Try as I might, I cannot conceive that Spike would not have contacted Buffy at all during Season 5 of Angel. This is Spike we’re talking about! Never static, always moving forward, unable not to act, this is the bloke who as a vampire with no soul felt impelled to tell Buffy he loved her, after all, a man’s gotta do what her can, gotta try. I understand that he might have had reservations, fears and doubts about contacting Buffy, diminishing the big heroic death and all but this wouldn’t have been enough to make him not act. Spike may have gotten a soul but it didn’t change him, he’s still all about the moving forward, the learning, the adapting, the risk taking. In my mind Spike would have contacted Buffy just after Cordelia died due to the charade of his ‘destiny’ being exposed and urged on by seeing Angel deal with his closest friend’s death (mind you, I don’t believe Cordelia is conventionally dead either, but that’s another story). My short story The Phone-Call details this (see earlier post to read this story). In my theory, for the second half of Angel season 5 Spike is in contact with Buffy, knows her location and about her body doubles but keeps the confidence from Angel. This is in keeping with the way he never corrected Xander or Angel when they derided his relationship with Buffy. Spike is able to keep his mouth shut because, he realises that his arguing with them won’t change their opinion and it still won’t change the fact that he did have a strong relationship with her. I also think this would make The Girl in Question (A 5.20) particularly funny. So I wanted to write my impression of Buffy and Spike’s first face to face meeting before it is dealt with in the comic, to fit it in with my own theory and just to compare it with what will become canon. This story takes place between Shells (A5.16) and Underneath (A5.17)
Written: 21/04/07
Disclaimer: no, I own none of the characters who appear in this story, they are the brilliant creations of Joss Whedon
Reunion by Tranquillity
Errand boy?
Errand boy indeed!
Spike was affronted; still irritated by Angel’s parting shot. He was nobody’s errand boy, least of all Angel's….
Uh, well, he was, technically. But only on his own terms!
“Spike will do it,” Angel had barked
“Spike bloody well will not!” he’d countered
But then, he’d heard that the destination was good old London town and he’d capitulated with suspicious speed.
Why the change of heart Angel had queried.
God, he can’t win! Not happy when he wouldn’t do it, not happy when he says he will, and besides, the Old Dart is home after all, so why shouldn’t he be happy to pay it a visit, nothing odd about that, nothing at all and they didn’t get to do anything when they were there recently either and he’ll take any excuse to get out of LA, even if only for a few days!
And the excuses were genuine, on one level. He really, really hated L.A. But it was not the real reason. The real reason he’d agreed to it was more, opportunistic in nature.
Once in the Motherland he’d completed his errand with efficient speed, reported as much to Angel then encouraged his Wolfram & Hart pilot to seek amusement in the seedy side of London, and, naturally, being an employee of Wolfram & Hart he’d been only too happy to oblige. As the pilot headed to the city’s dark underbelly, Spike headed for the rail yards.
And now, he found himself travelling north in a half-empty freight carriage, a far cry from the luxury jet he’d arrived in. Not to mention the vehicle Wolfram and Hart’s London office had offered for his convenience during his stay in town, necro-tempered glass and all. Spike had taken the car but parked it in the hotel lot and left it. Couldn’t risk Wolfram and Hart tracking his moves, knowing where he was going, who he was going to see.
After hours of not very satisfactory sleep and boredom he can smell the sunset. He opens the heavy sliding door a fraction and knows he’s nearly there. Towns and villages have given way to a craggy mauve landscape. He can’t help but think that isn’t that typical, a plan of his goes absolutely perfect and there’s not a soul to witness it! A couple of kilometres rattle by as he stands smoking leaning against the open door frame. Then he sees a particular landmark, flicks his cigarette out of the speeding train before bodily following suit.
He lands cleanly and pulls his coat close around him, flipping the collar up against the chill, not that he feels the cold, it’s just an instinctual reaction to the dank coolness of the Scottish evening. It’s been a while since he was in this part of the world, not since the Aberdeen orphanage incident of 1906. That was an age ago…
He picks up a familiar scent on the evening breeze. A scent he knows well. Its feint but trackable. He follows it. It’s instinctive.
Buffy patrolled the cemetery alone. Highly unlikely that there’d be any vampire activity, this place hadn’t seen a new grave in a couple of hundred years. It was bitterly cold too. She couldn’t really complain though, after all, she was the moron who’d volunteered for the solo mission. Giles had wanted to send a small team of girls, but nnnnoooo, Buffy had said she’d deal - more fool Buffy.
Trouble was, the castle was crawling with girls all vying for her attention, Xander amongst them exercising his witty charm, Dawn was complaining about the temperature. Again. Willow was teaching her magically inclined students to levitate objects, with mixed (and dangerous) success. Giles was enumerating the dire importance of locating a particular artefact that was essential for some ritual of some vampire cult. He’d come all the way from wherever, must be important. How was it that in amongst all this chaos Buffy felt….
Alone?
The cemetery was, excuse the pun, deathly quiet. She didn’t mind. It was good to escape the over-crowded confines of the castle. Being commander-in-chief of a population of Slayers was amazing and rewarding and amazing and…intense. She felt like she was on duty twenty-four seven. Kind of ironic that patrolling by her self was like an escape. She rounded a corner and came across a vampire digging up an ancient grave site.
“Now that’s hardly in the spirit of Rest in Peace is it?”
The vampire turned quickly, startled to be interrupted. He instantly adopted his game-face and lunged at her with ferocity. This was just what Buffy needed, a spot of violence before bed.
She could have staked him quick. Her opponent, besides being really ugly was not much of a fighter. Instead she deliberately prolonged the battle, punching and kicking just to give herself a practical workout. When he managed to get a lucky hit that sent her stake flying out of reach she punished him by sending an angry elbow into his nose.
Suddenly, in her peripheral vision she saw another figure. Great, a second vampire and she without her stake! She punched the unsightly vampire sending him flying backwards then turned to look at the new arrival.
“Hello gorgeous.”
Buffy froze momentarily, stunned, allowing the original vampire to connect a lucky fist to her chin, causing her to stumbling sideways in an ungainly fashion.
Buffy recovered quickly and engaged the Mr. hideous in a series of pummelling blows.
“Can I help?”
“Stake!” Buffy motioned, pointing in the direction in which her weapon had flew earlier then hoisted her opponent by his silken lapel and subjected his face to a series of harsh, blinding strikes with her balled fist. Suddenly he turned to dust in her hands to reveal standing before her brandishing the stake in his hand,
Spike
Buffy smiled. “Hello gorgeous,” then reached for him.
