My Immortal

Chapter Fifteen

Buffy came back into the room and slumped onto the bed. She kicked off her shoes and massaged her tired ,aching feet. Job hunting in L.A was exhausting. She fell back against the mattress and looked up at Spike as he reclined against the headboard. She wondered if he had actually moved from that position since she had left him there this morning, before her job hunting escapade.

"What now?"

He regretted his tone with her the second he had said it.

"Nothing, aren't you even going to ask? You can't tell me your not curious"

"Sorry, how did it go pet?"

"Working in a cheesy nineteen fifties diner, start tomorrow at nine am"

Buffy held up the uniform and waited for his chuckles. He didn't let her down. He scooted to the end of the bed and poked around at it. Satisfied he sat back a bit, still laughing at the pink monstrosity.

"How you gonna fill the top bit pet?"

"Hey!"

"Jus' sayin'"

"You're a pig Spike"

"Yeah, you said before love, still here though aren't you"

The loo roll hit him on the side of the head and bounced onto the floor. He just blinked and smirked. They seem to have an easy air around them now and he almost forgot that she was the Slayer at times. She had even gotten a job so that they weren't living off his money alone now and she was willing to pay towards the hotel room. She hadn't patrolled once, which Spike actually felt bad about and had encouraged her too. Buffy hadn't yet but he'd work on it. For now he enjoyed the low profile existence they had. Buffy hung the uniform up in the shower , hoping that the steam would remove the creases. She sat back next to Spike and groaned.

"Passions again?"

"Yeah, now shhh, tis a good bit coming up "

Her eyes rolled and she wandered to the fridge, she had a sandwich left and she bit into it hungrily, she held up a pouch of his blood and he nodded. She threw it at him and sat back down. Domestic living with Spike was easy. Three weeks had passed since she had left and she was settling into a routine with him that required few words. She enjoyed their nights in though, he would tell her tales from his past, he didn't have to hold back either. Buffy accepted him and so, he told her everything. He told her about Angelus and he could feel the hatred roll of her . If one good thing had come from this, it was that. He was sure that if she returned home Angel would be sent packing and he knew that Angel had no chance with his girl.

Faith stood above the grave that Angel was sure a vamp would rise from. Waiting for the idiot was boring the crap out of her.

"So, tell bout B then? That vamp from last night said you had the hots for her but Spike got there first"

Angel couldn't stand the brunette and only went patrolling with her as a favor to the Watchers. He growled and stared at Faith.

"I'm not going to answer so stop asking, concentrate on the vampire, can you sense him yet?"

"Nope! I might just blow this gig and go find some real action, you coming"

Angel watched as she walked towards the exit.He had had enough already but followed her with heavy feet. The fledgling rose , using his elbows to lever himself from the grave. Angel stopped a few feet away and growled again. He turned back towards the grave and threw a stake, impaling it in the new vampires heart and turning him to dust before he'd broken the surface . Feeling a little satisfaction, Angel continued his slow pace behind Faith.

Wesley sent yet another unsatisfactory report back to the Council. It stated that as hard as Mr Giles tried with the girl, she refused to comply with commands , often doing the complete opposite. She had a reckless attitude to slaying and had put himself and Giles in danger on more than one occasion. That had lead them to approach Angel and to get him to patrol with her, with her promise to not stake him. Faith had rolled her eyes and dragged him out to the nearest cemetery.Angel could appreciate her need for the kill, and he echoed her in that respect but she loved the violence of it all a little too much.He could tell that she had the personality that could abuse the power she housed.He wouldn't trust the girl and it was clear that Wesley and Giles felt the same.

Her first day at work had been okay. The boss had shown her the routines, the other waitresses had shown her the menu and everything else had more or less just fallen into place during the course of the day. Buffy had enjoyed the day and at the end of her shift, was grateful for the tips. She put them in her pocket and had waved as she walked out the door. Her smile was infectious and Spike found himself smiling as she walked towards the car. He sat up on the bonnet smoking a fag while he waited for her.

"What are you doing here? I wasn't expecting a lift home"

"Thought I'd come down and check out where you worked"

He shrugged and tried not to make a big deal of it. He'd come to check the place out , that was true, but he also wanted to make sure the place was demon free.Spike also wanted to see her route home should she have to walk home, he didn't want her walking down alleys and making herself vulnerable . He was surprised at his protectiveness , and the fact that she accepted that.

"It's all safe and normal, well as normal and safe as a diner in L.A can be, see no big bads about to attack me. Just Mischa and the greasy chef that's also my boss. Can we go home now?"

"Course pet"

He jumped off the bonnet of the car and slid round to the drivers side. He started up the engine and pulled away. He nervously glanced at Buffy as she pulled at a loose thread on her uniform. He had spent the day thinking over their current situation and he thought that maybe finding a low rental apartment would be best. Whilst staying at the hotel was cheap, it wasn't practical and Buffy would need some privacy, as did he. He cleared his throat, drawing her attention to him.

