Work Text:
The Infinite Benefits of Open-Mindedness
By FemailoftheSpecies
cafedemonde@yahoo.com
The constant drip of Demerol kept her groggy at best. He knows that she didn't truly notice that he was there...over her bed, watching her fade in and out of sleep. For her it was something like a dream.
Or nightmare.
Spike smiled at the nurse as she passed by, glancing at him cheerfully. In her mind, he was the dutiful boyfriend keeping a nightly vigil over his injured love. He had been candid with the woman, explaining how her parents did not approved of him because he was working his way through college. She was, therefore, very cooperative, allowing him to come in past visiting hours and stay until near sunrise, as well as discrete, never mentioning his visits to the Chase's when they came every evening to see their daughter. She gave him a small wave and disappeared from his view, taking her tempting heartbeat with her. The smile disintegrated eerily once it was not needed and the cold mask of indifference, deceiving if one considered his thoughts, carefully resumed its position. Later, when he no longer needed her assistance, he would thank the woman properly.
Shifting in his chair, he moved closer to the human sleeping before him. He regarded her carefully. She was a stunningly attractive girl; her bone structure and body were superb. He saw that now, but chided himself for overlooking her since coming to Sunnydale. Killing the slayer and curing Drusilla had been first and foremost on his agenda the year before.
Now he was a little more open-minded.
She stirred, the pain beginning to awaken her. And he leaned over to place a soft kiss on her warm forehead before leaving. It would be dawn soon.
****
The hotel was nothing close to luxury, but met his needs adequately. The draperies were heavy and thick, a sufficient barrier between him and the bright and beautiful enemy. He woke quickly, day was still quite young, but he could not sleep anymore right now. Scooting up until he sat with his back against the headboard, he lit a cigarette and settled in to consider his options.
No one knew he was in town. They all thought he was on his way to Brazil to find his beloved Princess. He had every intention of doing just that, but was understandably detoured. He did leave and made it nearly twenty miles outside of town before turning around to get the girl.
It had been a different girl at the time. One with brilliant red hair, huge green eyes and the sweet, delightful scent of a virgin. Of course they were gone, rescued from the factory, perhaps by his ponce of a sire and his bitch in heat. He did not know for sure and did not care as he followed the little witch's scent. To his surprise he discovered an amusing drama unfolding.
And Cordelia.
For three nights he had been waiting, patiently and it was wearing him down. Tonight he would hunt until late, being sure to remain unseen by those who would love to betray him to the mayor, and then go collect the dark-haired beauty.
****
They had been giving her less and less of the pain killer as the day went by so that now she felt nearly coherent. Xander had been by earlier. Her face crumbled as she began to cry again. Hot, silent tears skipped along her cheeks.
A noise in the room startled her and she flinched, wincing a little, as he took form as if from shadow.
Her gasp was loud and she instinctively reached for the 'call nurse' button, but his speed as he stopped her left her breathless, and defenseless as well.
"Spike..." she panted, her eyes wide, doe-like.
"Cordelia." He greeted her casually. "You're looking better. How do you feel?"
She frowned, biting her bottom lip as her eyes darted to the closed door. She managed to answer, somehow understanding that keeping up her end of the conversation was important. "Better. I heard you were gone."
He smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, I was. Came back for something."
As the hairs on the back of her neck rose, she lunged for the phone, failing and crying out in pain as she tore a stitch.
He sighed and gazed at her with warmth and compassion. He was a consummate actor. "Don't you want them to pay, pet? For hurting you?"
"Them to pay?" The thought had crossed her mind...every coherent moment. "What about you? You kidnapped them. Got them in the impending death situation."
He laughed at that. "Oh, you are cute when you're stupid. Those two were all over each other long before I came along." She shook her head, clearly not wanting to accept this, but he pressed on. "I could smell it, luv. Surprised her bloody wolf didn't notice it." He sat down, confident that she would not attempt anything else for a while.
"No...they were just..."
"The witch was casting a de-lusting spell when I took them. Saw her in the magic shop when she went to get the ingredients. That's why I thought she could help me." He wagged his index finger at her knowingly.
"And she still can," she offered. There was no love lost between her and Willow Rosenberg at the moment. "Do you need her address? A cab?" Cordelia inquired helpfully. She wanted him gone.
His smile was indulgent. It was an omen. He would be wearing it many times in his future. "No...I've found what I want."
She glanced around, willing herself not to cry and her jaw set in that way it did when she was resigned. Asking the question was dumb, she knew that, but she would not play cat and mouse with the vampire. He was here for a reason. Nothing Spike did was random.
"And what do you want?"
There was that smile again, as if he were dealing with a child.
His fangs were in her before she saw him coming; any noise she might have made was muffled by a powerful hand clamped over her mouth. Enthralled by the dying, she gave up the struggle, her blood drained from her body too quickly, making her too weak to fight any longer.
He pulled away when she was close to death, a look of maniacal glee on his face as he sliced into his wrist and fed her his blood, his demon. She would know only darkness soon. His world was beautiful, cold and brutal, something to share.
And together they make would make them all pay.
End