The kiss lasted a tad longer than ‘hello’ and may have involved a bit of tongue. Neither complained.
the end
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Buffy Studies
Buffy the Vampire Slayer has become very popular with academics and cultural commentators alike because of the way it invites analysis and interpretation at both text and sub-textual levels, challenges stereotypes, and provides insight into cultural issues such as the law and justice, moral issues and gender roles all the while centring around characters that develop and change permanently in response to what they experience as events of the series unfold. There is a number of very interesting, academically inclined publications that investigate and discuss various aspects of Buffy. Here is a few that I’ve read and a few thoughts on them.
· Buffy the Vampire Slayer: a critical reading of the series by Anne Billson (2005) British Film Institute: London
This is a really good read that is basically a personal response to Buffy in which the author talks about why she loves the show, and a few things that she doesn’t like (mostly Reilly, Tara and Dawn). There is a really great chapter about the progression of female heroes that points out that Buffy’s arrival was pretty much overdue and it was about time that a female hero was allowed to be a girl and kick ass too.
· European Journal of Cultural Studies (2005) Vol.8 (3)
This is an issue devoted entirely to the character of Spike. There are some really excellent articles covering topics such as how the canon of vampire literature has influenced the character of Spike, character readings and analysis and James Marsters interpretation of the character. This is full of a lot of insightful, mostly (but not entirely) sympathetic readings of Spike that provides plenty of food for thought about one of the most intriguing characters in the Buffyverse. Access may be an issue, but try a university library catalogue.
· Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Philosophy: Fear and Trembling in Sunnydale edited by James B. South (2003), Carus Publishing Company: Illinois
As the name suggests, this text takes a philosophical approach to Buffy and provides interesting and challenging analysis based on a number of philosophical frames. Can be a bit heavy going at timesand an understanding of philosophy is helpful.
· Lydia Chalmer’s Thesis on William the Bloody
In the episode ‘Checkpoint’ a member of the Watchers Council tells Spike that she wrote her thesis on him. Various writes (many associated with the Tea at the Ford website) collaborated to produce this piece of pseudo-academic fun that explores the history of William the Bloody.
http://www.channelingboards.com/SpikeThesis/spikethesis.pdf
· Sex and the Slayer: a gender studies primer for the Buffy fan by Lorna Jowett (2005) Wesleyan University Press
This text examines Buffy the Vampire Slayer from the perspective of gender. It provides an excellent introduction to the practice of using gender as a framework for reading and analysing texts and offers insights into feminist and masculine critical theory through alternative character readings. Here is a link to an in-depth customer review of this book from Amazon. Simply scroll down to the bottom of the page to find the review by Robert Moore:
http://www.amazon.com/Sex-Slayer-Gender-Studies-Primer/dp/0819567582
· Televised Morality: The case of Buffy the vampire slayer by Gregory Stevenson (2004) Hamilton Books.
This is a book that I really enjoyed and found to be an excellent companion to the series. Buffy has often been criticised by family and conservative Christian groups for content featured on the show (such as homosexuality and sexual relationships) but this book, written by a theologian and self-confessed fan of the series reveals that, in fact, Buffy is a highly moralistic show that explores many of the moral quandaries experienced by people in everyday life. It’s also heartening to find that there are Christians, other than myself, who appreciate the program, learn from it and are not so narrow-minded and fearful of alternative perspectives that challenge their own. While I don’t agree with all Stevenson’s readings of the text, it is certainly insightful, informative and well worth reading.
· Slayage: the online journal of buffy studies and Watcher Junior
Slayage is an excellent online journal that specialises in all things Buffy, Angel and Firefly. Still in publication, it offers a range of readings and perspectives on the program that are always interesting and very often challenging. There is a link to Slayage in my links section. Watcher Junior is a journal aimed at undergraduates. I’m not sure if its still in publication as there are only two issues, here is the link: http://www.watcherjunior.tv/
· Seven Seasons of Buffy: science fiction and fantasy writers discuss their favourite television show edited by Glenn Yeffeth (2003) BenBella Books: Dallas
This book is a mixed bag. There are many and varied personal responses to the series that provide plenty of scope for argument, because most of the readings are intensely personal. Some of the chapters, each written by a different sci-fi/fantasy author, are quite humorous while others, I was left wondering if the author had been watching the same television show as me. Still worth a look though.
· Reading the Vampire Slayer: the new, updated unofficial guide to Buffy and Angel edited by Roz Kaveney
A collection of essays discussing a range of subjects relating to Buffy and Angel. It’s been a while since I read this one but I think, if I remember correctly, the chapter by Justine Larbalestier about heterosexuality and sex in BTVS was particularly good. I think a lot of the essays featured in this book have been published in Slayage as well.
· Tea at the Ford
This is probably my favourite Buffy/Angel resource. It is a collection writings and analysis of episodes, characters, themes and issues that are confronted in the Buffyverse. Although the articles and writings are fan generated they are incredibly insightful, well informed and well written. Articles on the site can change your mind about events and characters, clarify thoughts and enhance appreciation and understanding of the series in its entirety. The site is (I think) an archive of the members publications and also of others responses to those publications. The contributors have in-depth knowledge of mythical, mystic, literary, and cultural realms and utilise these in discussion of Buffy and Angel. Link provided in my links section. Check it out!
· Buffy the Vampire Slayer: a critical reading of the series by Anne Billson (2005) British Film Institute: London
This is a really good read that is basically a personal response to Buffy in which the author talks about why she loves the show, and a few things that she doesn’t like (mostly Reilly, Tara and Dawn). There is a really great chapter about the progression of female heroes that points out that Buffy’s arrival was pretty much overdue and it was about time that a female hero was allowed to be a girl and kick ass too.
· European Journal of Cultural Studies (2005) Vol.8 (3)
This is an issue devoted entirely to the character of Spike. There are some really excellent articles covering topics such as how the canon of vampire literature has influenced the character of Spike, character readings and analysis and James Marsters interpretation of the character. This is full of a lot of insightful, mostly (but not entirely) sympathetic readings of Spike that provides plenty of food for thought about one of the most intriguing characters in the Buffyverse. Access may be an issue, but try a university library catalogue.
· Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Philosophy: Fear and Trembling in Sunnydale edited by James B. South (2003), Carus Publishing Company: Illinois
As the name suggests, this text takes a philosophical approach to Buffy and provides interesting and challenging analysis based on a number of philosophical frames. Can be a bit heavy going at timesand an understanding of philosophy is helpful.
· Lydia Chalmer’s Thesis on William the Bloody
In the episode ‘Checkpoint’ a member of the Watchers Council tells Spike that she wrote her thesis on him. Various writes (many associated with the Tea at the Ford website) collaborated to produce this piece of pseudo-academic fun that explores the history of William the Bloody.
http://www.channelingboards.com/SpikeThesis/spikethesis.pdf
· Sex and the Slayer: a gender studies primer for the Buffy fan by Lorna Jowett (2005) Wesleyan University Press
This text examines Buffy the Vampire Slayer from the perspective of gender. It provides an excellent introduction to the practice of using gender as a framework for reading and analysing texts and offers insights into feminist and masculine critical theory through alternative character readings. Here is a link to an in-depth customer review of this book from Amazon. Simply scroll down to the bottom of the page to find the review by Robert Moore:
http://www.amazon.com/Sex-Slayer-Gender-Studies-Primer/dp/0819567582
· Televised Morality: The case of Buffy the vampire slayer by Gregory Stevenson (2004) Hamilton Books.
