Future Written in Blood ((Complete))

Chapter 13, Rest & Revelation:

“Well, the only thing missing is that black-haired trollop?”

“Who?” Buffy had no idea what the bleach blonde next to her was talking about.

“Snow White.” Spike gave her a ‘duh’ look.

Buffy jabbed an elbow between Spike’s ribs, receiving a satisfying oomph for her accuracy. “Hush! I think they’re cute.”

“What are you jabbing me for, Slayer? All these blokes need are the hats and pointed shoes. Look at them and tell me they are not Snow White’s little gits.”

Buffy had to agree, even though she would never tell the cocky vampire so, but she wanted to ask them if they needed any help with a evil queen or something. These people did look like dwarves straight out of Walt Disney’s movie. They were short, almost resembling gnomes, and their dimension was a forested haven. Thank goodness there was no castle on a rocky mountains in the distance or she would have to listen to Spike spout off again. But there were just trees surrounding a township in a very picturesque Magic Kingdom- Not sure sort of way, but nope, no one had on any Mickey Mouse ears.

Back to reality, though, Buffy thought as she gave herself a mental kick. The day was overcast, but Buffy was glad that they were not taking any chances of making her partner into Mr. Dusty. In fact, Sebastian made sure that the portal opened up inside of the building so Spike wouldn’t get singed.

While she and Spike stood in a covered area good naturedly ridiculing the local inhabitants, Sebastian, with Clara’s help, was meeting with what appeared to be the town council, which consisted of two men and a woman. Regardless of their appearance, Buffy refused to call them dwarves even in her thoughts, but she was going to kill Spike if he didn’t quit with the, “Hi, ho, hi, ho. It’s off to work we go…”

She did chuckle at the vampire’s antics, but she was relieved that he shut up when Sebastian and Clara walked back over to them. Sebastian closely resembled the proverbial Cheshire cat with his smile, rubbing his paws together with glee. Or should she say greed, Buffy thought with a smile of her own. “Well, this one should be easy. Just this one last fight, and our bargain is done. Then you two are on your way home.” With an abrupt nod of his head, Sebastian gestured with distain back to the council. “Can you imagine? I even offered to let them use four combatants instead of two, but they declined with a smile, saying they were confident that two would be enough.”

“Cocky buggers.” Spike couldn’t believe they had turned down such a deal. In fact, he started to suspect that something was not quite right here.

Unperturbed, Buffy casually looked around, “So what’s the plan?”

Stepping up, Clara pointed toward a nearby cottage. “The Council has provided the two of you that cottage, and dinner will be provided in about a quarter of an hour over in the building that we arrived in. The same room, in fact. By the way, they are having a fair here tonight. Not such a party as in the last dimension, but more like a county fair in the clearing just past the town. You are invited to enjoy the festivities after the meal. See you in a few.” Clara gave them a smile and a little wave as she hurried to catch up to Sebastian’s already retreating form.

“Well, pet, the sun is setting but still better safe than singed.” Spike gave her a wink, and using a blanket provided, Spike made the dash to the cottage. Buffy followed at a more sedate pace. After inspecting their new lodgings, which included trying out the new bed, Buffy and Spike joined the others for a formal meal with the council before heading down to have a look at the fair.

Buffy had considered the last dimension’s party was beautiful, but this fair, she thought, was charming in a fairy book sort of way. She groaned to herself when she realized that Spike’s Snow White analogy was rubbing off on her, but lit by fire-light and candles and with everyone so cheerful, Buffy was beginning to think Spike had every right to sing Hi, Ho. Well, she certainly wasn’t going to eat any apples, that was for sure.

The fair’s atmosphere was contagious, also. Soon the slayer and vampire found themselves holding hands as they progressed through the vendors’ booths, feeding each other samples of the food, and admiring the wares for sale. Eventually, the pair meandered into the forest to find a quiet and private place. Buffy sat up against a tree while Spike arrogantly laid his head in her lap where he could star gaze and lean up to steal a kiss from time to time.

Startled at first by their intimate position, Buffy gradually relaxed and absently played with Spike’s hair that curled without all the usual gel.

Regardless, Spike could tell she was thinking about something serious. Reaching up a hand, he pulled her down for a kiss, open mouthed and tender. When he let her go, he gave a mischievous smile, “Luv, I can see smoke coming out of your ears.”

“Huh?”

“What are you pondering, pet?”

“That you are such a poor baby, doing without hair gel all this time.”

Spike reached up and pulled a lock of her hair. “Ha, ha, Slayer. Now spill.”

“Ok, spilling. I was actually thinking about something you said before, that the Council of Watchers doesn’t want slayers to know that demons have feelings.”

Spike got very still, dreading the direction her present line of thought was going. “Suppose I remember.”

“Well, I have been with you, up close and personal like, for a while now.” Buffy was visibly nervous and had to pause for a second to re-gather her scrambled thoughts. “Ok…You care for Dawn, you cared if that little girl drowned back in that ice dimension or you wouldn’t have jumped in to save her, and you care if I get hurt, like when I was all cut up in that first fight. I can say you obviously have feelings.”

Spike let out the unneeded breath that he had been holding. “Knock me over with a feather, Slayer. There may be hope for you. Or better yet, let me show you some better uses for a feather.”

“No, I’m being serious here.” Buffy thumped him on the head but made a mental note to find out more about the feather uses. “But what I want to ask you is…well, uh…Remember the night we watched the meteor shower, and you told me that you had seen…uh…true love? Remember?” She had started to phrase it as the type of love that he was looking for but couldn’t bring herself to say it. It just seemed so…personal.

