She didn’t like the dark.  When exactly did that start?  A Slayer not liking the dark? 

 

Oil and water much?

 

It had begun slowly at first, with an uneasy feeling when the sky began to take on the blue and purple hues of nightfall.  Uneasiness was one thing; fear was something entirely different. 

 

Not like she thought about it at the time, but now, Faith was beyond grateful that Spike had decided to hang for a while. 

 

Spike always went with her on patrol in whatever city or town they happened to stop in.  They would make the rounds, partake in the light banter and on most occasions try to outwit each other with the flirting on some primal level. 

 

Let’s not forget the sexual innuendos that seemed to be growing by leaps and bounds.  

 

Faith was surprised that they hadn’t made the leap yet; she figured it was only a matter of time, but for some reason, neither one of them could make the first move.  She was attributing it to baggage. 

 

They both had it and they both knew what was packed in the other’s luggage.

 

When Faith had first started feeling the apprehension, she attributed it to true physical demons. She figured they were hiding somewhere, trying to sneak up on her.  When she was out patrolling she found herself turning quickly around, expecting to find something lurking right behind her, but nothing was ever right there.

 

Okay, on patrol she understood the disquiet, but in their hotel room?

 

The room was dark and she could barely see anything, even with her enhanced senses.  Where in the hell was it coming from?  If this was her Slayer-sense kicking in again, she didn’t like it.  She knew where it led the last time - knives and bleeding.  Still, she wasn’t having any freaky dreams, so she tried to make herself relax.

 

Faith squeezed her eyes shut and tried to get herself to calm down.  Chill.  Get some sleep.  Take deep breaths.  If she had some Jack, she probably would’ve downed a few shots of that at this point to see if it would help.

 

It was almost nightfall and if things didn’t lighten up soon, in a matter of speaking, she was going to bolt.  Go someplace else, anyplace else.  Part of her hoped that once they left this town, the bad vibes would go away too.

 

Faith just needed some rest and at this point she’d settle for anything.  But it wouldn’t come.  Every time she closed her eyes she could feel the panic rise.  Her eyes sprang open involuntarily and she quickly scanned the darkened room, looking for an immediate threat, movement, anything.  And yet again, there was nothing there, but that didn’t change how she felt. 

 

The fear stayed and the anxiety was keeping it company… only thing that made it go away?  The light of day… or a very bright lamp.

 

Maybe she could crack the curtains?  Let the light in?  Not likely.  Having a vampire for a roommate kind of changed the rules.  Besides she didn’t want to wake Spike up. 

 

She knew the lack of sleep was starting to show.  She was surprised Spike hadn’t said anything.  She also knew he had noticed because he’d started giving her those all-knowing glances which had a tendency to drive her more than slightly crazy, especially when she didn’t want to talk about something. 

 

Lately it seemed to be happening a lot more often.  “Come on, pet.  Talk to me.”  She should have it embroidered on a fucking sweater.

 

“Fuck it,” Faith said, throwing back her covers.  “Not working,” she whispered vehemently.  She sat up and swung her legs around to the side of the mattress, digging her toes impatiently into the cheap polyester carpeting.

 

She heard the lighter flick and saw the glow of the flame.

 

“Are you ever going to tell me what’s eating you?”

 

If only she would’ve stayed still, he wouldn’t have known she was awake.  What was she thinking?  Of course he’d known she was awake. 

 

Damn vampire senses.

 

Faith flew across the room and switched on the lamp.  “Who said anything’s eating me?  Nothing’s eaten me in awhile, but thanks for asking.”

 

“Wow.  Cranky.”  Spike grinned.  “Was pretty sure it’s from the no sleep thing… got me thinkin’ now it’s something else,” Spike said, raising his eyebrows suggestively. 

 

Faith watched as he got out of bed gracefully and annoyingly well rested.  “Go back to sleep,” she said, unable to think of anything else to say.

 

“Kidding pet.”  He threw his hands up in surrender.  “It was a joke, to lighten you up.  You’re wound tighter than a… well that thing’s that’s wound really tight.”

 

“God.  Enough already.  I can’t take it right now.  I’m tired.  I just want to sleep and I can’t.” She lowered her voice and met his eyes for the first time.  “Satisfied?” 

 

“You’re not going to tell me the why to it, are you?” he asked quietly.

 

Faith just looked at him and didn’t say a word.

 

“Fine,” Spike said.  “Come here.” He motioned for her to sit on the foot of the bed. 

 

Not trusting what he was up to, she stalled.  “What?” she asked, not moving, arms crossed in front of her chest.

