DISCLAIMER: Not mine.
TIMELINE: S3, just after 'Lover's Walk'.
SUMMARY: PG. Spike didn't go for Dru as soon as they made us believe.
IMPROV #71: shudder,
create, wine, lost.
WORDCOUNT: 3026
SPECIAL THANKS: To David
for the quick read and the Faith-suggestion. And to Dana for the betaing, oh, and the
smiley face... That was cute! :-P
Wish I'd Seen That On The Show Award at The Potential Awards. Correction Award at The Dark Awards.
LITTLE RED
by Leni
"Is Little Red Riding Hood lost in the woods?"
She stiffened when she heard the voice, knowing instantly whom it belonged to.
"Spike?"
"In the flesh." He grinned at her and raised the bottle in a mock salute to
himself.
Willow groaned. She really didn't know what had driven her out of the safety of her house.
It had just seemed so pitiful to mourn and cry in her bedroom. Out of habit she had gone
to the front door and yelled "I'm going to Xander's." just in case her parents
were actually paying attention. Then she had remembered that Xander was a primary piece of
her problems, so she'd settled for a midnight walk, hoping that breathing the night air
would help her sort everything out. Why hadn't she thought of vampires?
Wait. She had.
"Don't come closer, Spike." She reached into her pocket and threatened him with
her chosen weapon. "I hav-"
He chuckled. "You have a Pez?" His eyes were full with mirth as he looked
at the witch-pez mockingly.
Willow lowered her hand disconcertingly and stared at Oz's gift. Only the vampire's
presence kept the sudden tears away. "W-well," she began, reaching into her other
pocket, "If you don't attack in the next seconds, I could actually take out the holy
water," she muttered under her breath, feeling a blush cover her cheeks.
Surprisingly, Spike didn't seem about to charge. He only stared at her funnily. "And
you helped defeat me last year?" He laughed self-pityingly. "Defeated by a
little girl who can't even protect herself?"
"Hey!" she protested, forgetting her quest, but it fell on deaf ears.
With a thump, Spike let his body crumble to the ground, making sure not a drop would spill
from his dear bottle. "Dru was right," he mumbled, and he took another swing.
Willow groaned, there they went again. As if Oz discovering that she cheated on him wasn't
enough, now she'd have to listen to Spike's rambles. Again.
"Do you think I'm soft now?" His appearance was so pathetic that she felt the
crazy urge to console him. Reasonable 'I'm-In-Danger! Willow' pushed 'Nice Willow' away
with a hard shove and kept silent, wondering if Spike would chase after her if she run.
She took some tentative steps back and was already beginning to smile when his sharp voice
stopped her. "What do you think you're doing?"
"Escaping from you?" she answered meekly, instantly wanting to hit herself.
Spike nodded, acknowledging her bravery. His mind struggled through the alcohol haze to
remember her name. He had said it today, he was sure of that, calling out this little
girl's name had saved him from being staked. But that had been five bottles ago. Spike
thought harder, he was sure that the Slayer had mentioned her name over the night, several
times in fact. But even as he remembered Blondie's furious questions about her friend's
whereabouts, he still couldn't pinpoint the redhead's name. He gave up with a shrug,
finally noticing that the girl had used his reverie to advance further away.
"Come here, Little Red." Grinning as he realised that the new nickname suited
her, Spike patted the grass next to him.
"Erm, no thanks. I-I... I must be going now." Finally a good idea came to her
help. "Buffy must be worried already, she might come looking for me any minute
now..."
He just cocked an eyebrow. "Slayer is busy convincing her mom that I'm the bad guy
and that Angelus isn't about to murder anyone." Willow swore silently, knowing her
bluff was useless. "So, unless you've got another Slayer under your pretty sleeve, I
suggest coming here and sitting by my side."
Willow thought about Faith, then remembered that she hadn't seen the younger Slayer in
nearly a week, what were the odds of the brunette coming to her rescue tonight? She
breathed deeply and shook her head again. If Spike thought she'd sit beside the same guy
who had threatened her life and had triggered the worst dilemma in her love-life to
date...
