Falling Into Obscurity (4/8)
Title: Falling Into Obscurity
Author: spikeskat
Rating: PG-13 *gasp* (Though, I'm not surprised; it is, after all a ficathon entry.)
Disclaimers: Do I even need to dignify this with a response?
Summary: Canon right up to the end of No Place Like Home. Then I use canon pieces of certain episodes from season 5, but basically, it goes A/U from there.
A/N: First, much *hugs & kisses* to spikesdeb who was able to read through this even though she just moved. This story is written for oracleholly, who gets MUCH spank-age because she asked for Halloween in a Summer-themed ficathon. *snerk* But, I, being me, twisted events to at least give you guys the "feel" of summer. LOL. *hugs oracleholly* Hope you like it, hun! (I'll post what she wanted to see at the end of the fic.)
“I think it’ll be here,” Buffy commented as the two walked around the temple, with her beaming the flashlight along the walls so she could see.
“Have to agree with you, Slayer.” He didn’t mention that this was the better of the two locations, at least as far as his demon was concerned. After the eclipse was over, he was in for a wait until the sun finally set, and Castillo Real afforded him several places to while away the time with relative protection. “Come on… let’s get back. This place closed at five, and I don’t want to get caught by the locals and have this thing bollocksed up before it’s even begun.”
The two retraced their steps over the rugged terrain to where Spike had parked the four-wheeled drive Jeep they’d rented. When Buffy tripped over a rock and would have gone face first into the ground, he was there to catch her.
“Sorry, luv. Forgot your eyesight’s not as good as mine. Here, take my hand.”
And she did.
A jolt went through her at the contact, and her heart, already racing from her near miss, kicked up another notch. If Spike sensed it, he offered no comment as he led them away from the Mayan ruin.
At the Jeep, they reluctantly parted ways. Spike was half-tempted to walk the Slayer to her side of the car and open it for her, unwilling to let go of her hand before he absolutely had to.
The ride back to the hotel was accomplished in silence, both lost in their own thoughts.
For Buffy, she found that being alone with Spike enabled her to see him in a new light. The way he acted was different than when he was surrounded by her friends and watcher, and she had to wonder if this is the way he behaved with her mom.
Probably.
Her mom wouldn’t put up with anything less than their best behavior from her guests. And by the way Spike talked, he was a frequent visitor to her home. A vision of her mom wielding an axe demanding the vamp behave himself caused her to give a bark of laughter, disrupting their quiet ride.
“Wanna let me in on the joke, Slayer?”
“Nothing…” She giggled again seeing his disgruntled look. The fleeting thought of how adorable he looked with his bottom lip jutted out crossed her mind - and caused her cheeks to pinken.
Adorable? Spike?
Where had that thought come from?
She was never more grateful for them to reach their hotel than she was at that moment. Revealing the reason for her mirth was more than she wanted to tackle just then… if ever.
The Slayer was out of the Jeep and halfway up the walk when Spike called out.
“Hey… Slayer…”
She stopped and turned around, one brow quirked in inquiry.
“You… uh… wanna get a bite to eat?”
Buffy couldn’t help it, she burst into laughing.
“A bite to eat?” she chortled. “Oh, Spike!”
“Well… you know what I mean,” he grinned sheepishly. “There’s a place not far from here…” he added hopefully.
“Sure… why not?”
~*~*~*~*~
For the second night in a row, Buffy and Spike were sitting on the couch watching television - a romantic comedy that the Slayer had never seen.
Spike suffered through it; most of his attention was on the girl sitting next to him anyway. The way she smiled at something funny, the wistful sigh she expelled during a particularly sappy moment… it pleased him to see her relaxed and enjoying herself.
Amazing what a few thousand miles could do to her disposition, he thought. It was like he was with a completely different person. And he knew he was seeing a side of the Slayer she rarely - if ever - revealed to the others. At least since her breakup with his grandsire.