 

“Just stop.  Come here.”  Spike’s impatience was beginning to show.

 

Faith wasn’t going to do it.  She knew they had been spending a lot of time together.  She sensed that Spike was trying to get closer.  It just didn’t work that way for her.  The closer he tried to get, the more distant she became.  And if distance didn’t work, defensiveness usually did.

 

It was a stare down.

 

But Faith, after seeing how annoyed he was getting, reluctantly gave in.  She didn’t have the energy to put up a fight. 

 

“Fine.  I’m sitting. And look at that… I feel so much better now, thanks.” She stood up and turned away from him.

 

Apparently, a vampire’s patience had its limits.  Faith realized she had just pushed Spike past his.

 

Spike smashed his cigarette out, stormed over to her and forced her to sit back down.  When she tried to get up he wouldn’t have anything to do with it.  He pushed her down, somewhat roughly, held her arms and straddled her with his legs.

 

“Now that I have your undivided attention,” Spike leaned closer to her, their noses almost touching, “this is the end of this.  The tough girl act is over, done.  We’ve been through a lot lately and if you can’t trust me now, you never will. I’ll go back to L.A. and you can go on your sweet candy-ass-way all alone.  Got it?” 

 

Faith felt the heat of anger rising up in her chest.   Who did he think he was talking to?  She’d done him a favor by letting him tag along when she would’ve been just fine on her own.  So what if she had the dark issue.  She’d deal.  She always dealt.  Faith didn’t need anyone telling her what to do; she’d had more than enough of that in her lifetime. 

 

“Fine.  Go.  I’m not stopping you.”  She tried to get up again, but Spike just firmed his grip on her arms.  “Get off me,” she demanded.

 

“Not until you talk to me.”

 

“God.  Why do you care?  I can’t sleep.  No big.  And yes I know that sounds familiar, but no wigged dreams, just a little no sleepage.”

 

“And you’re afraid of the dark,” Spike said softly.

 

How could he know that?

 

Spike loosened his grasp, but she knew she hadn’t earned her freedom yet, he was still holding her down.  “You tense up when the light’s lacking.  Seen it.  Felt it.”

 

“When did you become the all-knowing, all-seeing vampire is what I would like to know?”

 

Spike laughed.  “Thinkin’ it has something to do with hanging around all you Slayers, gotta learn to survive the mood swings.”

 

Faith couldn’t help it, she smiled back at him.  “If you don’t get off of me, there’s going to be more than just talking going on.” 

 

She realized what a precarious situation they had gotten themselves into.  She wiggled her hips and smiled coyly.    That’s when she felt him tense up.  His legs squeezed her hips just a little bit tighter and he leaned closer in to her, his body almost entirely covering hers.  Faith caught her breath.  She had meant it all in jest, but the mood had changed again. 

 

Electricity replaced the space that was no longer between them.

 

Faith felt a twinge in her lower stomach.  She realized that Spike was no longer trying to hold her down and she was no longer trying to get up.  And there was no mistaking that Spike was definitely having a reaction to the entire situation.

 

Their gazes locked and he was looking at her, really looking at her. And Faith knew what that look meant.  Faith was the one that was supposed to be in control.  The men she had wanted her, she knew it.  It had always been up to her whether or not she’d give in.  Somewhere along the line, that had changed.  Her body had betrayed her. 

 

It was telling Spike that she wanted him too.

 

Faith needed to get up and get up fast.

 

Before he knew what happened to him, Spike was flipped flat on his back.  Faith tried to ignore the stunned look on his face, just seconds before they’d been belly to belly on the bed.  Now Faith was standing next to it trying to pretend nothing had happened.

 

Usually they played, teased each other.  This was different.

 

Of course she had thought about it.  Who wouldn’t think about it?  All you needed was one look at him, the blond hair, the blue eyes, and the strong athletic build.  Who wouldn’t have thought about getting down and dirty with him? 

 

Was he even her type?  Did Faith have a type?  She used to tell herself that as long as a guy was breathing, he was her type.

 

Come to think of it, that didn’t even work in this situation since Spike didn’t breathe.  What in the hell was she thinking?

 

Faith’s lack of sleep was beginning to show even more.

 

Spike stood up quickly.  “So you going to tell me what’s going on?”

 

In regards to what, Faith thought.  She wasn’t even sure what he was talking about anymore.  Like she’d tell him anything anyway.  It didn’t matter who they were, the quicker you let someone in, the better your chances of getting your heart squashed.  She knew Spike wasn’t like that.  She knew it.  Now if she could only feel it. 

