Chapter 17 – Tricks and Treats
October 31, 2007 5:15 PM
Chaos was once again the ruling king of the Blood household. It was filled to
capacity as the family arrived in droves to celebrate the holiday. Raven and
Sean were both in costume already, playing to their heritage as a fairy and
brownie, allowing them to feel in the spirit yet be themselves. Aidan and Elijah
were having their makeup applied by the two teens. Aidan had chosen to go as
a clown, giving his father the shudders every time he looked at him while Jessy
had chosen to go as Snow White thus relieving them of any heavy make up to prepare
her. Benjamin was in a Winnie-the-Pooh suit while Jacob was dressed as Eyeore.
Spike leaned back against the counter surveying the room filled with their family as everyone chattered and Xander was beside him marinating steaks for the adults and making hamburgers for the kids. His eyes briefly settled on his wife, dressed in a long denim skirt and a red thermal shirt, her face devoid of makeup and her hair pulled into a pony tail and decided that she looked more beautiful than the day he had met her.
She was busy talking to Tara and Willow when the back door opened and Dawn and Josh came bursting into the room. Apparently Josh had been chasing her as he reached out and pulled her back against him. His reason was the huge bag of candy that she was carrying and when Giles hollered at them to settle down, they immediately apologized and looked chagrined. And in the midst of all this, the new puppy, now dubbed Candy Corn, was running from one pair of shoes to the other looking for attention. Spike had told the kids that Candy Corn sounded like the animal should be in adult films to him but they had ignored him and the poor mutt would forever be a porn star to him.
Raven and the Scoobettes, as the younger Scoobies were now called, had volunteered to take the children trick-or-treating, to give their parents a break but Anya, Willow and Tara were going along just so they could be involved. Benjamin still too young for going out was now relaxing in a swing in the corner of the kitchen while his parents sat at the table.
Buffy had decided to stay at home but followed the crowd down to the end of the driveway to watch them on their way. She smiled as Elijah walked happily holding onto Raven’s and Connor’s hands while they went to their first house. Sean walked with Aidan while Jessy hung back with the women.
As she turned to make her way back to the house, Clem’s car pulled into the driveway beside her.
“Hi, Buffy, how are you?”
“Doing good, Clem. You still going to pass out the candy?”
“Yep, that’s why I am here. Your own personal demon to scare the kiddies.”
They both laughed as she waited for him to park the car so they could walk into the house together. Buffy hadn’t realized how much she had counted on the demon until he was no longer living in their house. The growing family was just too much for their friend and when Connor had needed a roommate it had seemed like an ideal situation. She also knew that the house held memories of Faith and it still hurt him to think of the Slayer.
“I miss you,” Buffy confided. “It seems like college days when I think of the three of us sharing space.”
“I miss you guys, too,” Clem said as he wrapped an arm around his friend’s shoulder.
They climbed the back steps and into the kitchen. Clem’s eyes grew wide when he saw Candy skid across the floor to check out the newcomers. As the puppy sniffed at him then barked, the demons eyes fell in disappointment.
“Gee, I thought you had a kitten for me as a treat.”
“I don’t think my kids would like you munching on their pet.” Spike said.
Clem shook his head as he stared at his old friend. “You used to be such a demon now you’re hardly recognizable.”
The room was silent for a moment as Spike chose to ignore the comment. His eyes immediately sought his wife for everything to be put back into perspective for him and found her gazing at him in a questioning stare.
“But I’m a happy man,” he stated to answer both Clem and Buffy.
With only a nod to acknowledge his friend’s comment, the demon turned his attention to Dawn and Josh sitting at the table with Kate and Giles.
“So, I heard you two got back into class with the little demonstration you all pulled.”
“Yeah, we did.” Dawn answered. “There was enough attention that they had to reinstate us or suspend everyone from the club so it was reinstating us that won.”
“I think the soldiers have pull with the dean or something.” Josh said. “Either that or someone in charge is a soldier.”
“Probably the latter,” Giles commented.
The others nodded their head in agreement but before further any conversation could take place the phone rang. Spike answered it, told the person to hold on, and then let everyone know that Max had called him back and he would be in his study for a few minutes. They watched as Spike left the room and a moment later Buffy pulled Kate upstairs with her for a few minutes to ask her some personal questions concerning her pregnancy.
October 31, 2007 6:05 PM
Spike leaned forward on his elbows while Max reassured him that he would have the puppy’s breeder checked out and see if they could garner any information to help with finding the stalker. So, far Max was about the only one who didn’t find the new addition to the household amusing. He actually thought that it would be good for the children to have the animal around.
Spike turned his head slightly when he heard someone step into his study, his eyes opening wide when he saw that it was Dawn, and a sick feeling settled in his stomach as she started to close the door behind her. When their eyes met she looked nervous and stopped the door before it completely closed. While he finished his conversation with Max she wandered restlessly around the room and then stopped when she heard the phone clicking off.
“Hi,” she said softly.
“Hey, what’s up?” He answered as he leaned back in his chair, throwing his feet up on the corner of the desk. Hopefully, she would take this as him not welcoming any alone time with her just yet and that she would keep her distance.
