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Maybe Someday. Not Quite a Christmas Carol. 1/3
Look I wrote something! It's taken forever, and part 3 will probably not be done until Easter, but there you go. This isn't really a sequel to 'Maybe Someday', just a little sort of extra story that's been sat in my head almost since I got the idea for the original story, and set a few months later. I hope you like. ::crosses fingers::
This can be read independently I guess, but most of it will only make sense if you've read Maybe Someday.
As usual loads of smooches to my lovely beta![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
kathyh!
Feedback stops the baby crying! *g*
The Ghost of Christmas Past
It was odd just being a tourist, not continually looking for signs of a hostile presence, but Riley was beginning to enjoy it. And having Sam wearing dresses every day was an added bonus. After their last assignment they’d been given a whole month off over the Christmas holidays for a job well done, and Sam had insisted that they go somewhere different, pointing out that they always went home, and that travelling round Europe without being on duty was an opportunity to be grasped. Which was why they found themselves in Rome just before Christmas.
It was now the 23rd of December and a beautiful, clear evening. The sky had a hazy orange-y glow from the streetlights, obscuring the blackness and the stars. Riley and Sam were walking along hand in hand, stopping now and again to admire the architecture or to jump out of the way of a moped. Then the street opened out into a pretty square, lined with little cafés and half full of people, mostly teenagers meeting up before the night’s excursions. In the middle was a large ornate fountain with a wide rim, every inch of which was occupied by chatting people.
As they sauntered across, Sam suddenly squeezed Riley’s hand. “Honey look! That girl looks just like Buffy Summers!”
He turned his head the way she was pointing and saw a young, black-clad woman sitting on a bench on the other side of the square, who indeed bore a striking resemblance to Buffy.
Curious, they changed their direction and soon an astonished Riley was certain that it was Buffy, or if not she had an undiscovered twin. Taking a good look at her, as they waited for a gaggle of scantily clad young girls to pass, he was pleasantly surprised at how different she looked from the last time he’d seen her. The strange insecurity and worry had vanished - she looked prettier and more self assured than he’d seen for a long time before he left...
Her hair was very blonde - as blonde as when he’d first met her - but it was flowing down onto her shoulders in wide, smooth waves, gleaming softly in the sheen from the street lights. She was all in black - a long leather coat splayed out over the bench where she was sitting, a low-cut v-neck top underneath along with tight-fitting leather pants, her feet and shins encased in black boots with heels that could no doubt stake a vampire. The only thing to alleviate all this blackness was a pendant around her neck which gleamed with a red fiery glow. But Riley’s eyes were drawn back to her face, no longer pale and drawn but with a beautiful honey-coloured tan, her eyes bright as she scanned the crowds, now and again looking up at the houses at the edges of the square, an expectant look on her face.
Seeing her so obviously happy and content, Riley smiled to himself. He had often wondered what the fallout had been from his little lie, but he had told himself that if a lie was what it might take for her to realise her ‘mistake’ (as he called her thing with Spike) it was well worth it... and it wasn’t as if he could have made Spike’s name any blacker than it was already. He could still picture the scene far too clearly in his mind: The two figures on the stone slab; the vampire’s cock-sure-ness; Buffy’s shame. And suddenly the reason for all her changes had been abundantly clear; scattered pieces fitting together perfectly into an obvious conclusion. It had been an intuitive flash of inspiration to say that Spike was The Doctor. And really, since Spike was in the guy’s pay, it wasn’t much of a stretch. Riley just hoped that Buffy had managed to break it off without the vampire retaliating.
As the throng moved on, and Riley and Sam moved forward again, Buffy’s eyes fell on them. And for the tiniest fraction of a second a very odd look passed over her face - resentful, almost angry. But it vanished so quickly that Riley thought that he must have imagined it, as a wide smile lit up her face.
She jumped up off the bench and came over to them, the surprise on her face obvious. “Riley! Sam! What are you doing here?”
“We were going to ask you the same.” Riley answered, smiling back as a host of memories came flooding back - there had been a lot of good times, before it all went bad.
“I live here!” Buffy replied as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.
“You live here?” Riley asked, surprised.
“Well Sunnydale became a big hole in the ground after the last apocalypse as you probably know, so after travelling a bit, Dawn and I settled here! Rebuilding the Council, training Slayers. That’s me - what about you?”
