New Chapter - Pieces of Me
An absolutely beautiful Monday, and I am here with the next chapter
of Pieces of Me.
Hope you enjoy - as always, words of encouragement or constructive
crit are welcomed.
Buffy sat in the back of Riley’s SUV, not sure what the hell she was even doing here. Riley drove, of course, while his wife sat beside him.
They had a son. He’d only been out of her life for half a year… and he was married and a father to a two-year-old. Buffy was having a hard time wrapping her mind around the whole situation. How could she still be in the missing-him portion of their breakup, while he had obviously moved on?
She heard the two of them talking, but the words were just noise. Nothing penetrated her aching heart.
“So, Buffy…” Sam had turned around, her face open and friendly as she asked buffy something about the Sunnydale demon population.
It was all Buffy could do to keep from scratching her twinkling little eyes out.
Instead, she tried to stop wool-gathering and concentrate on what was wanted from her now. “I-I’m sorry,” she stammered, “Would you mind repeating your question?”
The woman had the temerity to look sympathetic. To Buffy, it felt like a knife in her chest.
“Sure,” Sam said. “No problem. I’m sure us showing up has thrown you for a bit of a loop. I’m sorry for that. I told Ri that it would be good to call you, first, but you know how he can be… he does what he thinks is best.”
Buffy grunted her agreement, not caring that she sounded churlish.
*****
Buffy slammed open the crypt doors as she usually did - unannounced and agitated. Spike was sitting on top of the stone coffin, reading a book.
“Buffy. Hey now,” he said, putting down his book as he pushed off the coffin, landing on his feet. “If I’d-a known you were coming, I’d-a baked a cake.”
“I need information,” she said, taking off her black gloves, part of her new, Riley-supplied high-tech gear.
“Well, I suppose I could be helpful,” he said looking amused. “If the price is right.”
She put her gloves down. “I need to find a guy. Dealer - calls himself The Doctor.”
“Human?”
“His traffic isn’t.”
“Clock ticking?”
“Whatever he’s doing, he’s doing it soon.” Buffy felt uneasy. Spike was up to something, she was sure of it.
Looking her up and down, he continued with a purr in his voice. “Soon, but not now?”
Buffy just stared at him for a moment. What on earth was he getting at? She took a couple of steps closer to the vampire who was staring at her with barely disguised lust in his bright blue eyes.
“Tell me you want me,” she said, so softly that if he weren’t a vampire, he would have missed it.
“I always want you. In point of fact -”
“Shut up.” She moved in closer, as if to kiss him, but wrapped her arm around his neck and pulled him down to the coffin. On her back with Spike on top of her, she began unbuttoning his shirt. Spike began to pull on the fasteners of her bullet-proof vest. She stared at his face, pushing the partially unbuttoned shirt down his shoulders, then used it to pull him down for a kiss.
*****
Buffy awoke to the sound of the crypt door once again slamming open, and took stock of her situation. She and Spike were lying on the coffin, only partially covered in blankets. They were both obviously nude. She grasped a blanket to cover her breasts and an exposed leg.
Spike raised his head at the ruckus and chuckled, the sound low down and dirty to her ears.
He propped himself up on his elbows and said, “Well, looky here. I don’t usually use the word delicious…” Riley stood rigid in front of them, a large gun in his hand aimed in their direction. “… but I gotta wager this little tableau must sting a bit, eh? Me and your former? Must kill. What can I say - the girl needs a little monster in her man.”
Buffy ducked her head, awash in shame at being found almost in flagrante delicto.
“That’s not why I’m here… Doctor.”
Buffy gasped, turning from one man to the other. “Oh, god!” And got up, clutching the blanket closer to her naked body.
Spike sighed. “Here I thought we’d run you out of town, mate.”
Buffy crouched down, gathering her clothing from the floor and scowling at Spike, she stepped out of Riley’s line of vision to get dressed.
“Last time I saw you,” Spike continued, “if memory serves, you were getting the juice sucked out of you by some undead ladies of very questionable reputation.” He sat up quickly, with his knees pulled up and open, and smiled as Riley averted his eyes.
“Now be a good tin soldier and, uh…” He made a shooing motion with his hand.
“Where are they... Doctor?” Riley’s strident tones rang out in the crypt.
“Where are what, and why do you keep calling me that?” Spike asked, his patience obviously being tried past breaking point. He scrounged around the floor until he found his pants and began to put them on.
“Glad to be back in Sunnydale,” Riley noted. “The locals all speak English, and I know who to beat for information.” He glared at Spike with undisguised hatred. “It’s all brought me back here.”