Spike looked off in the distance and wished that he had a cigarette. “Would you believe me if I said no?”

“No, you remember. Tell me about when you saw that kind of love.”

Spike grabbed a piece of grass to chew on in lieu of a cigarette. “You would think I remembered that day only because it was when I first met Dru. The day I was turned. But I also remember that day because it was the last time I saw my family, believe it or not.”
Buffy plucked the grass out of his mouth to gain his attention. “Well ‘believe it or not,’ I can believe that. So keep talking, bub.” Buffy stuck the piece of grass into her own mouth.

Spike smiled at her gesture and wondered if she realized what she had done and how intimate it was. Then looking back at the stars, he sighed and began with his little trip down the soddin’ memory lane. “I remember lunch that day. Mother and I were already at the table. See, it was an important day for me since that night I was attending a gathering at which I would see the woman I thought I loved.” Spike didn’t know if it was this particular dimension, the smell of the forest or lying in the slayer’s lap that had him talking so much, but he plunged on. “I remember my mum being amused that I was so excited, but she was happy for me, also. Then I remember my aunt, my mum’s younger sister, entered the room. Catherine was not beautiful, but pretty in her own right, and had been close to my mother until mother had married. She and her husband, John, were staying with us at the time, and were to attend the same gathering as I was that night.”

Listening to him recalling his past life, Buffy wondered if Spike even realized that he was speaking with a Giles’ accent now. But it struck her that she had never heard him talk of his past life at all, let alone any family. Focusing again on his story, Buffy watched his lips with fascination and continued to run her hand through his hair absently.

“My aunt and her husband were some of my favorite people in the world. At the time, I wanted a life like theirs. I remember later that night at the gathering. Catherine had arrived before John, but when he came through the door, she lit up as from within. Her eyes were only for him, and his for her. It was like their love was a tangible object that you could see stretched between them. A bond that no matter how far it was stretched or how hard it was tried, it would always bring them back together. A bond that promised a future.”

Spike paused and focused back on the stars above. He felt that he had revealed overmuch but was too caught up now to stop himself. “Who wouldn’t want to know that kind of love? Who doesn’t want someone to look at them with that look of love shining for them?”

Buffy looked down at this paradox of a vampire, who so tenderly described his family and talked of love. How easy it would be to forget he was a demon. No wonder her mother had liked Spike, and her sister adored him. Uneasy with the direction of her own thoughts, she searched her mind for any comparisons to his story.

Which only led Buffy tasting one of her appendages. “Angel and I looked at each other like that.” There it was – open mouth, insert foot.

Spike closed his eyes and counted to ten so he would not explode at the sound of his grand-sire’s name connected to this woman. “No, luv, as strongly as he felt about you, his was the look of a love that can never be. Yours was the look of first love.”

“Well, what about you and Dru then?”

Ignoring the obvious sarcasm in her voice, Spike thought back to his dark princess. “My eyes were for Dru, but hers were for Angelus, and then on to various other demons. That is why I left. I do not share.”

As a result of her surprise, Buffy nearly knocked his head off her lap. “You believe in monogamy.”

“Monogamy. That shocks you so much, oh slayer with the big word? Bullocks, are we back to the demons don’t love conversation again?”

“No, we are not back to that argument.” Buffy leaned down and kissed him, “And no, I shouldn’t be so surprised. You are always so loyal and up front. You would never sneak around behind a girlfriend’s back.”

“Well, come on then, little miss nosy.” Spike got up and drew Buffy to her feet. Once up, he kissed her with a tenderness that made Buffy’s knees we “We “We need to head back since we’ve got that last match tomorrow. Plus, I think I can hear our bed calling from here.”

“Oh, you can, can you?” Buffy reached up for another taste of his lips.

The pair walked hand in hand through the woods back to their cottage. When they were almost back, Buffy broke their comfortable silence. “You know, I like your idea of love. I hope that one day, I can see that look.”

“Me, too, luv. Me, too.”

When they made it into tottaottage, they silently headed straight for the bedroom. Without breathing a word, they undressed each other and climbed into the bed. Holding on to each other tightly, they kissed warmly. Open mouth, passionate, totally intimate but very tender kisses. Warm hands explored and caressed a cool body, while cool hands explored and caressed warm. Surprisingly, neither set of hands fondled any erogenous zones. The caresses were more of a way to show their affection rather than sexual, without having to make that commitment of saying the words aloud. But slowly, the burning embers of desire began to blaze into flames. The kisses became more feverish, and hands caressed more intimate places. As Spike finally positioned himself above Buffy, she looked up into his beautiful blue eyes. As he slowly drove himself into her heat, never breaking eye contact, Buffy’s last conscious thought before giving into the pleasure of him inside her was how easy it would be to love him. So easy.

Later, when Buffy was curled up in his arms, sleeping peacefully, Spike was lost in his own discomfiting thoughts. Unknowingly mirroring Buffy’s own earlier thoughts, he too had been struck by how easy it would be to love this woman. However, the difference was that he was afraid that he was already in love with her. Now, Spike lay there wondering what was he going to do? A master vampire in love with a slayer. Or better yet, the Slayer of Slayers in love with the current Slayer.

But then Buffy caught his attention again when, still asleep, she pulled his arm in and snuggled up a little closer to his body, whispering his name in her sleep. That sealed his fate. Bugger the consequences. Hell, sod it all. Maybe this was a curse, but the slayer had found her way into his long dead heart, and he was going to enjoy.