Buffy could feel Spike watching her and she employed every calming exercise Giles had taught her to keep the vamp from sensing how it was affecting her. How she longed to lean into his side and have his arm drape around her shoulder.
It was the locale that was doing it. Drop her into a place with sandy beaches, beautiful scenery, nothing to worry about - at least not until tomorrow during the eclipse - and she was filled with romantic ideas. Spike was just the one unfortunate enough to be alone with her… which made him the likely source for her to project her fanciful notions upon.
At least that’s what she tried to fool herself into believing.
Never mind that he’d been a perfect gentleman at dinner. Keeping her surprisingly entertained with stories of his travels - the places he’d seen, not the people he killed, thankfully. It had been the waiter informing of them of the restaurant’s closing that had made her realize how long they’d been there.
Two hours they’d sat there, talking about nothing… and everything.
She sighed, and wasn’t surprised when Spike asked after her welfare. He was too perceptive by half these days. Or, he’d always been, but had never shown it before.
“Something wrong, Slayer?”
“Buffy.”
“Whatsit?”
“My name is Buffy, Spike. I think after today… well… just call me Buffy, okay?”
Why is he looking at me as if I’d just given him the keys to the pearly kingdom?
Maybe because you’ve been nothing but a bitch to him before now, her inner-voice mocked back.
“Ok… Buffy.” Spike coughed to cover his embarrassment. “So… uh… enjoying the movie?”
“It’s alright, I guess. Bit far-fetched, but then you watch television to escape reality, right?”
Spike turned back to the screen to see the two leads kiss as the screen faded to black and the credits started to roll.
“I don’t know, S- Buffy. I think everyone can have a happy ever after if you want it bad enough…” He didn’t look at her while he gave his little speech, knowing if he did so that she’d be able to see right through him. See how much he loved her. That this time he had alone with her was like his own piece of heaven.
He stood and passed her the remote.
“Gonna get a bit of kip since I’m gonna be up most of the day.”
“Alright.”
Buffy’s eyes trailed after him as he walked away. His door clicked shut and she turned around to stare blindly at the screen in front of her - her mind playing over what he’d said.
It was a long while before she roused herself enough to go to bed.
~*~*~*~*~
The second the moon completely covered the sun, Spike and Buffy burst from the cover of the trees and started running headlong towards the Mayan ruin. Even with her Slayer speed, Spike reached the top long before her.
They had maybe five minutes before the moon continued its arc in the sky and the eclipse ended. Splitting up, the two went over every stone, every carving.
“Anything?” Buffy called out.
“No!” Spike yelled back.
The Slayer paused in her search to stare out one of the naturally occurring windows of the temple that sat atop the pyramid of stairs.
“Sun’s starting to come out!” she cried.
“Keep looking.”
Buffy turned away and continued to look for something that would reveal the Demon’s destruction. When Spike screamed suddenly, it felt like time began to move in slow motion.
She looked over to see a tiny beam of sunlight boring into the back of his head. His hand lifted instinctively to the source of his pain and immediately began smoking.
“Get out of the sun!” she screamed as she ran towards him.
Thankfully his survival instincts kicked in and she watched him drop to the floor and hide in the shadows.
“Are you alright?” She dropped to her knees beside him and began checking him over for injuries.
“Bloody hell!” he growled. “Damn eclipse was supposed to last longer than that!”
“Tell me where you’re hurt,” she talked over him.
“’m fine. Head’s a bit singed… hand too.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah… I’ve had worse. Spot o’ blood, I’ll be as good as new.” Something out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. “Buffy… look.”
Buffy stared at the wall suddenly illuminated by the sun’s rays.
“What is it?”
“Look like some type of hieroglyphics…”
The Slayer stood and moved closer.
“Did you bring something to write with?” she asked.
“Here.”
Spike held out the notepad he’d swiped from the suite, along with a pencil. Buffy walked back and took it.
“I failed art class,” she told him as she began copying the series of pictures down. “I just hope Giles can figure out my doodling.”
