Like A Stone

LIKE A STONE

Buffy walks through the grave-yard, ready to slay with a steak in her hand. She hears rustling behind a tree and quietly walks toward it. Just as she began to approach the tree, Spike comes walking out from behind it, half-startling Buffy. "Jesus, Spike. Don't do that!" she says as he chuckles and starts to walk along side her.

"Why so jittery tonight, luv? Something bothering the chosen one?"

"How is it that you always know when somethings bothering me? I mean, is it some special sense that comes with the rest of the vampire package or something?" asks Buffy.

"Well you just seemed a little side-tracked. Besides, you never come slayin' 'round here unless you're trying to avoid something or chasing some big nasty." comes Spike's response.

She gives him an annoyed look and starts to explain. "Riley and I were walking together earlier and we got into an argument, so we decided to split up, cover more ground without bickering."

"Oh", sais Spike as he sits down, leaning against a tree. "What was the argument about?"

Buffy sits down next to him and starts to tell him the story. "Well, earlier today I saw him with this girl, right? And he was holding her hand and laughing a lot. So earlier I asked him who she was and he started to get all huffy and pissed off, saying that I was following him and spying on him. And I wasn't! I was getting lunch with Willow and I saw them down the street."

"Did you tell him that?" asks Spike with a surprisingly concerned voice.

"He wouldn't listen. Anyway, I just got this feeling like he's cheating on me, but I dont wanna say anything in case he isn't ya know? It's just bothering me that I don't know."

"Whenever somethings bothering me, I just play the piano. Its very relaxing, you should try it." says Spike.

"Ya, right, uh huh, you play the piano." laughs Buffy. "You look like Billy Idol, not Elton John."

Spike, looking insulted, says "Well they didn't exactly have electric guitars back when I was a teenager."

Buffy looks down at her watch. 3:23 A.M. "Oh, crap! My moms gonna kill me! I better go."

"Okay." Spike gets up and walks back toward his crypt.

* * * * *

RING!!......... RING!! "Hello?"

"Buffy we need to talk."

"Riley? Talk about what?" asks Buffy.

"I don't like the way you've been following me. I don't think we're really 'clicking' you know what I mean?"

On the other line she could hear another girl giggling. "What the...."

Riley inturrupts her, "Its just not gonna work. Goodbye." click.

"JERK! Insensitive Jerk!" yells Buffy. Tears begin to well-up in her eyes as she runs up to her room and cries. "I....I kn..knew it. I knew something was wr....wrong." she cries to her mother.

"It's okay, Buffy. He was a jerk. And rude." adds Joyce, having never really liked Riley. Secretly she thought Spike was an ideal guy, oddly enough.

"He was always sneaking around with other girls. I didn't want to admit it but I knew it. I've seen him with them."

"Ssshhhh, it's okay, you'll find some-one else. Some-one better who knows more than football and army training."

* * * * *

A few weeks later Buffy shows up at Spike's crypt after school. She looks around but doesn't see him anywhere. "Spike?" Still she hears nothing. But then she sees a small trap door on the floor of the crypt and opens it. There's a ladder going into darkness. She goes in and finds herself surrounded by pitch-blackness. Its not the sewers, it doesn't have the gross smell. Once her eyes adjust to the darkness, she makes out what looks like a dresser and a bed. Quietly she walks over and makes out the big lump on the bed, which is Spike. She looks around for a lighter or a match to light the room up with. She finds a few old candles and lights them. She places them on the table next to Spike's bed and can now see the curves of his face. "He looks so peaceful." she whispers to herself. Suddenly, he wakes up and looks at her, confused. He turns around and buries his face in a pillow.

"What are you doing here?" came the muffled sound of Spikes voice. He was clearly tired and wanted to sleep, since sunset wasn't for a few more hours.

"Can you teach me?" asks Buffy.

"Teach you what, luv?"

"How to play the piano."

"Why don't you get real lessons?"

"Because, I want you to teach me. That way I can come when I have time." replies Buffy.

Spike brings his face up from the pillow and looks at her. "You sure you want me to teach you?"

"Ya, why not?"

"I don't know. Your friends probobly wouldn't like it. They all hate me."

"They don't all hate you, just Xander and Giles. And besides, I control what I do, not them."

Spike lets out a big sigh and finally gives in. "All right, lets go." He gets out of bed, wearing nothing but long black silk pants.

Buffy laughs. "Nice pants." She laughs again.

"Tell anyone and I'll kill you, Slayer." He walks over and turns on the lights, reavealing a really nice room. He turns a corner and goes into another darkened room.