“We’re here on holiday,” Sam replied. “We got this extended leave and I thought it’d be nice to just be tourists for once.”
Buffy grinned. “Oh I know that feeling! But how are you guys? Still doing the military thing obviously - met any interesting demons?”
There followed a chat about their travels and adventures, until Sam remarked upon Buffy’s necklace. “Sorry, but that is a gorgeous pendant - can I ask where you got it?”
Buffy smiled widely. “Oh it was a present from my boyfriend on our first date... I mean we’d known each other for ages, but never really been on a proper date, so he wanted to make it memorable...”
Her voice trailed off, clearly unable to convey the loveliness of the occasion.
“You have a new boyfriend? How wonderful!” Sam exclaimed happily. “Any chance we could meet him?” She stopped and put a hand to her mouth. “Oh I’m sorry - I’m always too curious!”
Buffy shook her head. “Hey no worries - he was supposed to have met me here half an hour ago, but as usual he’s late. He... does a lot of travelling so I don’t see as much of him as I’d like and he’s nearly always late.” She smiled wryly. “It’s been more than 2 weeks since he last visited, but I made him promise to show up for Christmas.”
Riley had the strange impression that there was more to this than she let on, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on what it was. Before he could ask, there was a sudden flash in the sky, as though from lightning. Buffy’s head snapped up, scanning the surroundings. Then her face lit up in a wide smile, causing Riley to automatically turn his head to see what she saw. And froze.
On top of a building at the opposite side of the piazza there was a black shadow outlined against the night sky. He only saw it for a second, then the figure leapt off the tall building - not in a suicidal tumble, but precisely and carefully like a cat, obviously intending to land with both feet on the ground, rather than in a heap of broken bones, which would be the usual outcome from such a fall... the coat billowed out and then the figure was hidden by a group of people.
Riley blinked, unable to make what he had seen fit in with what he knew. It had looked just like - but it couldn’t be - only the jump... he turned back to Buffy, just as she skimmed past Sam, saying something about having ‘promised to meet him by the fountain’. Rooted on the spot, he didn’t move until Sam poked him. Then he slowly turned around all the way, just in time to see a sight he had never thought possible.
Through the glittering spray of the water, he saw someone who could only be Spike weaving through the crowds. And then Buffy - smiling from ear to ear - jumped into his embrace, flinging her arms around his shoulders as she kissed him. A very thorough, deep kiss... and she was obviously not in the least worried about who could see them.
His mind having given up on understanding what was happening, Riley almost didn’t hear Sam sighing. After a moment he abruptly came to. “Did you say something?”
She smiled. “Aren’t they cute? I mean look at them - even their outfits match.”
He nodded mutely, unable to express his horror. He wanted to explain to her that it was a vampire Buffy was kissing so enthusiastically, that he was bad news in every possible way, but he didn’t know where to start. Then he saw the couple part and Buffy explain something to Spike. His head turned and he looked at Riley, a most unpleasant expression on his face, but then it became completely blank and he nodded to whatever Buffy was saying. Taking his hand, Buffy led the way round the fountain up to Sam and Riley. She smiled - slightly nervously - but focussing on Sam she said: “Sam, meet my boyfriend Spike. Spike, this is Sam, Riley’s wife!”
Spike held out his hand with a wide grin on his face and shook Sam’s hand enthusiastically. “I’ve never met you before, but I can say with absolute certainty that he doesn’t deserve you!”
Buffy said: “Spike!” and shot him a look, but Sam laughed. “Oh Riley doesn’t mind! Do you darling?” she asked, smiling at him.
Spike, studying Riley’s closed face, answered. “You know I think he does. Sorry about that Cap’n, but based on past experiences etcetera...”
Sam looked from one to the other. “OK, there is obviously some kind of history here that I’m not familiar with!”
Riley finally found his voice again. “It’s a long story Sam, one that you might not want to hear.” Looking at Spike, he couldn’t help asking. “So, what do you do for a living now Spike? I guess you’ve changed professions since last - although I hope the diet’s the same.”
Spike’s eyes twinkled in amusement, making Riley rather nervous. What was going on? Why was Buffy dating him? Was it a thrall? Then Spike reached inside his coat and brought out - a wallet! An expensive looking one too. Carefully going through it, he finally pulled out what appeared to be a business card. He held it out with a grin: “This should explain most of it - I just had a new lot made. A... special edition!”
