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halfamoonTitle: Not Wasted
Fandom: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Author: Apache Firecat
Characters: Buffy, Spike, Angel, mentions of Spike/Buffy, hints of Angel/Buffy and Angel/Cordelia
Rating: PG/K+
Summary: His night wasn't wasted after all.
Word Count: 1,409
Written For: HalfAMoon Day 13:Spirituallity or the Supernatural and Nekid Spike Paired Up: Spike & Angel
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: All characters within belong to their rightful owners, not the author, and are used without permission.
It wasn't fair. She had thought those very words millions of times over the last several years of her life, and not just since being called at age fifteen. But it wasn't fair! It hadn't been fair that her parents had split. It hadn't been fair that her boyfriend had liked other cheerleaders more because they were more "giving". It wasn't fair that her entire life, now and until the night she was finally beaten, was surrounded not by friends or by cute guys but by the Supernatural, Vampires and Demons and all the other ugliest that went bump in the proverbial night.
It wasn't fair that her friends got to continue on with their lives while she was stuck in a dead-end job in a dead-end town whose citizens would have died a long time ago if it wasn't for her. It wasn't fair, especially, that she was out on a Valentine's Day night staking Vamps and doing patrol while everybody else was cuddling with somebody else. Buffy sighed and didn't even bother with anything flippant when a lone, and stupid, Vamp thought she was just another normal teenage girl. Yet, just as she was dusting him, she felt two more, very familiar Vampires land on either side of her.
She glanced from Angel to Spike back again to Angel and back again to Spike before just shaking her head, uttering a very firm "No", and walking away.
Both followed after her immediately. "Buffy, I came to warn you -- "
"Buffy, it's a quiet night," Spike said, ignoring the Great Poof's ominous warnings. "The new apocalypse isn't coming for another week. We've got plenty of time to plan how to stop it."
Buffy kept walking, her back to both of them. She had to think she wanted cute guys tonight! "What part of you 'no' don't you two understand?"
"But -- " Angel sputtered.
"It's not about us, Buffy. It's not about the night or about your calling or anything like that."
"What're you prattling about?" Angel growled, clearly irritated.
"Wouldn't you like to know, ya Great Big Poof? Buffy," Spike said, catching up to her, "you've been working extra hard every night this week, but they're two people at your house right now talking about how much they miss you."
"What?" Buffy frowned, turning on Spike with the stake still clutched in her hand. "Spike, I'm warning you. I'm warning you both," she added, glancing back at Angel. "I'm not in the mood for games."
"Innt a game," Spike said, shaking his blonde head. "Your mum and your sister have been doing those sappy Hallmark movies all night -- "
"You mean the ones you like so much?" Angel shot at him, but Spike ignored him as he kept his attention focused on Buffy.
"How do you know -- "
"I went back for Passions, okay?" he admitted, rolling his eyes as Angel laughed at him. "Didn't realize it was a bloody rerun. I should have, with the sweeps and all, but I didn't, and -- and -- " He shook his head. "I can't take those movies. But they both kept talking about you. You've done your work, above and beyond. You always do." He jabbed a black-nailed thumb back at Angel. "Since Pretty Boy's here, he can help take care of anything that comes up tonight. I've got it. We don't know how much longer you've got with your mum."
Buffy's eyes began to water at those words. Her bottom lip trembled.
"Just go," Spike said, shaking his head. "Be with your family tonight. Let them be your valentines."
Buffy tried to harden her eyes. She couldn't believe this was coming out of all Spike, of all people -- of all Vampires, she corrected herself.
"Buffy, I've got news -- "
"Leave it with Spike."
"What?"
"Leave. It. With. Spike." Tucking her stake into its hiding pocket inside of her jacket, she used a line she'd once used on Giles, her Watcher who even had a date this Valentine's Day night, "If the apocalypse happens tonight, beep me. Otherwise, I'm going home and I'll deal with it tomorrow." She managed a smile for Spike, though it was tremulous. "Thank you." Then she broke into a run. She'd forgotten how, throughout the first few years without her dad, Valentine's Day night had become a girls' night, full of popcorn, sappy movies, and secrets and memories that weren't shared on any other night of the year. No wonder she'd been in such a mood earlier that night!
Valentine's Day wasn't just about romantic love. It was a time for friends and other loved ones as well, and it was a time to be there for those girlfriends who didn't have good, reliable, sweet boyfriends, or at least guys smart enough to recognize a holiday built around giving presents that could lead them to the most desirable places, such as bedrooms and hotel rooms, with their partners. And honestly, who was a girl's first girlfriend but her mother? Especially when that mom happened to be hard working, dedicated, and utterly, utterly alone. Buffy was neither alone, nor was she actually alone. She had her family, which was more than she could say for the two hunks she'd left behind in her proverbial dust, glowering and, the moment she'd been far enough away, growling at each other.
"So... No date tonight?" Spike observed.
"Kinda obvious, isn't it?" Angel growled.
