Stalemate and Marshmellows

Ahn

"Hello? Mr. Giles? It's Joyce Summers. Please, as soon as you can, could
you call me? Angel is back and Buffy's with him and Spike. And I just
found out that Xander and Willow are witches. I think. Please hurry.
Thanks. Bye!"

As Joyce hung up the phone, her hand trembled. Her hand ran through her
hair as she tried to think it all out.It was all so confusing. Angel was
a good vamp. Spike was bad. Willow was a witch. Xander was a witch? What
is going on in Buffy's other life?

"Well, couldn't reach the Watcher, could you Joyce?" said a voice from
the kitchen back door.

Joyce spun around to see Spike in his vampiric face look at her. < Game
face. Buffy calls it a ëgame face'. > she thought as she took a deep
breath.

"Hello, Spike. Where's Buffy? And Angel?" Joyce asked calmly as she
looked at the vampire. She was the Slayer's mother, she would not let
him scare her. < Think logically, Joyce. Think logical. >

Spike shrugged as he entered the kitchen."Oh, she's off to rescue her
friends with that great big poof of hers. I'm on my way to get Dru back,
but I thought I'd get a bite to eat."

"Oh? Do you want more marshmellows?"Joyce asked. < Stupid, Joyce.
Stupid. >

Spike just grinned at her as his eyes focused on her neck. "Not really.
Just want to have something a little bit bigger. To drink."

"No."

Spike stared at her. Joyce stared right back. < What did I just say? >

"What did you just say?" Spike snarled. Joyce took a deep breath as she
looked at Spike calmly.

"I said ëno'. You are not going to bite me, but if you want something to
eat, I can get you some more cocoa and marshmellows,"Joyce said calmly
as her hands rubbed against her slacks."Or some tea and biscuits if you
want. Or juice."

Spike stared at her."Are you tripping? Do you know what I am?"

"You're a vampire,"Joyce said as she looked at him squarely."But you
forgot who I am. I'm the Slayer's Mother."

"So? What does that mean? Slayer has to come from somewhere,"Spike
snarled at her. Joyce felt herself grow calmer.

"It means stalemate, Spike. I can't stop you from killing me in my own
home, I may not be strong enough. But I know, that if you kill me,
Buffy's going to come and stake you. As far as we both know, only you
and Angel have access to this house. And if Angel is with Buffy, and she
finds me dead..."

"Then the blasted Slayer's gonna come hunting for me,"Spike spat. He
made a fist and hit the kitchen island counter."Fine, then. Stalemate. I
won't eat you. Of all the blasted luck! Just when I decide to become a
true demon again, I meet up with someone I can't scare. Pft! How the
*hell* am I going to win back Dru if I can't manage to scare a measly
human?"

Joyce looked at him, and smiled weakly."Well, if it's any consolation,
if we weren't in my house, you'd scare me silly."

Spike looked at her, perking up."Really? I would?"

"Of course you would. I mean, look at the way you dress, like a regular
tough, kick-ass, leather-clad man. When you get angry your face is mean
enough to scare alot of people,"Joyce said as she pointed to his
clothes."And you have the really dangerous ëDon't Mess with Me'
attitude. Something that I ought to really develop."

"Oh, it took me fifty years to develop it,"Spike said as he sat down at
the kitchen island."You can develop it much sooner if you really want.
Just gotta look mean and sneer alot."

"I'll try it. So...you're going back to Dru?"Joyce said nonchalantly as
she reached for a cup in the cabinet. She frowned when she saw her
finger still trembling."Do you want to do that?"

"Yeah, I do. She's the only one for me, always has been, forever will
be. I just got to capture her and torture her until she likes me
again,"Spike said as he watched the Slayer's Mother rinse out a cup."She
was always one for the most violent and strongest of demons. If I
torture her enough, she'll love me again. I know she will."

< Must be a form of vampire courtship. > thought Joyce as she shook her
head. "I see. What made you two break up in the first place? If I may
ask, that is."

"She was shagging Angel while I was in the wheelchair,"Spike shrugged.

Joyce dropped the cup she was holding into the sink and stared at him.
Startled, Spike looked at her."She was what? While you were what?"

"Drucilla was shagging Angel while I was in a wheelchair,"Spike repeated
uncomfortably."What?"

"And this...is all right with you?"Joyce asked as she looked at him.
Spike went into his game face as he glared at her.

"NO! It wasn't all right with me! That's what lead to the first truce
anyway, because it was damn well, bloody bothering me that Dru was
shagging the bloody bastard,"Spike shouted."AND it was that bloody truce
with your daughter that made Dru turn from me in the first place! Said I
wasn't demon enough or evil enough for her!"

Spike paced in front of the kitchen island."After all I've done for her!
She was sick so I brought her to the SunnyHell to get better, and then
the Slayer puts me in a wheelchair and then Angel comes back to the
fold! It was *not* a bloody good stay here for me!"

"So then why do you want her back?"Joyce asked incredulously. Spike
stared at her."Why the bloody hell would you want back a little tramp
that cheats on you when the going gets tough?"

Joyce took a step forward towards Spike, and he took one back."Where is
your self-respect? Why on earth do you want a woman that loves you only
if you're strong? Or evil enough? Would you have left her if she was
weak?"

"I didn't leave her while she was weak,"Spike gritted out."I brought her
here to SunnyHell. To get better."

"So you brought her here to get better. Do alot of vampires do
this?"Joyce demanded."Is this place like a vampire hospital?"

Spike snorted."Not bloody likely. We mostly just kill the weak ones."

"But you didn't. You brought her here to get better, and because of you,
she did,"Joyce said softly."You must really love her."