This is a book that I really enjoyed and found to be an excellent companion to the series. Buffy has often been criticised by family and conservative Christian groups for content featured on the show (such as homosexuality and sexual relationships) but this book, written by a theologian and self-confessed fan of the series reveals that, in fact, Buffy is a highly moralistic show that explores many of the moral quandaries experienced by people in everyday life. It’s also heartening to find that there are Christians, other than myself, who appreciate the program, learn from it and are not so narrow-minded and fearful of alternative perspectives that challenge their own. While I don’t agree with all Stevenson’s readings of the text, it is certainly insightful, informative and well worth reading.
· Slayage: the online journal of buffy studies and Watcher Junior
Slayage is an excellent online journal that specialises in all things Buffy, Angel and Firefly. Still in publication, it offers a range of readings and perspectives on the program that are always interesting and very often challenging. There is a link to Slayage in my links section. Watcher Junior is a journal aimed at undergraduates. I’m not sure if its still in publication as there are only two issues, here is the link: http://www.watcherjunior.tv/
· Seven Seasons of Buffy: science fiction and fantasy writers discuss their favourite television show edited by Glenn Yeffeth (2003) BenBella Books: Dallas
This book is a mixed bag. There are many and varied personal responses to the series that provide plenty of scope for argument, because most of the readings are intensely personal. Some of the chapters, each written by a different sci-fi/fantasy author, are quite humorous while others, I was left wondering if the author had been watching the same television show as me. Still worth a look though.
· Reading the Vampire Slayer: the new, updated unofficial guide to Buffy and Angel edited by Roz Kaveney
A collection of essays discussing a range of subjects relating to Buffy and Angel. It’s been a while since I read this one but I think, if I remember correctly, the chapter by Justine Larbalestier about heterosexuality and sex in BTVS was particularly good. I think a lot of the essays featured in this book have been published in Slayage as well.
· Tea at the Ford
This is probably my favourite Buffy/Angel resource. It is a collection writings and analysis of episodes, characters, themes and issues that are confronted in the Buffyverse. Although the articles and writings are fan generated they are incredibly insightful, well informed and well written. Articles on the site can change your mind about events and characters, clarify thoughts and enhance appreciation and understanding of the series in its entirety. The site is (I think) an archive of the members publications and also of others responses to those publications. The contributors have in-depth knowledge of mythical, mystic, literary, and cultural realms and utilise these in discussion of Buffy and Angel. Link provided in my links section. Check it out!
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
How Buffy has changed my life
BTVS is built on the foundation metaphor of female empowerment and that’s gotta be good. We live in a world that depicts women as objects most of the time and it is absolutely necessary to see women presented as powerful in ways other than sexual. I have a 14 year old daughter I’m trying to inspire, I want better for her than mindless bimbo role models as seen populating teen dramas and music videos!
BTVS has fundamentally changed my expectations for female characters across the board. I went to see Casino Royale (the James Bond film) recently and came away simple appalled at the disintegration of the leading lady’s character as the film progressed. She went from being an empowered professional feminist to being a mere shadow of her former self, completely defined by her lover, Mr. Bond for whom she sacrifices her own life at the end of the movie. It was just horrible! All I could think was that Buffy would have done much better in the same situation. Because of BTVS I want to see female characters that are intelligent, confident, multi-dimensional, who try and risk, who learn, who are valued rather than objectified and who offer encouragement to women and girls who engage with the texts in which they feature.
I admit I used to be a bit of a romantic and read the odd romance ‘novel’ but now I can’t even do that! Buffy and Spike’s relationship also altered my perception of romance. Once upon a time I was a real sucker for traditional romance and happily ever after stories but BTVS has fixed that up good and proper. Buffy and Spike have a distinctly non-traditional romantic relationship. At times they are bad for each other, while at others they seem to suit each other wonderfully. They certainly don’t have a perfect relationship – they have their ups and downs, highs and lows but the point is their relationship takes work and they work at it – something we rarely see in popular fictionalised relationships. They overcome the obstacles and problems they encounter and rather than give up they try to find solutions. Now that’s romantic! Oh, did I mention hot? Buffy and Spike are also pretty hot.
Recommendations
So I think, if you’re going to watch television you may as well choose high quality television and you can do much worse than BTVS and Angel. I certainly recommend it highly. Finally, here are a few episode suggestions from each season of both series that might get you might like to check out:
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: welcome to the hell mouth, angel, prophecy girl, school hard, innocence, becoming, lover’s walk, the wish, graduation day, pangs, something blue, restless, fool for love, intervention, the gift, once more with feeling, tabula rasa, grave, beneath you, lies my parents told me, chosen. Angel: city of, the prodigal, to shanshu in la, are you now or have you ever been, darla, reprise/redefinition, birthday, sleep tight, tomorrow, spin the bottle, orpheus, home, destiny, time bomb, not fade away.
BTVS has fundamentally changed my expectations for female characters across the board. I went to see Casino Royale (the James Bond film) recently and came away simple appalled at the disintegration of the leading lady’s character as the film progressed. She went from being an empowered professional feminist to being a mere shadow of her former self, completely defined by her lover, Mr. Bond for whom she sacrifices her own life at the end of the movie. It was just horrible! All I could think was that Buffy would have done much better in the same situation. Because of BTVS I want to see female characters that are intelligent, confident, multi-dimensional, who try and risk, who learn, who are valued rather than objectified and who offer encouragement to women and girls who engage with the texts in which they feature.
I admit I used to be a bit of a romantic and read the odd romance ‘novel’ but now I can’t even do that! Buffy and Spike’s relationship also altered my perception of romance. Once upon a time I was a real sucker for traditional romance and happily ever after stories but BTVS has fixed that up good and proper. Buffy and Spike have a distinctly non-traditional romantic relationship. At times they are bad for each other, while at others they seem to suit each other wonderfully. They certainly don’t have a perfect relationship – they have their ups and downs, highs and lows but the point is their relationship takes work and they work at it – something we rarely see in popular fictionalised relationships. They overcome the obstacles and problems they encounter and rather than give up they try to find solutions. Now that’s romantic! Oh, did I mention hot? Buffy and Spike are also pretty hot.
