 |
 Warning spoilers for the whole
BTVS series Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season 8 Written by:
Heather Martin Episode 3:
Miles to Go Before I Sleep Prologue Spike awoke
with a groan. It took him a few moments to comprehend what was going on. A
headache pounded in his head. He sat up, squinting his
eyes from the light. Light! Instantly he jumped to his feet. He grabbed at the
leather duster he wore, trying to rip it off so that it could serve as a
barrier against the offending rays. Those bloody PTBs
weren’t the kindest entities. He saved the world and they reward him by . . . We are not
sending you back empty-handed. Every deed must not go overlooked. That was when
he realized that he wasn’t smoking. He examined his smooth, flawless pale hand.
Laughter erupted from his throat. He was out in the day and wasn’t bursting
into flames. Those bloody brilliant PTBs were the
kindest entities. He saved the world and they rewarded him by . . . Spike touched
his chest. It was still to his satisfaction. Thank God, he wasn’t human. He
enjoyed being a vampire, thank-you very much. He raised his
head to take in the clear sky. It was so beautiful, something he hadn’t seen in
over a hundred years. He had seen the sun with the gem of amara,
but had been preoccupied on other things like defeating Buffy. A smile crept
onto his mouth. Those were some fond memories. Eventually
Spike lowered his gaze to survey his surroundings. What was in front of him
could have jump-started his heart. He gaped at the giant crater that had to be
miles across. What the. . .? He noticed a
fallen sign on the ground. Now Leaving Sunnydale.
He smirked at the message, then back at the crater. Did I do that? he wondered. He took a hand and felt the necklace that still
hung from his neck. Right then, not much here. He glanced back down at the sign. Come
Back Soon. He snorted. Not likely. He turned and
started to walk down the empty road. _________________________________________________ Scene 1 Buffy took the
plastic sack and began to put her recently bought clothes into it. There
weren’t many. She would have to buy more soon. “Buffy?” The slayer
spun around. In the doorway stood Xander.
He held a blue suitcase. “Fred told me to give this to you.” “Oh, that is
nice of her,” Buffy commented. She removed the clothes from the sack. Xander came up and placed the suitcase on the bed. There was a span of
silence, with him just standing there. “ “Yep,” she
said in good-spirits. “Why, Buff? I
thought you wanted to relax for a bit. This is your chance to be normal girl.” With a sigh,
Buffy stopped packing her things. She pushed the suitcase aside and sat down.
How could she explain her actions? She was surprised by them herself. “Didn’t you
listen to my speech?” she asked. “Sure I did,
but it still didn’t tell me why you are doing this. You want to help people. Yay. But
there are maybe a hundred slayers out there to help with the load now. You
don’t have to go looking for trouble.” She met his
eyes. Well, eye, and took a deep breath. “Okay, I’m cookie dough and I think
I’ve found my way to the oven. I’m discovering how to become baked.” This brought a
smile to his face. “It is a good thing you aren’t a bun.” She swatted
him playfully. “Chocolate-chip?”
he questioned. She smiled back.
“Yeah, chocolate-chip. And you, Will, and everybody
else is the chocolaty goodness that I’ve accumulated
along the way.” He suddenly
became serious. “So this is your road to self-discovery?” “Ever since I
began slaying I’ve seen it as a burden. Now that I actually have a choice as to
whether I want to continue it or not I’ve realized that I do. I might pass-up
on the apocalypses, take an occasional holiday, but I want to make the world a
better place. It’s like Xander nodded. “I’m starting to get it.” “Yeah, Buffy
is a slayer and has finally accepted her calling. But that doesn’t mean I won’t
cash in my vacations.” She gave him a searching look. “So, you have a choice
too. Do you want to continue the good fight as well?” He pointed to
himself. “Me? Pass up on the hours of boring research and horrifying dates from
hell? The bruises that seem to never heal? The chance to make jokes when the time is inappropriate? To
have more quality Buffster lovin?
