Angel shook his head from the chair where he was feeding Connor. He could remember when it had been like that between him and Buffy. A stolen glance here and there…it seemed like yesterday. A sharp pain on his arm cleared his head, and he glared at Cordelia. "What?"
"You were brooding. We talked about it this. No brooding. We should be happy, even though we can't exactly test our gift while we're guests in Buffy's house."
Angel laughed softly. "That wasn't why I was brooding, Cordy; although, I must say, it is worthy of a good brood." His eyes twinkled and he continued. "I was watching Dawn, and thinking about Buffy."
"Oh, great. That's even better," she grumbled.
"No, I was just…remembering fondly, Cordy. Not wishing things were different. Although I do wish Buffy and my childe had enough couth to tone down the rutting while they have guests."
"You do realize that you're the only one who can hear them, right? I mean…duh. Vampire," she said, putting her fingers by her mouth like fangs.
"Oh, pet, I hope we don't look like that," Spike said, shooting Cordelia a dirty look. "Otherwise the only person we'd scare is an orthodontist."
"Spike, the only person you scare is a fashion designer. Thank God Buffy bought you new clothes," Cordy shot back.
"Okay, guys, enough," Willow said. She looked at Gunn trying to untangle the lights hopelessly, and zapped them undone. He looked up and gave her a thumbs up. She smiled back until she saw the look on Tara's face.
Just then, Buffy came cartwheeling down the stairs in a tank top, skirt and boots. "We ready to patrol or what, people?"
Gunn looked at her as if she was crazy. "Okay, A) you just did gymnastics down a stairwell, and B) you patrol in clothes like that?"
Spike scowled. "Got a bloody problem with it? Buffy could kick someone's ass six ways from Sunday in a tutu, mate."
"Whoa, tone down the testosterone, boys," Buffy cut in. "Let's just get the posse and hunt. Maybe at the end we can go shake down Willy about Cordy's vision?"
Cordelia nodded. "I can't believe that we got so caught up in the holidays that I forgot to tell you until Christmas dinner. I mean, it's the whole reason we came barreling down here early."
Angel smiled at her. "We had other things on our minds."
Spike made gagging noises behind Angel's back. "Luv, can we go now? I'm gonna hurl if I have to see any more heartfelt emotions."
Angel smirked at Spike. "Luv? Why, it's been a long time since you've called me that, William."
Every male in the room cringed, and Buffy rolled her eyes. "Vampires and their preferences. Can we put them away and patrol, please?"
"Yes, Buffy," Spike and Angel chimed in snidely.
"Gunn, Wesley, Angel, Spike. Anyone else feel like pummeling something?"
Xander muttered. "A couple of vampires in this house, but not much else."
Buffy, Spike, and Angel shot him dirty looks before the ragtag group headed out the door.
"You don't take any weapons?" Gunn asked, grabbing his and Wesley's axes form the van.
Buffy shrugged. "None you can see. And they have built in ones."
"Buffy can stow more stakes on her body than anyone I know," Angel said.
"And that's not even counting mine," Spike whispered in Buffy's ear.
Angel glared at him. "Plus she's a master at using what's at hand. It's why I wanted you two to go on patrol with us. I know Wesley wasn't much for patrolling when he was Buffy's Watcher, and Gunn's never seen a real Slayer work. It'll be interesting, even more so since Billy Idol decided to tag along."
"Shove it somewhere painful, Peaches. I'm mighty helpful. Ask the Slayer."
Buffy stopped short, and turned around, hands on her hips. "Look. I'm taking you guys out of the goodness of my heart. Quit making me regret it! Stop the damn bickering," She growled.
Spike stuck his tongue out at Angel. "S'what you get for being a Poof."
She turned to Spike and glared. "And you, too, Mister. You're not innocent in it, either. Stow it." Turning on her heel, she stalked off towards the cemetery, humming under her breath.
Spike looked at the guys and shrugged. "Might be coming up on her time
of the month. Makes her cranky."
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Buffy looked at the enormous crowd of vamps that had somehow managed to find
them on an otherwise uneventful night. Her nerves were fried. Spike had made
comments about her 'monthlies' every time she'd snapped at him and Angel had
bickered with him the other two-thirds of the time. She'd had about all she
could take, considering that she hadn't gotten to hit anything all night. Gunn
seemed even more skeptical about her skills since she had yet to really ring
Spike's bell.
She jumped up on the tombstone nearest to her and watched Spike, who was attacking the first vamp brave enough to call him out. He took out the younger vamp out without much effort, and she saw Gunn's shake his head. That's it, she thought furiously. She started to yell to Spike, but instead she found something strange coming out of her mouth. "Anything you can do, I can do better. I can do anything better than you." Her eyes flew open wide and she stared at Spike in amazement.
He looked at her defiantly. "No, you can't," he sang. He looked around wildly, trying to figure out what was going on.
"Yes, I can," she replied, jumping off the tombstone and hauling the first unlucky vamp she saw in the center of the circle.
"No, you can't," he challenged back, smirking at her. Suddenly, he didn't care much about why they were singing, only that Buffy had called him out and he certainly wasn't going to lose.
She grinned, putting the vamp in a headlock. "Yes, I can!" She flexed her forearm and snapped his neck, the bone cracking loudly and making her point. Gunn's eyes flew open, and even Wesley seemed impressed. Angel rolled his eyes, wondering how long this pissing contest was going to last.
"Anything you can be, I can be greater, sooner or later, I'm greater than you!" Buffy sang, her leg flying up and knocking three vamps down in one blow.
"I can drink my liquor faster than a flicker." Grinning at his reply, Spike vamped out and flung two stakes without looking, both of them dusting a vamp.
Buffy made an obscene gesture with her hand, and Gunn snickered. She raised an eyebrow at him, and back flipped across the circle, stopping in a handstand. Looking around, she kicked the vamp nearest to her in the chest with her boot heel and he exploded. She addressed Spike from upside down, "I can do it quicker and get even sicker."
Angel snorted, and Spike glared. "Anyone you can lick, I can lick faster. I can lick anyone faster than you."
Buffy gasped at his response, and he shrugged. She pulled a stake out her thigh sheath and faced one of the few remaining vamps. "With your fist?" she asked, dusting the punk rocker looking fledgling.
"With my feet," he replied, sending a roundhouse kick to one of the last three. The surprised vamp tumbled backwards, impaling himself on a tree branch. Spike smirked again, thinking he'd bested her.
"With my feet," Buffy echoed determinedly. She strode up the vamp that looked to be the leader, staring at her defiantly. Punching him in the face, she waited until he reeled and pushed him to the ground, stomped over him, not even stumbling as he crumbled to dust. Her self-satisfied smile infuriated Spike, and he went looking for the only vamp left.
To his consternation, Gunn had him by the neck, dangling his feet off the ground. "With an axe," he said triumphantly, slicing off the vamp's head neatly.
The spell seemed to be broken for a moment, and they all looked at each other. Buffy grinned at Spike, and he returned her smile. Angel rolled his eyes again and gave his co-workers a bored look.
"Spike, betcha can't catch me! I'll race you to the Magic Box," Buffy
said, starting run as she spoke.
"Oh, now this will be a piece of cake," Spike muttered, saluting Angel before taking off after her.
"Are they always like this?" Wesley asked curiously.
"Let's just say we're lucky Buffy had on wooden soled boots, or we could have been here all night," Angel replied.
Gunn grinned. "Welcome to the Hellmouth, I guess."
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