Recommendations
So I think, if you’re going to watch television you may as well choose high quality television and you can do much worse than BTVS and Angel. I certainly recommend it highly. Finally, here are a few episode suggestions from each season of both series that might get you might like to check out:
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: welcome to the hell mouth, angel, prophecy girl, school hard, innocence, becoming, lover’s walk, the wish, graduation day, pangs, something blue, restless, fool for love, intervention, the gift, once more with feeling, tabula rasa, grave, beneath you, lies my parents told me, chosen. Angel: city of, the prodigal, to shanshu in la, are you now or have you ever been, darla, reprise/redefinition, birthday, sleep tight, tomorrow, spin the bottle, orpheus, home, destiny, time bomb, not fade away.
Why BTVS and Angel?
Firstly, with BTVS it is the characters. For me Buffy and Spike were always my favourites, and then in the later seasons, their relationship with each other was completely fascinating. I remember enjoying the Buffy and Angel romance but, being an older viewer of what was generally perceived as a ‘teen’ drama, I never was quite captivated by the ‘forbidden passion’ element. I liked Angel much better when he moved to LA and into his own world.
Secondly the writing and stories are excellent. Monsters, demons and magic might sound completely crazy but they work incredibly well in the context of story and metaphor. Monsters and events are usually symptomatic of what the characters are experiencing in each episode so they are way more than just cheap (or corny) thrills. Episodes are for the most part arc driven – there is a big story that crosses an entire season as well as sub-stories of shorter duration. Occasionally there are stand-alone episodes but even these usually contribute to character development. BTVS and Angel also uses self-reference very effectively. Things that happen from one season to the next are remembered, an occurrence or event can have lasting relevance or huge significance later in the series; they constantly refer to the events of earlier episodes and the characters become a product of these experiences, not just cardboard cut-outs in a new and exciting adventure each week, instead they become real, they grow, they change and you love them.
Thirdly, this is not a television show that you just watch and forget. Its intelligent. It’s clever. As I said earlier, the more you watch it the better it gets and the more you appreciate the meaning. There is text to absorb, sub-text to decipher, episodes echo and mirror each other across the entire series heightening significance and the making of meaning. A particularly impressive aspect of BTVS and Angel that highlights the series commitment to detail is the back stories created for Angel and Spike, the centuries old vampire characters. From small snippets of information that feature in some episodes we catch a glimpse of a world cleverly created to explain why the characters behave the way they do, how their histories have made them what they are today. You actually find yourself wanting to know more about the bloodthirsty adventures of two vampires and their female sires that rampaged across Europe together for twenty years before Angel broke up the party by getting himself cursed with a soul. I like how the shows challenge the viewer out of passive viewing. The provide thoughtful commentary on the world and people, delve into philosophy and psychology, present moral dilemmas and challenge pre-conceived ideas. They are intellectually engaging and there are a multitude of academic texts and resources that have been inspired by them (eg: Slayage online journal of Buffy studies, see links).
Oh, and a comic book called Season 8 – The long way home (issues one and two) have just been released (#3 is due on the 3rd May). Written by Joss Whedon himself (and published by Dark Horse – see links), the comic continues the story where BTVS left off. There will be between 30 and 50 issues. Rumours persist that a Season 6 Angel comic series is in development.
Secondly the writing and stories are excellent. Monsters, demons and magic might sound completely crazy but they work incredibly well in the context of story and metaphor. Monsters and events are usually symptomatic of what the characters are experiencing in each episode so they are way more than just cheap (or corny) thrills. Episodes are for the most part arc driven – there is a big story that crosses an entire season as well as sub-stories of shorter duration. Occasionally there are stand-alone episodes but even these usually contribute to character development. BTVS and Angel also uses self-reference very effectively. Things that happen from one season to the next are remembered, an occurrence or event can have lasting relevance or huge significance later in the series; they constantly refer to the events of earlier episodes and the characters become a product of these experiences, not just cardboard cut-outs in a new and exciting adventure each week, instead they become real, they grow, they change and you love them.
Thirdly, this is not a television show that you just watch and forget. Its intelligent. It’s clever. As I said earlier, the more you watch it the better it gets and the more you appreciate the meaning. There is text to absorb, sub-text to decipher, episodes echo and mirror each other across the entire series heightening significance and the making of meaning. A particularly impressive aspect of BTVS and Angel that highlights the series commitment to detail is the back stories created for Angel and Spike, the centuries old vampire characters. From small snippets of information that feature in some episodes we catch a glimpse of a world cleverly created to explain why the characters behave the way they do, how their histories have made them what they are today. You actually find yourself wanting to know more about the bloodthirsty adventures of two vampires and their female sires that rampaged across Europe together for twenty years before Angel broke up the party by getting himself cursed with a soul. I like how the shows challenge the viewer out of passive viewing. The provide thoughtful commentary on the world and people, delve into philosophy and psychology, present moral dilemmas and challenge pre-conceived ideas. They are intellectually engaging and there are a multitude of academic texts and resources that have been inspired by them (eg: Slayage online journal of Buffy studies, see links).
Oh, and a comic book called Season 8 – The long way home (issues one and two) have just been released (#3 is due on the 3rd May). Written by Joss Whedon himself (and published by Dark Horse – see links), the comic continues the story where BTVS left off. There will be between 30 and 50 issues. Rumours persist that a Season 6 Angel comic series is in development.
How I Got into Buffy
Why, you may ask, would a person become so interested in a couple television of shows that aren’t even on the air anymore? Buffy the vampire Slayer (BTVS) finished in 2003 and Angel finished in 2004. I had seen the film “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and found it mildly amusing but was surprised that it had been developed into a television series but I was intrigued enough to tune in. Here in Australia the program quickly attracted a devoted cult following but didn’t pull enough numbers to keep it in a prime time spot so, from memory, soon after it premiered it was moved to about 10.30pm. I can remember trying to stay awake through less interesting programs every Tuesday night just to get to BTVS. I had my second youngest son in the same year that Buffy premiered so that wasn’t always an easy thing to do. I enjoyed the first series but loved the second. And yes, it was the arrival of Spike and Dru in Sunnydale that really made it all click. I think, if I remember correctly, channel seven (which broadcast the program in Australia) used to repeat the series in the off season so that if you ever missed an episode it was easy enough to catch up. The X-files used to do the same thing.
Anyway, I loved BTVS, but back then it was just a show for me. Watched it, thought about it a bit, began looking towards next weeks’ instalment. I think it was Season five that took me to the next level, that just happened to be when we got the internet at home for the first time and whoa, did that open up a whole new world. I must admit that the thing I loved most was spoilers. I became a spoiler whore, jumping from site to site looking for clues as to what would be happening on coming episodes. Then I discovered Leoff’s Wildfeed Summaries which gave a complete run down of the story and pointed out nuances and ongoing references and best of all, they came months in advance for us Australian viewers who were a bit behind the US. Ok, so for the final few seasons I wasn’t surprised by anything that happened but it never diminished my enjoyment. Recently I watched the entire series again with my daughter who watched it for the first time, it was great to share her surprise as events unfolded, the closest thing I’ll ever get to being unspoilt I suppose.