“You want me to do it?” he asked. He’d come up behind her, careful to stay out of the sunlight streaming into the temple.
“You mind?”
“Nah… here… gimme that.”
Buffy handed the pad of paper over gratefully and stood at Spike’s elbow while the pencil flew over the sheet, capturing the pictures as best he could.
“Hurry… the sun is shifting…”
Spike’s fingers worked furiously, trying to beat out the sun.
“There!” he exclaimed triumphantly.
“You got ‘em?”
His grin said it all.
“Guess we’ve got a bit of time on our hands before the sun goes down.”
“Guess so.”
“Think any of the vamps having a free-for-all got dusted?” she asked, sitting down in the shade and leaning her back against the wall.
“Prolly.”
Spike took off his duster and rolled it into a ball. He lay down next to her and rested his head on the balled-up leather. His eyes closed and he settled in to wait.
“Are you feeling alright?” Buffy asked.
“Just sleepy is all. The sun’s like turkey to us vamps… makes us sleepy.”
“Oh. How’s your head? Still hurt?”
“Hurt worse when your mum bludgeoned me over the head with an axe. I’ll be fine.”
“You’re sure?”
“Yeah, luv. Told you… bit of blood and I’ll heal up quick enough.”
Buffy stared enviously at the vamp who looked well on his way to see the Sandman. She’d like nothing more than to lie down beside him and catch a few zees too. It had been a late night for her, followed by an early morning.
She shifted her back against the wall, trying to get comfortable, grumbling under her breath when she couldn’t.
“Tryin’ to sleep here, Buffy,” he complained.
“Aren’t you the lucky one,” she muttered.
“You could join me. Dirt gives a bit of cushion over the stone…”
“I’m fine.”
“No you’re not. You’re tired… which makes you cranky. Come on… I won’t bite… unless you ask me to.”
Buffy saw the smile on his face and felt the corners of her mouth tug upward.
“Like that’ll ever happen.”
Spike didn’t take exception to her words. Even with his eyes closed, he could tell that she was teasing him. He was surprised, however, when he heard her move to lie down next to him.
“I don’t have a pillow,” she complained.
“Your pillow, m’lady,” he told her as he swept his arm to the side.
“Why thank you, kind sir.”
He’d thought that nothing could top last night, how she’d given him leave to call her by name. But now, as she lay there next to him, her head propped on his outstretched arm… he knew he was truly in heaven.
~*~*~*~*~
Spike woke to the sound of crickets chirping.
It took him a second to remember where he was and who he was with. Though, feeling the Slayer curled against his side, one leg thrown over his, her head lying on his chest, he wondered why it had taken him that long.
He couldn’t prevent his hand from trailing down her arm, or the press of his lips against her forehead. She shifted in his embrace, and he pulled back as if scalded - the slight jarring motion finally waking her.
“Mornin’, Buffy,” he greeted warily, mentally congratulating himself on how his voice didn’t waiver.
“Morning?”
“Well… evening really. Sun set about an hour ago.”
“How can you tell?” she asked him as she sat up. She felt oddly rested, given that her mattress was a stone slab and her pillow a vamp’s arm.
Spike tapped his nose.
“One of a vamp’s perks. Plus, bein’ around so long, I’ve gotten real good at tellin’ time.”
He stood up, grabbing his duster as he did so.
“Come on. We’d best be getting back.” Spike helped the Slayer to her feet and reluctantly released her hand so he could put his coat back on.
“Spike,” Buffy called out after he’d taken a step towards the exit.
He stopped and turned to see her just standing there.
“Oh… Right! Sorry, luv. Here… gimme your hand.”
“Thanks,” she whispered.
“My fault. Forgot again that you couldn’t see as well as me.”
The two retraced their steps from the previous night and before long they were back at the Jeep.
“What time’s our flight leave?”
“Eleven. Plenty of time to grab our stuff, eat, and get to the airport,” he told her.
“Oh. Ok.”
