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What You Wish For by pfeifferpack
 
Chapter 3
 
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Chapter 3
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Spike rolled into Sunnydale just before the sun made its appearance for the day. He stopped for a ceremonial destruction of the "Welcome to Sunnydale" sign, which made him feel more fulfilled than such a simple act should.

His entry into the Hellmouth town was far easier this time around, and not just because he wasn’t tending his ailing sire either. Spike knew the town this time around. He knew places that some demons who had lived their entire lives there had yet to discover. In his efforts to avoid the Initiative, to alternately avoid and pester the Slayer and her groupies, and to research while looking for the Gem of Amarra, Spike had mentally mapped out most of the town.

Spike parked the DeSoto at a conveniently enclosed car park that had easy sewer access and startled the attendant with his spooky knowledge of the attendant’s life. Spike passed it off as special mojo and earned himself more than a bit of street cred with the gawky, half-demon car jockey. The boy had no idea that in another lifetime he had been one of Spike’s meals on the hoof after Spike had picked the geek’s brain for all the information it contained on the local demon population. The boy told Spike his entire life story while doling out the information Spike had truly wanted. This time Spike chose to let him live. That didn’t mean Spike planned to pay for the privilege of parking in the garage any time soon however.

Spike dropped into the sewer network that ran under the whole of Sunnydale and headed for the perfectly lovely crypt that he had just recently moved into when the Watcher had finally tired of Spike being his manacled houseguest. The crypt appeared long undisturbed and Spike was pleased to see that his assumption that it would be unoccupied was correct. "Bit less dust even. Couple of years less," he muttered as he set about making the crypt homelike.

With the gathering of the Order going on at the behest of the Master, Spike wanted to lie low and not draw attention to his presence in town. He wasn’t here to bow to his elders; he was here to do his third Slayer! "Teach that bitch to wipe off my kisses and act like I have some communicable disease." Spike didn’t want to admit, even to himself, that what he was feeling was more hurt than anger.

Shame the chip came back in time with him or he’d hunt down the redheaded witch and pay her back for that soddin’ spell and all the sleepless days it had led to. "Bint would make an interestin’ vamp, for that matter."

Spike shook his head to clear it and ignored the inner voice that offered a silent "thank you" to the Powers for making it impossible for Spike to act on that thought.
He had only sired those four minions since the horrific experience with his mother and the fact he had even considered siring Willow gave his subconscious the willies.

"Willie’s…yes!" Spike grinned as he thought of the weasely bartender. "Slippery bloke’ll have some A-Pos on tap, no doubt. Nothin’ like fresh, but a sight better than the pig swill I’ve been makin do with." Spike really couldn’t imagine the Master’s precious Brethren of the Order entering a place as low class as "The Alibi" "Be able to drop in, keep my trap shut, pick up dinner and be home with none the wiser."

Spike wasn’t sure if the Slayer was aware of the demon bar at this time, but he seriously doubted it. "Chit hasn’t even fallen into undying love with the Poof yet and I’ll just bet he’s the one took her to Willie’s the first time." He vaguely wondered if his grandsire would be around, perhaps getting a bit of nosh himself and finally decided to cross that bridge if and when he came to it.

Angel he could handle, if he had to. The last vamp Spike wanted to run into was Angel’s bitch of a sire, however. Darla and her twisted games, her sadistic turns and her contempt of all things William the Bloody…no, he’d be perfectly happy to not run into her this time around. Darla had been dust by the time Spike and Dru had arrived the first time. "Maybe do the Slayer a final favor and dust granny myself this time around."

He quickly dashed to Willie’s, made his purchase and returned to the crypt before falling into temptation and adding a few bottles of cheap booze to his grocery list. With so many members of his "family" in town, it wouldn’t do to have less than a razor sharp mind. He promised a date for later with his "good buddy" Jack D and vowed to remain sober.