When the character of Angel got his own spin off I did watch the first few episodes. But in those days, two late night programs were a bit much for a young mother of three who was also studying at university full time. I saw bits and pieces here and there but never got addicted. Last year I bought the entire collection of BTVS on DVD (the best money I’ve ever spent!) and watched it through and then, because I knew that the character of Spike went over to Angel bought season five of Angel to see what happened. Trouble with watching the final season of a series created by Joss Whedon, well you don’t have a whole lot of understanding of what’s going on and no idea of who’s who. So I bought seasons one to four as well and I fell in love with Angel too. As a bonus, my sons have also really enjoyed Angel which is nice.
With the DVD purchases came multiple viewing opportunities and it is in multiple viewing that these programs really come to be truly appreciated. Having acquired a bachelor’s degree in Education (English & Geography major) since I started watching BTVS and now, working towards a Masters degree (Learning Innovation – Teacher Librarian major) I believe, has made me even more appreciative of the carefully crafted programs. I devour any discussion of the show, characters and themes, have read many intellectual, philosophical and literary examinations of the Buffyverse, participate in online Buffy communities, listen to podcasts and even go so far as to write a Blog about it.
Anyway, I loved BTVS, but back then it was just a show for me. Watched it, thought about it a bit, began looking towards next weeks’ instalment. I think it was Season five that took me to the next level, that just happened to be when we got the internet at home for the first time and whoa, did that open up a whole new world. I must admit that the thing I loved most was spoilers. I became a spoiler whore, jumping from site to site looking for clues as to what would be happening on coming episodes. Then I discovered Leoff’s Wildfeed Summaries which gave a complete run down of the story and pointed out nuances and ongoing references and best of all, they came months in advance for us Australian viewers who were a bit behind the US. Ok, so for the final few seasons I wasn’t surprised by anything that happened but it never diminished my enjoyment. Recently I watched the entire series again with my daughter who watched it for the first time, it was great to share her surprise as events unfolded, the closest thing I’ll ever get to being unspoilt I suppose.
When the character of Angel got his own spin off I did watch the first few episodes. But in those days, two late night programs were a bit much for a young mother of three who was also studying at university full time. I saw bits and pieces here and there but never got addicted. Last year I bought the entire collection of BTVS on DVD (the best money I’ve ever spent!) and watched it through and then, because I knew that the character of Spike went over to Angel bought season five of Angel to see what happened. Trouble with watching the final season of a series created by Joss Whedon, well you don’t have a whole lot of understanding of what’s going on and no idea of who’s who. So I bought seasons one to four as well and I fell in love with Angel too. As a bonus, my sons have also really enjoyed Angel which is nice.
With the DVD purchases came multiple viewing opportunities and it is in multiple viewing that these programs really come to be truly appreciated. Having acquired a bachelor’s degree in Education (English & Geography major) since I started watching BTVS and now, working towards a Masters degree (Learning Innovation – Teacher Librarian major) I believe, has made me even more appreciative of the carefully crafted programs. I devour any discussion of the show, characters and themes, have read many intellectual, philosophical and literary examinations of the Buffyverse, participate in online Buffy communities, listen to podcasts and even go so far as to write a Blog about it.
Sunday, April 15, 2007
The Phonecall
This is my first foray into fanfiction
My pre-emptive strike on how Buffy finds out that Spike is Alive. Set just after You’re Welcome (Angel Season 5). Written 15/04/07
Knowing the history of Spike and Buffy I just can’t fathom that he wouldn’t have called her after becoming corporeal again. In The Girl in Question Spike never says that he hasn’t spoken to Buffy. He doesn’t even seem that anxious about seeing her. He said to Andrew in Damage that he would ‘take care’ of telling Buffy about his being alive. We know enough about Spike to know that he would do exactly what he says he will do which means, in my view Spike would have actually known that the ‘Buffy” they were chasing in The Girl in Question was not the really real Buffy. I’ve always thought this and just wanted to get this idea out of me before the Comic completely change my perspective.
Rated: PG
Discalaimer: no, I don't own any of the characters depicted in this story.
The Phone-Call by Tranquillity
Buffy sat at her desk knowing that she really should be doing some of the god-awful administration work that came with the gig of managing an army of Vampire Slayers. She wished she could palm it off on somebody else, well Giles actually, but hey, that wouldn’t be fair – he had enough to deal with and she was, after all, Head Honcho, the Big Banana, the Supreme Slayer. The job wasn’t all imparting words of wisdom and physical training – too bad for her.
She hears the phone in her outer office ring. She hears Rachel answer the phone (at least she thinks its Rachel – so many slayers each doing a tour of duty as her administrative assistant, it’s easy to get them confused). It will be Giles, of course. The phone number is like, a national secret. Giles and Willow and Xander are the only ones who know it, oh and Andrew, he knows it too.
The phone on her desk rings and even though Buffy was expecting it, the sound still makes her jump. She snatches up the receiver.
“Hello”
Long pause.
“Hello?”
Another shorter pause then,
“Buffy.”
Buffy’s heart stops beating for a moment.
“Who is this?” she demands her voice low with suspicion and anger. Only her worst enemy would dare imitate that voice, that person.
“Buffy, it’s me.” The voice is quiet, yet tense and she’d know it anywhere – that plumy English accent, the way it says her name…
Yet it can’t be him, she knows that for a fact!
“Sorry, try again. He’s dead.’ Her words are cold, like a steel knife cutting the damned pretender to shreds.
“Yeah, um, the thing of it is, I was. But I’m not now. Hard to keep us hero types down, you should know that. Buffy?”
The voice is spot on perfect! It’s uncanny. She wishes it was him, wants it to be him. Maybe…
“Spike?”
“Yeah love, it’s me.’
God she wants to believe.
“Hold on” she orders, and takes the phone away from her ear then trying to sound normal, casual, nonchalant even, she calls to Rachel (if that’s her name) to shut the office door. Oh, and also, no interruptions.
Rachel does as she’s told and now Buffy is safely cocooned in her office, hands shaking, heart pounding. Wondering what on earth to say now.
“Are you still there?”
“Yep.”
“Okay, if you’re Spike, and I’m not saying I believe you, because well…, well you’re going to have to prove it.”
“Okay. How?”
“Tell me something that only Spike and I know.”
Heartbeat.
There’s an amused snort on the other end of the line. “Good god, where do I start?”
Okay too broad Buffy realises. A question? And then it comes to her in a blinding flash…
“What was the last thing I said to you down in the hell mouth then?”
She swore she heard her mysterious caller swallow hard on the other end of the line.
“You said… you told me that you loved me.”
“Lucky guess. What did Spike say to me?”