Tough decision, but that last one seems to overpower the rest. Of course, count
me in.” Buffy stood
up. She stepped up to him and gave him a hug. Her eyes burnt, threatening to
spill. Scene 2 “Hey Little
Sister what have you done?” Spike sang. He kicked a rock in the road. “Hey Little Sister who’s the only one? Hey Little Sister
who’s the superman? Hey Little Sister who’s the one you want? Hey Little
Sister, shotgun. It’s a nice day to start again. It’s a nice day for a white
wedding. It’s a nice day to start again.” It felt like
he had been walking forever. The road kept going and going. He had resulted to
singing tunes in regards to his boredom. He was glad that he had no sense of
temperature because he was sure it must be in the eighties or nineties out. He wondered
what he was going to do when he ended up at a town. He didn’t have any money to
catch a bus. Sod the soul, maybe he’d have to steal. All of a
sudden the sound of a motor hit his ears. He perked up, cocking his head toward
it. The form of a blood-red car approached. He shrugged, muttering, “What the
heck.” He reached out, putting his thumb out. The automobile
actually stopped. It was a convertible, Mustang to be exact. Spike’s eyes fell
on the driver. It was a woman, around the age of twenty. She had red hair, that fell around her in wild curls. She wore a slinky
white dress that showed way too much leg. The woman
pulled her sunglasses further down on her nose to peer at him. A smirk
developed on her mouth. “My mother told me to never pick up hitchhikers.” She
let out a chuckle. “But I never listened to what she had to tell me.” Spike blinked.
“R. . . ight.” He took a
step closer. “Maybe you should. There are some nasty things you might meet up
with.” “I’m not
worried.” They stared at
each other for a moment. “Well, do you
want a ride or not?” she said impatiently. “Yeah.” He opened the door and sat down in the passenger seat. The woman
turned the key, starting the car. She sped off at a speed that was certainly
over the speed-limit. “I’m Jez,” the woman told him. “Spike,” he
replied, smiling over at her. “Where you
headed?” He thought for
a few seconds. “ “Got a friend
there?” “No. . . family.” ___________________________________________ Scene 3 Jezebel
skidded into the parking lot of a diner. She parked at an uneven angle near the
front doors. She looked
over at her companion. “Hungry?” “Not really.”
That was a lie. He was famished. But his stomach longed for something of the
liquid variety. She opened the
car door. “Oh, come on, you have to eat something. Who knows when we’ll come
across another restaurant.” They walked
into the place to find it vacant accept for one burly man in the corner booth.
A plate with a half-eaten hamburger and fries was in front of him. He was
currently reading a newspaper he had open. Jez headed over to a booth and slid in. Spike followed, sitting
across from her. She scrambled with her purse‘s contents. Her hand emerged,
holding a cigarette. She held out the box to him in offering. Spike hadn’t
had a cigarette ever since he acquired his soul. At first he hadn’t been in his
right mind to even think of one. After that, he had restrained, knowing Buffy
hated smoke. He almost actually declined Jez’s
contribution, but then reconsidered. Buffy isn’t here now, he reminded himself. He took a
stick, giving in to his urge. Jez gave him her Zippo
and he lit it. The burn of the chemicals felt good going down his throat as he
inhaled. A young
waitress came over and set down two waters. She shoved menus at them and then
left. Jez examined the food listings. “Ooo, apple pie!” Spike looked
over the menu. Nothing sounded appetizing at the moment. Why couldn’t they have
buffalo wings? Or better yet . . . very rare steak? The vampire
put the menu down on the table. “Really, I’m not peckish
at the moment.” Jez shook her head. “Okay, your choice.” The waitress
came back. Jez ordered a coffee and pie. When the
food arrived, she took a savory bite. “Mmmm,” Jez muttered. “You don’t
know what you’re missing.” Jez flipped her red hair off her shoulder. This was a huge mistake
because it exposed her white neck. The sight transfixed him. He could sense the
blood pumping through her artery. He imagined himself sinking his teeth into
her flesh, drinking in that sweet nectar. Draining every
single drop. Spike flung
his head away. “Hurry up!” he demanded. “What?” she
mumbled, while chewing. “Please hurry
up if you know what is good for you.” She gave him a
weird look. “Okay, okay.” Jez shoveled in the rest of her pie and downed her coffee. When she
was done, she reached inside her bra and withdrew a wad of bills. Spike widened
his eyes. He hadn’t really noticed her luscious cleavage until then. Oh God,
her breasts were so round and . . . Spike got to
his feet. “Let‘s push off. Now!” After paying,
the couple exited the diner. Spike hurried to the car and got in. Jez hopped into the driver’s seat and started the car. “You are a
very strange man, Spike. Anyone ever tell you that?”
the woman remarked. “I’ve been
called many things. A pig. A
monster. Bloody awful. But strange, I don’t
recall.” She laughed.
“Well, you are. What was that about in there?” “Afraid I
can’t tell you that, luv. But I recommend you drive
toward the next town as fast as you can. ” “I noticed you
staring at my neck,” Jez commented. “If it wasn’t
daylight I’d think you were a vampire.” “You believe
in them then?” Spike questioned. “Oh yeah,” Jez said. “My ex, real big on the fangs.