"Buffy's moved on, but what about that cute, little, former cheerleader you have answering your phone calls? Angel Investigations." He flapped his long, black trench coat and then used air quotes as he continued to mock his grandsire, "We help the helpless."
"At least I'm not alone. Cordy's waiting for me back at the office. Whereas you were planning on spending the night with the mother of the girl you want to get in your bed."
"She's not a girl," growled Spike, "and she's bloody well not your girl."
"I didn't say she was, Momma's Boy."
"Dru and Darla used to like that I was a momma's boy." Spike's flicked his tongue over his glistening fangs and grinned.
"Only because it meant they knew how desperate you were for a lay." At Spike's growl, Angel's grin widened. "Truth hurts, doesn't it?"
"At least I can shag."
"Oh, I can shag."
"You just can't be happy, is all."
"I'm not going to stand here and duke it all with you in words all night when I know where the nest is that's planning on taking over the world next week."
"There's always one," Spike retorted, but Angel had already started walking away. "Hey, wait up, ya Poof!"
"Stop calling me that," Angel snapped over his shoulder, but Spike thought he saw him slow down just a bit. Like himself, he'd really just wanted to see Buffy tonight. Instead, they'd ended up stuck together as usual. Spike grumbled but rushed behind him. Hell, a little violence with an old frenemy, a term he'd picked up from the Nibblet which definitely fit his relationship with Angel quite well, at least most of the time, was better than no action at all on Valentine's night. He chuckled. It was almost too bad he couldn't handle those sappy movies with the girls. Almost. But slaying a nest was considerably more fun -- just not as much fun as if he'd been watching telly with Buffy, or doing anything with Buffy, but he was going to have enough trouble being able to catch the next Passions episode with her mum without getting a whole bunch of nagging.
"So is this how you spend all your Valentine's Day nights now that you can't shag?"
"Shut up," Angel growled out of the side of his fangs. "Besides, I told you, I can shag."
"Yeah, yeah. You just can't be perfectly happy." Spike rolled his eyes. "Ya great, bloody Poof."
"Momma's Boy."
"Peaches." Spike loudly kissed the air, until Angel punched him in the back of the head.
"Hey!" he growled, baring his fangs.
"Shut up. We're here." Angel inched forward, pulling out double stakes. "Momma's Boy."
"Poof," Spike whispered with a grin. He could feel them, about thirty or more and these were of a higher caliber than the ones he normally helped Buffy dust these nights. Maybe the night wasn't a total waste after all. Hell, he'd made his love grin. No matter what came next, or didn't, his night wasn't a total waste at all.
The End
Fandom: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Author: Apache Firecat
Characters: Buffy, Spike, Angel, mentions of Spike/Buffy, hints of Angel/Buffy and Angel/Cordelia
Rating: PG/K+
Summary: His night wasn't wasted after all.
Word Count: 1,409
Written For: HalfAMoon Day 13:
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: All characters within belong to their rightful owners, not the author, and are used without permission.
It wasn't fair. She had thought those very words millions of times over the last several years of her life, and not just since being called at age fifteen. But it wasn't fair! It hadn't been fair that her parents had split. It hadn't been fair that her boyfriend had liked other cheerleaders more because they were more "giving". It wasn't fair that her entire life, now and until the night she was finally beaten, was surrounded not by friends or by cute guys but by the Supernatural, Vampires and Demons and all the other ugliest that went bump in the proverbial night.
It wasn't fair that her friends got to continue on with their lives while she was stuck in a dead-end job in a dead-end town whose citizens would have died a long time ago if it wasn't for her. It wasn't fair, especially, that she was out on a Valentine's Day night staking Vamps and doing patrol while everybody else was cuddling with somebody else. Buffy sighed and didn't even bother with anything flippant when a lone, and stupid, Vamp thought she was just another normal teenage girl. Yet, just as she was dusting him, she felt two more, very familiar Vampires land on either side of her.
She glanced from Angel to Spike back again to Angel and back again to Spike before just shaking her head, uttering a very firm "No", and walking away.
Both followed after her immediately. "Buffy, I came to warn you -- "
"Buffy, it's a quiet night," Spike said, ignoring the Great Poof's ominous warnings. "The new apocalypse isn't coming for another week. We've got plenty of time to plan how to stop it."
Buffy kept walking, her back to both of them. She had to think she wanted cute guys tonight! "What part of you 'no' don't you two understand?"
"But -- " Angel sputtered.
"It's not about us, Buffy. It's not about the night or about your calling or anything like that."
"What're you prattling about?" Angel growled, clearly irritated.
"Wouldn't you like to know, ya Great Big Poof? Buffy," Spike said, catching up to her, "you've been working extra hard every night this week, but they're two people at your house right now talking about how much they miss you."
"What?" Buffy frowned, turning on Spike with the stake still clutched in her hand. "Spike, I'm warning you. I'm warning you both," she added, glancing back at Angel. "I'm not in the mood for games."