Spike shifted uncomfotably."Yeah, well. I like having her around. It's
always fun trying to figure out what she was thinking. It keeps me
sharp. And she always kept me on my toes. Even when she was flirting
with other demons to get what she wants. But I know that she loves me."

Joyce stared at him."She flirts with other demons to get what she wants?
With you around? In front of you?"

"It's nothing. Really."Spike shifted uncomfortably. Joyce set her cup
down at the counter and looked at him. Hard. Spike looked at
her."Really, it isn't. It's not her fault that she's insane."

Joyce looked at him."She's a user, Spike. Plain and simple, no
sugar-coating it. She's no good for you, Spike. She's a tramp that used
you to get herself better."

Spike growled at Joyce, but Joyce ignored it."Why did you make that
truce with Buffy? Was it because out of the goodness of your heart?"

"I made the truce because I bloody well hated Angel and I wanted him out
of the way,"Spike growled. When Joyce lifted her eyebrow at him, he
sighed."I also knew that if the world was sucked into hell, everything
would change. We vampires wouldn't be at the top of the demon list
anymore, could be that we would become the dinner list. Why change
that?"

Joyce thought about, then nodded."Very logical. And very original
thought."

"Yeah, I thought so."Spike said proudly."I was always looking for hole
to put into the wanker's plans. No much else a fellow could do while
he's stuck in a wheel chair. No one pays much attention to you, too."

Spike clenched his fist as he though back at that dark time. Then sighed
as he sat back down again, morose."But the truce. Stopping Angel. It
cost me Dru."

Joyce snorted."But it saved your world. I don't think that she realizes
that. It hasn't occurred to her that she could become the hunted rather
than the hunter. Proves that you take very good care of her.You're too
good for her."

"She didn't think so,"Spike snorted. He looked at the tea kettle of hot
water. Then at the small package of marshmellows. And gave her his
sweetest smile."Can I have some cocoa?"

Joyce smiled as she got a cup for Spike. She sat near him."Sure. I have
some little marshmallows too, if you like. And I won't tell anyone if
you won't."

Spike smiled at her as he offered her his cup."I've just got to get back
into the swing of things. Be my own demon self again, you know? The spot
of violence I did with the Slayer and Angel showed me the way. Just got
to start killing again. Maybe I'll start with the Slayer, I've killed
two of them before, you know."

Joyce put her cup down and looked at him. Spike looked at her, almost
apologetic."It's nothing personal, Joyce. Just a thing we vampires do."

"Well, if you kill Buffy, then I'll have to kill you,"Joyce said as she
looked at Spike in the eye."Nothing personal. Just a thing a mother has
to do."

"Err, right,"Spike said as he took another sip of cocoa."Anyways, I'm
going off to find Dru, and maybe I'll cause a little mayhem on the way.
You know, start small, like blowing up cars, eating people, that sort of
stuff. Then get big along the way. Then I'll be able to make her love
me."

"Spike,"Joyce said slowly as she looked at him. "If you want to be a
demon, do it for yourself, and not for her."

Spike put his cocoa down."Wha?"

"Spike. Look at you!"Joyce pointed at him."You're obviously a vampire in
his prime. You have a brain. You're not bad looking, when you don't do
that face of yours, but then maybe female vampires find that attractive.
Anyway, you're witty, obviously loyal, and caring when you want to be.
And you're a vampire that managed to kill two Slayers, not that I
approve of that last part, mind you, but it is a fact. But the point is
this: if you go back to Drucilla, what's going to happen to you?"

"I don't get,"Spike said slowly. Without knowing it, Joyce grabbed
Spike's arm and shook it. Spike stared at her small white hand, then
looked at her concerned brown eyes."What are you saying?"

"I'm saying this...Drucilla left you once. What will happen to you if
she finds a bigger, stronger vampire? Or demon? Will you go back to
drinking? Or will you try and get yourself killed trying to get her
back? Or worse, she doesn't want you back regardless of the changes
you've done to yourself?"Joyce asked severely. She lifted Spike's chin
to look at her."If you become more demon just for her, it isn't going to
work Spike. Whatever you do, whatever you decide, you have to do it for
yourself."

"And what happens if I choose wrong? I still love her, Joyce,"Spike
asked as he looked at her hand that was still on his arm. < She's not
afraid of me? Why is she asking me these questions? Why am I not killing
her? Am I really that afraid of the Slayer? Am I going soft? >

Spike stared at her hand as it hit him. < Because I don't want to. For
the first time in my life, I don't want to. Bloody Hell! Maybe I am
going soft! >

"Spike, I know that you love Drucilla,"Joyce said seriously as she
forced him to look at her. She gave him a half smile.

"But, I have to ask, is she really worth it? You bring her to Sunnydale
to cure her. You protect her, care for her until she's well. Then you
get hurt while this happens. She, instead of taking care of you, cheats
on you. Then she dumps you when you don't do as she wants. She's worse
than a tramp, she's a user, Spike. She'll use you until she's done with
you and there's nothing left in you except anger, bitterness and hate."

Joyce stroked Spike's hair as she got up."If you want her back, you have
to get her back on your terms, not hers. Insane or not, she should know
that it isn't right to play with you like that. Look, it's almost four.
Sunrise is in an hour and Buffy'll be home soon."

Spike nodded. Then rose as he finished the last of his cocoa."Yeah, I
gotta get going before I get staked.Joyce..."

"Yes, Spike?"

Spike looked out the kitchen door."You know that this can never happen
again...if I meet you out on the streets..."

Joyce nodded."I know...so, do you want some cocoa and marshmallows for
your trip to Brazil?"

"Why not?" Spike shrugged."I'll start becoming more demon in a little
bit. Can you put extra marshmallows in there?"

~Fin.

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