That’s why I broke up with him. That and that he was an asshole.” Spike rose an eyebrow. “You’re serious?” She nodded. “Okay. What if
I told you I am a vamp? That I’m a special case that doesn’t get all
crispy-critter out in Mr. Sunshine’s rays.” A smile formed
on her lips. “Is that the truth?” “Yeah.” “We better get
to a butcher’s then.” Spike blinked.
“How can you be so bloody calm!? I’m a vampire. Ya know, grrr, evil.” “Because of this.” Jez reached over
and opened the glove compartment. She took out a very sharp wooden stake. Spike smirked.
“Right then. I guess you weren’t kidding about the
bad-teethed boyfriend.” “Not at all,” Jez replied. _______________________________________________ Scene 4 Buffy was
exiting her room when she encountered Faith. “You sure about this, B?” “Yes,” Buffy
declared firmly. “I don’t get
it. You just fought an apocalypse and now you’re going searching for some more
action.” Buffy sighed.
“You don’t have to come.” “Nah, think
I’ll check it out. But there are no guarantees I’ll stick it for the long hull,
got it? “Perfectly.” The two
slayers went down to find the members of Angel Investigations. They said their
goodbyes. When Buffy
came to face Angel the tension hit them. “Bye, Angel,”
Buffy said. “Bye, Buffy,”
the vampire replied. They stared at
each other for a long time. Finally Buffy took the initiative to hug him. “Thanks for
letting us stay here for a bit.” “I’m always
here to help. You know that.” She nodded,
pulling away. They stared at
each other again. “So, you
better go become that cookie,” Angel told her. Buffy’s mouth
lifted into a smile. Scene 5 Spike felt
tremendously better. They stopped and purchased pig’s blood from the butcher’s
shop. He drained two packages before he was sated. The sun was setting then. Jez decided that it would be wise to stop for the night.
She found a run-down motel for them to stay at. Of course Jez only got one room. It didn’t surprise Spike in the
slightest. She did, however, ask for twin beds. This did surprise him. Their room was
number 13, which brought a smirk to Spike’s lips. The room was pretty bad.
Paint was chipping on the walls and the carpet was coming up in one spot. There
wasn’t even a television to his disappointment. “So,” Jez declared, “I think I’ll take a shower.” She gestured to
one of the beds. “Feel free to get comfortable.” He watched her
strut into the tiny bathroom and shut the door. Then he removed his duster and
shirt. He plopped down on the bed, lying on his back. He placed his hands
behind his head and stared up at the ceiling. Since being
revived, he allowed himself to fantasize about Buffy. He imagined kissing her
soft lips. Slipping a hand under her shirt to feel her
stomach. Bringing it up to feel the succulent mounds . . . He had to
stop. Jezebel came
out of the bathroom. A white towel was wrapped around her lithe body. Water
droplets dripped from her flushed skin. Her green eyes met his blue ones. Fire
burned in her gaze. The woman
paraded over to stand by Spike’s side. She leaned down. Her damp hair fell from
her shoulders and hit his bare chest. Her fingers reached out and ran down his
torso. He took in a deep breath. “I got two
beds but that doesn’t mean we need to use both of them,” she whispered,
seductively. Spike
stiffened. Okay, he could do this. He had rejected Anya.
He could do this. “You’re so
cold,” Jez went on. “Let me warm you up.” That did it.
Spike sprung up. Jez ended up on the bed. Now on his
feet, he panted, trying to control himself. He eyed Jez.
God, those legs. He quickly averted his vision. “Sorry, luv, I want you, really I do. But I have a . . . well, not
exactly a girlfriend, but there is this girl . . .” “So?” he heard
Jez say. Spike turned
back toward her. “What?” “You heard me.
So? She’ll never know.” He let out a
choked laugh. “But I will. Ya see, I love her.” “Oh, bummer.” Spike smiled.
“Yeah, bummer,” he said softly. After a pause,
he continued by saying,” I gotta take a shower.” Spike fled
into the bathroom, slamming the door shut. He leaned against the door, feeling
the tightness in his jeans. He closed his eyes. The image of Jez appeared in his mind. He quickly banished it, replacing
it with Buffy. Jez was wild and exotic, every man’s fantasy. But Buffy . . . Buffy
was his sunlight. His whole reason for being. Spike
unbuckled his belt, thinking about his blond goddess. Scene 6 Spike
reemerged clean and calm. He had been sure to put his jeans back on before
exiting the bathroom. Jez sat on one of the beds,
fully clothed now in leather pants and a tight belly-shirt. She looked over at
him questionably. “Sorry about
before,” she apologized. “Forget about
it.” The vampire
went over to the other bed and sat down. “So, if we
aren’t going to have sex, what can we do to pass the time?” she asked. He ran a hand
through his curling hair. “Uh . . . Talk?” “Right.” There was a
span of silence. “We should
arrive in LA tomorrow,” Jez eventually stated. “Where are you
headed anyways?” Spike asked. “You’re giving me a ride, but is
that really the direction you were planning on going?” She shrugged.