“I said… I said that you didn’t but I thanked you for saying it and then I told you to push off.”
Buffy could hear the blood pounding in her ears and felt her heart beating thunderously against her chest, felt her eyes fill with warm water.
“Idiot!”
“Excuse me?”
“Why would you have said that? I never understood why. It’s plagued me for…, well, it’s still plaguing me.”
“Buffy, are you all right?”
Typical. How like him to be concerned about her when she was kind of pissed off with him! Damn tears!
“Buffy?”
“I’m fine,” she quickly replies then manages, “Just… just a bit emotional on this end”
“Not just your end love,” he admits.
God, how many times had they seen each other cry? Not that they could see each other at the moment. She wondered how he was, what he looked like.
Well, duh – vampire. Eternal youth. Same old Spike.
Questions suddenly attack the dominating feeling of relief. Weird, relief is what she’s feeling, like she’s just found the very thing she’d been looking for, like she’d just been given her right arm back.
“Where are you?”
Easy question first.
“LA.”
“What? Why? No, wait, how are you alive?”
“Long story.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
So the next fifteen, twenty minutes are filled with a long and entertaining tale of a bloody amulet, (something more we have in common love, being bought back when you’re good and done), life as a ghost, being the reluctant spectral intern at an evil law firm, which is, as she knows all too well, run by her old sweetie bear. Then there was the amusing flash-in-a-box that got him back to being a solid citizen. There’s also some stuff about a bit of a tussle between Spike and his ol’ grand sire and no, it didn’t involve oil of any kind just a lot of blood thank you very much and then there’s the part how he doesn’t like being used, specially when the git who does the string pulling is some old nemesis of Angel’s, and oh, yeah, did he mention that he really, really hates it when he’s being used as a pawn in someone else’s game? And he did run into Andrew recently – that’s where he got her direct number and how is that crazy slayer doing anyway? Oh, and by the way, Cordelia’s dead.
“Dead?”
“Yeah, not to clear on the details. Just that she’d been in hospital for a while. Angel’s pretty cut up about it though. I think. Pretty hard to tell. Not overly free with his emotions is the old geezer. He’s uptight. Ageing him bad. What about your end. What happened after, you know, Sunnydale came crashing down?”
So Buffy returns the favour and tells Spike about the adventures that she and the others have been having since Sunnydale went kaboom. Seems weird he doesn’t know. Actually, not all that fun really. Lot of hard work, lot of confused girls, lot of problems – Dana’s just one example of what they term a ‘problem slayer’, just the tip of the iceberg. And now they’re all stuck living in a foreign land – Scotland is cold and wet don’t you know. It’s nothing like California. She really misses Home. And she really misses the Sex but she doesn’t actually mention that, just thinks it. Hard not to while she’s talking to him. And it’s pretty shitty being wanted as a terrorist, especially when technically it was his fault that Sunnydale now resembles a crater! But she’s got enemies of, supernatural and well, natural varieties. Oh, oh, she’s got body doubles – one living it up in Rome and the other well, somewhere else entirely. Oops, that supposed to be a secret. Not to worry, he always was very good at keeping secrets. The one other person Spike asks after is Dawn. She’s alright, she thinks. So little time to spend with her. Tells him she knows she’s a crap sister, feels guilty, wishes she didn’t have so many other ‘sisters’ to look after. Is it wrong to say that they don’t whine as much as Dawn? Disloyal, she knows it. It’s nice to tell someone what she’s really thinking and feeling. It’s been so long. Oh, and Anya was killed, just thought he might want to know.
“That’s sad. How’s the boy?”
“He’s okay. Doing well, now.”
“And the girls, how many, um, survived.”
“Not many, eight. Vi, and Rona and Kennedy all survived. They got the most training. Actually, I could use another teacher, you know, fighting skills, insider vampire knowledge…interested?’
“I am, but…”
“But?”
“I think I’m needed here. In LA.”
He sounds kind of surprised.
“Why?”
Damn it I need you here!!!
“I think your old beau has got himself into a spot of bother.”
“You mean Angel and this whole deal with Wolfram and Hart?”
“Yeah.”
“What’s he doing there anyway? Giles says it’s like…organised evil incorporated.”
“As usual, Rupert’s not far wrong. I have no idea why the great deluded one decided to branch out into the law. Not like he’d tell me anything.”
“Yet you want to help him?”
“He’s got good people. His team. Good, deluded people. Think they can fight evil from within or some such rot. I’m thinking that things are gonna go pear shaped any minute now and then, I don’t know, maybe I can help.”
“You’d work for Angel?”
“I don’t work for him! I help out when it suites me.” He sounds affronted. He pauses then adds with candour, “Besides, we’ve had a few issues to sort out and no, not just you. Hundred years of baggage between us.”
“And how’s that going?”
“Slowly.”
“How come you didn’t call sooner?”
‘Well, ghost – couldn’t pick up the phone.”
“Then?”
Long Pause….
“Told the little boy, Andrew, I’d take care of it………I was…nervous.”
“About talking to me?” She’s pretty incredulous. This is, after all, the guy who admitted he loved her even though he knew she despised him, hell, he chained her up for goodness sake, just so she’d listen to him!
“Well, Yeah.” He’s defensive. “You know, I die this great, noble death, better than anything I ever deserved and then wham bam, 19 days later, I’m back. Last place I want to be. So, you see it means nothing.”
“How can you say that?”
Spike doesn’t answer.
“I died. I came back. Did that diminish my sacrifice?”
“No, but that’s different. You shouldn’t have died, you are…good. I was evil, I needed the redemption.”
“And you’ve still got it. You’re not diminished.”
“Thanks, good of you to say so.” He doesn’t sound entirely convinced.
“So, when are you coming to see m- us?”
She’s sure she can hear him smile. She knows that look. She knows he knows that she wants to see him. But he doesn’t tease her about it.
“I think it might be too dangerous. I mean you with your body doubles and being America’s Most Wanted and all. It wouldn’t take your enemies too long to figure out that you are the real Buffy if I were hanging about like a bad smell, a blind idiot could figure it.”
Buffy’s pouty frown appeared.
“When did you acquire common sense?”
He’s not supposed to be the rational one! He’s supposed to be mad and impetuous.
“I think it came with the soul. Course, I don’t use it all the time but …”
“So you’re staying in LA., with Angel?”
“Not with! I have my own place. He lives in a posh penthouse. I live in a cruddy basement apartment. Some things never change”
“I have a castle and there’s always room for you.”
‘Thanks”
Buffy looks at the clock, god, they’ve been talking for hours. She’s supposed to be out with the girls. She’s needed. She doesn’t even have to tell him, he just knows.
“I’d better let you go, you must be busy. Just thought I’d say cheers.’
The tears fill her eyes again. The g-word is coming.
“I’m glad you did. Finally.”
