Once More, With Strangeness

Chapter 8

 The silence was deafening. Aside from the occasional crunching of feet or an animal skittering through the trees, it had been eerily quiet. Everyone was following Spike, lost in their own thoughts about this strange platinum parasite that was supposed to lead them to Eddie. They had been walking for about forty minutes now. He had told Becca the gate was an hour away so they had to be getting close.

"It's quiet as the grave back there," Spike commented. "No one had any exciting tidbits from their day they care to share?" He received no response. "Oh come on. This is a long walk. Might as well get to know each other. If you're trusting me not to kill you, I would think you could trust me with some boring little details about the mundane lives you live."

"If you could just shut up and show us where to go, that would be fantastic," Malcolm muttered. "No one here feels like being chums with you."

"That hurts," Spike scoffed, smirking in that annoying way of his. This was only Becca's second encounter with him but she could tell how much he enjoyed messing with people. "You don't even know me. You assume I'm a monster. How am I any more of a monster than your slayer's boy toy?"

"He still has a soul," muttered Malcolm. "It is very clear, based on meeting you as well as my research of your unfortunately long existence, that you do not."

"Pesky souls," Spike grimaced, shuddering. "Definitely don't want one of those. Those come with the nasty side effect of having a conscience. That would get in the way of my good time. Nah, soulless is the only way to go."

Becca closed her eyes, inhaling the night air deeply. She reminded herself that she wasn't going to stake him. If she staked him, then she wouldn't be able to find the gate. If she couldn't find the gate, then she couldn't save Eddie. She was not going to stake him, but that didn't mean she couldn't pummel him a bit. That was sounding more appetizing with each passing minute.

"How nice for you that you're so comfortable with who you are," Malcolm stated, sarcasm oozing off of each syllable. "Now, can we please just get to this damn gate already?"

"Don't get your knickers all in a twist, mate" Spike replied. "We're getting close."

"Becca, you might want to keep a leash on Malcolm," Jax whispered, sliding up next to her. "If that Spike guy keeps it up, he may just take him out himself."

"Trust me," she sighed. "He's not alone in wanting to do that. On top of being evil, he apparently has to be annoying too. I know we have to work with him, but I really wish we didn't have to listen to him. Would it be bad if I just gagged him for the rest of this trip? I mean, he could still use his hands to point us in the right direction?"

"I don't think he'll like that...or maybe he would. I mean, he is kind of hot," Ivy shrugged and when Robin shot her a look, eyebrows raising, she laughed and shook her head. "I mean, he has that whole Billy Idol rocker thing going on. Not that I'm interested." She took Robin's hand, pressing a kiss to her cheek. "My girlfriend is way hotter."

"Damn right I am," Robin said, smiling. "I mean, I see it. I guess. Maybe just a little."

"Yeah, maybe if he could keep his damn mouth shut," Becca hissed under her breath. "It might be a pretty package but the minute he opens his mouth, it's all over."

"Seriously?" Steve asked. "You guys think the vampire is hot?" His eye met Becca's and he shrugged. "I mean, okay. That shouldn't surprise me that much considering you clearly have a thing for the fangy fiends."

"I do not have a thing for vampires," she snapped. "I have a thing for Eddie. That's entirely different. I have never once been out patrolling and stopped myself from staking a vampire because I thought he was hot."