“Look, crew-cut,” Spike retorted as he fastened his belt. “She’s not your bint anymore. You have a bloody wife, she tells me. Besides, if I can speak frankly, she always had a little thing for me, even when she was shagging you.”
“Nice. That’s very distracting,” Riley spat back, walking closer. “Now tell me, before I get unprofessional…” He pointed the gun directly at Spike, “… where are the eggs, Spike?”
“Eggs?” Spike scoffed. “You’re off your nut. It must be those drugs they were keeping you on. I did warn you-”
“Okay. We can do this the hard way, or we can do this the fatal way.” Riley interrupted whatever the vampire was about to say with a punch to the face, just as Buffy reappeared, fully dressed.
“Where are the damned eggs?” Riley demanded.
“Look - The Doctor - it can’t be Spike.”
“No need to defend me, luv.”
This time, it was Buffy’s turn to punch him in the face.
“Look, i-it can’t be, okay,” she pleaded, turning to face Riley. “He-he’s too incompetent. It’s just Spike, Riley.
“Right. Deadly… amoral… opportunistic. Or have you forgotten?”
Buffy glared at her ex, unable to find the words to answer him. She turned away in shame.
“I’m taking this place apart until I find that nest,” Riley insisted.
“Over my dead body,” Spike spat, staring back at Riley with disgust.
“I’ve seen enough of your dead body for one night, thanks.”
Using the barrel of his gun to shove Spike out of the way, Riley pushed past the irate vampire.
Spike grabbed his shoulder. “You’re not gonna -”
The rest of Spike’s statement was rendered moot, as the cries of a baby rang out in the crypt.
“Is there a baby in your bedroom?” Buffy asked, her voice incredulous.
Riley’s eyes widened. “You takin’ to keeping snacks, Hostile 17?
The panic on Spike’s face told Buffy more than anything else. “Whose baby is that?” she demanded, the enormity of the betrayal starting to sink in. “Why is it here?”
“Now luv,” Spike tried to diffuse the situation. “This isn’t how I wanted you to find out. I was actually coming to you later. Was just waiting-”
“In all the time I’ve been here, you didn’t even hint that there was a helpless baby in your crypt. Where did you steal him from? No, never mind - baby first,” she said, running to the ladder leading down to the lower level.
The kid was sitting on Spike’s bed, whimpering. He looked unharmed and seriously pissed off. Making vague shushing noises, she scooped him up and clambered back up the ladder with the sniveling child in her arms.
“Daddy!” the baby squealed.
“Daniel!” Riley grabbed the baby from Buffy’s arms and rounded on Spike. “It was you!” he yelled, spittle flying from his mouth. “You kidnapped my son.” Turning to Buffy he screamed, “You’re the damned Slayer - stake the bastard and be done with it.”
Buffy felt sick to her stomach. Spike brokering demon eggs didn’t sit right with her - and why he’d kidnap a baby was even harder to fathom - but Spike did play kitten poker. Little kitties lost their lives for his enjoyment. Would Spike play for a child’s life? Would he traffic in human children?”
The evidence was whimpering loudly in Riley’s arms.
Automatically, she reached for her stake - the situation feeling entirely unreal. Riley screaming in her ear didn’t help. Nor did Spike’s look of wounded betrayal. She knew how he felt.
“Suvolte eggs not enough for you, Doctor?” Riley turned his vitriol back on Spike. “You had to make it personal? I don’t know how you found me - how you managed to sneak into my hotel room and knock out my babysitter, steal my boy. But you won’t get away with it. If Buffy won’t kill you, I will. I will fucking dance in your dust, you sick, inhuman freak!”
“You can stop calling me Doctor any time, now,” Spike insisted, looking back and forth between the furious soldier and Buffy. “I told you I had nothing to do with any damned eggs and I didn’t kidnap your kid. Found him crying alone in the cemetery on my way back to my crypt and out of the goodness of my heart, I took the little nipper in to protect him.”
Buffy couldn’t stand it anymore. She closed the distance and once more belted Spike in the nose, knocking him down in the process.
“No more games,” she threw at him.
Spike stood, his own anger sparking flecks of amber in his blue eyes. “Well, that’s bloody funny coming from you! No more games? That’s all you’ve ever done is play me. You keep playing with the rules you make up as you like. You know what I am. You’ve always known. You come to me all the same.”
“God damn it, Buffy - what’s it gonna take for you to do your job and end this once and for all?” Riley finally turned his attention to the hysterically crying little boy in his arms. “If it weren’t for Daniel, I’d have put a stake through that animal’s heart myself.”
She couldn’t think, not with the noise and testosterone echoing around the crypt.
“Riley, just take your son and go. He’s upset enough as it is.” She took a breath and said firmly, “I’ll deal with Spike on my own.”
of Pieces of Me.
