Some Christmas Cheer for JDL71
Title: Pausing at the Bus Stop on a Snowy Day
Genre: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, NCIS
Prompt: A snowy wait at a bus stop
jdl71, I hope you have fun with this. It was a joy to writing. Thanks for participating and also my thanks to nursesparky for her beta!
Buffy could count on the fingers of one hand how many times she’d seen snow in Sunnydale. It always amused her that one of the hotbeds of vampire activity boasted more sunny days than practically any other city in the state. Obviously, poor planning on their part.
“Are you done, Slayer?” Spike’s voice came from behind a stack of boxes and bags.
“Almost. I still need something for Giles.”
“Get him a book.”
“Right, because a librarian wants another book. I wouldn’t even know what kind of book to buy.”
“Jane Austin. He looks like a Jane Austin reader, all girly and hoity toity.” Spike dropped his armful down onto a bus stop bench and sat. It was a rare occasion that he could come out during the day, but the cold front that moved into the area provided him with protection. He watched Buffy try to catch a snowflake on her tongue and smiled. He often forgot how very young she was. He laughed as they eluded her. “Good thing you are better at catching vampires then snowflakes, Slayer.”
“Well, I’ve had more experience with them.” She paused to brush the accumulated snow from the bench and sat down beside him. “Did you try and catch snowflakes as a kid?”
“With the pollution in London at the time? You’d have likely gotten a mouthful of coal dust as a snowflake. All that fog London is so famous for? It was pollution.”
“Really?”
“Remember, I was there. That’s what killed my father and would have done my mom, but I did her first.”
“You ‘did’ your mother? Ewww.”
“Bit her, Slayer. I wanted to save her from a horrible death. Not my finest hour.”
Impulsively, Buffy reached out and patted his arm. She fully remembered how much she wanted to save her mother. Spike smiled slightly and nodded, looking into the snowy day.
“That bus sure is taking a long time,” she murmured after a few minutes.
“Mostly like stuck in a snow drift somewhere.”
“Listen, I’m going to go over to the bookstore and see about something for Giles.”
Spike nodded. “I’ll hold down the fort.” He watched her carefully cross the street, intent upon keeping her boots snow free. He groped the pockets of his black trench coat until he found some cigarettes. He tried not to smoke around Buffy or her friends these days. Truth be known, he wasn’t enjoying them as much as he used to. Perhaps it was time to give them up again. He could certainly use the money for other things.
He took a deep drag on the cigarette and dropped his head back to blow the smoke up to meet the snowflakes.
“Those can kill you, you know.”
He lifted his head. The young woman standing there was dressed in black and silver. Goth… he decided was the right term, right down to the dog collar. Of course, he dressed like that back in the 70’s, long before it was a trend. Just him and Billy Idol…
“Not like it’s bloody going to make a difference in my case,” he muttered more to himself than anyone else. “You waiting for the bus? Pull up a bench.”
“Thanks. I’m trying to get to the convention center.” She offered her mitten-encased hand. “I’m Abby Sciuto.”
“Spike… just Spike.” He shook it and resumed studying the sky. Any break in the clouds and he’d have to hightail it for cover, but the sun wasn’t even a threat.
“Well, Spike, it’s nice to meet you. I had heard that the weather was always sunny here, you know, like the song, It Never Rains in Southern California.”
“And they are right. This is definitely not rain.” Spike snuffed out his cigarette.
“Have you been Christmas shopping?”
“This? Naw, this is the Slay… girlfriend’s. She’s trying to make it nice for the Little Bit.”
“Little Bit?”
“Her sister. They lost their mum a few months ago.”
Abby’s smile was kind. “I’m sorry.”
“Yeah, she was a nice lady.”
Abby looked at her watch. “Is the bus usually this late?”
“’Spect the snow is slowing it down. Better safe than sorry…”Although, if there was a crash and people died, Spike could... He shook his head, trying to clear the thought. Buffy wouldn’t like it…
“True. I just don’t want to miss the opening speaker.”
“Convention, then?”
“Forensic scientists.”
