Chapter 10 – Could I Be You
You show your pain like it really hurts
And I can’t even start to feel mine
Well, I’m standing in place
With my head first and I shake, I shake
I see your progress stretched out for miles and miles
You’re laughing out loud
At just the thought of being alive
And I was wondering if I could just be you tonight
Matchbox
Twenty
The Jeep Wrangler cut its
way through the interstate traffic with ease. Dylan loved the challenge of
maneuvering his bright red baby around other vehicles. It was a crude form of power
but it thrilled him nonetheless. A grin lit up his face as he darted in front
of a semi, flicking off the driver who had the nerve to honk at him. He glanced
over at his passenger who seemed to be lost somewhere and not even noticing
that he could have almost died.
“Stop that,” Dylan
commanded, smacking Spike in the middle of his chest. The vampire was drumming
his fingers along the dashboard and he was snapping nicotine gum with no
concern at how annoying it might be.
“You can’t even hear it,”
Spike said, dancing his fingers along the steering wheel.
“Yeah, but I know you’re
doing it,” Dylan said, brushing Spike’s hand away. “Why don’t you just have a
cigarette?”
“Because Buffy told me not
to smoke when I came home,” Spike said, with a smirk.
“Pussy whipped.”
“Yeah, and because I want some, I won’t
smoke.”
“Oh, come on,” Dylan said,
shaking his head. “Like she didn’t give you ass when you spent that afternoon
with her, so why wouldn’t she now?”
A finger was waved in front
of him and Dylan sighed. He’d broken cardinal rule number one. Don’t ever
disrespect Spike’s women. So, he changed his terminology.
“Isn’t it your home? Don’t
you support everyone?”
It had always been that way
when he had been growing up. The breadwinner made the rules and you didn’t
argue; just obeyed. And that’s why he had left home at thirteen. Compromising
your position was better than not having one.
“Financially, yeah,” Spike
said. “But Buffy runs the house, takes care of the kids and me. Her load is
just as great as mine or even more. So, yeah, I’ll give in when I don’t think
it’s a big deal. Besides I don’t want my kids smoking so…”
“Practice what you preach?”
“Yeah.”
It made some sense so Dylan
let it drop. The man beside him was an enigma.
A combination of a vampire and a family man didn’t really go together.
It was an intriguing enough of a prospect to make Dylan accept this invitation.
The thought of spending a weekend in the suburbs with kids was enough to give
him a serious case of hives, but he wanted to figure out what made Spike tick.
Once Dylan knew that then it would be easier to manipulate his partner into
giving him what he wanted.
Knowledge was power and the
thought made Dylan smile. He turned his concentration back to his driving
letting the thrill take over him again. It was a beautiful day with the sun
climbing high into the sky. Only a few clouds dotted the blueness above him and
the closer they got to Sunndyale, the more the traffic thinned out. Nothing was
in his way or going to be. This time the jackpot was his.
Dylan followed Spike’s
directions through the small town to the house. His eyes widened behind his
sunglasses as he saw the rambling two-story house. It was another clue to the
man beside him as he took in both the cemetery and the swing set behind it. He
turned his attention to the house again, taking in the wide porch that ran the
length of the front of the house. There were wicker chairs placed almost
randomly along it and a swing hung from the ceiling on one side.
It was a home.
“Come on,” Spike said,
grabbing his bag out of the back. “It won’t bite.”
His bag was tossed to him
and Dylan caught it easily. He flung it over his shoulder as he followed Spike
toward the house.
“Daddy, Daddy,” a small boy that
Dylan recognized as Elijah from pictures, flung open the front door and came
tearing toward them. Spike laughed, dropping to his knees to catch the child.
“Hey, Eli,” Spike said,
pushing the boy away so he could look at him. “How are you doing? Taking care
of things for me?”
“Yeah…well, I’m trying,” Eli
said, shuffling his feet. He looked back at the house. “Mummy was mad at me
last week but she’s not now.”
“Okay,” Spike said, patting
Eli’s shoulder. “We’ll talk later…just
you and me.”
The boy smiled. It was an
innocent, trusting gesture that showed his belief that his father wouldn’t let
him down. Dylan filed the information away as he watched the boy turn and run
back to the house. The two men followed a little more slowly. Dylan was
expecting a huge crowd at the door to welcome Spike home but the front hall was
empty. Spike shrugged, threw his bag at the bottom of the stairs and started to
walk down the hall toward where they could hear women’s voices.
“Dad, you’re home.”
This time it was Raven.