Riley took the card cautiously, wondering what it could be. The one thing he was certain of was that Spike wasn’t a business man.
All it said on the card was ‘Angels’ Avengers’. Riley blinked, feeling more out of his depth every second.
“Oh - turn it round!” Spike said helpfully, and Riley obeyed. As he slowly read the card aloud, Riley’s eyebrows felt like disappearing over the top of his head... because Spike had obviously gone completely insane. This is what he read:
SPIKE
Full-time Champion and
Saviour of the World.
If you wish to contact Spike
make a suitable offering to Illyria,
God-King of the Primordium.
Alternatively contact Buffy Summers,
The Watcher’s Council, Rome.
Snorting derisively he looked at Spike. “What, no solid gold palace and rocket-car?” he asked. The guy was unbelievable! Or possibly crazy.
Spike however wasn’t listening - he was looking at Buffy, who was eyeing him cooly with ‘You’re SO full of bull-shit’ written all over her face. Only she chose the strangest bit to focus on. “A suitable offering?” she asked archly and Spike shrugged. “Well, like a goat say - anything smaller she’ll just smite you for being irreverent!”
“A goat and she’ll turn up?” Buffy still looked sceptical.
“If you do the sacrifice properly, yeah!” Spike appeared not to be joking, but Riley could tell that Buffy wasn’t convinced. What she wasn’t convinced of he didn't know. What the hell was a god-king of the primordium?
“Since when?” Buffy asked and Spike suddenly frowned. “Oh - I never told you about that whole thing! A few weeks ago we were in the middle of this big fight, right, and all of a sudden Illyria did this bloody big scary grin, opened a portal and disappeared, leaving us high and dry. Thankfully our opponents thought she’d gone to get some back-up and we made a truce, but we didn’t see her again for three days. When she finally turned up she was..." he stopped, and appeared to consider his next words carefully. "Let's just say that she was over the moon. She had loads of skull necklaces round her neck and some kind of wreath on her head. Turns out there’s some dimension where she’s still worshipped and they were having their grand yearly tribute. And what with being a god and all she could somehow sense it... rather nifty if you ask me!”
Sam looked as baffled as Riley felt. “Sorry, but I don’t understand what you’re talking about - at all!”
Suppressing his urge to walk away, Riley looked at Buffy, talking before she could answer, desperately needing to find out what the deal was, before the conversation was completely side-tracked: “I hope there’s a very good explanation for all this. How can you be with him still, knowing what he is?”
Looking uncomfortable - or possibly angry, Riley wasn’t sure which - Buffy took a deep breath. “Riley - he’s different! Every word on that card is true. He got his soul back and then he died saving the world. Now he and Angel are fighting in this apocalypse that’s gonna take like a millennium. Yes he’s still a vampire, but he’s on the side of good now. So trust me, everything is different to the last time we met!”
Sam said, “He’s a vampire?”, but before anyone could explain, there was a loud yell: “Buuuuuffy - where aaaaaare you?”
Rolling her eyes, Buffy looked around, then jumped up and down and waved. “I’m over here!”
Moments later yet another gaggle of teenage girls arrived. This lot was slightly more sensibly dressed, and it was only after a few moments that Riley noticed that their bags looked awfully pointy and that a couple of them had stakes in their hands. With them was a tall and slightly gangly man who looked to be in his mid-thirties, whose air of intellectual superiority was slightly undermined by the colourful, knitted jumper he wore over his shirt, the words ‘Everything stops for a cup of tea’ standing out in crimson red.
Smiling proudly Buffy introduced the newcomers: “Riley - Sam, these are my Slayers...” but as soon as the girls saw Spike, they ignored everyone else and gathered round him, bombarding him with questions:
“Spike! How long are you staying for?” “Is Angel coming too?” “Can you train with us again?” “Have you been to any cool dimensions?”
Looking somewhere between pained and flattered Spike attempted to answer the various questions, until Buffy called out: “Girls! Stop!”
The chatter died out and the group turned round to face Buffy who looked at them sternly. “Now - let Spike be. He’s only come for Christmas, but if there’s time he might drop by and say hello. And, um, this here is my old boyfriend Riley who’s in a special demon killing branch of the army and his wife Sam. Riley, Sam - these are my Slayers. Oh - and this is Johnson who’s the resident Watcher.”
Johnson came forward and eagerly shook their hands. “A pleasure to meet you both! I have heard of you from Buffy of course, and about the type of work you do, and I would be very interested in such matters as kevlar armour...”