"Come and fuckin' SIT!"
...well, maybe he was right.
She promptly sat down, feeling the dampness of the grass through her jeans. Her only
comfort was that in her hurry to obey she'd landed where she was, some meters away from
him.
Spike seemed to notice the same. "That's a good girl," he mumbled as he stood up
and staggered to where she was, sitting down at her right, their shoulders almost
touching. "So, you think I've grown soft."
Willow repressed a shudder when she felt his liquor-filled voice so close. She eyed his
bottle warily, the last time she'd seen him he had been threatening her with a broken one.
"N-no," she finally said, hating how it came as a quivering stutter. "But I
do think Buffy won't like you staying here. Not at all."
"I told you, your blonde friend won't patrol tonight. A fussy mother and heartbreak
will make sure of it."
Willow didn't comment about the 'heartbreak' part but she made a note to ask Buffy later,
when she didn't feel so burdened with her own problems. "But tomorrow is another
day," she daringly stated, "You wouldn't be able to escape in the
daylight."
"Don't threaten me, Little Red," he warned with a hard stare. "How would
you like going back to the factory? Who'll alert the Slayer of my presence then?"
Gulping, she decided she really didn't want to go there, the place was full with
bad memories, and she was sure it'd be the setting for future nightmares. "It'll be
the first place they'll look for me," she said, knowing it for true after Spike's
earlier kidnap.
He stared at the little redhead. Spike didn't know exactly what had compelled him to call
her attention; he should have disappeared as soon as he saw her. But then, this girl had
intrigued him today. She was so soft on the surface, all girly clothes and soft words; but
even as she stuttered and flinched away during her capture, Spike knew that he wouldn't
have convinced her as easily if he hadn't taken the precaution of bringing the boy along.
"It wouldn't matter if you're dead," he drawled, wondering if she'd shriek or
beg as so many others before.
What happened next perplexed him even further.
Willow shrugged, showing as little self-concern as she could. She didn't like to discuss
her possible abduction and/or murder but she wasn't Buffy. She couldn't fight him; a vial
of holy water would do nothing to stop Spike, so she'd have to talk her way out of this
mess. "Then you're as good as dead, too. My friends won't stop at anything if you
harm me," she stated, reining in her voice so it wouldn't quake.
Spike chuckled, again amused at her trembling courage. His Little Red had such a blind
faith in her friends. She was right, he knew it, right now it was completely true. But
someday they'd abandon her, leaving her alone and angry at the world. He wanted to be
there when it happened, see this apparently frail girl fall to pieces and watch as her
so-called friends blamed themselves afterwards. "You know what?" he asked with a
wink, "It doesn't matter if you're dead or alive. I'll be long gone before darling
Slayer wakes up."
"So you'll leave now?" she hopefully asked.
"Nah!" He took as good gulp of what Willow's nostrils had finally defined as
whisky. The cheapest one. "Stupid car broke down. Stupid city sign causes more
problems than it's worth," he sulked. "Bloke told me it'd be ready before dawn.
He even betted his life on it." He laughed at his own little joke.
"So you're keeping him alive?" He gave her a duh! look. "Oh." His lips
showed a little smirk at her distress. "B-but you could use him later! What if your
car breaks down again?"
He laughed. "I'm leaving, girl. Remember? Leaving forever and never ever coming back.
Why would I want to leave that man alive if I'm not returning?" His chuckle
was really amused this time. "Or maybe I should come back after all? Celebrate our
next anniversary with some mayhem on the Hellmouth?"
Willow didn't know what to answer. 'Yes' meant an invitation. 'No' meant the mechanic's
death.
"You white hats never cease to entertain me, you know? My Little Red wants me back in
town just to save some stranger's life. How stupid are you?"
"Hey!" she defended. However, her protest was cut short when Spike's arm reached
around her shoulders, his hands softly stroking her arm. Her body stiffened at the
unwanted caresses. "What-- WHAT are you doing?"