There’s a pause, quite long. It’s not awkward though. They are comfortable with silence. They can almost hear each others thoughts. They are thinking the same things.
“Call me, if you need any… just call me. Often.”
“Okay.”
She gets his number. He has a cell phone. Weird, but she’ll be able to call him too.
“Well, alright…um…well… I…”
“No need to get mushy Slayer.” He’s laughing at her. She doesn’t mind “I’ll talk to you soon.”
“Spike,”
Heartbeat
“I love you.”
She can hear him smile again.
“Thanks. I love you too.”
Then the phone goes dead. He’s hung up first. Buffy sits at her desk feeling…what? Shell-shocked, elated, whole…all of the above? She wants to run and tell someone, tell everyone this incredible news.
Spike is alive!
She gets up and is halfway to the door when she freezes. She anticipates the reactions. Willow’s look of ill-comprehension, Dawn’s of distrust, Xander, well he thought they’d finally managed to get rid of the guy so, there was no way he’d share her happiness.
Deflated.
She could ring Giles but he would be no more pleased than Xander. None of them understood her and Spike – they just didn’t get it. But she is so happy and the last thing she wants is to see disgust or false platitudes etched on their faces and in their voices…
She almost wants to pick up the phone and call Spike, share the good news with the one person who’ll appreciate it. But that would be ridiculous. Utterly….
Yet it’s tempting.
And then she remembers Andrew. The little runt knew about Spike and didn’t tell her! Audacious. But he kept the secret because Spike had asked him to. Buffy smiles and picks up the phone, dialling the number for their Italian contingent. First she’ll tear strips off him, second she’ll remind him who’s boss and then, finally…finally, she’ll be able to share her joy with someone who’ll understand.
The End
My pre-emptive strike on how Buffy finds out that Spike is Alive. Set just after You’re Welcome (Angel Season 5). Written 15/04/07
Knowing the history of Spike and Buffy I just can’t fathom that he wouldn’t have called her after becoming corporeal again. In The Girl in Question Spike never says that he hasn’t spoken to Buffy. He doesn’t even seem that anxious about seeing her. He said to Andrew in Damage that he would ‘take care’ of telling Buffy about his being alive. We know enough about Spike to know that he would do exactly what he says he will do which means, in my view Spike would have actually known that the ‘Buffy” they were chasing in The Girl in Question was not the really real Buffy. I’ve always thought this and just wanted to get this idea out of me before the Comic completely change my perspective.
Rated: PG
Discalaimer: no, I don't own any of the characters depicted in this story.
The Phone-Call by Tranquillity
Buffy sat at her desk knowing that she really should be doing some of the god-awful administration work that came with the gig of managing an army of Vampire Slayers. She wished she could palm it off on somebody else, well Giles actually, but hey, that wouldn’t be fair – he had enough to deal with and she was, after all, Head Honcho, the Big Banana, the Supreme Slayer. The job wasn’t all imparting words of wisdom and physical training – too bad for her.
She hears the phone in her outer office ring. She hears Rachel answer the phone (at least she thinks its Rachel – so many slayers each doing a tour of duty as her administrative assistant, it’s easy to get them confused). It will be Giles, of course. The phone number is like, a national secret. Giles and Willow and Xander are the only ones who know it, oh and Andrew, he knows it too.
The phone on her desk rings and even though Buffy was expecting it, the sound still makes her jump. She snatches up the receiver.
“Hello”
Long pause.
“Hello?”
Another shorter pause then,
“Buffy.”
Buffy’s heart stops beating for a moment.
“Who is this?” she demands her voice low with suspicion and anger. Only her worst enemy would dare imitate that voice, that person.
“Buffy, it’s me.” The voice is quiet, yet tense and she’d know it anywhere – that plumy English accent, the way it says her name…
Yet it can’t be him, she knows that for a fact!
“Sorry, try again. He’s dead.’ Her words are cold, like a steel knife cutting the damned pretender to shreds.
“Yeah, um, the thing of it is, I was. But I’m not now. Hard to keep us hero types down, you should know that. Buffy?”
The voice is spot on perfect! It’s uncanny. She wishes it was him, wants it to be him. Maybe…
“Spike?”
“Yeah love, it’s me.’
God she wants to believe.
“Hold on” she orders, and takes the phone away from her ear then trying to sound normal, casual, nonchalant even, she calls to Rachel (if that’s her name) to shut the office door. Oh, and also, no interruptions.
Rachel does as she’s told and now Buffy is safely cocooned in her office, hands shaking, heart pounding. Wondering what on earth to say now.
“Are you still there?”
“Yep.”
“Okay, if you’re Spike, and I’m not saying I believe you, because well…, well you’re going to have to prove it.”
“Okay. How?”
“Tell me something that only Spike and I know.”
Heartbeat.
There’s an amused snort on the other end of the line. “Good god, where do I start?”
Okay too broad Buffy realises. A question? And then it comes to her in a blinding flash…
“What was the last thing I said to you down in the hell mouth then?”
She swore she heard her mysterious caller swallow hard on the other end of the line.
“You said… you told me that you loved me.”
“Lucky guess. What did Spike say to me?”
“I said… I said that you didn’t but I thanked you for saying it and then I told you to push off.”
Buffy could hear the blood pounding in her ears and felt her heart beating thunderously against her chest, felt her eyes fill with warm water.
“Idiot!”
“Excuse me?”
“Why would you have said that? I never understood why. It’s plagued me for…, well, it’s still plaguing me.”
“Buffy, are you all right?”
Typical. How like him to be concerned about her when she was kind of pissed off with him! Damn tears!
“Buffy?”
“I’m fine,” she quickly replies then manages, “Just… just a bit emotional on this end”
“Not just your end love,” he admits.
God, how many times had they seen each other cry? Not that they could see each other at the moment. She wondered how he was, what he looked like.
Well, duh – vampire. Eternal youth. Same old Spike.
Questions suddenly attack the dominating feeling of relief. Weird, relief is what she’s feeling, like she’s just found the very thing she’d been looking for, like she’d just been given her right arm back.
“Where are you?”
Easy question first.
“LA.”
“What? Why? No, wait, how are you alive?”
“Long story.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
So the next fifteen, twenty minutes are filled with a long and entertaining tale of a bloody amulet, (something more we have in common love, being bought back when you’re good and done), life as a ghost, being the reluctant spectral intern at an evil law firm, which is, as she knows all too well, run by her old sweetie bear. Then there was the amusing flash-in-a-box that got him back to being a solid citizen. There’s also some stuff about a bit of a tussle between Spike and his ol’ grand sire and no, it didn’t involve oil of any kind just a lot of blood thank you very much and then there’s the part how he doesn’t like being used, specially when the git who does the string pulling is some old nemesis of Angel’s, and oh, yeah, did he mention that he really, really hates it when he’s being used as a pawn in someone else’s game? And he did run into Andrew recently – that’s where he got her direct number and how is that crazy slayer doing anyway? Oh, and by the way, Cordelia’s dead.
