Caring: Not a Bad Thing
by Lori J
I almost got a pager once. You know, just in case anyone needed to reach me
really fast or something. Like Buffy or Willow. Giles, even.
Then I realized that it was a stupid idea.
Better to be in the dark about how little they need me than waste money on
something that's never going to get used. I'd rather stay ignorant. It's
easier.
I do, however, have a phone. My own line and everything. Mom has a tendency
to listen in on my conversations and I'd rather she not hear what I do in my
spare time.
It's nothing fancy. The phone, that is. Plain. White. Boring. *Really*
annoying ring.
Really, really annoying.
Said phone is currently ringing an off-kilter tune in my ear while I try to
pretend I don't hear it. Contrary to popular belief, covering your ears with
a pillow does not block out sound. Just as I decide to open one eye and
fumble for the phone, it stops ringing.
Ahh, the sound of silence. 'Tis a beautiful thing.
Sleep was beckoning me back into her embrace and I was going willingly
until...
"Xander, phone."
And hey, look who forgot they had sex with Spike last night?
Has to be him. There isn't an overabundance of English vampires in my bed at
the moment. Blond English vampires.
*Sexy* blond English vampires.
There are downsides to getting hard at the drop of a hat. Right now is one
of those downsides. How can I be expected to concentrate on anything when I
have a naked Spike leering at me when I reach for the phone?
Ouch!
Apparently mind-blowing sex will also make you forget that a demon played
'Let's throw Xander into a wall' yesterday.
Spike gives me what I think is a concerned look. I give what I hope is a
reassuring smile back as I reach for the phone. This time with my good arm.
He hands it over and mouths something that looks like 'buppy,' which I take
to mean that Buffy is on the phone.
"Hello?"
"Xander! Hi! It's Buffy." Teenybopper Buffy is making her appearance today.
There should be laws against being that cheerful. "So it is."
"Giles wants to know if you're up for a research party? Looks like there
might be another something yucky trying to fulfill some prophecy or
something."
"Oh, joy." Words cannot fathom how non-thrilled I am to hear that. Buffy
calling refutes the idea that I'm not needed. Any other time I'd be all for
it, but the cool hand that's traveling up my thigh has other ideas. "I'd
love to, bu--"
"Great! I knew we could count on you, Xan. See you in a couple of hours?"
"Um."
"Cool. Bye!"
I hang up the phone feeling a little like I was at ground zero when the
A-bomb went off. Conversations with Buffy will do that to a guy. She's very
peppy at times.
What just happened? Somehow I've been roped into a research session at
Giles' place instead of spending the day in bed recuperating and having sex.
Life just isn't fair.
"So what did the Slayer want, pet?"
Just the person I was looking for. My very own
completely-poseable-clothing-removeable-keep away from small
children-anatomically-correct William the Bloody. Who is, at the moment,
doing his very best to get me in the mood.
"Who?" I have great respect for whoever created fingers. Wonderful
invention. Should be nominated for a Nobel Prize or something.
Spike grins down at me before swooping in for a long, long kiss. "The
Slayer." He says after I can think again. "What." Kiss. "Did." Slightly
longer kiss. "She." Kiss with tongue. "Want?" Kiss.
"I think I need sex to refresh my memory."
"Do you now?"
I nod, trying to look as serious as possible. "Yep. I have a medical
condition."
Spike plays his part, a doubtful tone in his voice. "A medical condition?"
"Oh, yes. My brain can't function without sex. Needs a minimum of two times
a day to work properly."
"You don't say. *Two* times, eh?"
"At the very least."
"Well," Spike says, giving me a serious look indeed, "Guess I'll have to do
my part. For the greater good and all that."
"My brain will thank you for it. Just as soon as it gets sex."
Maybe today won't be all bad.
tbc...