Was it wrong for her to have wanted another day alone with the vamp?
Author: spikeskat
Rating: PG-13 *gasp* (Though, I'm not surprised; it is, after all a ficathon entry.)
Disclaimers: Do I even need to dignify this with a response?
Summary: Canon right up to the end of No Place Like Home. Then I use canon pieces of certain episodes from season 5, but basically, it goes A/U from there.
A/N: First, much *hugs & kisses* to spikesdeb who was able to read through this even though she just moved. This story is written for oracleholly, who gets MUCH spank-age because she asked for Halloween in a Summer-themed ficathon. *snerk* But, I, being me, twisted events to at least give you guys the "feel" of summer. LOL. *hugs oracleholly* Hope you like it, hun! (I'll post what she wanted to see at the end of the fic.)
“I think it’ll be here,” Buffy commented as the two walked around the temple, with her beaming the flashlight along the walls so she could see.
“Have to agree with you, Slayer.” He didn’t mention that this was the better of the two locations, at least as far as his demon was concerned. After the eclipse was over, he was in for a wait until the sun finally set, and Castillo Real afforded him several places to while away the time with relative protection. “Come on… let’s get back. This place closed at five, and I don’t want to get caught by the locals and have this thing bollocksed up before it’s even begun.”
The two retraced their steps over the rugged terrain to where Spike had parked the four-wheeled drive Jeep they’d rented. When Buffy tripped over a rock and would have gone face first into the ground, he was there to catch her.
“Sorry, luv. Forgot your eyesight’s not as good as mine. Here, take my hand.”
And she did.
A jolt went through her at the contact, and her heart, already racing from her near miss, kicked up another notch. If Spike sensed it, he offered no comment as he led them away from the Mayan ruin.
At the Jeep, they reluctantly parted ways. Spike was half-tempted to walk the Slayer to her side of the car and open it for her, unwilling to let go of her hand before he absolutely had to.
The ride back to the hotel was accomplished in silence, both lost in their own thoughts.
For Buffy, she found that being alone with Spike enabled her to see him in a new light. The way he acted was different than when he was surrounded by her friends and watcher, and she had to wonder if this is the way he behaved with her mom.
Probably.
Her mom wouldn’t put up with anything less than their best behavior from her guests. And by the way Spike talked, he was a frequent visitor to her home. A vision of her mom wielding an axe demanding the vamp behave himself caused her to give a bark of laughter, disrupting their quiet ride.
“Wanna let me in on the joke, Slayer?”
“Nothing…” She giggled again seeing his disgruntled look. The fleeting thought of how adorable he looked with his bottom lip jutted out crossed her mind - and caused her cheeks to pinken.
Adorable? Spike?
Where had that thought come from?
She was never more grateful for them to reach their hotel than she was at that moment. Revealing the reason for her mirth was more than she wanted to tackle just then… if ever.
The Slayer was out of the Jeep and halfway up the walk when Spike called out.
“Hey… Slayer…”
She stopped and turned around, one brow quirked in inquiry.
“You… uh… wanna get a bite to eat?”
Buffy couldn’t help it, she burst into laughing.
“A bite to eat?” she chortled. “Oh, Spike!”
“Well… you know what I mean,” he grinned sheepishly. “There’s a place not far from here…” he added hopefully.
“Sure… why not?”
~*~*~*~*~
For the second night in a row, Buffy and Spike were sitting on the couch watching television - a romantic comedy that the Slayer had never seen.
Spike suffered through it; most of his attention was on the girl sitting next to him anyway. The way she smiled at something funny, the wistful sigh she expelled during a particularly sappy moment… it pleased him to see her relaxed and enjoying herself.
Amazing what a few thousand miles could do to her disposition, he thought. It was like he was with a completely different person. And he knew he was seeing a side of the Slayer she rarely - if ever - revealed to the others. At least since her breakup with his grandsire.
Buffy could feel Spike watching her and she employed every calming exercise Giles had taught her to keep the vamp from sensing how it was affecting her. How she longed to lean into his side and have his arm drape around her shoulder.