"Innt a game," Spike said, shaking his blonde head. "Your mum and your sister have been doing those sappy Hallmark movies all night -- "
"You mean the ones you like so much?" Angel shot at him, but Spike ignored him as he kept his attention focused on Buffy.
"How do you know -- "
"I went back for Passions, okay?" he admitted, rolling his eyes as Angel laughed at him. "Didn't realize it was a bloody rerun. I should have, with the sweeps and all, but I didn't, and -- and -- " He shook his head. "I can't take those movies. But they both kept talking about you. You've done your work, above and beyond. You always do." He jabbed a black-nailed thumb back at Angel. "Since Pretty Boy's here, he can help take care of anything that comes up tonight. I've got it. We don't know how much longer you've got with your mum."
Buffy's eyes began to water at those words. Her bottom lip trembled.
"Just go," Spike said, shaking his head. "Be with your family tonight. Let them be your valentines."
Buffy tried to harden her eyes. She couldn't believe this was coming out of all Spike, of all people -- of all Vampires, she corrected herself.
"Buffy, I've got news -- "
"Leave it with Spike."
"What?"
"Leave. It. With. Spike." Tucking her stake into its hiding pocket inside of her jacket, she used a line she'd once used on Giles, her Watcher who even had a date this Valentine's Day night, "If the apocalypse happens tonight, beep me. Otherwise, I'm going home and I'll deal with it tomorrow." She managed a smile for Spike, though it was tremulous. "Thank you." Then she broke into a run. She'd forgotten how, throughout the first few years without her dad, Valentine's Day night had become a girls' night, full of popcorn, sappy movies, and secrets and memories that weren't shared on any other night of the year. No wonder she'd been in such a mood earlier that night!
Valentine's Day wasn't just about romantic love. It was a time for friends and other loved ones as well, and it was a time to be there for those girlfriends who didn't have good, reliable, sweet boyfriends, or at least guys smart enough to recognize a holiday built around giving presents that could lead them to the most desirable places, such as bedrooms and hotel rooms, with their partners. And honestly, who was a girl's first girlfriend but her mother? Especially when that mom happened to be hard working, dedicated, and utterly, utterly alone. Buffy was neither alone, nor was she actually alone. She had her family, which was more than she could say for the two hunks she'd left behind in her proverbial dust, glowering and, the moment she'd been far enough away, growling at each other.
"So... No date tonight?" Spike observed.
"Kinda obvious, isn't it?" Angel growled.
"Buffy's moved on, but what about that cute, little, former cheerleader you have answering your phone calls? Angel Investigations." He flapped his long, black trench coat and then used air quotes as he continued to mock his grandsire, "We help the helpless."
"At least I'm not alone. Cordy's waiting for me back at the office. Whereas you were planning on spending the night with the mother of the girl you want to get in your bed."
"She's not a girl," growled Spike, "and she's bloody well not your girl."
"I didn't say she was, Momma's Boy."
"Dru and Darla used to like that I was a momma's boy." Spike's flicked his tongue over his glistening fangs and grinned.
"Only because it meant they knew how desperate you were for a lay." At Spike's growl, Angel's grin widened. "Truth hurts, doesn't it?"
"At least I can shag."
"Oh, I can shag."
"You just can't be happy, is all."
"I'm not going to stand here and duke it all with you in words all night when I know where the nest is that's planning on taking over the world next week."
"There's always one," Spike retorted, but Angel had already started walking away. "Hey, wait up, ya Poof!"
"Stop calling me that," Angel snapped over his shoulder, but Spike thought he saw him slow down just a bit. Like himself, he'd really just wanted to see Buffy tonight. Instead, they'd ended up stuck together as usual. Spike grumbled but rushed behind him. Hell, a little violence with an old frenemy, a term he'd picked up from the Nibblet which definitely fit his relationship with Angel quite well, at least most of the time, was better than no action at all on Valentine's night. He chuckled. It was almost too bad he couldn't handle those sappy movies with the girls. Almost. But slaying a nest was considerably more fun -- just not as much fun as if he'd been watching telly with Buffy, or doing anything with Buffy, but he was going to have enough trouble being able to catch the next Passions episode with her mum without getting a whole bunch of nagging.
"So is this how you spend all your Valentine's Day nights now that you can't shag?"
"Shut up," Angel growled out of the side of his fangs. "Besides, I told you, I can shag."
"Yeah, yeah. You just can't be perfectly happy." Spike rolled his eyes. "Ya great, bloody Poof."
"Momma's Boy."
"Peaches." Spike loudly kissed the air, until Angel punched him in the back of the head.
"Hey!" he growled, baring his fangs.
"Shut up. We're here." Angel inched forward, pulling out double stakes. "Momma's Boy."
"Poof," Spike whispered with a grin. He could feel them, about thirty or more and these were of a higher caliber than the ones he normally helped Buffy dust these nights. Maybe the night wasn't a total waste after all. Hell, he'd made his love grin. No matter what came next, or didn't, his night wasn't a total waste at all.
The End
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Date: 2023-02-16 03:21 am (UTC)