how* to make balloon animals, let alone was making them for human children, sick ones at that.
But he didn’t care. “Come on, baby,” he muttered, coaxing the engine to turn over one more time. It caught and he grinned, slapping the steering wheel. “That’s how we handle things in this house!”
The long manly car roared off into the night, and he never saw Willow and Buffy come out onto the porch, watching him drive away.
**
“Where do you think he goes?” Willow asked, walking back into the kitchen to rescue her dinner before Xander stole it again.
“Dunno, Wills,” Buffy answered, sitting down at the table and contemplating her own dinner. Maybe she should have let Willow make dinner tonight, she was getting awfully sick of PB&J. “Probably to feed.”
Willow shook her head and pulled down her sweater to show fresh bite marks. “Nope. He’s got me for that.”
“And we know he’s not cheating on you, how?” Cordelia interjected from her spot next to Buffy; earning herself several glares, one, surprisingly enough, from Xander.
No one even deigned to respond to her comment.
“Why don’t you just follow him one night? See what’s going on? Or, hey, weird, you could always ask him.” Buffy said around a mouthful of peanut butter.
“Fine,” Willow grumped, sitting down. “Tomorrow night, we find out Spike’s secret.”
****
Same thing happened the next night. Except this time, three curious women and Xander were all piled into his Honda, park surreptitiously a block away from the Summers’ home.
When Spike pulled away, Xander waited a minute, then followed, ignoring the sounds from beside and behind him.
“Oh my god!” Buffy shrieked. “He’s going to the hospital!”
“Why would he..” Willow started as Xander found a parking spot two rows away from the DeSoto. They watched as Spike got out of the car and swung a bag over his shoulder, then took the emergency room entrance inside.
“Follow him!” Cordelia ordered, already getting out of the car. The other girls and Xander quickly followed, and the Slayer took point as they tracked their prey.
They ended up on the children’s ward, in a sitting area presumable used for visiting. But visiting hours were long over, and yet Spike was still sitting in the middle of a crowd of kids, all hurt in one way or another, some more obvious than others.
Buffy pushed the door open slightly so they could hear what was going on.
“My turn next, my turn!”
“Now, Lucas, you got your bear last night. Who’s new today? Wasn’t here last night?” Spike glanced around the group, and focused his eyes on a little redhead, all the way in the back. He extracted himself from the kids and walked over to the her, slumped in a chair that was too big for her, her eyes never leaving Spike’s face.
“What’s your name, luv?” he asked gently, and she whispered something, shook her head in frustration, and gestured for him to bend down, which he did, giving her his ear.
“I’m Lily. Can you make me a kitty?” she whispered, her voice grating from a ravaged throat. Thankfully she was one of the healthier ones he saw, gotten her tonsils out that day, be going home tomorrow.
“Course I can.” Spike said out loud. He reached into his pocket and withdrew a large blue balloon.
Working swiftly, he twisted and pulled and stretched until he held a pretty blue cat in his hands, complete with pointy ears.
Cries of “Wow,” and “Magic,” raced around the room, and he held it up for everyone to see before bestowing it, with great pomp and circumstance, to the little girl.
The gratitude and pure love shining in her eyes was more than worth anything he felt for keeping this secret from everyone he knew. He’d made someone happy, unselfishly. God, he really was changing, wasn’t he?
But it was still better than his old night job. This didn’t kill anyone.
END.
Author: maryfic
Rating: PG-13
Character(s): Spike, Willow
Prompt: #099 - Writer’s Choice
Word Count: 720
A/N: Set in my Psych 101 ‘verse. But a stand-alone drabble, also.
Dedication: For not_purrrfect to cheer her up.
Spike tossed his shoulder bag into the passenger seat of the DeSoto as he slid into the car just after sunset.
He was on his way to something none of the gang knew he did, not even Willow. God, he could imagine their responses if they ever found out he was doing. That he even knew *how* to make balloon animals, let alone was making them for human children, sick ones at that.
But he didn’t care. “Come on, baby,” he muttered, coaxing the engine to turn over one more time. It caught and he grinned, slapping the steering wheel. “That’s how we handle things in this house!”
The long manly car roared off into the night, and he never saw Willow and Buffy come out onto the porch, watching him drive away.
**
“Where do you think he goes?” Willow asked, walking back into the kitchen to rescue her dinner before Xander stole it again.
“Dunno, Wills,” Buffy answered, sitting down at the table and contemplating her own dinner. Maybe she should have let Willow make dinner tonight, she was getting awfully sick of PB&J. “Probably to feed.”
Willow shook her head and pulled down her sweater to show fresh bite marks. “Nope. He’s got me for that.”
“And we know he’s not cheating on you, how?” Cordelia interjected from her spot next to Buffy; earning herself several glares, one, surprisingly enough, from Xander.
No one even deigned to respond to her comment.
“Why don’t you just follow him one night? See what’s going on? Or, hey, weird, you could always ask him.” Buffy said around a mouthful of peanut butter.
“Fine,” Willow grumped, sitting down. “Tomorrow night, we find out Spike’s secret.”
****
Same thing happened the next night. Except this time, three curious women and Xander were all piled into his Honda, park surreptitiously a block away from the Summers’ home.
When Spike pulled away, Xander waited a minute, then followed, ignoring the sounds from beside and behind him.
“Oh my god!” Buffy shrieked. “He’s going to the hospital!”
“Why would he..” Willow started as Xander found a parking spot two rows away from the DeSoto. They watched as Spike got out of the car and swung a bag over his shoulder, then took the emergency room entrance inside.
“Follow him!” Cordelia ordered, already getting out of the car. The other girls and Xander quickly followed, and the Slayer took point as they tracked their prey.
They ended up on the children’s ward, in a sitting area presumable used for visiting. But visiting hours were long over, and yet Spike was still sitting in the middle of a crowd of kids, all hurt in one way or another, some more obvious than others.
Buffy pushed the door open slightly so they could hear what was going on.
“My turn next, my turn!”
“Now, Lucas, you got your bear last night. Who’s new today? Wasn’t here last night?” Spike glanced around the group, and focused his eyes on a little redhead, all the way in the back. He extracted himself from the kids and walked over to the her, slumped in a chair that was too big for her, her eyes never leaving Spike’s face.
“What’s your name, luv?” he asked gently, and she whispered something, shook her head in frustration, and gestured for him to bend down, which he did, giving her his ear.
“I’m Lily. Can you make me a kitty?” she whispered, her voice grating from a ravaged throat. Thankfully she was one of the healthier ones he saw, gotten her tonsils out that day, be going home tomorrow.
“Course I can.” Spike said out loud. He reached into his pocket and withdrew a large blue balloon.
Working swiftly, he twisted and pulled and stretched until he held a pretty blue cat in his hands, complete with pointy ears.
Cries of “Wow,” and “Magic,” raced around the room, and he held it up for everyone to see before bestowing it, with great pomp and circumstance, to the little girl.
The gratitude and pure love shining in her eyes was more than worth anything he felt for keeping this secret from everyone he knew. He’d made someone happy, unselfishly. God, he really was changing, wasn’t he?
But it was still better than his old night job. This didn’t kill anyone.
END.