Again, the conversation lagged and Spike found himself studying the door to the bookshop. “Come on, Buffy,” he muttered.
“Buffy?”
“The shopper in question.”
Abby nodded then sighed, brushing the snow off her Doc Martins. They looked good, but her feet were freezing. “How would I go about getting a taxi?”
“I suspect they are running late, too.” He gave her a smile. “I have my car right around the corner. I could give you a lift.”
“Thanks, but I can’t…” Just then the bus rumbled into sight. “Yay, bus!” She jumped to her feet even before it stopped, narrowly avoided getting splashed. A few people got out and she eagerly climbed on board, pausing to half wave to Spike just as a very blonde woman approached as Spike waved the bus on.
She started down the aisle and saw Jimmy sitting there. “Hey, Jimmy!”
“There you are! They were sweating bullets over you.”
“Sorry, I lost track of time.”
“Who’s your friend?”
“An enigma.”
“Why do you say that?”
Abby blew out a breath and a cloud of water vapor formed. “In all the time I was talking to him, I swear he never breathed once.”
“Who’s your new friend, Spike?”
“Jealous, Slayer?”
“In your dreams”
“So what did you end up buying?”
“Well, I couldn’t afford much, so I settled for A History of England. I thought maybe it would remind him of home.”
“Good choice. He will love it.”
“So, you didn’t answer me. Who was your friend? She looked like one of your lot.”
“Naw, she was human. Off to some conference or what not. Um, forensic science, I think she said.”
“Aw, that’s where Giles is today. He was all excited. There was some woman speaking - considered the top in the field.” Buffy frowned in though. “Abby something.”
Spike grinned. “Abby normal?”
Buffy laughed then, a true happy laugh. “I’m almost certain that was the name.”
“Come on, Slayer. My car’s around back.” Spike gathered up the packages. “We can go back to your place, start a fire, watch a movie and have some hot chocolate.”
“That sounds nice.”
“Do you have any of the little marshmallows?” And they wandered off into the encroaching dusk, leaving the bench at the bus stop waiting for its next visitor.
Genre: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, NCIS
Prompt: A snowy wait at a bus stop
jdl71, I hope you have fun with this. It was a joy to writing. Thanks for participating and also my thanks to nursesparky for her beta!
Buffy could count on the fingers of one hand how many times she’d seen snow in Sunnydale. It always amused her that one of the hotbeds of vampire activity boasted more sunny days than practically any other city in the state. Obviously, poor planning on their part.
“Are you done, Slayer?” Spike’s voice came from behind a stack of boxes and bags.
“Almost. I still need something for Giles.”
“Get him a book.”
“Right, because a librarian wants another book. I wouldn’t even know what kind of book to buy.”
“Jane Austin. He looks like a Jane Austin reader, all girly and hoity toity.” Spike dropped his armful down onto a bus stop bench and sat. It was a rare occasion that he could come out during the day, but the cold front that moved into the area provided him with protection. He watched Buffy try to catch a snowflake on her tongue and smiled. He often forgot how very young she was. He laughed as they eluded her. “Good thing you are better at catching vampires then snowflakes, Slayer.”
“Well, I’ve had more experience with them.” She paused to brush the accumulated snow from the bench and sat down beside him. “Did you try and catch snowflakes as a kid?”
“With the pollution in London at the time? You’d have likely gotten a mouthful of coal dust as a snowflake. All that fog London is so famous for? It was pollution.”
“Really?”
“Remember, I was there. That’s what killed my father and would have done my mom, but I did her first.”
“You ‘did’ your mother? Ewww.”
“Bit her, Slayer. I wanted to save her from a horrible death. Not my finest hour.”
Impulsively, Buffy reached out and patted his arm. She fully remembered how much she wanted to save her mother. Spike smiled slightly and nodded, looking into the snowy day.
“That bus sure is taking a long time,” she murmured after a few minutes.
“Mostly like stuck in a snow drift somewhere.”
“Listen, I’m going to go over to the bookstore and see about something for Giles.”