"Try to enjoy a couple of pints of tepid hospital out-of-date, get in a bit of a kip and scope out the situation after the sun goes down," Spike decided. He tossed the legal resident out of his sarcophagus and lined it with a blanket he’d retrieved from the trunk of the DeSoto. "Sorry, old sod. I need this a sight more than you do though. Don’t fall to pieces about it!" Spike laughed at his own joke as the skeleton crumbled from its harsh treatment. He’d have to look into decent bedding pretty soon, but for now he’d be comfortable enough using his duster for a pillow.

~~~

Buffy was still obsessing over her love life. "Will, I’m going to die an old maid! I’ll be the only girl at Sunnydale High who never goes to a school dance or gets some guy’s class ring! I’m going to die a virgin!"

"Buff I really can’t see that happening to you. You’re cute, you’re perky, you’re the Slayer! Besides, if you get too desperate, like you’re way old and almost thirty or something, Xander will still want you!" Willow patted her girlfriend on the shoulder in comfort.

Buffy noted the wistful look on her friend’s face and realized Willow was bravely ignoring the fact that Xander didn’t want her, even though Willow had done everything short of sending him an engraved invitation! "Will, I don’t want Xander. Besides he’s your dreamboat and I don’t poach my best friend’s boyfriends!"

Willow brightened at the thought of someone coupling her with her lifelong crush and put her mind back to Buffy’s problems. "Just because Owen got major lust bunnies for the danger instead of you is no reason to give up! What about that guy you keep talking about? What’s his name…Angel? Maybe he’s your one true love."

"Pffft! He pops in and out like some movie star making a guest appearance on a TV show, making with the crypty. He’s crypty boy and I’m quippy girl; ain’t gonna happen." Buffy smiled at her lame joke.

"Don’t get me wrong, he’s a major hottie. It’s just that all he’s done so far is give me weird warnings and religious jewelry….oh, and he let me keep his jacket. Will, he doesn’t even always stay to help fight! It’s like he’s watching me all the time and that gets a little creepy. He doesn’t hang around and I want a boyfriend that won’t just walk away. That’s all he does!" Buffy’s lower lip pushed out in a charming pout.

"He did help with that anointed guy when we rescued Giles. And…and he did kill that forkVamp for you when Xander was about to become Mr. Mantis. Maybe he just needs some encouragement. Maybe he’s just shy," Willow suggested.

"I don’t know, Will, he’s majorly with the man of mystery vibe and my life has more than enough of that with just me!" Buffy shook her head as she thought of the tall and undeniably handsome older guy as a possible love interest. "He’s gonna have to do more than just give me verbal high fives for slayage if it’s ever gonna move beyond sharing wardrobes."

"Not to change the subject, but to change the subject, did you hear that Mr. Flutie is going to be our chaperone for the field trip on Tuesday?" Willow shifted the stack of textbooks to her other arm as the girls walked toward their lockers.

"Just goes to show that even a principal needs to play hooky at times," Buffy offered. "I’m thinkin’ the city zoo is as close to a Wild Kingdom safari as the old guy is likely to get. You think they’ll get a replacement for Dr. Gregory before the term is over or do we need to worry about more insectoid substitute teachers?"

"We’ll get a new teacher. There’s always been a bigger than normal turnover in all kinds of jobs here at Hellmouth High. I think they’re kinda used to it," Willow said with a nod.

Xander careened to a stop, flipping his skateboard up into his waiting hand as he joined the two girls. "What’s with the glum, fair lady?" he pointedly asked the still pouty Buffy.

Willow was grinning like the lovestruck girl she actually was as she waited for
Xander to notice her. "Hey, Xan." She waggled her fingers in a friendly wave.

"Buffy and I were just talking about the big field trip to the zoo this week."

"And can I just say how much I’m looking forward to that…NOT!" Xander had a scowl on his face as he answered his oldest friend’s question.

"Better be careful there, Xan, this is the Hellmouth and your face might really freeze up that way," Buffy teased.

"Why so down on the trip, Xander? All kinds of fresh air, animaly goodness, popcorn to throw at the monkeys, no geometry?" Willow edged a bit closer to him.

"Can you make certain our less pleasant classmates ditch?" Xander asked.

"Let me guess…Kyle’s been giving you a hard time in gym class again?" Willow nodded sagely in sympathy.

"That whole group better not mate or they’ll eat their own young," Buffy said with a shake of her head. "Rhonda’s been making it her personal mission to get in my face on a daily basis. She’d better back off or I’ll have to practice a couple of the new moves Giles has been teaching me on her."

"You know, you’re right! Enough with the giving power to the local hoodlums . I vote we concentrate on what Will said: me and the two prettiest girls in school checkin’ out the wildlife. " Xander lost his frown as he thought of the possibilities. "I always did see myself on the African savannah one day…"

Willow giggled at the thought of her Snoopy-dancing friend in the wilds of the dark continent. "Scoff not, Miss Rosenberg. I’m made for bigger things than this little town. Not gonna see me digging ditches with the Sunnydale highway department or behind some desk like my old man! I am Xander Harris, danger flees from me."

"Or is that ‘danger is a flea to me’?" Buffy teased him. Xander was still a bit chagrined over his near death in the maw of the Praying Mantis teacher.

"Hah hah, Miss ‘Have Pointy Stick, Will Travel’. I can feel my skills improving with each battle, my manliness growing with each attack!" Xander made motions imitating a sword fighter, nearly stumbling over a trash can as he walked backward talking to the girls.

"Can I just say ‘ewwww’ on the manliness part. No offense, Xan, but I’d rather not think about your manliness just before biology class," Buffy said.

"Wait! You think about my manliness at other times?" Xander stood still in hopeful silence until the class bell sounded and he had to dash quickly to make it to his own seat on time.
 
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