It was the locale that was doing it. Drop her into a place with sandy beaches, beautiful scenery, nothing to worry about - at least not until tomorrow during the eclipse - and she was filled with romantic ideas. Spike was just the one unfortunate enough to be alone with her… which made him the likely source for her to project her fanciful notions upon.
At least that’s what she tried to fool herself into believing.
Never mind that he’d been a perfect gentleman at dinner. Keeping her surprisingly entertained with stories of his travels - the places he’d seen, not the people he killed, thankfully. It had been the waiter informing of them of the restaurant’s closing that had made her realize how long they’d been there.
Two hours they’d sat there, talking about nothing… and everything.
She sighed, and wasn’t surprised when Spike asked after her welfare. He was too perceptive by half these days. Or, he’d always been, but had never shown it before.
“Something wrong, Slayer?”
“Buffy.”
“Whatsit?”
“My name is Buffy, Spike. I think after today… well… just call me Buffy, okay?”
Why is he looking at me as if I’d just given him the keys to the pearly kingdom?
Maybe because you’ve been nothing but a bitch to him before now, her inner-voice mocked back.
“Ok… Buffy.” Spike coughed to cover his embarrassment. “So… uh… enjoying the movie?”
“It’s alright, I guess. Bit far-fetched, but then you watch television to escape reality, right?”
Spike turned back to the screen to see the two leads kiss as the screen faded to black and the credits started to roll.
“I don’t know, S- Buffy. I think everyone can have a happy ever after if you want it bad enough…” He didn’t look at her while he gave his little speech, knowing if he did so that she’d be able to see right through him. See how much he loved her. That this time he had alone with her was like his own piece of heaven.
He stood and passed her the remote.
“Gonna get a bit of kip since I’m gonna be up most of the day.”
“Alright.”
Buffy’s eyes trailed after him as he walked away. His door clicked shut and she turned around to stare blindly at the screen in front of her - her mind playing over what he’d said.
It was a long while before she roused herself enough to go to bed.
~*~*~*~*~
The second the moon completely covered the sun, Spike and Buffy burst from the cover of the trees and started running headlong towards the Mayan ruin. Even with her Slayer speed, Spike reached the top long before her.
They had maybe five minutes before the moon continued its arc in the sky and the eclipse ended. Splitting up, the two went over every stone, every carving.
“Anything?” Buffy called out.
“No!” Spike yelled back.
The Slayer paused in her search to stare out one of the naturally occurring windows of the temple that sat atop the pyramid of stairs.
“Sun’s starting to come out!” she cried.
“Keep looking.”
Buffy turned away and continued to look for something that would reveal the Demon’s destruction. When Spike screamed suddenly, it felt like time began to move in slow motion.
She looked over to see a tiny beam of sunlight boring into the back of his head. His hand lifted instinctively to the source of his pain and immediately began smoking.
“Get out of the sun!” she screamed as she ran towards him.
Thankfully his survival instincts kicked in and she watched him drop to the floor and hide in the shadows.
“Are you alright?” She dropped to her knees beside him and began checking him over for injuries.
“Bloody hell!” he growled. “Damn eclipse was supposed to last longer than that!”
“Tell me where you’re hurt,” she talked over him.
“’m fine. Head’s a bit singed… hand too.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah… I’ve had worse. Spot o’ blood, I’ll be as good as new.” Something out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. “Buffy… look.”
Buffy stared at the wall suddenly illuminated by the sun’s rays.
“What is it?”
“Look like some type of hieroglyphics…”
The Slayer stood and moved closer.
“Did you bring something to write with?” she asked.
“Here.”
Spike held out the notepad he’d swiped from the suite, along with a pencil. Buffy walked back and took it.
“I failed art class,” she told him as she began copying the series of pictures down. “I just hope Giles can figure out my doodling.”