Dylan slipped his sunglasses off to take a better look at the young woman
bounding down the stairs. Her small firm body was encased in a pair of hip
hugging black jeans with a red baby tee that showed off her flat stomach. He
let his gaze wander upwards to her face. She wasn’t a classic beauty but she
was definitely cute with bright blue eyes and a mass of red curly hair that
reached to her waist. She laughed lightly as she launched herself off the
staircase and into her father’s arms.
“Hello, princess,” Spike
said, hugging her tight. “I’ve missed you.”
“Missed you, too,” Raven
said, her eyes catching Dylan’s for a moment before she returned her attention
to Spike. “I haven’t even needed a nail polish consultation.”
They both laughed at their
inside joke. It was irritating to be deliberately left out. It only confirmed
his earlier assumption that Raven was going to be difficult to win over. It
would be necessary though. She seemed to be fairly vibrating with power, not
only in her Slayer capacity but also with power within the family. Spike often
spoke with an amused lilt about what a firecracker his daughter was.
Plastering a smile on his
face he took a step toward the pair. “Hi there, I’m Dylan.”
“Hello.”
A small hand was offered to
him and he shook it with a little more of a caress then a shake. He watched as
one perfectly plucked brow rose ever so slightly but she didn’t say anything
just took her hand back. Thankfully, Spike didn’t notice anything but rather
seemed pleased that the two were being friendly.
“Where’s Sean and Journey?”
Spike asked, looking around.
“Joy is taking a nap. I know
it’s late but she was up at the crack of dawn looking for you and Angel,” Raven
said, smiling as she shook her head. “So, we wore her out and put her down.
Hopefully, she won’t be cranky later.”
“And Sean?”
“Uh, he won’t be getting in
until tonight.”
Spike sighed and did his
head roll thing he did when he was irritated. Dylan stepped back to watch the
interchange hoping they would talk freely if they forgot he was there.
“And why not?”
“Don’t be mad,” Raven
reprimanded as she took her father’s hands in her own. “Bryant had to have some
sort of study group this afternoon and they’ll be in town after that.
Uh…they’re staying in a hotel this time.”
“Bloody hell…”
“Don’t, okay, the more upset
you get, the more Sean is going to think he has to defend Bryant. Just let it
run its course.”
Spike nodded apparently
taking Raven’s advice. The situation was a mystery to Dylan. Spike’s eldest son
wasn’t a subject the two partners had discussed. Dylan only knew what he had
discovered when he had Spike investigated which wasn’t much at all.
“The rest of the girl’s are
here,” Raven said, kissing Spike’s cheek. “We’ll be down in a bit.”
Dylan watched Raven
disappear back upstairs. He was enjoying the sway of her bottom before Spike
tugged on Dylan’s sleeve.
“Watch what you’re
watching,” Spike cautioned. “Come on...I want to find Buffy.”
It was time to meet Spike’s
wife, the love of his life, and the one that seemed to control him. Dylan was
curious about the Slayer that had captured the heart of one of history’s most
notorious vampires. He had heard talk
about her from Jake and the other men that ranged from how wonderful she was to
what a cold bitch she could be. Already he didn’t like her just because of the
hold she had on Spike but Dylan had decided to play nice for now.
Spike pulled him through a
swinging door into a large kitchen. This was the heart of the house. From the
large table on the side that would hold the entire family to the drawings and
pictures that were stuck to the refrigerator to the messy counter tops, it all
screamed family. Dylan watched as Spike headed first to an older woman. She was
waiting with arms open for the return of the head of the house.
“It’s good to see you,”
“Smells great,” Spike said,
kissing her cheek. “I want you to meet my partner, Dylan.”
“Nice to meet you,” Dylan
said, shaking her hand. He smiled because he knew he was being scrutinized for
faults. “It smells wonderful.”
“Thank you,”
Figuring it would be frowned
upon if he took a beer; he helped himself to a soda instead before sitting at
the table. From there he could watch whatever was going on in the room. Dylan
glanced over to where Spike was now standing behind the other woman. His arms
were wrapped around her waist and she was giggling at whatever Spike had said
to her. Insipid was the first thing that came to his mind since she was thirty
years old. Wasn’t she past the age of acting like a schoolgirl because a boy
paid attention to her?
Dylan did have to admit that
Buffy was a beautiful woman. Shining, brunette locks done in a French braid
fell to the middle of her back. She had a flawless complexion with a cute nose
that was made for nipping. His eyes wandered down to the figure encased in a
white t-shirt and short denim overalls. She was a combination of earth mother
and stunner that sent a stab of desire through him. He could see what had made
Spike look twice at her.