"I wanted to talk to you about the hotel and how we're living at the moment"

A glance her way made him feel bad, Buffy chewed on her bottom lip and looked out the window , he knew that she was expecting him to suggest them going their separate ways. Spike swallowed hard.

"I don't think it's a suitable long term thing that's all and I thought we could look for something a little more home like. What do you say, I mean you do intend on staying in L.A now , don't you?"

He heard his own insecurities in his voice and closed his eyes briefly, hoping she hadn't heard it there too. He was turning into a bloody poof when it came to her. He cursed himself for actually needing her as much as she needed him.

"I can't go back, I don't want to go back. There's no-one that cared enough about me there. They have another Slayer, so they don't need me "

"What about your Mum?"

Buffy let out a small laugh

"Yeah, she showed me how much she cared. Between the gallery and the alcohol she made that pretty damn clear."

He felt bad for opening up the wounds that were still fresh, at least he knew that she wouldn't be leaving him anytime soon. If she did? He'd probably follow her, not that he would tell her that, or accept it himself. He sighed. So much for being my own man!

He parked the car and they made their way to the room. He ran her a bath while she sat and ate her salad bowl and drank a soda. She switched the television on and laughed as he came out and changed the channel, cursing her for putting on a music channel. He leaped on the bed next to her and poked her in the ribs.

"So, what do you think then pet? Fancy setting up home with the Big Bad?"

Buffy didn't know what to say. Settling down with a vampire, her a Slayer, just how wrong could it be? She looked into his eyes and saw a mischievous glint. He seemed to find the idea amusing. She smiled, okay it was, on a cosmic scale , it was a joke.

"Okay , count me in, but, we both have to agree on the place and there'll be rules"

"I said live together not get bloody married, bossy bint"

She stuck her tongue out at him and he threw a pillow at her as she headed to the bathroom.

Joyce had had enough of Mr Giles and his 'let the Council help find Buffy' and rang the police. Reporting Buffy as missing , possibly kidnapped , had been hard. The lengthy questionings had sapped her energy and Joyce was emotionally and physically drained. As she shut the front door and leant against it, Giles cleared his throat.

"If Buffy has found Spike, then the police will have trouble. Vampires are essentially possessive creatures. If Spike has bonded with her then he will not only defend her but will in fact, kill anyone that tries to take her from him. The bite that he inflicted upon Buffy has caused a bond to form and that makes Spike deadly. This is why I didn't want the authorities involved. "

He snatched his glasses off his nose and pinched the bridge of his nose. He sighed loudly before returning an angry gaze at Joyce.

"You may have inadvertently placed them in danger and also endangered your daughter.The best thing that we can do now is hope that Buffy can protect them from him, should they find her. Angel has offered to try and find them, he knows L.A quite well and thinks that his sires bond with Spike may help him track him. He'll be leaving at dusk. I strongly suggest you prey that Angel gets to them before the police do"

Joyce couldn't believe that the mild mannered librarian had spoken to her in such a manner. She had taken in what he had said, but, this was her daughter, how could she sit by and allow her to remain a runaway that might be under the influence of a vampire?

They sat on the bed, papers strewn around them, rings littered the pages . Buffy sat with her arms folded across her chest, Spike was scowling.

"How many times do I have to bloody say it? We are not getting a bloody place that has a lot of bloody windows!"

"Oh and of course the meat packing area is so much better!"

"It is for me"

"It stinks"

He ran his hands through his hair and sighed.

"How 'bout this one then pet, close to work for you, has two bedrooms and says that it is recently renovated. Cheap rent too. Even has a little piccy so you can see it"

Spike thrust the page at her.She snatched it from him and frowned at the picture, then smiled.

"Looks perfect, can we go see it?"

"Course love, just as soon as the sun sets"

Buffy finally felt like something was going her way. She laid down and smiled.

"Best say I'm your older brother pet, wouldn't want them to get the wrong idea bout us"

"Sure, cos the fact that you have a very English accent and I don't won't seem weird at all"

"Err good point, um"

"Do you really care? "

He raised his brows, of course he didn't care but he thought that she would . It dawned on him then, he had no credit to check, no identification and that was just the tip of the iceberg. The place would be leased to Buffy and she was sixteen. He shot off the bed and retrieved his new mobile phone, which Buffy had gotten him so that she could contact him whilst she was at work. He dialed a number and waited. She frowned at him curiously. He smiled and held a finger up, knowing she would ask.

"It's Spike, gonna call in a favor mate, don't be like that or you know what'll happen, just listen up. I need some fake I.D's, good ones too, none of the pap you give to the rest of your low life mates. "

Spike walked around the room , running his hands through his hair, causing it to stand in small spikes, it made him look even more dangerous. The guy on the other end of the phone must have shut up as Spike started to talk again.