“I’m sorry. I know I shouldn’t be in here but I just wanted to ask about Buffy.”
She danced around a little and then her hands slipped into her back pockets as if to keep them from doing something that she would regret and he relaxed a little. Conversation about Buffy was feasible and definitely welcome if it meant that Dawn was going to help.
“She’s doing okay for now. No more incidents since the mall and she’s been relaxing, too.” Hoping it wouldn’t sound wrong, he added, “Dawn, it would be good if you could be around more. She could use the company.”
Their eyes met and Dawn nodded enthusiastically.
“I wasn’t sure…”
“How I would take you being around?” Buffy’s voice startled them and as they turned to look at her, she softly shut the door behind her. With a deliberateness born of confidence in what she was doing, Buffy went to Spike, bent over him and kissed him thoroughly and passionately, before standing again. Her hand ran gently across his shoulder before she made her way toward her sister. “Don’t you just wish you could do that?”
Dawn’s face had taken on a pink tinge as she had watched the couple kiss. Her sister’s question raised guilt that appeared in her eyes, telling on the young woman’s former fantasies, that yes she did wish she could do that.
“You can’t have him, you know?” Buffy asked. Her fingers ran through her sister’s hair, playing with it before hazel eyes met pure green eyes. “He’s mine.”
“I…I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Dawn bluffed. Her eyes looked over Buffy’s shoulder to Spike, silently pleading for him to help her.
Spike came toward them, stopping behind Buffy with his hands on her waist. “Buffy, come on, nothing was going on. Leave her alone.” He looked up at Dawn. “Go on. Get out of here. We’ll be out…”
“No,” Buffy said as she clutched her sister’s arm. “Stay. Please. We need to have a little girl talk but you don’t mind if he stays, do you?”
“What do you want to talk about?”
“Oh, the wiles that we women use to entice men. That is what you were intending wasn’t it?” Buffy laughed softly as she ran fingers down a soft cheek. “You are so young and innocent still but yet so,” she cocked her head slightly, “exacting. You came in here to ask about me. The sisterly concern. ‘Oh yes, Spike, I’ll do anything to help out. What do you need? Do you want me to bend over the desk?”
“Buffy, stop it,” Spike warned. “She didn’t mean it that way.”
Tears gathered in the younger woman’s eyes as she tried to leave again but found her arm still grasped by the determination of the Slayer.
“Yes, she did. The hands in the back pocket pulls the blouse taut over ripe young breasts still perky in their youth and the button opened just so the shadow over the cleavage invites you to wonder what it would be like to travel into its depths.”
“Stop it, Buffy.” Dawn cried. “I didn’t come in for that.” She struggled against her sister’s grasp as Spike tried to loosen Buffy’s hand. “I didn’t. Please. Let me go.”
Buffy pulled her closer for a second, “If you persist, I won’t hurt you. I’ll let you have what you want. The cruelest pain of all, let you have a taste of what you want, and then you can’t hold onto it because I’ll never let him go.”
She released Dawn and watched as she ran from the room. Releasing the tension in her, Buffy leaned back into Spike’s arms while she laughed softly. Her hand reached up to stroke Spike’s cheek.
“You were too cruel, Pet. She didn’t deserve that.”
“And you enjoyed every moment of it.”
Her laughter grew as Spike didn’t say anything for a moment. She was right, a small part of him did enjoy watching Buffy fight for him, and the demon applauded the cruelty that was almost evil in origin but the man in him knew that Dawn had been devastated in her embarrassment and he didn’t want his Niblet hurt like that. It almost made him wonder what it would do to the relationship between the sisters because he hadn’t known that Buffy knew of Dawn’s attraction to him.
Spike turned Buffy around, grasping her face between his hands as she encircled his wrists with her own small hands.
“Buffy that was malicious. You really hurt her,” he said slowly as if speaking to a child. “She didn’t deserve that. Her intentions were to help you not seduce me.”
He watched as his Buffy seemed to fight to the surface again. The coldness that had been her only a moment ago, crumpled inward, and her eyes filled with tears.
“Oh, God, what did I do?” The green eyes, filled with anguish, shuttered closed as tears broke through and slid down her cheeks. “It was like someone else was in control, taking my feelings and acting on them. I couldn’t stop myself.”
Spike gathered the petite body of his wife against him as she sobbed both for the hurt she had caused her sister and the loss of her own self. It was beginning to feel like he was living with Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, never knowing from one minute to the next how she would be.
“I need to go and find Dawn. To make sure she is all right.” Spike said as he eased Buffy away from him. She seemed a little calmer and when she nodded, he kissed her forehead and turned to find Dawn. Her earlier words began to seep into him, taking my feelings and acting on them, was there a cruel part of Buffy he didn’t really know, or did she mean they were acting on her jealousy and expanding on it? Later, when things weren’t so complicated he decided he would ask.
October 31, 2007 6:25 PM
They were sitting silent, slowly swinging, on the back porch when Spike found them. Josh with his arm around his wife, trying to comfort her for something that Spike was sure he didn’t know. The vampire came to lean against the railing and stared at the wall instead of looking at the tearful face of his sister-in-law.