Hope you enjoy - as always, words of encouragement or constructive
crit are welcomed.
Buffy sat in the back of Riley’s SUV, not sure what the hell she was even doing here. Riley drove, of course, while his wife sat beside him.
They had a son. He’d only been out of her life for half a year… and he was married and a father to a two-year-old. Buffy was having a hard time wrapping her mind around the whole situation. How could she still be in the missing-him portion of their breakup, while he had obviously moved on?
She heard the two of them talking, but the words were just noise. Nothing penetrated her aching heart.
“So, Buffy…” Sam had turned around, her face open and friendly as she asked buffy something about the Sunnydale demon population.
It was all Buffy could do to keep from scratching her twinkling little eyes out.
Instead, she tried to stop wool-gathering and concentrate on what was wanted from her now. “I-I’m sorry,” she stammered, “Would you mind repeating your question?”
The woman had the temerity to look sympathetic. To Buffy, it felt like a knife in her chest.
“Sure,” Sam said. “No problem. I’m sure us showing up has thrown you for a bit of a loop. I’m sorry for that. I told Ri that it would be good to call you, first, but you know how he can be… he does what he thinks is best.”
Buffy grunted her agreement, not caring that she sounded churlish.
*****
Buffy slammed open the crypt doors as she usually did - unannounced and agitated. Spike was sitting on top of the stone coffin, reading a book.
“Buffy. Hey now,” he said, putting down his book as he pushed off the coffin, landing on his feet. “If I’d-a known you were coming, I’d-a baked a cake.”
“I need information,” she said, taking off her black gloves, part of her new, Riley-supplied high-tech gear.
“Well, I suppose I could be helpful,” he said looking amused. “If the price is right.”
She put her gloves down. “I need to find a guy. Dealer - calls himself The Doctor.”
“Human?”
“His traffic isn’t.”
“Clock ticking?”
“Whatever he’s doing, he’s doing it soon.” Buffy felt uneasy. Spike was up to something, she was sure of it.
Looking her up and down, he continued with a purr in his voice. “Soon, but not now?”
Buffy just stared at him for a moment. What on earth was he getting at? She took a couple of steps closer to the vampire who was staring at her with barely disguised lust in his bright blue eyes.
“Tell me you want me,” she said, so softly that if he weren’t a vampire, he would have missed it.
“I always want you. In point of fact -”
“Shut up.” She moved in closer, as if to kiss him, but wrapped her arm around his neck and pulled him down to the coffin. On her back with Spike on top of her, she began unbuttoning his shirt. Spike began to pull on the fasteners of her bullet-proof vest. She stared at his face, pushing the partially unbuttoned shirt down his shoulders, then used it to pull him down for a kiss.
*****
Buffy awoke to the sound of the crypt door once again slamming open, and took stock of her situation. She and Spike were lying on the coffin, only partially covered in blankets. They were both obviously nude. She grasped a blanket to cover her breasts and an exposed leg.
Spike raised his head at the ruckus and chuckled, the sound low down and dirty to her ears.
He propped himself up on his elbows and said, “Well, looky here. I don’t usually use the word delicious…” Riley stood rigid in front of them, a large gun in his hand aimed in their direction. “… but I gotta wager this little tableau must sting a bit, eh? Me and your former? Must kill. What can I say - the girl needs a little monster in her man.”
Buffy ducked her head, awash in shame at being found almost in flagrante delicto.
“That’s not why I’m here… Doctor.”
Buffy gasped, turning from one man to the other. “Oh, god!” And got up, clutching the blanket closer to her naked body.
Spike sighed. “Here I thought we’d run you out of town, mate.”
Buffy crouched down, gathering her clothing from the floor and scowling at Spike, she stepped out of Riley’s line of vision to get dressed.
“Last time I saw you,” Spike continued, “if memory serves, you were getting the juice sucked out of you by some undead ladies of very questionable reputation.” He sat up quickly, with his knees pulled up and open, and smiled as Riley averted his eyes.
“Now be a good tin soldier and, uh…” He made a shooing motion with his hand.
“Where are they... Doctor?” Riley’s strident tones rang out in the crypt.
“Where are what, and why do you keep calling me that?” Spike asked, his patience obviously being tried past breaking point. He scrounged around the floor until he found his pants and began to put them on.
“Glad to be back in Sunnydale,” Riley noted. “The locals all speak English, and I know who to beat for information.” He glared at Spike with undisguised hatred. “It’s all brought me back here.”
“Look, crew-cut,” Spike retorted as he fastened his belt. “She’s not your bint anymore. You have a bloody wife, she tells me. Besides, if I can speak frankly, she always had a little thing for me, even when she was shagging you.”
