Cretian Escape

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Chapter 19 – A Day at the Beach

The beaches at Moni Toplou were beautiful to say the least. This time of day, the side of Hotel Crete that was facing the water was in the shade. Could someone see a trio of three men on a balcony uose,ose, he or she would be struck by their masculine beauty. They had little in common physically. One had brown hair, one black and one white-blonde. What they did have in common was that their eyes were trained on the beach below on a small party enjoying the sun.

The white-blonde spoke up. “Well, Peaches, I’ve got to say that those flame throwers you will be donating to the slayers will come in handy.”

“They should help. I’m just glad to establish a stronger bond with the watchers and slayers again. Things had been strained since I came to be in charge of Wolfham and Hart.” Angel glanced over at his grandchilde. “Well, we are headed back to LA tonight. What do you plan on doing when we leave the island?”

“You mean when you can get Princess to leave? I thought I might go to Amsterdam…Ha! Of course, I will do whatever Buffy does, wherever she goes. How about you, Vass?” Both Angel and Spike turned towards Vassilious. “Care to try on a new, white hat for awhile?”

Angel looked Vassilious in the eye. “It’s hard. The hardest thing you will ever do. Even with souls, we still have demons in us that fight to be set free. It is a constant battle.”

Spike nodded, but was again reminded how he was still unused to agreeing with his grandsire. “But if you liked this life you’ve had with us the last few nights rounding up loose vampire ponces, that’s a good sign. Demon hunting satisfies your demon’s hunger for violence, leaving you in control.”

Angel motioned to him and Spike before down to the beach. “If you want to try, you have all of us to help you. Not just Spike and I watching your back, but also a slayer, a watcher, a witch….Everyone will help you.”

Spike turned more serious than Vassilious had become use to seeing him. “Now, if you don’t choose to help and go back to killing, we have no problem dusting you.” His cocky smirk returned. “So what will it be, jailor?”

Closing his eyes, Vassilious pictured his last century, especially the last decade, and how he had changed. If he chose that path, he had no doubt that he could evade this pair and his certain death. Not really a deciding factor there. Keeping how Spike and Angel live in mind, he then thought about what the future may hold for him. His choice was easier than he thought. “I’ve thought about it…”

Angel smiled. “I think the fact that you are still here tells us your answer, am I right?”

Vass wanted to elbow Spike for chuckling at his expense. “Right, I suppose you’re right. So what do I do with this white hat?”

“Today? Today, mate, enjoy yourself.” Spike went back to the gorgeous view of Buffy laying out in a bikini and thinking about what he was going to do with that bikini later. Shredding it with his fangs was his favored idea so far.

Smiling at the two vampires whose eyes were glued back on their mates, Vassilious felt envy. Maybe one day. Lately, all sorts of possibilities were opening up for him. “Then today, I think I will head down to the bar.”

*****

Giles had no trouble picking out his group as he left the bar laden down with drinks. Xander and Willow were swimming and playing in the water while Dawn stood in about a foot of water trying to attract the attention of a young man three umbrellas down. Their umbrella was currently shading Buffy with Cordy in the sun next to her.

Once there, Giles set the drinks down and handed a bottle to Cordy. “Cordelia, here is your sun block.”

Cordelia huffed. “Don’t even use that b word with me.”

Buffy was biting the inside of her mouth, trying not to laugh. “Cordy, Giles didn’t call you a bitch, even during the times you did deserve it.”

“Ha, ha.” Cordy shot Buffy a semi-hot glare. “The b word as in block.” Both Buffy and Giles still looked at her blankly. “You know, sun BLOCK. I wanted sun tan lotion, preferably with the SPF below 12. But ichk, this sun block is a SPF 30. What good is anything not less than SPF 12? How am I supposed to get any sun if it blocks out the rays?”

Shaking his head, Giles held out a drink for Buffy. “No liquor for Buffy.”

“Thanks, Giles. You’re not kidding. I don’t want anything mood altering or even near a sedative for a long while.” Looking at her watcher, Buffy still had to put her hand over mouth to hide her smile at the sight of Giles in “bathing trunks” as he called them. “And Giles, you and Mr. Sunshine need to get together more often.”

Looking over her shoulder, Buffy spotted Angel and Spike on a balcony shaded by the hotel, watching them on the beach. Knowing Spike would hear with his enhanced, vampiric hearing, she called out. “Stop staring. You’re giving me the creeps.” His salute told her that he had heard her. “Are you going to stop?” His next wave told ho. o. “Come on, Cordy. Our fanged ones are waiting for us.”

