Scavenger Hunt players PLEASE read note at bottom when you have
finished the story.
****************
Angel snarled at the door as it shut in front of him. The broody
vampire grabbed for the doorknob so hastily, he didn't notice
its glowing red color. Angel recoiled in pain as his right hand
came in contact with the burning metal. His demon visage
surfaced briefly while his left hand held his injured hand.
"Naughty, naughty house. Mustn't hurt daddy." Scowling and
pointing her finger, Dru stared up at the ceiling, obviously
talking to someone no one else could see. Not that anyone seemed
to care. They were focused on Angel's hand and the door that was
impenetrable.
"We can't get to Buffy this way." Angel approached the door
again, this time touching the heavy oak surface. Swirls of color
surrounded his hand; Angel pressed his hand deeper into the tiny
vortex. A brief image of Buffy sleeping appeared, and the vortex
disappeared, before a violent wind swept him off his feet and
onto his rear.
Xander laughed and snorted. "You fell on your butt!"
Dru clutched her prized doll close to her chest, a panicked,
daydreamy look in her eyes. "This is not the picnic I was
planning for."
Giles rubbed his creased brow in aggravation. "I suggest we all
try to get some sleep. Nothing we do tonight is going to help.
This house apparently has a mind of its own."
Willow held tight to Oz's hand. "Buffy's going to be fine in
there, isn't she? With Spike... and well, Spike." There was an
uneasy tone to her voice. Oz wrapped a reassuring arm around her
shoulders.
Xander huffed. "It's just a trick, right? That's not really
what's going on in there. I'm sure Spike is on the floor and
Buffy is awake on the bed. There is no way she'd sleep with
Spike in the same room as her." His eyes darted to the door,
where he'd seen a brief image of Buffy, with Spike curled around
her, sleeping peacefully. He had almost gasped, then shook his
head. It couldn't be true. He'd tell Cordy about it in the room
and see what she thought.
Angel glared heavily at Xander as he brushed past him on the way
to his room. Drusilla followed Angel closely in a swaying
motion. "Night, night, sleep tight; be careful dancing with the
ghosts tonight." Drusilla's words hung in a taunting melody as
they drifted back to the Scoobies, who were now dissipating to
their rooms.
Cordelia rolled her eyes. "That woman has serious issues. Have
you seen her dress? It's so out of date."
"Right. And her style of dress is the worst we have to deal
with, right, Cordy?" Xander ushered his girlfriend inside their
room, waving quickly to Willow and Oz. Giles watched as each of
the doors shut before going to his own room.
****************
Buffy murmured a protest in her sleep when Spike moved. "No,
don't move. I'm warm," she muttered, before drifting back to a
comfortable slumber.
Spike tried as best as he could to accommodate her request.
However, whether he moved or not, Buffy was in for a lesson on
the difference between men and women. He settled for a closer
nuzzle against her small body, praying she was too asleep to
notice.
"Who's there?" he demanded suddenly, the hackles on his neck
rising. No response. Just a thick silence lingering in the air.
Spike's eyes darted around relentlessly for something, anything
that would indicate who or what was in the room. He found
himself frustrated because he couldn't see anything. **Stupid
vampiric senses are off too, aren't they?**
He was ready to give up and pass it off as his imagination,
until he felt the wispy touch of air brushing over his bare
chest. Moments later, the image of a woman in white, billowy
lace appeared at the foot of the large bed. A hazy cloud of
violet surrounded her, while her white, brilliant hair fluttered
around her waist in a delicate wind that seemed to only affect
her. The lace of her dress flowed out from under her legs,
making it apparent she was suspended above the hardwood floors.
"What the bloody hell?" Spike asked in a whisper.
The ghost brought a finger to her mouth as if to silence him.
"Protect her."
"Not bloody likely. It's not my job to protect her; it's the
Poof's. I kill her kind," Spike answered with a cocky grin. All
for show, and he knew it. **Can't let them know I actually fancy
the bint.**
The woman shook her head side to side. "Protect her, Spike. For
the sake of all you hold dear." She vanished, leaving nothing in
her wake but a very confused vampire.
Buffy raised her head. She looked up at Spike with sleep-filled
eyes and asked, "Who was that?"
Spike wrapped his arms around her a little tighter, placed a
light kiss on the top of her head, and whispered in her ear, "No
one, pet. Sleep now."