Oh my god, she thought. He looks good. Once they were completely inside the room, he flipps on another light revealing a beautiful black Baby Grand Piano.

In awe, Buffy gazes at it, wanting to know how to play. "Where did you get that?"

"I killed this family a few years ago, and I took this from there home." he replies. Buffy looks at him, making a face. "Just kidding, luv. I stole it from a demon I killed last year."

Changing the subject, Buffy asks "What sort of things are you gonna teach me?"

"First toy have to know the basic keys and chords. After that you'll slowly start to learn small songs and eventually you'll learn bigger ones. But it takes a lot of work, you understand. No fooling around. I don't want my time wasted."

"Ya I know." Buffy sits down on the bench and waits for Spike to start.

* * * * *

Later Buffy bursts into her house, excited that she can now play 'Happy Birthday' and 'Mary had a little lamb' and the piano.

"Buffy, what is with you? Did you hava a good day?" asks Joyce.

"I can play the piano! Spikes teaching me!"

"Spikes giving you piano lessons? Thats great hun."

"Ya and he's not charging me either so thats good."

"Aw, thats sweet."

"Ya, he's been really nice to me lately. Its wierd. Its like he's......he's just different." Buffy looks up at her mom who's been watching her swoon over Spike and she laughs. "What?"

"Nothing. It's just.....he cares about you Buffy. Don't treat him like a dirty vampire. Treat him like a person. And maybe we should get him something to say thankyou for the lessons."

"Oh of-course. I'll invite him to The Bronze tomorrow night. The whole gangs goin....I'll buy him a drink or something."

"That sounds nice." says Joyce.

"He really had changed though. He feels more like a part of the gang."

* * * * *

"He was wearing what?" asks Willow, laughing.

"Silk pajama pants." laughs Buffy. "But don't tell anyone, he'd kill me."

"I won't. I wanna come to your next practice. I wanna hear you play."

"Okay, but only you, I dont think Spike would really appreciate a huge audience. My next practice is actually right around now so we should get goin." As Buffy and Willow head for Spikes, they talk about the Bronze and how they should go about inviting him.

As the approached the crypt, they could hear beautiful chords of music ring through the air. "Is that Spike?" asks Willow.

"Ya. He's really good, Wil. He's been playing his whole life.

"Thats a long life."

"Ya, but he gets so into it. The other day, I came to practice early and watched him play, he doesnt even look at the music, he knows it all by heart."

"Or lack there of." Willow cracks.

Buffy laughs, "Ya." They walk in to find Spike doing exactly what Buffy had said. Sitting at the piano, shirtless, with his eyes closed. "Ssshhh." says Buffy as she sneaks up behind him and jabbs him in the shoulder, startling him and causing him to stop playing.

"Bloody hell, woman. Don't do that!" he says.

"Hey there, Spike." says Willow.

"Oh, hi Red, didn't see you there. You've come to watch Buffy, I presume?" he asks.

"Ya, I wanna hear her play."

Spike nods toward Buffy and she sits down between his legs, beginning to play a beautiful tune. Spike puts his hands on Buffy's hips while watching her fingers move across the keys. Willow notices and smiles at the fact that he likes Buffy. She wouldn't mind if Spike and Buffy hooked up, its Xander that would have the most problems with it.

After a few more songs, Buffy finally worked up the courage to invite Spike to The Bronze that night. "Ya, sure. I could use a drink." says Spike. Then he gets up and walks into the other room, where he pulls a shirt, shoes, and his leather duster on, and then head out to The Bronze.

Once they get there Buffy immediately asks Xander not to fuss and he agrees, unhappily. The gang grabs a nice big table that fits them all perfectly. Xander and Anya dance to a few songs and then come in for a breather. One of the next songs, one of Spike's favorite songs was 'Like a Stone' by Audioslave. Buffy knew he liked this song, so she grabb's his hand and pulls him out onto the dance floor with out saying a single word. They just swayed to the music as everyone else stared. Spike pulls Buffy close. Her arms wrap around him beneath his leather jacket, and they just danced.

After the song, they walk over to the bar and order a few drinks. "I can't believe you did that to me." says Spike.

"What? I wanted to dance, I like that song. And you looked a little lonely."

"You never stop surprising me, Slayer." he says. Buffy looks at him and smiles. He smiles back and looks down at his drink.

After a few more drinks they decide that it's late and they should go home. "Who wants a ride?" asks Oz. A bunch of 'I do's' come from Xander and Anya.

"I'm gonna walk," says Buffy. "maybe I'll do a quick sweep before I go in."