Riley countered his questions with one about how come there were suddenly this many slayers, and only vaguely noticed Buffy swiftly sending the girls to wherever they were going in twos and threes. As Johnson's tale came to a close, the only two left were Buffy and Spike.
Trying to digest all the information he’d received (including confirmation that Spike had indeed saved the world, which was such a curve ball that it would probably take years to sink in) he made no effort to stop Buffy as she said she had to go - apparently they were making the town as safe as could be before Christmas. She and Sam exchanged phone numbers and agreed to talk soon. Spike then asked: “So what’s our job - you seem to have sent the girls to all the hotspots!”
Buffy smiled a very mischievous smile: “Oh - we’re intimidation!”
Spike raised an eyebrow. “Is that so? Well it would explain the outfit!” He waved an appreciative hand at her black leather costume.
“Yeah - gonna go round all the dives and explain that if any of them feel like having some kind of ritual sacrifice over the holidays, they’ll have us to deal with!”
“Sounds perfect!” he purred.
“See? A nice night out and entertainment.” She smiled again, then turned back to Sam and Riley. “See you around guys - call me after Christmas and we can meet up, ‘K?”
And with Spike’s arm around her waist, the two of them walked off. Riley looked after them for a long time, trying to get his thoughts in order. Having your past jump out at you without warning was a bit of a shock. Thankfully Sam was chatting away with Johnson, giving Riley some time to reflect. Thinking it all over, the thing that stood out was how very carefully they’d all avoided mentioning the last time they met - and he still couldn’t work out why Buffy was with the vampire. Unless... he absentmindedly passed his fingers over the bite marks on his neck. Would a vampire - even a souled one - be able to say no to Slayer-blood on tap? And why had she wanted the chip out? Had it been before or after the soul? If only he didn’t remember that whole Dracula incident so clearly, not to mention other things...
He shook his head, trying to dispel the worryingly vivid recollections of sharp fangs sinking into his skin in a wondrous mixture of pain and pleasure... He was absolutely NOT going to dwell on that particular chapter of his life. It was long gone - long, long gone!
Deep breath, concentrate on the conversation.
What was that Johnson had just said about his wife being pregnant? Riley put his arm around Sam and gave her a little squeeze, thinking that maybe in a few years time they should retire from active demon fighting...
Continued in The Ghost of Christmas Present.
This can be read independently I guess, but most of it will only make sense if you've read Maybe Someday.
As usual loads of smooches to my lovely beta
kathyh!Feedback stops the baby crying! *g*
It was odd just being a tourist, not continually looking for signs of a hostile presence, but Riley was beginning to enjoy it. And having Sam wearing dresses every day was an added bonus. After their last assignment they’d been given a whole month off over the Christmas holidays for a job well done, and Sam had insisted that they go somewhere different, pointing out that they always went home, and that travelling round Europe without being on duty was an opportunity to be grasped. Which was why they found themselves in Rome just before Christmas.
It was now the 23rd of December and a beautiful, clear evening. The sky had a hazy orange-y glow from the streetlights, obscuring the blackness and the stars. Riley and Sam were walking along hand in hand, stopping now and again to admire the architecture or to jump out of the way of a moped. Then the street opened out into a pretty square, lined with little cafés and half full of people, mostly teenagers meeting up before the night’s excursions. In the middle was a large ornate fountain with a wide rim, every inch of which was occupied by chatting people.
As they sauntered across, Sam suddenly squeezed Riley’s hand. “Honey look! That girl looks just like Buffy Summers!”
He turned his head the way she was pointing and saw a young, black-clad woman sitting on a bench on the other side of the square, who indeed bore a striking resemblance to Buffy.
Curious, they changed their direction and soon an astonished Riley was certain that it was Buffy, or if not she had an undiscovered twin. Taking a good look at her, as they waited for a gaggle of scantily clad young girls to pass, he was pleasantly surprised at how different she looked from the last time he’d seen her. The strange insecurity and worry had vanished - she looked prettier and more self assured than he’d seen for a long time before he left...