Cordy knew that Spike and Angel had seen them get up and start into the hotel because Spike’s whole body language relaxed when Buffy starting walking towards the hotel. Captain Peroxide was still a nervous knot of paranoia when Buffy was out of touching distance. But Cordelia didn’t blame him. He had two good reasons. He had been away from her for over two years and then she had been kidnapped.

Upon spotting Giles, Willow and Xander came up to the umbrella to retrieve their drinks. Looking over Giles’ shoulder, Willow appeared to recognize something, or rather someone. “My skin can’t take this much sun. I see Vass over at the bar. I think I will head over there and keep him company.”

Xander’s and Giles’ eyebrows shot up. Xander started to protest or make to go with her, but let his friend go. It was hard, but he needed to practice trusting her, or risk being turned into a newt. Besides, he and Giles needed to stay and watch over Dawn, who was still trying her best to attract any males within a one mile radius. It would take two of them for the job.

*****
Vassilious was considerably – ok, completely surprised to see Willow walking directly towards him. He had been sitting in the open air bar, as close to the edge of the beach that the shade would allow, enjoying himself, sketching and admiring the red-headed witch from a far. And he did appreciate everything that he could see, the fire in her hair, her slim curves and her laugh that floated to him on the wind. That was when he was surprised to see her get up shortly after Buffy and Cordelia had, but not follow them. Instead, she walked directly to his table.

“May I sit down?” Willow smiled when he stood up for her to sit. This vampire was ever the gentleman.

“Please do.” He had wanted to beg but settled with prayer that she would join him.

“I could see Angel and Spike up on the balcony, but you’re down here. I was just wondering if everything is ok.” She knew that everyone was leaving that night, which meant Vassilious had to decide if he wanted to join them or not. She also knew that the “or not” would be very dangerous. It meant that Angel and Spike would or at least try to stake Vassilious. He had much too much power and knowledge now to be left to his own devices. Regardless of that condition, Willow hoped he would join them. She suspected why but wasn’t prepared to examine those feelings yet. She liked this vampire as a friend. That she could admit. Accordingly, she wondered what was up with him that would lead to sit alone in the bar.

Vass pushed a couple of sheets of paper her way. One sketch was her, Dawn, and Xander frolicking in the water and the last was of her getting up to come inside. Both sketches were wonderful. “Those are great. Did you know that Angel sketches, too? You should compare sometime.” She was secretly thrilled that this gorgeous man would choose her as a subject to sketch. Whoops, friend right? “So, we leave tonight…” Obvious much Willow?

Smiling, Vassilious looked into her green eyes. She was so easy to read. “Are you asking if I am going with you?”

“Yes, in a not so blatant way.” Willow was thankful that she hadn’t turned a bright shade of red.

He tapped his pencil against his glass for a few moments. “I’ve thought about it a great deal. It would be drastically changing my lifestyle that I have kept for over a century, and I’ve only lived like this for two weeks.”

“Hard would probably be an understatement.” Willow felt for him but hoped he would take up the challenge.

“Yes.” Vass looked out across the beach. “But I can’t go back to what I was.”

Willow tilted her head in question. “Do you want to?”

He turned his gaze back to Willow. Looking at her, someone so exciting but yet so…good, he knew he would never want to go back to the dark side of existence after glimpsing the light. “No, I like my new path. I will be leaving with you tonight.”

“That’s great…Oh, with us to Cleveland or to LA with Angel?” Willow worried that she had made a hurried assumption.

He smiled when she looked so anxious. And he felt humbled. “With you to Cleveland.”

“Oh, oh, great. You are going to be such a huge help, and I can show you around town. It can be a fun town, and the Hellmouth is never boring…Or…or…you may not want me to…”

“No…” He lifted her hand to kiss its back. “…I would be honored if you would show me around my new home.” Her blush was just bright and just as adorable as he had suspected it would be.

She tried to gently pull her hand away, but actually didn’t try very hard. “I really should tell you that I’m gay.”

“I’ve been told.” He kissed the back of her hand again. “But your blush and increased heart beat tells me that it can’t hurt to try.”

“Ah…well…ya see…Oh, my.” Willow looked into his dark brown eyes and saw all sorts of possibilities.

*****

Spike and Angel were stepping in from the balcony as Buffy and Cordelia came into
Angel and Cordy’s room. The men tried to appear cool and unbothered, but the women knew they had been impatient for them to come up to the room.

As a hello, Cordy swatted Angel on the chest. “It wouldn’t have killed you to wave at me. Spike waved at Buffy.”

“Kill me?” Angel shrugged. “Then what’s the big deal? I’m already dead.”

Hands on her hips, Cordelia took another shot. “That is so not going to get you out of this, mister.”