"Ya I'm gonna go with Buffy, I'm sleeping over there anyway." adds Willow.

"Okay, see you later, guies!" Oz yells as he drives off.

Buffy, Willow and Spike walk through the cemetery, talking while also keeping a look out for any big nasties. With out any warning, two huge vampires come flying out from behind an old crypt, and attack Buffy. Spike pulls one off and starts to fight. He kills it and looks over to see Buffy struggling with the other. She's dropped her stake and hasn't gotten the chance to pick it up. Spike pulls the vamp off her, Buffy grabs the stake and digs it deep into the vampires chest, causing it to go through his back and into Spike.

"Ow!" he yells. The other vamp gets dusty and Buffy now sees what she did to Spike.

"Oh.....SORRY!!" she yells as she pulls the stake out. Luckinly it didn't go deep enough and only left Spike with a small puncture in his chest.

"I'm fine, It'll heal up by tomarrow."

"Uh, guies......" says Willow, still recovering from the sudden attack. "Maybe we should go home now." Buffy and Spike agree and they all head towards the Summers residence. Once he makes sure they get home okay, Spike goes home. Buffy and Willow go inside and change into pajama's. They make some popcorn and grab a couple pop's and sit down to watch a movie. Curious to what the answer might be, Willow asks, "Do you like Spike?"

"What do you mean by like?" Buffy asks with a hidden smirk on her face.

"You know, you looked all snuggly together on the dance floor. You guies talk a lot more now too, you know, instead of wanting each other dead."

"I dunno. I guess I do, but I don't want to make the same mistake again. The bad boy thing is starting to get old. Angel, Parker, Riley...I'm just sick of being the one left behind." Buffy replies.

"Ya but Spike doesn't have a soul to lose and he doesn't have strange girls following him home like Riley. And Parker was a player. Spike wouldn't hurt you. He's gone soft."

"I guess I just need to think about it." answers Buffy, even though she already knows the answer.

* * * * *

It's Friday night and Buffy goes dancing at The Bronze with Willow and Anya. In the middle of a song Buffy looks over to see Spike, in a corner, watching her dance. Shy-ly he turns his head away and leaves. Buffy continues to party all night with her friends. She ends up having one-too-many drinks and starts to talk about Spike and her piano lessons. When Willow and Anya offer to take her home she refuses and runs off.

Later a drunk Buffy shows up at Spike's. "How come you didn't come over and dance with me?" she asks.

"Because." he replies.

"Because why?" she asks as if she were a little kid.

"Because you were with your friends. And I don't dance."

"You do too dance, you danced with me!"

"Well that was good music. I don't dance to that new-age-disco crap or whatever you call it." he says as he begins to smell the liquor on Buffy's breath. "Are you drunk?"

"NOOOO." she says with a sarcastic tone.

"C'mon, I'm taking you home." says Spike.

"NO! I don't wanna go home. I wanna stay here with you." she yells as Spike grabs her arm.

"You can't stay here, you're drunk. Your mom's probobly scared to death that you're passed out in an alley somewhere."

"My mom's not home, she's in L.A. on business. It's lonely at home."

"Well you have to go home. I'll go with you." After a few minutes of arguing, Buffy agrees to go home.

Once they get to the Summers' house, Buffy sober's up and finds herself with a major after-party migrane. "You're staying, right?" she asks Spike.

"I guess, if you want." he says.

"I just don't feel like being alone." Spike nods an 'okay' and sits down on the couch. Buffy gets a glass of water and some asprin and sits down next to him. She turns on the radio and they argue over whether to listen to Kiss 98.5 or 103.3 The Edge. Spike wins the argument and they put on The Edge. They talk for a good three hours until 'Like a Stone' came on. When the song started Buffy began to laugh.

"Whats so funny?" asks Spike.

"The look on their faces when I pulled you out on to that dance floor. They all had different expressions, it was funny."

"Really..."

"Ya, Willow was smiling, Xander was snarling, and Oz was just...Oz."

"C'mon." says Spike as he pulls Buffy up off the couch to dance again. This time they were closer. Their bodies were pressed up against each other as they move along with the music. Buffy's head rests on Spike's non-rising chest.

"Is this how you feel when you play the piano?" asks Buffy.

"I don't know, how do you feel?"

"Relaxed, excited...special."

"Ya, thats exactly how I feel." he says looking down at her. She puts her head up and looks strait into his icy blue eyes. He leans down and kisses her gently on the lips and is surprised when she kisses back.

Once the song ends and they break the kiss, they sit down on the couch and fall asleep together.

The End