Her hair was very blonde - as blonde as when he’d first met her - but it was flowing down onto her shoulders in wide, smooth waves, gleaming softly in the sheen from the street lights. She was all in black - a long leather coat splayed out over the bench where she was sitting, a low-cut v-neck top underneath along with tight-fitting leather pants, her feet and shins encased in black boots with heels that could no doubt stake a vampire. The only thing to alleviate all this blackness was a pendant around her neck which gleamed with a red fiery glow. But Riley’s eyes were drawn back to her face, no longer pale and drawn but with a beautiful honey-coloured tan, her eyes bright as she scanned the crowds, now and again looking up at the houses at the edges of the square, an expectant look on her face.
Seeing her so obviously happy and content, Riley smiled to himself. He had often wondered what the fallout had been from his little lie, but he had told himself that if a lie was what it might take for her to realise her ‘mistake’ (as he called her thing with Spike) it was well worth it... and it wasn’t as if he could have made Spike’s name any blacker than it was already. He could still picture the scene far too clearly in his mind: The two figures on the stone slab; the vampire’s cock-sure-ness; Buffy’s shame. And suddenly the reason for all her changes had been abundantly clear; scattered pieces fitting together perfectly into an obvious conclusion. It had been an intuitive flash of inspiration to say that Spike was The Doctor. And really, since Spike was in the guy’s pay, it wasn’t much of a stretch. Riley just hoped that Buffy had managed to break it off without the vampire retaliating.
As the throng moved on, and Riley and Sam moved forward again, Buffy’s eyes fell on them. And for the tiniest fraction of a second a very odd look passed over her face - resentful, almost angry. But it vanished so quickly that Riley thought that he must have imagined it, as a wide smile lit up her face.
She jumped up off the bench and came over to them, the surprise on her face obvious. “Riley! Sam! What are you doing here?”
“We were going to ask you the same.” Riley answered, smiling back as a host of memories came flooding back - there had been a lot of good times, before it all went bad.
“I live here!” Buffy replied as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.
“You live here?” Riley asked, surprised.
“Well Sunnydale became a big hole in the ground after the last apocalypse as you probably know, so after travelling a bit, Dawn and I settled here! Rebuilding the Council, training Slayers. That’s me - what about you?”
“We’re here on holiday,” Sam replied. “We got this extended leave and I thought it’d be nice to just be tourists for once.”
Buffy grinned. “Oh I know that feeling! But how are you guys? Still doing the military thing obviously - met any interesting demons?”
There followed a chat about their travels and adventures, until Sam remarked upon Buffy’s necklace. “Sorry, but that is a gorgeous pendant - can I ask where you got it?”
Buffy smiled widely. “Oh it was a present from my boyfriend on our first date... I mean we’d known each other for ages, but never really been on a proper date, so he wanted to make it memorable...”
Her voice trailed off, clearly unable to convey the loveliness of the occasion.
“You have a new boyfriend? How wonderful!” Sam exclaimed happily. “Any chance we could meet him?” She stopped and put a hand to her mouth. “Oh I’m sorry - I’m always too curious!”
Buffy shook her head. “Hey no worries - he was supposed to have met me here half an hour ago, but as usual he’s late. He... does a lot of travelling so I don’t see as much of him as I’d like and he’s nearly always late.” She smiled wryly. “It’s been more than 2 weeks since he last visited, but I made him promise to show up for Christmas.”
Riley had the strange impression that there was more to this than she let on, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on what it was. Before he could ask, there was a sudden flash in the sky, as though from lightning. Buffy’s head snapped up, scanning the surroundings. Then her face lit up in a wide smile, causing Riley to automatically turn his head to see what she saw. And froze.
On top of a building at the opposite side of the piazza there was a black shadow outlined against the night sky. He only saw it for a second, then the figure leapt off the tall building - not in a suicidal tumble, but precisely and carefully like a cat, obviously intending to land with both feet on the ground, rather than in a heap of broken bones, which would be the usual outcome from such a fall... the coat billowed out and then the figure was hidden by a group of people.
Riley blinked, unable to make what he had seen fit in with what he knew. It had looked just like - but it couldn’t be - only the jump... he turned back to Buffy, just as she skimmed past Sam, saying something about having ‘promised to meet him by the fountain’. Rooted on the spot, he didn’t move until Sam poked him. Then he slowly turned around all the way, just in time to see a sight he had never thought possible.
Through the glittering spray of the water, he saw someone who could only be Spike weaving through the crowds. And then Buffy - smiling from ear to ear - jumped into his embrace, flinging her arms around his shoulders as she kissed him. A very thorough, deep kiss... and she was obviously not in the least worried about who could see them.