“Good god, pet,” Spike
exclaimed, after tasting the mixture Buffy was stirring in a small bowl. “Did
you put a whole bottle of vinegar in it?”
She only laughed and handed
him a spoon which Spike took as he started to add ingredients to the bowl. It
was then that she turned to Dylan. Her face gave away nothing of what she was
feeling as she looked him slowly over.
“Hello,” Buffy said, tilting
her head.
“Hi.”
They seemed to almost be at
a standoff as they stared at one another. Neither was giving until the back
door flew open and a blanket covered Angel came bursting in. Cordelia followed
him with a big grin and shaking her head at his entrance. The atmosphere
instantly changed upon their arrival. It was interesting to watch Buffy’s
expression go from almost hostile to one of open friendliness as she greeted
their guests.
If there was someone in
Spike’s family that Dylan thought he could be close to that person would be
Cordelia. From their one meeting, he had been impressed with her
straightforwardness but compassionate nature. She reminded him of someone he
had known a long time ago. Shaking his head to keep from getting lost in
memories, he caught her looking at him from over Buffy’s shoulder. He gave her
a tentative smile and was relieved when she returned it.
“We’ve put you two in the
usual place,” Buffy said.
“Ahhh, Spike’s study,” Angel
said, with a grin. “Did you reinforce the springs on the couch this time?”
“Bastard,” Spike said,
laughing. “The furniture people think I’m crazy for how many couches I’ve had
to buy. If I wasn’t so fond of your wife, I’d make your ass stay at a motel.”
The four of them laughed at
their joke. Something else he wasn’t a part of being rubbed in his face. He
looked up to see the old woman staring at him. It gave him the creeps as she
studied his face. His eyes carefully shuttered, Dylan leaned back in his chair
and lifted one brow in response. It didn’t intimidate her. She laughed and
turned back to the stove.
“So, Dylan,” Cordelia said,
sitting beside him at the table. “What do you think of Sunnydale and the
house?”
“Didn’t really see a lot of
Sunnydale,” Dylan answered, turning to look at her. She looked healthier than
the last time he had seen her. He smiled. “The house is great. It’s kind of 7th
Heavenish or something.”
“Yeah, that it is. Sometimes
it’s so freakish normal that it makes me want to scream.”
Dylan chuckled at her
comment. He wasn’t going to voice his agreement. Doing that would only insult
his hosts. Thankfully, this conversation was interrupted when the kitchen door
swung open and a little girl came rushing in. Dylan knew she had to be Journey;
Spike’s pride and joy.
Suddenly she came to such an
abrupt stop that she almost fell on her bottom. Her eyes got wide as she looked
from Spike to Angel.
“Look, Joy,” Buffy said,
leaning back against the counter. “Daddy and Uncle Angel are both here.”
“Hey, pumpkin,” Spike
called, squatting down to her level. He put his arms out to her. “Come give
Daddy a kiss.”
“Don’t listen to him,” Angel
said, crouching down next to his grand-childe. “Come give your Angel a hug.”
“Hey, I’m her father.”
“And I’m her favorite
uncle,” Angel said. “I’ve got presents for you, Journey.”
“Of course, you do, you
ponce. It’s her birthday. We’ve all got presents for her.”
“Oh, my god,” Cordelia
exclaimed. “Will you two cut it out?” She leaned closer to Dylan. “First they
fought over Buffy. Now, they’re fighting over her daughter. It’s disgusting.”
Now, that tid bit was
interesting. Dylan glanced at the two vampires and the woman standing behind
them. The report had only said that Angel had dated Buffy at one time not that
the two had fought over her. Deciding he would have to find out more, he turned
his attention back to the little girl.
Journey was giggling like
mad at the two men who were still trying to cajole her into going to them
first. Her feet were spread wide as her hands covered her mouth. There wasn’t a
part of her that wasn’t shaking with the mirth that was consuming her. Angel
offered her a present right away then Spike offered her one, too. The little
girl screamed with laughter, throwing her arms wide, with her head back.
Suddenly she took off running. Her destination was between them. She was right.
They moved together to catch her. She was cradled between them as they fawned
over her.
Twice now, Dylan had been
witness to innocent trust by children in this house. He wondered if everyone
was really naïve or if they put on a really good front. It was like they had no
clue what was happening right under their noses. Spike was their hero, their
savior, what were they going to do when he wasn’t there to wipe their noses
anymore?
Dylan decided it was going
to be fun to watch what happened when it did.
to be continued…