"Yer it's for a bird and me, she needs to be nineteen and I just need the standard shit yeah? I need 'em by seven tonight or else"

He must have gotten a positive result as he seemed happy once he hung up. He flopped on the bed again and smiled up at her.

"We'll have to go there after we visit my mate, you want to ring the place and make an appointment for around eight"

"Okay, but Spike? No growling or intimidation tactics"

"Cross my heart pet, I'll be on my best behavior"

Angel crossed the threshold and gave Joyce a saddened smile. Giles greeted him warmly and gestured for him to take a seat.

"Your aware that Joyce has alerted the police to Buffys disappearance so they may be an issue. Do you know of any demon haunts that Spike may frequent in L.A?"

"Are you sure that they are there? Spike liked New York as well"

"The janitor at the bus station here says that a girl matching Buffys description was seen getting on a bus bound for L.A"

"Right, if she went there then it's a certainty that that is where he is, the bond thing, she'd sense him"

Giles closed his eyes and breathed deeply. He hated the fact that his Slayer was bonded to a Master vampire. If the Council found out, they would plan to capture them both. He halted his train of thought and looked at Angel.

"Do you have any contacts that would help you?"

"A few, I mean I know a cop , she could help us, but off the books so to speak. I helped her with a few cases before I came to Sunnydale."

"Very good, do you think you could contact her tonight, the sooner she's alerted the better"

Angel hated the fact that he was going back to L.A, he hated the fact that it was because of his wayward childe. He stood and ducked his head as he moved towards the front door. The sun was low enough for him to walk around outside and return to his apartment. He'd pack and make the calls he needed to , then return to let Giles know he was leaving.He just hoped that Spike hadn't done anything rash, like claim Buffy or kill her. His erratic behavior and his past obsessions for Slayers didn't lend themselves to a smooth and happy outcome.

The demon stood in the doorway waiting for them to turn up. Spike got out and lent back into the car.

"Stay 'ere, Tony hates Slayers, if he senses your one he'll kick off an' I don't want to have to go toe to toe with him and loose a bloody good mate, got it?"

Buffy nodded and watched the car door slam and Spike saunter over to the demon . He patted the demons back and lit up a fag. They talked and then 'Tony' handed Spike a large bundle of papers. Spike gave the demon a large roll of cash and waved as he walked back to the car. Tony called him back and pointed to the car, Spikes eyes followed his finger and leant in to his friends ear, he said something and Tony roared with laughter and patted Spikes back. They said their farewells again and Spike got into the car.

"Bloody idiot but the bloke comes through for me every time"

Spike put the pile of papers in Buffy's lap and pulled away, leaving a trail of dust behind him.

"Ready to go get us a nice little pad then pet?"

"Hmm... oh yeah"

He frowned at her, she seemed distant, he rested his hand on her thigh and she covered it with her own and smiled at him.

"Sorry, just well, what if they ask questions?"

"Let me take of it love, you just smile sweetly and sign on the dotted line s'all"

"Okay , I can do that"

It didn't take long to get to the apartment. It looked normal, perfect. Spike got out and stood leaning on the car door, one foot resting inside . Buffy got out and looked at him. She could see the conflict going on inside him.

It wasn't normal, this feeling inside him. He was a creature of darkness, he shouldn't want this. He should want her dead, he'd killed her kind before, it wasn't natural for him to want to share a home with her, shouldn't be so comfortable with her. He closed his eyes and breathed in slowly. refocused , he slammed the car door and walked up the path to the foot of the stairs. Buffy followed.

The Realtor opened the door and shook their hands, inviting them in . The apartment was amazing. After the tour Buffy was hanging off Spikes arm and he was impressed. Something wasn't sitting right though. A feeling tugged at him and he couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched. The fact that this immaculate and beautiful apartment was such a low rent , bothered him too.He pulled Buffy into the kitchen.

"This place, somethings off with it"

"I feel it too, do you think it's demonic?"

"Dunno pet, but we'll soon find out"

They rejoined the Realtor and smiled. Spike watched her body language and realized that she knew. She seemed edgy, nervous and seemed to be watching for something.

"So, how comes the rents so affordable?"

She looked at Spike and stuttered

"... We're handling t...the estate, there are no living relatives, so... "

"So why not sell and make a quick buck?"

"A property makes more money by being a rental these days"

She'd been truthful to a point. It was more like they just couldn't sell. If humans could sense the atmosphere in the place then it had to be bad.Buffy nodded and Spike smiled at the Realtor.

"We'll take it, if everything is in order that is"

"Yes.. everything is fine. We hope you'll be very happy here Mr Pratt"

The Realtor handed Buffy the keys and she left them in the lounge as she made her way to the front door.

"Oh, the furniture is part of the rent, I hope that isn't a problem."

"No problem, thanks again"

She closed the front door and immediately got her mobile phone out and dialed.

"I managed to rent the property. A couple, they should be moving in later tonight"