“You want me to do it?” he asked. He’d come up behind her, careful to stay out of the sunlight streaming into the temple.
“You mind?”
“Nah… here… gimme that.”
Buffy handed the pad of paper over gratefully and stood at Spike’s elbow while the pencil flew over the sheet, capturing the pictures as best he could.
“Hurry… the sun is shifting…”
Spike’s fingers worked furiously, trying to beat out the sun.
“There!” he exclaimed triumphantly.
“You got ‘em?”
His grin said it all.
“Guess we’ve got a bit of time on our hands before the sun goes down.”
“Guess so.”
“Think any of the vamps having a free-for-all got dusted?” she asked, sitting down in the shade and leaning her back against the wall.
“Prolly.”
Spike took off his duster and rolled it into a ball. He lay down next to her and rested his head on the balled-up leather. His eyes closed and he settled in to wait.
“Are you feeling alright?” Buffy asked.
“Just sleepy is all. The sun’s like turkey to us vamps… makes us sleepy.”
“Oh. How’s your head? Still hurt?”
“Hurt worse when your mum bludgeoned me over the head with an axe. I’ll be fine.”
“You’re sure?”
“Yeah, luv. Told you… bit of blood and I’ll heal up quick enough.”
Buffy stared enviously at the vamp who looked well on his way to see the Sandman. She’d like nothing more than to lie down beside him and catch a few zees too. It had been a late night for her, followed by an early morning.
She shifted her back against the wall, trying to get comfortable, grumbling under her breath when she couldn’t.
“Tryin’ to sleep here, Buffy,” he complained.
“Aren’t you the lucky one,” she muttered.
“You could join me. Dirt gives a bit of cushion over the stone…”
“I’m fine.”
“No you’re not. You’re tired… which makes you cranky. Come on… I won’t bite… unless you ask me to.”
Buffy saw the smile on his face and felt the corners of her mouth tug upward.
“Like that’ll ever happen.”
Spike didn’t take exception to her words. Even with his eyes closed, he could tell that she was teasing him. He was surprised, however, when he heard her move to lie down next to him.
“I don’t have a pillow,” she complained.
“Your pillow, m’lady,” he told her as he swept his arm to the side.
“Why thank you, kind sir.”
He’d thought that nothing could top last night, how she’d given him leave to call her by name. But now, as she lay there next to him, her head propped on his outstretched arm… he knew he was truly in heaven.
~*~*~*~*~
Spike woke to the sound of crickets chirping.
It took him a second to remember where he was and who he was with. Though, feeling the Slayer curled against his side, one leg thrown over his, her head lying on his chest, he wondered why it had taken him that long.
He couldn’t prevent his hand from trailing down her arm, or the press of his lips against her forehead. She shifted in his embrace, and he pulled back as if scalded - the slight jarring motion finally waking her.
“Mornin’, Buffy,” he greeted warily, mentally congratulating himself on how his voice didn’t waiver.
“Morning?”
“Well… evening really. Sun set about an hour ago.”
“How can you tell?” she asked him as she sat up. She felt oddly rested, given that her mattress was a stone slab and her pillow a vamp’s arm.
Spike tapped his nose.
“One of a vamp’s perks. Plus, bein’ around so long, I’ve gotten real good at tellin’ time.”
He stood up, grabbing his duster as he did so.
“Come on. We’d best be getting back.” Spike helped the Slayer to her feet and reluctantly released her hand so he could put his coat back on.
“Spike,” Buffy called out after he’d taken a step towards the exit.
He stopped and turned to see her just standing there.
“Oh… Right! Sorry, luv. Here… gimme your hand.”
“Thanks,” she whispered.
“My fault. Forgot again that you couldn’t see as well as me.”
The two retraced their steps from the previous night and before long they were back at the Jeep.
“What time’s our flight leave?”
“Eleven. Plenty of time to grab our stuff, eat, and get to the airport,” he told her.
“Oh. Ok.”
Was it wrong for her to have wanted another day alone with the vamp?