His mind having given up on understanding what was happening, Riley almost didn’t hear Sam sighing. After a moment he abruptly came to. “Did you say something?”
She smiled. “Aren’t they cute? I mean look at them - even their outfits match.”
He nodded mutely, unable to express his horror. He wanted to explain to her that it was a vampire Buffy was kissing so enthusiastically, that he was bad news in every possible way, but he didn’t know where to start. Then he saw the couple part and Buffy explain something to Spike. His head turned and he looked at Riley, a most unpleasant expression on his face, but then it became completely blank and he nodded to whatever Buffy was saying. Taking his hand, Buffy led the way round the fountain up to Sam and Riley. She smiled - slightly nervously - but focussing on Sam she said: “Sam, meet my boyfriend Spike. Spike, this is Sam, Riley’s wife!”
Spike held out his hand with a wide grin on his face and shook Sam’s hand enthusiastically. “I’ve never met you before, but I can say with absolute certainty that he doesn’t deserve you!”
Buffy said: “Spike!” and shot him a look, but Sam laughed. “Oh Riley doesn’t mind! Do you darling?” she asked, smiling at him.
Spike, studying Riley’s closed face, answered. “You know I think he does. Sorry about that Cap’n, but based on past experiences etcetera...”
Sam looked from one to the other. “OK, there is obviously some kind of history here that I’m not familiar with!”
Riley finally found his voice again. “It’s a long story Sam, one that you might not want to hear.” Looking at Spike, he couldn’t help asking. “So, what do you do for a living now Spike? I guess you’ve changed professions since last - although I hope the diet’s the same.”
Spike’s eyes twinkled in amusement, making Riley rather nervous. What was going on? Why was Buffy dating him? Was it a thrall? Then Spike reached inside his coat and brought out - a wallet! An expensive looking one too. Carefully going through it, he finally pulled out what appeared to be a business card. He held it out with a grin: “This should explain most of it - I just had a new lot made. A... special edition!”
Riley took the card cautiously, wondering what it could be. The one thing he was certain of was that Spike wasn’t a business man.
All it said on the card was ‘Angels’ Avengers’. Riley blinked, feeling more out of his depth every second.
“Oh - turn it round!” Spike said helpfully, and Riley obeyed. As he slowly read the card aloud, Riley’s eyebrows felt like disappearing over the top of his head... because Spike had obviously gone completely insane. This is what he read:
Full-time Champion and
Saviour of the World.
If you wish to contact Spike
make a suitable offering to Illyria,
God-King of the Primordium.
Alternatively contact Buffy Summers,
The Watcher’s Council, Rome.
Snorting derisively he looked at Spike. “What, no solid gold palace and rocket-car?” he asked. The guy was unbelievable! Or possibly crazy.
Spike however wasn’t listening - he was looking at Buffy, who was eyeing him cooly with ‘You’re SO full of bull-shit’ written all over her face. Only she chose the strangest bit to focus on. “A suitable offering?” she asked archly and Spike shrugged. “Well, like a goat say - anything smaller she’ll just smite you for being irreverent!”
“A goat and she’ll turn up?” Buffy still looked sceptical.
“If you do the sacrifice properly, yeah!” Spike appeared not to be joking, but Riley could tell that Buffy wasn’t convinced. What she wasn’t convinced of he didn't know. What the hell was a god-king of the primordium?
“Since when?” Buffy asked and Spike suddenly frowned. “Oh - I never told you about that whole thing! A few weeks ago we were in the middle of this big fight, right, and all of a sudden Illyria did this bloody big scary grin, opened a portal and disappeared, leaving us high and dry. Thankfully our opponents thought she’d gone to get some back-up and we made a truce, but we didn’t see her again for three days. When she finally turned up she was..." he stopped, and appeared to consider his next words carefully. "Let's just say that she was over the moon. She had loads of skull necklaces round her neck and some kind of wreath on her head. Turns out there’s some dimension where she’s still worshipped and they were having their grand yearly tribute. And what with being a god and all she could somehow sense it... rather nifty if you ask me!”
Sam looked as baffled as Riley felt. “Sorry, but I don’t understand what you’re talking about - at all!”
Suppressing his urge to walk away, Riley looked at Buffy, talking before she could answer, desperately needing to find out what the deal was, before the conversation was completely side-tracked: “I hope there’s a very good explanation for all this. How can you be with him still, knowing what he is?”