“I dunno. I’m like a dandelion seed, going where the
wind takes me.” “I used to be
like that,” Spike replied. “Me and Dru.
We went all over the place. “Dru?” “Drusilla. My ex.” “Oh, I see.” There was a
knock at the door. Puzzled expressions fell over the pair. They had no idea who
it could be. Spike stood up. “I’ll get it,”
he offered. He stepped
over to the door and flung it open. It revealed a tall man with dark hair. “What can I do
for you, mate?” Spike inquired. The man gave
Spike a cold glare. His face shifted to that of a vampire. Behind Spike, Jez squeaked out,” Vincent?” _______________________________________________ Scene 7 Vincent shoved
his way into the motel room. He let out a growl. “Jez, how dare you run away from me!
You are mine!” Vincent yelled. “I’m not your
property, Vince,” Jez spat. Spike watched
the display with displeasure. “Let me take a wild guess and say this is your
ex? Am I right?” he asked Jez. With hatred in
her green eyes, not taking them off Vincent, she said, “Yes.” Not even
acknowledging Spike‘s presence, Vincent pointed to the door. “That is my car
out there. You stole it! And I bet I know where that
thousand dollars of mine ended up as well.” Jez smirked. “It wasn’t yours to begin with, Vincy.” “That isn’t
the point, ‘Jezebel’.” He stepped toward her. He reached out and stroked the
side of her cheek. “You are so beautiful. Why won’t you let me keep you that
way? I can’t stand the thought of yourself
deteriorating throughout the years.” She jerked
away from his touch. “Oh, I don’t know, maybe because ’I tend to appreciate my
tan.’ “ “You won’t
miss it after I‘m done. I promise.” “Of course not. Because I won’t be me anymore!” she threw
back. “Do vampires
really disgust you that much?” She let out a
choked laugh. Then she sobered, looking into his face with emotion. “You don’t
get it, do you? I don’t give a damn if you drink liquids and never take me to
the beach. I ’loved’ you. Whatever you were, I loved you. And I thought you
loved me back. For me. But then I found out you wanted
to change me into something else. All you want is a luscious body that you can
fuck until eternity.” “That’s not
true, baby . . . Wait, why should I continue to lie to you. Of course it is
true. I’m a vampire. We live on instinct: sleep, feed, fuck.
That is all we need to survive. This human emotion humans
call love is bull shit.” Spike raised
his hand. “Excuse me, mate, but you’ve got it all wrong.” Vincent turned
toward the other vampire. “And what’s that?” “Vampires can
love very deeply.” “Maybe the weak ones.” Spike
chuckled. He shifted into game face. He gazed at Vincent with golden eyes. He
rushed at the other vamp. Spike punched
Vincent in the jaw. “Sorry, can’t let you hurt the lady.” Vincent hit
Spike in the nose. “Ow, bloody hell, why is it always the nose!?” Spike cursed.
Spike ducked
under another blow. He kicked Vincent in the gut. Then he grabbed the vamp and
shoved him into the wall. Spike took the
opportunity to glance at Jez. “Stake.
Now.” Jez’s expression showed apology. “It is out in the car,” she said. “Go get it,”
he commanded. She rushed off
to retrieve the weapon. Vincent
recovered, rising up to full height. “She is mine, not yours.” A snort
escaped Spike. “Not yours. Not mine either, mate.” Vincent
advanced, kicking Spike in the side. Spike staggered backward into the end
table. Vincent raised
his hand, holding a stake. Spike’s blue eyes widened. “That’s right, I checked the car before I came in. Found this.”
Vince twirled the stake. “And a couple hundred dollars.
I recon she has more stashed in her panties and bra.” Spike came at
Vincent, trying to kick the stake away. It didn’t work, though, and Vincent hit
Spike in the face. They wrestled for a while, each getting in a few kicks and
punches. Vincent threw Spike into the wall. Then he snatched Spike up and
pinned him to it. He drew his hand back, preparing to strike. A million
thoughts can run through a person’s brain in a second. But only one came to
Spike. Buffy. Had the powers really brought him back
to be killed again before even reaching her? He was mustering his strength, in
order to free himself when somebody else did it for him. Vincent
disintegrated before him. The stake that had been in Vincent’s clutch fell to
the carpet. Jez stood before the dust, with another
stake. Jez smiled. “Think I don’t have a spare hidden?” Scene 8 Jez pulled the red convertible up to the Hyperion hotel. She sighed,
turning to her hitchhiker. “So, you made
it.” Spike nodded.