“Nice. That’s very distracting,” Riley spat back, walking closer. “Now tell me, before I get unprofessional…” He pointed the gun directly at Spike, “… where are the eggs, Spike?”
“Eggs?” Spike scoffed. “You’re off your nut. It must be those drugs they were keeping you on. I did warn you-”
“Okay. We can do this the hard way, or we can do this the fatal way.” Riley interrupted whatever the vampire was about to say with a punch to the face, just as Buffy reappeared, fully dressed.
“Where are the damned eggs?” Riley demanded.
“Look - The Doctor - it can’t be Spike.”
“No need to defend me, luv.”
This time, it was Buffy’s turn to punch him in the face.
“Look, i-it can’t be, okay,” she pleaded, turning to face Riley. “He-he’s too incompetent. It’s just Spike, Riley.
“Right. Deadly… amoral… opportunistic. Or have you forgotten?”
Buffy glared at her ex, unable to find the words to answer him. She turned away in shame.
“I’m taking this place apart until I find that nest,” Riley insisted.
“Over my dead body,” Spike spat, staring back at Riley with disgust.
“I’ve seen enough of your dead body for one night, thanks.”
Using the barrel of his gun to shove Spike out of the way, Riley pushed past the irate vampire.
Spike grabbed his shoulder. “You’re not gonna -”
The rest of Spike’s statement was rendered moot, as the cries of a baby rang out in the crypt.
“Is there a baby in your bedroom?” Buffy asked, her voice incredulous.
Riley’s eyes widened. “You takin’ to keeping snacks, Hostile 17?
The panic on Spike’s face told Buffy more than anything else. “Whose baby is that?” she demanded, the enormity of the betrayal starting to sink in. “Why is it here?”
“Now luv,” Spike tried to diffuse the situation. “This isn’t how I wanted you to find out. I was actually coming to you later. Was just waiting-”
“In all the time I’ve been here, you didn’t even hint that there was a helpless baby in your crypt. Where did you steal him from? No, never mind - baby first,” she said, running to the ladder leading down to the lower level.
The kid was sitting on Spike’s bed, whimpering. He looked unharmed and seriously pissed off. Making vague shushing noises, she scooped him up and clambered back up the ladder with the sniveling child in her arms.
“Daddy!” the baby squealed.
“Daniel!” Riley grabbed the baby from Buffy’s arms and rounded on Spike. “It was you!” he yelled, spittle flying from his mouth. “You kidnapped my son.” Turning to Buffy he screamed, “You’re the damned Slayer - stake the bastard and be done with it.”
Buffy felt sick to her stomach. Spike brokering demon eggs didn’t sit right with her - and why he’d kidnap a baby was even harder to fathom - but Spike did play kitten poker. Little kitties lost their lives for his enjoyment. Would Spike play for a child’s life? Would he traffic in human children?”
The evidence was whimpering loudly in Riley’s arms.
Automatically, she reached for her stake - the situation feeling entirely unreal. Riley screaming in her ear didn’t help. Nor did Spike’s look of wounded betrayal. She knew how he felt.
“Suvolte eggs not enough for you, Doctor?” Riley turned his vitriol back on Spike. “You had to make it personal? I don’t know how you found me - how you managed to sneak into my hotel room and knock out my babysitter, steal my boy. But you won’t get away with it. If Buffy won’t kill you, I will. I will fucking dance in your dust, you sick, inhuman freak!”
“You can stop calling me Doctor any time, now,” Spike insisted, looking back and forth between the furious soldier and Buffy. “I told you I had nothing to do with any damned eggs and I didn’t kidnap your kid. Found him crying alone in the cemetery on my way back to my crypt and out of the goodness of my heart, I took the little nipper in to protect him.”
Buffy couldn’t stand it anymore. She closed the distance and once more belted Spike in the nose, knocking him down in the process.
“No more games,” she threw at him.
Spike stood, his own anger sparking flecks of amber in his blue eyes. “Well, that’s bloody funny coming from you! No more games? That’s all you’ve ever done is play me. You keep playing with the rules you make up as you like. You know what I am. You’ve always known. You come to me all the same.”
“God damn it, Buffy - what’s it gonna take for you to do your job and end this once and for all?” Riley finally turned his attention to the hysterically crying little boy in his arms. “If it weren’t for Daniel, I’d have put a stake through that animal’s heart myself.”
She couldn’t think, not with the noise and testosterone echoing around the crypt.
“Riley, just take your son and go. He’s upset enough as it is.” She took a breath and said firmly, “I’ll deal with Spike on my own.”