Dance With the Dead (BTVS, Book Six)

chapter 15 - As You Were

It was late at night when Buffy and I were patrolling in the cemetery, after Buffy had gotten off of work.

"When you said that you would find more time for both your day job and your night job, I didn't expect you to be entirely serious," I told her.

"Yeah, well, you can't take up patrolling every time I'm working," Buffy told me. "You have a life, too. You and your mom learned the hard way that Dawn wants you more involved in each other's lives, so..."

I sighed. "Yeah, that's one way to put it."

Buffy started to sing the Doublemeat Palace jingle. "Get the double treat, that's the double sweet, oh, it's hard to beat, when the meat meets--"

"Oh, please stop singing that," I told her. "You're gonna get that stupid jingle stuck in my head."

A vampire jumped out in front of us. "Least of your problems now, Slayers."

"Okay, let's do this," I told him. "Quickly. I gotta get home."

The vampire tried to punch both of us. Buffy and I both ducked. Buffy punched him in the face, kicking him into the tomb behind him. 

The vampire lunged toward us, getting close enough to smell the Doublemeat Palace grease off of Buffy. "What's that smell? Jeez, Slayer, is that you?"

"I've been working," Buffy told him defensively.

"Where, in a slaughterhouse?" the vampire asked.

Buffy pouted. "Doublemeat Palace."

The vampire started to back away. "Ooh. You know what? Let's just call it a night." We looked at him in surprise. "If it's all the same to you, and you've been eating that stuff, I'm not so sure I wanna bite you."

"You're dead," I told him. "You smell like it."

The vampire shrugged, nodding. 

"How do you get to say I'm the one who's stinky?" Buffy asked, pouting.

The vampire continued to back away. "Really, it's--it's cool. I'll just catch you next time."

I rolled my eyes, throwing my stake into the vampire's heart, watching him explode into dust, smirking triumphantly.

Buffy chuckled. She let the smirk fade, lowering her head to smell herself, realizing that she did stink badly. She looked at me sadly.

I chuckled, shaking my head. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"You, too," Buffy told me.

We headed off separate ways.

  ••••••  

I was just now getting home, walking up to the house, stopping when I sensed him nearby, sighing. "Hi, Spike."

I turned around.

Spike walked out from behind a nearby tree. "Ah, it's a fair cop. You caught me, Slayer. However, in all honesty, I think we have to say this one doesn't count. After all, I wasn't exactly hiding."

Spike walked toward me.

"No, Spike," I told him.

"No?" Spike repeated. "What kind of answer is that? You haven't even heard the question yet."

"I don't have to," I told him. "We both know what you're thinking."

Spike smiled. "And we both know... that I'm not the only one thinking it."