Buffy stood inside the open doorway, watching Spike make his way up
the walk.
At the threshold, he stopped abruptly. He stood just outside,
an appalled
expression on his face
"Willow!!" Buffy screamed up the stairs. "What the HELL are you up to?"
"Buffy-" Spike managed, in a strangled tone.
"What?! " Willow yelled down. "I haven't done a thing! Well, nothing
you'd
yell at me about. I mean-."
Taking a deep breath, Spike reached inside the house, pulling Buffy
out. "Never
mind Red, 's nothing," he yelled as dragged the struggling blond down
the front
steps, into the yard. He let himself fall back against his customary
tree,
pulled out and lit a cigarette. His hands were none to steady.
"Ok. I'll ask you then - What the HELL are YOU up to? What was that
about?"
Buffy was angry and confused. Willow taking it upon herself to
disinvite Spike
from the house would have been bad enough, but his refusal to enter
her
house- Buffy wanted answers.
"Trust me, Pet, " Spike drawled around the cigarette, his nerves calmed
somewhat "You really don't want me to answer that question."
"And would that be why? Is it something poor, recently dead Buffy
is just too
unstable to deal with?" Buffy's voice was growing louder, more agitated.
Spike
realized it he was damned if he told her, damned if he didn't.
In addition to
the whole vampire damnation thing, he amended mentally.
"Alright, then. Remember. You insisted." Spike threw the cigarette
butt to the
sidewalk, grinding it out with the heel of his boot. He moved
past her, back
to the house, where he took a seat on the second step of the porch
stairs.
Buffy noted the quick glance Spike gave the house over his shoulder,
and the
strange expression that moved briefly across his face. She moved
closer,
intending to sit next to him, but that expression appeared again, as
he
extended a hand, staving her off.
"Best you stay downwind, luv, " he said, "at least until I'm done explaining."
He said, ruefully.
"So YOU SPILL, before I STAKE!" Buffy yelled, at the end of her patience.
Spike took an unnecessary breath, and then blurted
"I can smell the whole bleedin' lot of you. Literally"
"WHAT?" Buffy demanded, not quite understanding what he said.
"You. Willow. Tara. Even the Nibblet. Keepin' those Tampax folks
in business,"
he ground out. Head cocked to the side, he stared into her eyes, willing
her to
figure it out before he actually had to used the words-
"Did you say-" Buffy didn't know whether to be embarrassed or outraged.
"For fuck's sake, Buffy. With all four of you on the rag, there
was no soddin'
way I was walking into that house of yours. So there."
-end-