Movie Night (PG: Buffy, Spike)
Title: Movie Night
Prompts: Dick Whittington, Aladdin, Beanstalk, Cinderella, Puss in Boots (yes, I'm cheating by cramming five into one)
Timeline: post-series, set in the same 'verse as Wendy's Man and The Neighs Have It
Wordcount: 610
Disclaimer: still not mine, alas
Spike rounded the corner of the video store's last aisle. He smiled broadly and held up a DVD case picturing two dirty fingers.
"Saw II? Are you nuts?" Buffy asked. "You do remember we're babysitting tonight, right?"
Spike grimaced. "Doesn't mean we can't watch something good after the little ones are in bed. If I've got to suffer through saccharine cartoons, I want a fun film later."
Buffy dithered in front of the children's rack, weighing the merits of Cinderella over Aladdin. Neither offered good female role models, but Dawn's kids did like them.
"'Sides," Spike continued, "I happen to know small Celia likes a spot of violence."
"Because she's probably a Slayer," Buffy countered. "That doesn't mean she won't get nightmares. No horror movies."
Spike slouched away to look for something else.
"What's Dick Whittington's Cat?" Buffy called over her shoulder.
"A load of bollocks," came the reply. "Whittington never owned a cat."
"Did you know him?"
Spike reappeared from the other end of the shelves. "Bit before my time. What about this?" He held out a copy of Fight Club.
"Not. Tonight." Buffy sidestepped to the next set of primary-colored cases. "Maybe Jack and the Beanstalk."
He stepped close enough to murmur in her ear. "I've got a magic beanstalk. Want to see?"
"Dork," she pushed him away affectionately. "Oh, here's that Shrek spinoff I've never seen. Puss in Boots."
There was a scream from the front of the store.
Both of them sprinted for the counter. A vampire had the teenaged clerk in a headlock and was about to bite her throat. Buffy grabbed a box of Raisinettes from the display case and threw it at the vampire. It hit him square in the forehead, hard enough to startle him. While he was shaking his head, Spike circled behind and broke the vamp's hold on the girl. Buffy pushed the shaking clerk out of the way.
"Dammit," she said, digging through her shoulder bag. "Why do the stakes always end up at the bottom?"
Spike rolled his eyes. With a twist he broke the vampire's neck, then ripped its head off. He stepped backwards quickly to avoid being bled on before the vampire dissolved into dust.
Buffy picked up the DVD she'd dropped. "It's okay," she said to the hysterical clerk. "You're safe now." The girl, still crouched on floor, continued to shake and sob.
Buffy huffed in frustration. "Y'know, sometimes I miss Sunnydale."
Spike raised an eyebrow.
"I mean, people there got scared, but they always blocked it out as soon as the crisis was over. It was like they had unlimited get-out-of-trauma-free tokens."
"It's called denial, love," Spike answered. "When people live in a war zone they have to cope somehow."
"I guess, but now what? We don't have time to go to another video store before we need to be at Dawn's place."
"Spoils of war?" Spike suggested. "We did just save her life."
"We're not stealing a video." She bent over the hysterical girl. "Look, this is my membership card." Buffy spoke loud and slowly. "And money for the rental. I'll pick up my card when I return the DVD, okay?"
The girl nodded, wiping her eyes on her sleeve. Buffy exited through the turnstile, which set up a strident beeping since the DVD had not been checked out. When the girl did not react, Spike slipped a packet of popcorn into his coat pocket before following Buffy.
Just so the evening wasn't a total loss.
Prompts: Dick Whittington, Aladdin, Beanstalk, Cinderella, Puss in Boots (yes, I'm cheating by cramming five into one)
Timeline: post-series, set in the same 'verse as Wendy's Man and The Neighs Have It
Wordcount: 610
Disclaimer: still not mine, alas
Spike rounded the corner of the video store's last aisle. He smiled broadly and held up a DVD case picturing two dirty fingers.
"Saw II? Are you nuts?" Buffy asked. "You do remember we're babysitting tonight, right?"
Spike grimaced. "Doesn't mean we can't watch something good after the little ones are in bed. If I've got to suffer through saccharine cartoons, I want a fun film later."
Buffy dithered in front of the children's rack, weighing the merits of Cinderella over Aladdin. Neither offered good female role models, but Dawn's kids did like them.
"'Sides," Spike continued, "I happen to know small Celia likes a spot of violence."
"Because she's probably a Slayer," Buffy countered. "That doesn't mean she won't get nightmares. No horror movies."
Spike slouched away to look for something else.
"What's Dick Whittington's Cat?" Buffy called over her shoulder.
"A load of bollocks," came the reply. "Whittington never owned a cat."
"Did you know him?"
Spike reappeared from the other end of the shelves. "Bit before my time. What about this?" He held out a copy of Fight Club.
"Not. Tonight." Buffy sidestepped to the next set of primary-colored cases. "Maybe Jack and the Beanstalk."
He stepped close enough to murmur in her ear. "I've got a magic beanstalk. Want to see?"
"Dork," she pushed him away affectionately. "Oh, here's that Shrek spinoff I've never seen. Puss in Boots."
There was a scream from the front of the store.
Both of them sprinted for the counter. A vampire had the teenaged clerk in a headlock and was about to bite her throat. Buffy grabbed a box of Raisinettes from the display case and threw it at the vampire. It hit him square in the forehead, hard enough to startle him. While he was shaking his head, Spike circled behind and broke the vamp's hold on the girl. Buffy pushed the shaking clerk out of the way.
"Dammit," she said, digging through her shoulder bag. "Why do the stakes always end up at the bottom?"
Spike rolled his eyes. With a twist he broke the vampire's neck, then ripped its head off. He stepped backwards quickly to avoid being bled on before the vampire dissolved into dust.
Buffy picked up the DVD she'd dropped. "It's okay," she said to the hysterical clerk. "You're safe now." The girl, still crouched on floor, continued to shake and sob.
Buffy huffed in frustration. "Y'know, sometimes I miss Sunnydale."
Spike raised an eyebrow.
"I mean, people there got scared, but they always blocked it out as soon as the crisis was over. It was like they had unlimited get-out-of-trauma-free tokens."
"It's called denial, love," Spike answered. "When people live in a war zone they have to cope somehow."
"I guess, but now what? We don't have time to go to another video store before we need to be at Dawn's place."
"Spoils of war?" Spike suggested. "We did just save her life."
"We're not stealing a video." She bent over the hysterical girl. "Look, this is my membership card." Buffy spoke loud and slowly. "And money for the rental. I'll pick up my card when I return the DVD, okay?"
The girl nodded, wiping her eyes on her sleeve. Buffy exited through the turnstile, which set up a strident beeping since the DVD had not been checked out. When the girl did not react, Spike slipped a packet of popcorn into his coat pocket before following Buffy.
Just so the evening wasn't a total loss.