Looking uncomfortable - or possibly angry, Riley wasn’t sure which - Buffy took a deep breath. “Riley - he’s different! Every word on that card is true. He got his soul back and then he died saving the world. Now he and Angel are fighting in this apocalypse that’s gonna take like a millennium. Yes he’s still a vampire, but he’s on the side of good now. So trust me, everything is different to the last time we met!”
Sam said, “He’s a vampire?”, but before anyone could explain, there was a loud yell: “Buuuuuffy - where aaaaaare you?”
Rolling her eyes, Buffy looked around, then jumped up and down and waved. “I’m over here!”
Moments later yet another gaggle of teenage girls arrived. This lot was slightly more sensibly dressed, and it was only after a few moments that Riley noticed that their bags looked awfully pointy and that a couple of them had stakes in their hands. With them was a tall and slightly gangly man who looked to be in his mid-thirties, whose air of intellectual superiority was slightly undermined by the colourful, knitted jumper he wore over his shirt, the words ‘Everything stops for a cup of tea’ standing out in crimson red.
Smiling proudly Buffy introduced the newcomers: “Riley - Sam, these are my Slayers...” but as soon as the girls saw Spike, they ignored everyone else and gathered round him, bombarding him with questions:
“Spike! How long are you staying for?” “Is Angel coming too?” “Can you train with us again?” “Have you been to any cool dimensions?”
Looking somewhere between pained and flattered Spike attempted to answer the various questions, until Buffy called out: “Girls! Stop!”
The chatter died out and the group turned round to face Buffy who looked at them sternly. “Now - let Spike be. He’s only come for Christmas, but if there’s time he might drop by and say hello. And, um, this here is my old boyfriend Riley who’s in a special demon killing branch of the army and his wife Sam. Riley, Sam - these are my Slayers. Oh - and this is Johnson who’s the resident Watcher.”
Johnson came forward and eagerly shook their hands. “A pleasure to meet you both! I have heard of you from Buffy of course, and about the type of work you do, and I would be very interested in such matters as kevlar armour...”
Riley countered his questions with one about how come there were suddenly this many slayers, and only vaguely noticed Buffy swiftly sending the girls to wherever they were going in twos and threes. As Johnson's tale came to a close, the only two left were Buffy and Spike.
Trying to digest all the information he’d received (including confirmation that Spike had indeed saved the world, which was such a curve ball that it would probably take years to sink in) he made no effort to stop Buffy as she said she had to go - apparently they were making the town as safe as could be before Christmas. She and Sam exchanged phone numbers and agreed to talk soon. Spike then asked: “So what’s our job - you seem to have sent the girls to all the hotspots!”
Buffy smiled a very mischievous smile: “Oh - we’re intimidation!”
Spike raised an eyebrow. “Is that so? Well it would explain the outfit!” He waved an appreciative hand at her black leather costume.
“Yeah - gonna go round all the dives and explain that if any of them feel like having some kind of ritual sacrifice over the holidays, they’ll have us to deal with!”
“Sounds perfect!” he purred.
“See? A nice night out and entertainment.” She smiled again, then turned back to Sam and Riley. “See you around guys - call me after Christmas and we can meet up, ‘K?”
And with Spike’s arm around her waist, the two of them walked off. Riley looked after them for a long time, trying to get his thoughts in order. Having your past jump out at you without warning was a bit of a shock. Thankfully Sam was chatting away with Johnson, giving Riley some time to reflect. Thinking it all over, the thing that stood out was how very carefully they’d all avoided mentioning the last time they met - and he still couldn’t work out why Buffy was with the vampire. Unless... he absentmindedly passed his fingers over the bite marks on his neck. Would a vampire - even a souled one - be able to say no to Slayer-blood on tap? And why had she wanted the chip out? Had it been before or after the soul? If only he didn’t remember that whole Dracula incident so clearly, not to mention other things...
He shook his head, trying to dispel the worryingly vivid recollections of sharp fangs sinking into his skin in a wondrous mixture of pain and pleasure... He was absolutely NOT going to dwell on that particular chapter of his life. It was long gone - long, long gone!
Deep breath, concentrate on the conversation.
What was that Johnson had just said about his wife being pregnant? Riley put his arm around Sam and gave her a little squeeze, thinking that maybe in a few years time they should retire from active demon fighting...
Continued in The Ghost of Christmas Present.