Spike took a seat in one of the chairs at a small table and made himself comfortable, sitting back to enjoy the Angel/Cordy show. He didn’t think he would ever tire of listening to Cordy give his grandsire a hard time.

But this time, he wasn’t welcome. Cordy glared at him. “Don’t get all comfy cozy. Go away, Spike.”

“It’s all right, Cordy.” Buffy reached down and grabbed Spike’s hand. “I think I can keep him busy in the next room.” But instead of pulling him up, he pulled her down onto his lap.

“Ah, love, Peaches just made a being dead joke, and I want to see if he can make it two for two on jokes.”

With a twinkle in her eyes, Buffy tried again. “Come on, Spike, Cordy has other plans. We need to…uh…leave this room before I see way more than I need to see. Again.”

The implication flew right over Cordy’s head. “Ooh, Buffy. You’ve just seen me in a bikini.”

“I didn’t mean you.” Buffy knew she was playing with fire, but she figured she could get singed for the sake of this joke.

Spike didn’t get it at first either. When he did, he stood up so quickly that Buffy was dumped on the floor. He didn’t take kindly to a reference to Angel’s single episode of sex with Buffy.

Cordy was even slower to catch on. But when she did, instead of going on the attack, she turned the tables. “Then why don’t you two love birds,” she waved her hand between Angel and Buffy, “stay in here together, and Spike and I will go into the next room.” Spike was still steaming and glaring between Buffy and Angel while Angel was watching Cordy head through the connecting door between the two rooms with Spike in tow. “Remember, Spike, you promised to compare tattoos with me.” She jerked the door closed. The lock being thrown echoed in the now silent room. That, Cordy thought, should get Angel and Buffy considering where a couple of tattoos were located on her body.

A reaction wasn’t long in coming. Angel walked up to the door and growled, “Cordy…open this door…NOW.”

Having now bought into Cordelia’s plan, Spike answered with his smirk evident in his voice. “You’ll just have to brood a while longer, Peaches, we’re not finished in here yet…Oh, that’s a nice one, luv.”

Buffy pounded on the door. “Damn it, Spike, don’t. You better not…hey, you don’t even have a tattoo.” She and Angel relaxed, figuring out that they were being had.

Cordy was having a hard time keeping her mirth out of her voice. “I’m going to show him mine, and then he’s going to show me his new one.”

“Slayer, you haven’t seen me in two years. You don’t know what I did to my body, do you?”

That did it. Spike and Cordy were laughing too hard to talk before the door came crashing in. Angel actually made it through the door before Buffy. He picked up Cordy in a fireman’s carry and headed back into their room, slamming the second, undamaged connecting door behind him.

Buffy stopped in front of Spike. She was itching to punch him for putting her through that scare. “Aren’t you lucky, fang face, that there was a door for each room. I want privacy to pound you into the ground for that little stunt.” She didn’t want to let on that she was deeply relieved to find him fully dressed. Instead of violence, Buffy started searching under his clothes for a tattoo.

Spike arched his scared eyebrow. “What are you doing, Slayer?”

“Looking for a tattoo.” Buffy kept at her task.

“Oh, in that case, look down here.” He pointed to his back just above the waist line of his jeans.

At first look, the tattoo looked like a Roman numeral two. Upon closer examination, she could make out a railroad spike and a wooden stake side by side. A ribbon was loosely wrapped around the two, binding the spike and stake together. Incredibly touched, Buffy was frantically trying to blink the tears from her eyes. “When did you have this done?”

“Last year. I was very snockkered.” His voice choked up. “At the time, when I had sobered up, I was glad that it was on my back where I couldn’t see it. It hurt too much to look at it. Now I wish it were in the front.”

She ran her finger tip over it, watching goose bumbs raise on his alabaster skin. “I can’t believe I didn’t see this before.” She leaned down and placed a reverent kiss on it.

Turning around, Spike chuckled and ran a hand over her delectable backside. “Well, we were pretty busy the last few days, jumping in and out of bed. No time for a look see.”

“But there is time now.” Buffy moved so that she straddled him. “Any others I missed?”

“One more. Look down here.” He unzipped his pants and pointed down below.

Buffy’s eyes widened comically. “Spppiiikke…That’s not a tattoo.”

Smirking, Spike could feel his member starting to stiffen. “It can be a spike or a stake. Give it a few more seconds.”

“Spike!!” Buffy thought for a second and could feel herself getting hot. “Show me?”

“Love to.”

*****

The End


I don’t know about you, but I am sad to see this one end. If you did enjoy the story, please drop me a line. I would so love it.

What’s next? Quid Pro Quo - travel both distance to another country and travel in time, visits ancient cultures, and encounter danger at every turn! And of course, SPUFFY! Sound good? Look for the first chapter soon.