 

The head and heart thing, it sucked when they didn’t agree. 

 

“For the record,” she began.  “I absolutely hate it when you try to get me to say something.  I don’t talk because I don’t know what to say and you going all caveman on me doesn’t help.  Okay?”

 

Spike nodded.  He probably had no clue where she was going to take this.  That made two of them.

 

“I have no idea why my spidey-sense has gone crazy lately.  Yes, I know I need to listen to it, but I just don’t know what it’s saying right now.” 

 

He didn’t say a word.  Faith knew he was waiting for more.  “Fine, when I know something I will tell you.  Okay?” she added exasperated.

 

Spike nodded his agreement.  “You will tell me and soon.  Or maybe I will have to beat it out of you.”

 

Then she added quietly, “I’d like to see you try.”

 

XXXXX

 

Faith never got any sleep.

 

Before she knew it, they were out patrolling again.  She should be getting used to the awkward silence.  What did it matter to her?  She preferred the quiet.  It was a hell of a lot better than trying to open up and share her feelings. 

 

Faith shuddered at the thought.

 

They were in the cemetery, the same one they had been in every night for a week.  The place was crawling with newbies and she and Spike were trying to figure out why.  They had decided there was a single maker; they just didn’t have anything to prove it.  The vamps they had caught and eventually dusted weren’t talking, and when they did talk they didn’t help much.

 

Faith currently had one of them pinned up against a tree.

 

Her forearm was pressed firmly across the vamp’s neck, his eyes darting side-to-side looking for a way to get away from her.

 

“See,” Faith began, giving the vamp a hard uppercut under its chin with her forearm, “you’re like the second virgin vamp I’ve seen tonight.  You would be the lucky one, being the first I’ve gotten my hands on and all, but I’m still lacking info here and I feel the need for you to share.”

 

She ignored the confusion in the vamp’s eyes.  “Share what you know.  Where did you come from?”

 

The vamp grinned.  Struggling to talk, he finally uttered, “Your momma.”

 

She was so not in the mood for this.  Faith raised her stake high enough for him to see it.  The vamp’s eye grew wide in horror.

 

“Tell her ‘hi’ when you see her, will ya?”   Faith shoved the stake through the vamp so hard that it lodged in the tree.

 

“Whoa,” Spike said.  “A little pent up frustration or what?”

 

Faith turned and glared at him.  “I got nothing out of him.  A bunch of shit that’s useless.”  She yanked her stake out of the tree and shoved it into the back of her jeans. “Otherwise known as useless shit.” She stormed away.

 

Not finding out something was annoying enough.  Her unease at being out here at all didn’t help matters.  She felt like she was going to explode.  She needed to find another vamp and quick. 

 

Faith needed to dust something. 

 

Didn’t take long before she spotted another vamp on the furthest side of the cemetery.  It was trying to hide behind the chapel.  “Nice try,” she whispered and took off after it, not caring that Spike was trying to keep up.  

 

“Come out; come out, wherever you are…” She said sweetly.  She knew that the demon was hiding behind the chapel in between two bushes.  “It’ll be over quick.  Well, maybe.  It depends on how nice you are to me.”

 

She used her training to sneak up on the vamp, yanking it out of the bushes by the collar.  Her roundhouse kick had it flattened on the ground in no time.  Faith straddled him, stake pointed at his heart.

 

“I’ve had a shit day.  If you make it worse for me, I’ll make sure yours turns into shit too.  Got it?”  Not waiting for an answer she continued.  “I need to know who turned you.  I need to know where they are.  I need to know what they look like.  And, if at all possible, I would like to know where they might be at this very moment.”

 

Fear shone in the demon’s eyes.

 

“You should be scared.  I will use this stake on you.  It’s up to you whether or not that’s the only thing I do.  Need an example?” Faith punched the vamp in the face.  “That’s the beginning I can do more.  Wanna see?”

 

The vamp shook its head frantically from side to side.

 

“Good boy,” she said patting his cheek.

 

It didn’t take long for the vamp to tell her what it knew.  Faith was tempted to smack him around some more.  It made her feel better.  It let her think of something else for the time being.  But demon or not, she had promised him that’d she make it quick, so she did.

 

She knew Spike had been watching the whole time.

 

“Done now?” he asked.

 

“I’m doing my job.  Remember my job?” she asked standing up to face him squarely.

 

“There’s one thing in doing your job.  It’s another thing to act like you’re enjoying it so bloody much.”