“Dawn, she didn’t mean it.” He said softly.
“Yes, she did. Somewhere she did.”
“Buffy would never deliberately hurt you no matter what her feelings on the…situation.”
Dawn didn’t reply only sniffled and hid her face behind her hand.
“Is that what this is about?” Josh said. “Buffy finally called you on your feelings for her husband. It was a bit much to be alone with him after declaring your feelings. It kind of pissed me off too.”
The other two turned to stare at the young man in astonishment.
“You know?” Spike asked.
“Yeah, I do.” Josh laughed bitterly. “She’s my wife. I think this might be the best thing. No one is denying that we know anymore and we can get it all out in the open.”
“There is nothing to get out in the open,” Dawn ground out.
“Well, maybe not for you, but maybe Buffy and I, hell, possibly even Spike, we still have to deal with the fact that you have feelings for your sister’s husband.”
“It’s over, whatever you think was going on, is over.”
Josh ignored her and turned his attention to the now very uncomfortable Spike.
“I have one question.” And when he received a raised eyebrow in return, he continued. “Do you have any intention of following through on this? I mean do I have to worry about the feelings being returned and that you and my wife might decide to have an affair?”
“God, Josh, shut up,” Dawn said. Her eyes flickered between the two males, as her humiliation deepened even further. There wasn’t even a moment of titillation that Spike might say yes. And it was then that she realized that she had finally let go of whatever those emotions once were.
“No, we deserve to have whatever catharsis that we need.” Josh replied and then returned his attention to Spike. “Well, do I?”
“No, you have nothing to worry about. Dawn is my sister.”
Spike watched as the young man seemed to visibly relax with his answer and he wondered if their relationship was ever going to be the same. He tried to figure out an excuse to get out of there and when Kate poked her head out, he wanted to sing the Hallelujah chorus.
“Dawn, Buffy wants to see you for a minute.”
“Oh, just fucking great,” Dawn said but she stood and made her way inside. It was just what she wanted, another run in with her slightly deranged sister. Halloween was turning out for Dawn what Buffy’s birthdays were to her. Next year she vowed to stay home.
As the door banged shut behind Dawn, it opened again and Xander, followed by Giles came out, giving Spike another reason to sigh in relief.
“Thought we’d get these puppies cooking. No offense to Candy.” Xander said as he flourished the platter of meat around. “Me, I’m starving.”
“Sounds good, man, sounds good,” Josh said as he and Spike went to join the other two males around the grill.
Giles was carrying some extra beers which he handed to Spike and Josh before sitting on the top steps.
“Another lovely holiday on the Hellmouth,” Giles imparted. “Hopefully, the dead,” he gestured with his bottle toward the graves, “will stay dead and we can at least go home intact tonight.”
October 31, 2007 6:40 PM
Buffy watched as the children rounded the corner of the house, their bags overflowing with treats, and the adrenaline forcing them in kinetic games of tag around the back yard as the fathers tried to get their attention. She heard Dawn enter the room and without turning around, “I’m sorry for hurting you.”
“It’s all right,” Dawn answered.
She turned and made her way toward her sister, and when Dawn visibly took a step back, Buffy stopped, resting her hands on the back of Spike’s chair. Slowly, she smoothed the material down as she tried to decide how to approach this.
“Spike never betrayed your confidence or any of your talks,” Buffy said with a glance up at her sister to make sure she believed her. “I think in some ways I’ve always known but when we did the ritual I knew for sure then. Seeing you through his eyes.”
Dawn nodded. “Thanks, it’s good to know that he didn’t.”
“He should have though. Secrets between people who are married aren’t good, Dawnie.”
Their eyes met in a clash of will but Dawn lost as her eyes returned to the floor. No matter how understanding her family was, it was still her fault.
“It would be good to have you around more. I could use the company and maybe we could get close again.”
Dawn smiled, “Yeah that would be good. Are you coming back out?”
Their talk was through and when Buffy replied that she would be out in a moment, Dawn headed for the door but as she was opening it, Buffy stopped her.
“Just remember though, Dawn,” Buffy’s voice had returned to the coldness of before. “I meant what I said if you decide to pursue this.”
A chill ran through the former key as she hurried out toward the noisy confusion of the backyard. A thought had occurred to her in her talk with her sister and she wanted to speak with Giles. He was still sitting on the top step with Spike beside him. She sighed softly and went to kneel beside them.
”Giles, can I speak with you a moment?”
The two men looked back at her while Spike asked if it had to do with Buffy. She nodded her head.
“Talk then,” Spike said.
“Look, it’s just a thought and I may be totally off base here,” Dawn said and then quickly looked over her shoulder to make sure Buffy wasn’t coming out before she turned back. “Did we ever think about the ritual? I mean, I remember Giles saying that it caused insanity in some people. What if it did something to Buffy and it’s just starting to show now?”
Both men sighed simultaneously as their gaze returned to the children and the puppy playing in the yard.
“I guess I’ll add that to the list of things to be researched,” Giles said.
“And now if the dead will only stay dead…” Spike added.
TBC
