Chapter 24 - Predators

If Joyce had noticed the fact that Buffy had been out late every night, she hadn’t mentioned it. Though ever since Buffy had started college, she didn’t have to report in unless she wasn’t coming home that night. Still, she thought it would have earned at least a passing comment, even with the stress of the divorce and getting the house ready.

Buffy had fallen into an easy routine of going to class, coming home in the afternoons, and then heading out to train and/or patrol. Wesley had generously given her a key to the office so she could work out whenever she wanted.

Tonight they were on a patrol down some of the darker streets. The evening had been spectacularly uneventful. Buffy was just about to comment on it, when Fred suddenly let out an “eep” as she was grabbed and tugged backward into an alley.

Buffy turned around, but Wesley was closer.

“Why do you even let this one out?” came Spike’s voice. “She’s practically bait.”

“Hey!” Fred exclaimed.

Spike let go and sauntered out of the shadows. “Free tip, love. The weakest of the party should stay in the middle.” His gaze slid to Wesley. “You should know that, Watcher. You must be slipping.”

Wesley said nothing, but his hand automatically tightened around his crossbow.

“Now, don’t do somethin’ stupid and get yourself killed. I just came to see the little Slayer.”

Buffy stood in place, unsure of what she was supposed to do, or wanted to do.

“I’d prefer you didn’t,” Wesley said.

“You gonna stop me?”

Wesley pressed his lips into a thin line, but didn’t speak.

Spike grabbed Buffy’s arm and pulled her a few steps away.

She glared at him. “Did you eat someone tonight?”

“Yes.”

“Get away from me.” She shook him off.

“Vampire, love. I never denied it.”

“Give me one reason I shouldn’t stake you, too.”

“Among other things, cause you can’t.”

“Just because you’ve got that ge—”

Spike clamped his hand over her mouth and pushed her into the wall.

“Gloves are off now, kitten. I’ll tell you the same thing I first told the Watcher. You shut your mouth or I’ll shut it for you. See, he knows how to pick his fights. There are a lot better things you could be doin’ than worryin’ about me.”

Over his shoulder, Buffy saw Wesley give a barely perceptible nod.

Buffy pushed him off. “That girl in the alley, how was she different from me? I almost was a girl in an alley, remember? She’s just the same as me!”

“No, you got it backward. You’re just the same as her.”

“What?”

Spike leaned in. “None of you should be anything to me, except good for a kill or good for some cash.”

“Then why are you here?”

“Just thought I’d see how you were takin’ to the Slaying.”

“Just fine!” she snapped, pushing away and heading down the street.

Spike trailed after her.

“What are you doing?!”

“Strolling.”

“Well, stroll in another direction. I’ve got work to do.”

“Don’t feel like it.”

“Vampires to slay,” she said pointedly.

Spike stuck his hands in the pockets of his duster. “Go ahead.”

“What, you don’t have some sort of vampire solidarity thing going on?”

“Killed two myself the other night.”

“Why?”

He shrugged. “They pissed me off.”

As Wesley started after them—making sure Fred was beside and not behind him—he realized that Buffy and Spike were bickering like lovers, not fighting like mortal enemies. Not that he particularly wanted Buffy to have to face off against Spike (because right now she’d lose, a voice whispered), but why did his Slayers always sleep with vampires?

Though technically, he was no longer a Watcher, so Buffy wasn’t his Slayer.

Wesley shifted his eyes back to the pair in front of him, one of which was obviously trying to distance herself as Spike lazily stalked after her. Wesley frowned. It seemed that he had been the only one to catch Spike’s “should.”

None of you should be anything to me.

He wondered if the vampire himself was aware of what he’d said.

Wesley’s eyes narrowed. It never did to forget what Spike was, even if he had currently decided that Buffy was cute and it would be more fun to follow her than fight with her. But with Buffy’s rejection of Spike, her sudden calling, and Spike’s unpredictable nature and penchant for going after Slayers, the whole thing worried him.

Spike followed them for the rest of patrol, sometimes walking several lengths behind the group, sometimes sticking annoyingly close to Buffy’s side.

Apparently Wesley wasn’t the only one who thought it annoying.

“God, what is his deal?” Buffy exclaimed once they were back at the office.

“What do you think his ‘deal’ is?”

She was silent for a moment. “I don’t know.”

“Have you seen him since the night—”

“The night he killed that girl? No. And I don’t want to.” Her knuckles went white around the stake she was gripping.

“You’re taking this personally, Buffy. You’re too involved.”

“So?! Even if I wasn’t, he’s a vampire! Who kills! And I’m supposed to be the Slayer.”

Wesley sat down on the edge of the desk. “You mustn’t provoke him, Buffy,” he said seriously. “You’ll lose. And frankly, I’m not sure what to make of Spike’s little performance tonight. He didn’t seem to have any clear objective when he arrived. For all we know, he could have been deciding whether or not he wanted to fight you, despite your history.”

“He won’t hurt me.”

“If you push him into something, he’s not going to let you win simply because you slept with him.”

“I can’t believe you just said that!”

“As I said before, though I had some reservations about your involvement with him, Spike doesn’t go after those he’s worked for. But Buffy, your being the Slayer could change that. I’m worried; this whole situation bothers me.” There was a long pause. “Do you want to kill Spike?” he asked carefully.

Another long pause. “No.” The arm holding the stake dropped to her side. “But I mean, I should, right? Should want to and should kill him. Sacred duty and all that.”

Wesley took his glasses off. “Buffy, what I’m about to say is Council blasphemy, and even though I’m no longer a Council member, I’m only going to say it once. While it is your sacred duty to slay vampires, in Los Angeles alone there are hundreds, and more rise every night. You can never get them all. You can only hope to do as much good as you can do. No matter what you do, you can never save everyone, and you can never take out everything.

“Therefore, you shouldn’t make it your mission to take out the one vampire that’s it’s nearly impossible to take out, and who doesn’t seem to have an immediate interest in killing you. There are plenty of other vampires to slay, and likewise, plenty of other vampires you’ll never slay. You’ve been the Slayer a week. I don’t want to see something happen to you.”

Buffy studied him. “There’s something you’re not telling me.”

“Spike kills Slayers, Buffy,” he said flatly. “He hunts them down and he slaughters them. It’s his claim to fame.”

…in New York I killed a Slayer for her… She’d heard him say it, but she hadn’t known what it meant then, not really.

“You think he’s going to come after me because I’m the Slayer.”

“It’s a possibility. Buffy, for now he’s playing nice. Spike’s unpredictable, but let him play nice for as long as it amuses him.”

“I still don’t think he’ll hurt me,” she said after a moment.

“I hope you’re right. But for your sake, don’t give him a reason to.”

A silence.

“I don’t want to kill him,” Buffy said. “He saved my life twice, and I— But, it tears me up inside. What he does. How he could be so nice to me, so…tender, and then— It makes it even worse.”

“I’m not sure I follow.”

“I’ve seen other vamps. They’re different. Maybe because they’re younger or something? The point is, there’s no way they could not kill. Spike can.”

Wesley frowned. “Yes, if he thinks it’s worth his while.”

“But that’s just it! It’s not like he’s a killing machine. It’s not like he only does it to feed, or because he’s compelled to, has to. He’s perfectly capable of living with a family for two weeks without any bloodshed. He. Can. Choose.”

“Ah.”

“That makes him like a serial killer or something. Not some random monster, but a calculating monster. God, why can’t he just go away? I don’t want to have anything to do with him. We should just both never see each other again.”

“That would be best, I agree.” He paused. “However, you may find that it’s not that simple.”