"Tell me, Little Red, have I told you how long I've been without a woman?" he
breathed into her ear.
Her eyes widened as she remembered his words in the factory. "Y-yes, you k-kinda
mentioned it a couple of times." She breathed deeply, trying to ignore his fingers on
her skin as she concentrated on her next step.
"So, seeing how much you want me in your life again, can I convince you to play a
bit?" There was something like longing in his voice, but Willow didn't hear it over
the words she kept repeating in her mind.
"Spike?"
"Yes, love?"
"You see that branch over there?" She pointed to a spot only some meters away.
His mouth opened in surprise when he noticed the piece of wood floating some inches above
the ground. "If you try anything f-funny," she continued as calmly as she could,
"I swear that stick will got directly to your heart. And don't think of running,
it'll just chase you until it hits you." Willow wasn't sure if her will could really
bring the improvised stake into its target, much less carry out her last threat. But Spike
didn't know that, and it seemed her little show of magic had unsettled him.
"Okay." He slowly disentangled himself from her. "Can't you take a
joke?" he said gruffly.
Willow smiled tightly, but didn't lower the branch.
"Want some?" He raised his bottle as a silent peace offering.
She shook her head.
He shrugged, drinking more. "Knew you weren't a whisky girl, anyway." Her
puzzlement at his words showed, so he continued. "You're classy, Little Red. A
champagne girl alright! Or white wine; maybe even the red stuff. But not whisky."
Willow didn't know what to say to that.
Suddenly, the perfect answer to his 'Am I soft?' question occurred to her. 'Well,
I'm still alive, aren't I?' She smothered a giggle at the thought of his possible
reaction, but quickly sobered up when she realised that he'd probably just kill her to
prove her wrong.
Meanwhile Spike looked at her, wondering where the shy, helpless girl had gone since he
left the town. She had never been more than the Slayer's redhead friend in his book; and
now, suddenly, here she was, preparing love potions and threatening his unlife. And pretty
as hell, too. No wonder she needed anti-love spells... He shook his head; too much alcohol
had him thinking about the Slayer's pets. Damnit. They were not his problem, they were
only humans with only their blood to offer. After tonight he'd hopefully never see this
Little Red again.
Silence ensued.
Predictably, it was the redhead who broke it. "Where are you going next?" She
didn't care, she really didn't. But her babbling brain couldn't stay quiet and, really,
Spike was a better distraction from her love-life plight than the moonlight stroll she had
planned. Well, as long as he wasn't threatening to kill or rape her, that is. She still
couldn't believe she'd managed to scare him, at least enough to leave her untouched for
tonight.
"To Dru, wherever she is. Then I'm going to teach her how non-soft I am."
Willow nodded, then thought that she could go to Oz and ask him to take her back, swearing
never to hurt him again. But... "And if she still doesn't want you?"
Spike looked at her, his expression clearly stating that he hadn't considered that
possibility. He thought about it for some seconds. "Well, I'll surely not crawl to
her."
Would she crawl back? She didn't want to consider the option, but she might be forced to
if she wanted her boyfriend back. Damn, this wasn't distracting her at all! She decided to
pay attention to the blonde next to her instead of worrying about her life.
"...better than that. There's enough with a vamped lap-dog in the planet."
"What are you talking ab- Oh." Realisation set. Angel, he was talking about
Angel. And his relationship with Buffy. She felt compelled to defend her friends.
"He's not a lap-dog! And they are... They are just friends!"
He guffawed, nearly dropping the bottle in his mirth. "Yeah, right. And the sky is
pink with green stripes."
"They are!"
"You know? They tried to feed me the same shit. 'We're friends. Only friends',"
he mimicked. "Told them exactly what I thought. Must have set off a damned chain
reaction," he shared proudly, "Last I saw him, the Sire was staring into that
fireplace of his. Not throwing himself into it, that's the sad part; but there was
definite Slayer-broodage going on."
"Oh," she repeated. She knew they loved each other, they'd make it work. If not
as lovers then at least as good friends. Spike only laughed endlessly when she told him
so.