Spike nodded. “I’ll hold down the fort.” He watched her carefully cross the street, intent upon keeping her boots snow free. He groped the pockets of his black trench coat until he found some cigarettes. He tried not to smoke around Buffy or her friends these days. Truth be known, he wasn’t enjoying them as much as he used to. Perhaps it was time to give them up again. He could certainly use the money for other things.
He took a deep drag on the cigarette and dropped his head back to blow the smoke up to meet the snowflakes.
“Those can kill you, you know.”
He lifted his head. The young woman standing there was dressed in black and silver. Goth… he decided was the right term, right down to the dog collar. Of course, he dressed like that back in the 70’s, long before it was a trend. Just him and Billy Idol…
“Not like it’s bloody going to make a difference in my case,” he muttered more to himself than anyone else. “You waiting for the bus? Pull up a bench.”
“Thanks. I’m trying to get to the convention center.” She offered her mitten-encased hand. “I’m Abby Sciuto.”
“Spike… just Spike.” He shook it and resumed studying the sky. Any break in the clouds and he’d have to hightail it for cover, but the sun wasn’t even a threat.
“Well, Spike, it’s nice to meet you. I had heard that the weather was always sunny here, you know, like the song, It Never Rains in Southern California.”
“And they are right. This is definitely not rain.” Spike snuffed out his cigarette.
“Have you been Christmas shopping?”
“This? Naw, this is the Slay… girlfriend’s. She’s trying to make it nice for the Little Bit.”
“Little Bit?”
“Her sister. They lost their mum a few months ago.”
Abby’s smile was kind. “I’m sorry.”
“Yeah, she was a nice lady.”
Abby looked at her watch. “Is the bus usually this late?”
“’Spect the snow is slowing it down. Better safe than sorry…”Although, if there was a crash and people died, Spike could... He shook his head, trying to clear the thought. Buffy wouldn’t like it…
“True. I just don’t want to miss the opening speaker.”
“Convention, then?”
“Forensic scientists.”
Again, the conversation lagged and Spike found himself studying the door to the bookshop. “Come on, Buffy,” he muttered.
“Buffy?”
“The shopper in question.”
Abby nodded then sighed, brushing the snow off her Doc Martins. They looked good, but her feet were freezing. “How would I go about getting a taxi?”
“I suspect they are running late, too.” He gave her a smile. “I have my car right around the corner. I could give you a lift.”
“Thanks, but I can’t…” Just then the bus rumbled into sight. “Yay, bus!” She jumped to her feet even before it stopped, narrowly avoided getting splashed. A few people got out and she eagerly climbed on board, pausing to half wave to Spike just as a very blonde woman approached as Spike waved the bus on.
She started down the aisle and saw Jimmy sitting there. “Hey, Jimmy!”
“There you are! They were sweating bullets over you.”
“Sorry, I lost track of time.”
“Who’s your friend?”
“An enigma.”
“Why do you say that?”
Abby blew out a breath and a cloud of water vapor formed. “In all the time I was talking to him, I swear he never breathed once.”
“Who’s your new friend, Spike?”
“Jealous, Slayer?”
“In your dreams”
“So what did you end up buying?”
“Well, I couldn’t afford much, so I settled for A History of England. I thought maybe it would remind him of home.”
“Good choice. He will love it.”
“So, you didn’t answer me. Who was your friend? She looked like one of your lot.”
“Naw, she was human. Off to some conference or what not. Um, forensic science, I think she said.”
“Aw, that’s where Giles is today. He was all excited. There was some woman speaking - considered the top in the field.” Buffy frowned in though. “Abby something.”
Spike grinned. “Abby normal?”
Buffy laughed then, a true happy laugh. “I’m almost certain that was the name.”
“Come on, Slayer. My car’s around back.” Spike gathered up the packages. “We can go back to your place, start a fire, watch a movie and have some hot chocolate.”
“That sounds nice.”
“Do you have any of the little marshmallows?” And they wandered off into the encroaching dusk, leaving the bench at the bus stop waiting for its next visitor.