“Looks like.” He eyed the building. Then went on to ask, ”Where
you off to, pet?” “Oh, I dunno . . . Maybe Vegas?” “Good luck.” She smiled.
“It was fun.” “Yeah, it
was.” They sat there
for a moment. Finally Spike opened the door. “So long, luv.” “Spike?” “Yeah?” “Say hello to
that girl you know for me.” He smiled. “Will do.” Spike watched
as Jez drove off. He turned toward the hotel,
studying it. Time to speak to peaches and cream. As he
approached the front doors, he saw a note posted. The words became clear as he
neared. To the
Hopeless, Angel
Investigations no longer will conduct business here. We now reside at the law
firm, Wolfram and Hart. Sincerely, The AI Crew Spike shoved
his hands into the pockets of his duster. Fabulous. He
travels miles to get here and he isn’t even at the right place. After
searching long enough to get aggravated, Spike found the law firm. He walked
into the spacious entrance to see a desk. Behind it sat a woman. She had short
hair and glasses. The woman
raised her eyes when he came to stand before the desk. “May I help you?” she
inquired. “Yeah. Lookin for Angel,” he informed. “Just a moment. “ The woman
leaned over and pressed a button. “Mr. Angel, someone is here to see you.” He was directed
to take the elevator to another floor. He found himself in front of a door with
a nametag outside that had Mr. Angel engraved on it. A smirk formed on
his lips from that. ’Mr.’ Angel? Spike took a
moment in the hall before entering. He decided it would be best to be on his
best behavior. Mocking his grandsire was loads of fun, but wouldn’t likely be
the best approach to finding Buffy. He braced
himself and entered the office. Angel sat a desk, looking over a manila folder.
He looked up when he heard someone come in. He stared at Spike with an
unreadable expression. When the
dark-haired vamp didn’t speak, Spike did. “Hello, peaches.” “Spike. Buffy told me you died,” Angel stated in monotone. “Oh, yeah,
did. Turns out my business down here isn’t done and so
I did a u-turn.” Spike reached
for the necklace around his neck. He removed it, feeling the medallion one last
time. Then he came forward and put it down on the desk. “Thanks, it came in
handy.” Angel eyed his
grandchilde with confusion. He crossed his arms.
“You’re looking for Buffy, aren’t you?” “It’s always
about Buffy,” Spike said. A nod of
agreement came from Angel. “Yes, it is.” The blond took
a seat in a chair that was located in front of the desk. His first impulse was
to prop his feet up, but stopped himself. On your best behavior, mate, he
reminded himself. “ “What?” “ Spike raised
an eyebrow. He hadn’t thought Angel would give out information so willingly. “Right then. So I guess I’m on my way to the Angel met his
gaze, darkly. “Yes, Spike, you would.” “Uh huh. I’ll have to get the good ol’
thumb workin again.” Spike stood
up, prepared to leave. “Why exactly
were you so eager to help a bloke out, Angelus? That isn‘t
like you.” Angel gripped
the sides of his chair. “As you said before, it is all about Buffy.” What does that
mean? Spike wondered. He opened his mouth, but thought it better to let things
rest there. He nodded in farewell and made for the door. “Wait,” Angel
said. Spike halted,
spinning back around. Something came flying at him
through the air. He caught it single-handed. It was a bundle of bills. He
looked at Angel with surprise. “That should
get you halfway,” Angel informed. “Oh, and I’d like to show you something.” Intrigued,
Spike watched as Angel pressed a button. The blinds over the windows
disappeared to let in streaming sunlight. Expectation was written over Angel’s face.
To his disappointment Spike just looked puzzled. “The powers
got to you too, I take it?” Spike stated, unhappily. “The powers?” Angel asked. “Oh!” Spike
finally got what was going on. He pointed to the windows. “This is some kinda mojo. Am I right? This
isn’t real sunlight. And you were wanting to scare me,
is that it?” “It’s real
sunlight. The windows are tinted to keep out the harmful rays.” Spike laughed.
“You did want to scare me, though.” Angel scowled,
confirming to Spike’s suspicion. “Sorry I
didn’t react the way you wished, mate. But ya see,
the powers granted me with a lil something for being
their champion. I can go out and visit Mr. Sunshine anytime I please.” Spike smirked,
heading out the door. He left the building, satisfied that he could throw
something in his grandsire’s face before leaving. End of Episode
3 Next week on
Buffy . . . Episode 4:
Welcome Home Spike finds
his way to |