"Aw Little Red, you still believe in fairytales? Undeniable lust plus gypsy curse do
not a friendship make. Just frustration, loads of it. Wouldn't want to be in their pants
for anything in the world." He looked at her unbelieving face. "You don't think
so? Oh well. If you want to create a little world where everything's fine and dandy
between them, fine! Go ahead! But don't come crying when Angelus's soul's set free
again."
"They wouldn't!"
"'Course they would! They want each other so badly that even I could feel it,
and I don't even care about them!"
She shook her head in denial. "Angel would rather die than let it happen."
"Yes, he would, wouldn't he?" Spike sighed pensively. "Always the martyr,
that he is. Wanted me to kill him before I could use his blood to heal Dru. Bastard."
He spat the last word. "He'll flee, you'll see. Angelus will escape the Hellmouth and
the Slayer. He'll put entire continents between them just to avoid his craving. Can't
understand why, though. Being with the woman you love is worth an Apocalypses or
two."
"Says the guy who stopped one and got dumped therefore," Willow interrupted with
a snort.
Spike nodded as if admitting his past mistake. "Bad choice, I know it now. Dru'll
understand sooner or later."
She shrugged noncommittally.
Some seconds passed.
He suddenly got up. "Okay, Little Red. Chat time is over."
"What?" Not that she liked talking with her best friend's enemy but... a
good distraction was a good distraction! She certainly didn't want to continue grieving
for her relationship with Oz, at least not tonight. "Why?"
He pointed at his clock. "One thirty. The man promised the De Sotto would be ready by
two." He made to leave. Then stopped and turned around. He stared at her wonderingly
for some seconds. "Say, Red," he began slowly, "what if we make a
deal?"
She raised a reasonably suspicious eyebrow. "What kind of deal?"
"I won't kill the bloke if you don't tell a soul about tonight."
She decided that to crane her neck to look at him was too uncomfortable. Standing up
slowly, she considered his offer. The deal was direct, he couldn't play games with her. He
either killed the guy and she told everybody, or he didn't and this interlude stayed a
secret. But then, Spike was not known to keep his promises, his presence in the town only
proved it. "How do I know you didn't cheat?"
Spike chuckled. "So young and so distrustful."
Willow only glared, awaiting his answer.
"Oh well. You know me too well. The repair shop is on Asher and Washington, you can
check tomorrow if the guy's still alive."
She nodded, but a question kept niggling at her. "Why should it matter? You said it
before, even if they know you stayed, you'll be long gone when they notice."
He shrugged. "One day our way and Angelus' will cross. He won't take well that I
spent my last hours in this rat-hole with one of his girlfriend's pets. I don't want him
to have any reason to come against us."
"Besides the whole 'you're evil and he's not' issue?" She cocked an eyebrow.
"Yeah, besides that."
"Sounds fair."
"Then this conversation never happened?" He offered his hand to seal the
agreement.
She looked at it dubiously before finally taking it. "Not at all."
He smirked, in a flash he had pulled her towards him and was kissing her. The girl really
should know better than to shake hands with a vampire. She struggled against him, calling
her power as she tasted the whisky on his lips. He abruptly stopped the kiss, just in time
to turn around and grab the impromptu stake in mid-air, just centimetres away from his
back. It had been heading directly to his heart. He glanced down at Willow in newfound
appreciation, he really hadn't believed she would do it. "Nice trick," he
complimented, twirling the stick between his fingers. "Keep practising, my Witchy
Red." And with that, he walked away.
"Spike?" she called. He stopped but didn't turn back. "What was that?"
"That?" he said, knowing the girl would be unnerved at not being able to see his
expression. He fingered the branch in his pocket, a little souvenir from this trip and his
day as Little Red's big bad Wolf. "That never happened, remember?"
Willow stayed there, touching her lips deep in thought. She thought crazily "Third
time is the charm", remembering she had been kissed by three guys in the last
twenty-four hours. Then she shook her head, dispelling the insane idea.
And she went home.
The End.
05/09/03
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