 

“What do you want from me?  I’m supposed to slay and that’s what I’m doing.  I’m trying to find out who in hell is making all these vamps around here lately, so just back off okay?”

 

Faith stalked away.  Too bad she didn’t see the decorative rocks that had been strewn about in her struggle with the vamp.  She tripped and began to fall.  Before she could hit the ground Spike was in front of her, catching her and pulling her close, chest-to-chest, face-to-face they stood, staring at each other. 

 

Faith was feeling way too many emotions.  Her fear never left her and her adrenaline was up from staking the vamp and arguing with Spike.  Their close proximity was creating yet another emotion.

 

If Faith was being honest with herself, she would admit it wasn’t a bad one.

 

So Faith did what she always does when someone got too close; she pushed them away.  “I’m fine.  Thanks.” She walked back to the car.

 

XXXXX

 

The next night Spike suggested they go out and get something to eat before patrolling.

 

Faith was tired and she didn’t argue for once.  She actually told him that she was starving, which she was.  Life on the road led to a bunch of bad food, and she was ready for something good for a change.

 

She could tell he wanted to drive the Viper.  “Fine,” she said tossing him the keys. “Wherever we’re going better be good.”

 

They got to the Viper just after sundown.

 

And there it was.  Faith wondered when the anxiety was going to start.  She felt it.  Her heartbeat sped up.  Her breathing increased.  She started to feel very warm and a little dizzy.  All it took was stepping out of the hotel room and into the darkened parking lot.

 

She glanced around nervously and was relieved when Spike finally had unlocked the car door.  Once they were in, doors locked, lights switched on, relief swept through her. 

 

Spike peeled out of the hotel parking lot and onto the expressway.

 

After close to a half an hour of driving and not saying anything, she finally asked, “Where are we going?”

 

“What? Ruin the surprise?  Not thinkin’ so.”

 

Faith knew he wasn’t going to tell her no matter how many times she asked.

 

“If we don’t get there soon I could be dead from starvation.  You’re already dead, so you don’t care,” she said teasingly.

 

Spike grinned.  “Doesn’t mean I don’t like a good meal on occasion.  Need I remind you of the bloomin’ onion hunt we went on?”

 

This time she laughed.  “Obsess much?  I don’t know anyone who would drive for two hours to find an onion.”

 

“Right,” he said glancing at her.  “Who ate half of it?”

 

Faith looked around trying to figure out where he could possibly be taking her.  Finally he got off at a remote exit, most definitely out of the way.  The only buildings she could spot were a gas station, a corner store and a small restaurant.

 

“Okay,” she said hesitantly.  “We drove an hour for…?” she left the question hanging.

 

“Trust me.”

 

XXXXX

 

He was right.

 

The restaurant it was.  Faith found out that a little old couple owned the place and it had been in the family for years.  It was the closest thing to home cooking she had ever had, not including the food B’s mom would whip up occasionally after they patrolled.

 

The wife was the one serving them and the husband was in the back cooking.  Whenever a customer ordered something, the wife would call out, “Did you get that, Earl?”

 

Earl always responded, “Yes, Dottie.”

 

There weren’t more than six tables in the place.  When they first arrived, they were all filled.  They’d waited fifteen minutes before Dottie could seat them.  By the time they were done eating, they were the only ones left.

 

“How’d you know about this place?” she asked Spike.

 

“Been around.  Stopped in one time… A while go... Was hungry.” He leaned towards her, adding quietly, “And not for something off the menu, if you catch my meaning.” He must’ve noticed her reaction.  “I couldn’t do it.  Something about Ma and Pa Kettle,” he motioned over his shoulder.  “Ever since… stop by for a bite when I can,” he said, smiling mischievously.

 

“Explains a lot,” Faith said sitting back in her seat.  “I am stuffed.”

 

Dottie returned to their table. “You’re stuffed?  You’re thin as a rail girl!  Dessert.  You need dessert.”

 

“Really,” Faith began, patting her usually flat stomach.  “I can’t.  Too full.”

 

Spike jumped into the conversation.  “Peach pie, Dot.  She’ll find the room.”

 

Faith gave him a look but Dottie chose to ignore it.  “I’ll be right back,” she said, and trotted away.

 

“Do you expect me to patrol tonight?” Faith asked him.  “I won’t be able to move.”

 

“No worries.  Thinkin’ you wouldn’t have any problems moving no matter how full you are.” And then he added, “And no matter what you were trying to do,” he said winking.

 

“Play your cards right…,” she said leaning back in her chair.  “I’m just saying… one never knows.”

 

XXXXX