“Dead?”
“Yeah, not to clear on the details. Just that she’d been in hospital for a while. Angel’s pretty cut up about it though. I think. Pretty hard to tell. Not overly free with his emotions is the old geezer. He’s uptight. Ageing him bad. What about your end. What happened after, you know, Sunnydale came crashing down?”
So Buffy returns the favour and tells Spike about the adventures that she and the others have been having since Sunnydale went kaboom. Seems weird he doesn’t know. Actually, not all that fun really. Lot of hard work, lot of confused girls, lot of problems – Dana’s just one example of what they term a ‘problem slayer’, just the tip of the iceberg. And now they’re all stuck living in a foreign land – Scotland is cold and wet don’t you know. It’s nothing like California. She really misses Home. And she really misses the Sex but she doesn’t actually mention that, just thinks it. Hard not to while she’s talking to him. And it’s pretty shitty being wanted as a terrorist, especially when technically it was his fault that Sunnydale now resembles a crater! But she’s got enemies of, supernatural and well, natural varieties. Oh, oh, she’s got body doubles – one living it up in Rome and the other well, somewhere else entirely. Oops, that supposed to be a secret. Not to worry, he always was very good at keeping secrets. The one other person Spike asks after is Dawn. She’s alright, she thinks. So little time to spend with her. Tells him she knows she’s a crap sister, feels guilty, wishes she didn’t have so many other ‘sisters’ to look after. Is it wrong to say that they don’t whine as much as Dawn? Disloyal, she knows it. It’s nice to tell someone what she’s really thinking and feeling. It’s been so long. Oh, and Anya was killed, just thought he might want to know.
“That’s sad. How’s the boy?”
“He’s okay. Doing well, now.”
“And the girls, how many, um, survived.”
“Not many, eight. Vi, and Rona and Kennedy all survived. They got the most training. Actually, I could use another teacher, you know, fighting skills, insider vampire knowledge…interested?’
“I am, but…”
“But?”
“I think I’m needed here. In LA.”
He sounds kind of surprised.
“Why?”
Damn it I need you here!!!
“I think your old beau has got himself into a spot of bother.”
“You mean Angel and this whole deal with Wolfram and Hart?”
“Yeah.”
“What’s he doing there anyway? Giles says it’s like…organised evil incorporated.”
“As usual, Rupert’s not far wrong. I have no idea why the great deluded one decided to branch out into the law. Not like he’d tell me anything.”
“Yet you want to help him?”
“He’s got good people. His team. Good, deluded people. Think they can fight evil from within or some such rot. I’m thinking that things are gonna go pear shaped any minute now and then, I don’t know, maybe I can help.”
“You’d work for Angel?”
“I don’t work for him! I help out when it suites me.” He sounds affronted. He pauses then adds with candour, “Besides, we’ve had a few issues to sort out and no, not just you. Hundred years of baggage between us.”
“And how’s that going?”
“Slowly.”
“How come you didn’t call sooner?”
‘Well, ghost – couldn’t pick up the phone.”
“Then?”
Long Pause….
“Told the little boy, Andrew, I’d take care of it………I was…nervous.”
“About talking to me?” She’s pretty incredulous. This is, after all, the guy who admitted he loved her even though he knew she despised him, hell, he chained her up for goodness sake, just so she’d listen to him!
“Well, Yeah.” He’s defensive. “You know, I die this great, noble death, better than anything I ever deserved and then wham bam, 19 days later, I’m back. Last place I want to be. So, you see it means nothing.”
“How can you say that?”
Spike doesn’t answer.
“I died. I came back. Did that diminish my sacrifice?”
“No, but that’s different. You shouldn’t have died, you are…good. I was evil, I needed the redemption.”
“And you’ve still got it. You’re not diminished.”
“Thanks, good of you to say so.” He doesn’t sound entirely convinced.
“So, when are you coming to see m- us?”
She’s sure she can hear him smile. She knows that look. She knows he knows that she wants to see him. But he doesn’t tease her about it.
“I think it might be too dangerous. I mean you with your body doubles and being America’s Most Wanted and all. It wouldn’t take your enemies too long to figure out that you are the real Buffy if I were hanging about like a bad smell, a blind idiot could figure it.”
Buffy’s pouty frown appeared.
“When did you acquire common sense?”
He’s not supposed to be the rational one! He’s supposed to be mad and impetuous.
“I think it came with the soul. Course, I don’t use it all the time but …”
“So you’re staying in LA., with Angel?”
“Not with! I have my own place. He lives in a posh penthouse. I live in a cruddy basement apartment. Some things never change”
“I have a castle and there’s always room for you.”
‘Thanks”
Buffy looks at the clock, god, they’ve been talking for hours. She’s supposed to be out with the girls. She’s needed. She doesn’t even have to tell him, he just knows.
“I’d better let you go, you must be busy. Just thought I’d say cheers.’
The tears fill her eyes again. The g-word is coming.
“I’m glad you did. Finally.”
There’s a pause, quite long. It’s not awkward though. They are comfortable with silence. They can almost hear each others thoughts. They are thinking the same things.
“Call me, if you need any… just call me. Often.”
“Okay.”
She gets his number. He has a cell phone. Weird, but she’ll be able to call him too.
“Well, alright…um…well… I…”
“No need to get mushy Slayer.” He’s laughing at her. She doesn’t mind “I’ll talk to you soon.”
“Spike,”
Heartbeat
“I love you.”
She can hear him smile again.
“Thanks. I love you too.”
Then the phone goes dead. He’s hung up first. Buffy sits at her desk feeling…what? Shell-shocked, elated, whole…all of the above? She wants to run and tell someone, tell everyone this incredible news.
Spike is alive!
She gets up and is halfway to the door when she freezes. She anticipates the reactions. Willow’s look of ill-comprehension, Dawn’s of distrust, Xander, well he thought they’d finally managed to get rid of the guy so, there was no way he’d share her happiness.
Deflated.
She could ring Giles but he would be no more pleased than Xander. None of them understood her and Spike – they just didn’t get it. But she is so happy and the last thing she wants is to see disgust or false platitudes etched on their faces and in their voices…
She almost wants to pick up the phone and call Spike, share the good news with the one person who’ll appreciate it. But that would be ridiculous. Utterly….
Yet it’s tempting.
And then she remembers Andrew. The little runt knew about Spike and didn’t tell her! Audacious. But he kept the secret because Spike had asked him to. Buffy smiles and picks up the phone, dialling the number for their Italian contingent. First she’ll tear strips off him, second she’ll remind him who’s boss and then, finally…finally, she’ll be able to share her joy with someone who’ll understand.
The End
Saturday, March 31, 2007
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