Buffybot Behind Bars
PAIRING: None
RATING: PG-13
FEEDBACK: Very welcome, to [email protected]
BETA: Miss Murchison - thanks!
SETTING: The summer before the start of season 6. Buffy is gone, Buffybot is doing her best to fill the gap.
DISCLAIMER: The only characters who belong to me are the ones you’ve never heard of before. Otherwise, I’m borrowing, and I promise to put them all back in good condition, and only slightly used...
Chapter 2: The Scoobies are Alarmed
Willow paced up and down the living room nervously - she was getting very worried about Botty. Eleven pm had come and gone; now it was approaching twelve, and there was still no sign. She looked at the phone doubtfully. The other Scoobs had driven Dawn to summer camp this afternoon and were due back soon, so there wasn’t any point calling them - but Giles was in.
I should never have given Bottie that sword, Willow thought worriedly - but there were so many nasty things out there, and she was still a bit careless with the crossbow. (Willow rubbed her arm absently as it twinged at the memory.)
Willow hesitated again, then lifted the phone to call Giles. Just as she did so, the door banged open. She turned eagerly, “Bottie...”
But it wasn’t Buffybot; it was a purple slime covered, evil-smelling demon. It took a swaying step forward and raised its arms towards her.
Willow screamed.
“Oh, for God’s sake,” the monster said tiredly, “It’s only me, you daft bint.”
“Spike? Spike!” said Willow, “Geez, you stink! What on earth happened to you?”
“Have you ever had a F’ungi demon jump up and down on your ribs, and then explode on you?” said Spike.
“No,” said Willow. She was positive on that one.
“Yeah, well, try to avoid it. The fun factor is minimal.” Spike groaned, and moved toward the sofa.
“No! We’ll never get that slime out of the upholstery!” Willow stepped forward and grabbed Spike’s arm - then dropped it sharpish. “Eew, this stuff is gross.” She looked around helplessly for something to wipe her hand on. “And you’re dripping on the carpet. Did you have to come here like this? Couldn’t you have taken a dip in the river or something first?”
“Oh well, ta very much for the concern,” said Spike. “I may have internal injuries you know... here I am, fighting bleeding demons - purple bleeding demons and all I get from you is ‘Oh, mind the slime, Spike, don’t get it on the furnishings.’ Very nice I must say.”
Willow pursed her lips. There was a time when this kind if thing would have pressed her guilt buttons at once. She would have been offering scented bath salts and making tea by now. But a few months running a demon fighting operation on the Hellmouth had toughened her up. She looked sharply at Spike.
“Just exactly why are you here, anyway? Is there something you want to tell me about these demons?”
Spike dug his hands in to the pockets of his duster. There was an ugly glurping sound, and he withdrew them dripping in slime. “Well that’s just great,” he said, “my fags are ruined, and my lighter is swimming in gloop.” He glared at Willow. “Why the hell I bother helping you sad gits out, I’ll never know.”
Willow stepped forward with a little anguished sound as tendrils of slime slipped from the ends of his fingers onto the carpet. “You could at least stand on a newspaper!”
“Forget the bloody carpet for a minute!” yelled Spike, “I came to say you may have seen the last of your girl toy. She met the F’ungi demons too, then one hell of a lot of other demons - I nearly got trampled to dust!”
Willow went still. “And you just left her there,” she accused, “with all those demons around?”
Spike sank onto the sofa, ignoring Willow’s protest. “Yeah, I just left her. I am not risking my unlife for a little tin soldier, however brave.” He rested his hands on his ribs and groaned. “And if you’d ever managed to program even two bytes of common sense into her she’d have run too. Instead of which she was laying into them all with a sword - and just who was stupid enough to let that daft tin can on legs out of the house with that thing?”
Willow shifted guiltily; it had seemed like a good idea at the time. She lifted the phone to call Giles.
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