'Buffy, I have to tell you something,' he said, sounding nervous.
'What? Does it have to do with Cordy and how horribly she's hiding that she was crying?'
His tone grew sharp. 'Don't think of sniping at her, luv. She's done something for us that even you need to appreciate the value of. Grab my Sire, and head for the sewers. Meet me at the mansion; I have some things to retrieve from my crypt on the way.' he ordered.
'But Spike-why?'
'Don't argue. Do it. Make our excuses and thank the cheerleader.'
Buffy sighed heavily, and turned her attention to Angel, calling out to him. Speaking through her mind, she told him what Spike had said to her.
His eyebrows shot up, but he got up, clearing his throat. "I think Buffy and I should go shake down Willy. Again. With this other magick floating around, it seems like he'd have to know something," the elder vampire said, hoping it sounded remotely believable. He knew something was up, and it had to do with what had happened to him; that much Buffy had told him.
Buffy nodded. "He's right. We'll go beat…er, coax the information out of Willy. I don't care if it takes all afternoon."
Cordy snorted and Buffy shot her a 'look'. The brunette cleared her throat, and smiled at the crowd. "Sorry! Geez, I had something caught in my throat. Why else would I make such a gross sound."
Giles looked at Wesley, who shrugged, and then at his Slayer. "Well, if you feel it will be helpful, go ahead. We'll stay here and hold down the fort, as it were. I'm sure the girls can dig about on their…laptops. And Wes and I will attempt to contact some more esoteric sources," he said in resignation.
"Hey Gman, what do I get to do?" Xander whined plaintively.
"You mean besides ceasing to call me that infernal nickname?"
Cordy rolled her eyes. "What you always do, doofus. Run out for some munchies!"
"I'll have you know I've graduated from snack boy," he retorted, ignoring Giles completely.
"To what? Errand monkey?" Cordy asked wryly, picking up laptop and settling into the armchair.
Buffy motioned with her head to Angel, who followed her silently. As they made their way to the sewer grate, Buffy ran ahead to open the lid, and Angel ran out under Spike's blanket, smoke billowing behind him. Buffy tilted her head slightly, grinning as she picked out Xander and Cordy still sniping at one another in Giles' apartment.
"You know, this vampire hearing is mega cool," she confided with a grin.
"Tell me about it."
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Spike threw the chest out into the main part of the crypt, jarring the rusty
steel lock on it open. He frowned at the broken lock, examining it for a moment.
Bloody piece of crap. It's only…What? Fifty years old? And it broke just
like that? He sighed, tossing it aside, and opening the lid. The lock really
wasn't as important as the goodies inside. He rummaged through, picking up items
and relishing the memories they held.
When he was satisfied that he had everything he needed, he shut the lid on the trunk, and hefted it up. Grinning from ear to ear, he walked out the door of the crypt into the sunlight, sucking in a deep breath of air. How did I not miss this in all those years of living only at night? he thought. His mind strayed to Buffy on the beach, her hair shining against the blazing California sun and he knew. His Dark Goddess had been a creature of the night, not just literally but figuratively, and she wouldn't have been as beautiful or delicate in the harsh daylight. But Buffy… she was meant to be seen in the sun. Her deadliness was mirrored in the moonlight as she fought, but her beauty was truly unleashed in the sunshine.
He rolled his eyes, and fought back the urge to write a poem about her. Even as a vampire, that bloody ponce he'd been as a human occasionally surfaced. Strangely, it was happening more and more since he'd claimed Buffy. He guessed it must be part of the claim, releasing more of his humanity to smother his demon. But there was no chance he was letting that git, William, out in front of any of the Scoobs, even Buffy. A fellow's got to have some pride left!
He noted he'd finally arrived at Angel's old mansion. A wave of nausea hit him as he thought of Angelus had degraded and emasculated him here. Perhaps this hadn't been the best choice of rendez-vous points… He shook his head, clearing it of all the negative thoughts about Angelus and Dru. If the cheerleader had been telling the truth and the gypsy's spell worked, what was going to happen here would be a benediction. A cleansing for all three of them, and together, they could forget the past. Maybe even make a future of some kind.
He opened the door, groaning internally at sappiness of his inner poet. God help me if that git gets going in front of the whelp. I'll never live it down, he thought. He looked around, noting Buffy and his Sire hadn't arrived yet. Good. Gives me some time to set this stuff up, he thought, grinning wickedly. Lifting the trunk up again, he headed upstairs to get everything ready.
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