Spike had found a man with two children still in strollers and had brought them to Dru. When he opened the door to the hotel room, he found it empty of all but her scent. Scowling at the family, Spike snarled, “Today looks to be your lucky day. Run along home and stay indoors at night!” With that, he shoved the man and the stroller out the door and took off after Dru, determined to find her.
He jumped over a car that was in his way still following the scent before it faded with the wind, urgent in his pursuit. How did she move so fast, hungry as she was and with the headache she must have after his repeated blows? Spike sniffed again and caught a trace of her coming out of a convenience store. Spotting the crowd of people shouting and crying, he figured she had just now fed. He chased her scent a bit further and then suddenly it vanished completely!
Spike kicked a nearby car so hard he had to hop up and down on the other foot, all the while cursing himself for feeling like a bloody ponce. All his effort to rescue Dru at the mansion, to have her love him again, and she just took off! He closed his eyes against the pain, just for a moment, then grabbed some innocent wanker walking by and drained him hoping to think more clearly. If Dru was pining for her daddy, wouldn’t she probably return to Sunnydale? He headed back to the hotel to pack, dreading both the long drive and what he might find at the end of it.
Buffy awoke on the floor of the entryway, her eyes hurting along with the rest of her. She sighed, and got to her feet, noticing she was also hungry. Realizing she hadn’t eaten since yesterday, she made herself another peanut butter and jelly sandwich. It was tempting to have some soup with it, but decided it was better to save that for lunch, knowing that she needed to eat at least 2 meals a day. Sighing again, Buffy turned on the television and determined not to feel sorry for herself she found a Monty Python movie guaranteed to make her laugh. For some reason, it made her think of Spike, of all people.
Just as she was settling on the couch, she heard a scratching at the door. Seeing nothing through the glass pane, she cautiously opened the door to a cat. It graciously allowed her to pick it up, so she asked, “Do you live here, Kitty? Are you hungry? I have tuna.” Buffy carried it into the kitchen and when she put it down the cat scratched at a cabinet door near the stove. Locating a bag of cat food inside, she brought it over to the two small dishes side by side on a mat. After pouring a little food into one bowl, Buffy took the second over to the sink and filled it with water, all the while watching the cat as it devoured breakfast. Following it into a laundry room she hadn’t seen the day before, she noticed a clean litter box under a shelf holding laundry detergent. She shrugged and went back to the living room to watch the movie.
Shortly after she settled in, the cat jumped into her lap, and she stroked its soft fur. Although enjoying the comfort, she felt the need to warn, “It’s dangerous to be around me kitty, but you don’t know that, do you? Although, I guess you’re lucky I’m here, because the vamps probably would have snacked on you today. Perhaps you’re a lucky cat, then. Shall I call you Lucky? Do you like that?” Buffy smiled down at the snoozing feline, comforted by the purr as she returned to the movie.
Spike was driving fast, muttering, “Bloody Slayer ruined my life! Shagging Peaches so he loses his soul and steals my girl!” He banged his hand on the steering wheel in frustration and frowned as it occurred to him, "Who am I kidding? Dru always had a thing for her daddy even before Buffy's little fling. Only reason she stayed with me is ‘cause the poof got a soul shoved into him and left us. But it was perfect until Buffy came along!” He felt like hitting something as he slammed on the gas.
Spike’s thoughts returned to Buffy remembering the fear in her eyes at being cornered by Angelus. He fumed, wondering why he was feeling a tad bit of guilt. He had lived up to his end of the bargain. He HAD! He cracked his neck and the muttering resumed. “Well, mostly. It wasn't like I agreed to take out Angelus for her, never said I’d save her life. I just agreed to keep Dru busy while she fought Angelus, and I did! It was her idea that we leave and never come back." He sighed then, reflecting, "Well, I sort of offered but that isn't the point. I wasn't obligated to do anything more than I did so why should I care what happened to her."
Spike allowed his anger and frustration with the unfamiliar twinge of regret to build up, gripping the steering wheel hard. It took every bit of control he had left not to rip it off in his fury. Growling through gritted teeth, he snarled, "That's why you don't make deals with the enemy! They end up weaving their pathetic way into your mind and guilt you for no reason. Bloody Hell!"
He rolled his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to clear his mind. He fondly remembered a time when he would have just jumped into the fight and drained her himself, enjoying the power of her blood. What had possessed him to stick around, make deals with her, apologize for Angelus's actions, and worst of all, saving her damn mum from a random vamp? Well, he didn’t really mind saving her mum—nice lady she was.
Then his thoughts bounced back to Dru. She’d needed healing, but that didn’t mean he had to be all nicey-nice with the Slayer. He’d been so focused on his ripe, wicked plum for so long, he’d just now realized that Dru really didn't really care for him the way that he did for her. She seemed in fact bitter and determined to make him suffer because he had taken her from the mansion. She didn't seem to consider that Buffy was going to kill her because she’d she bagged the other Slayer.
Spike lit up a cigarette hoping to calm his nerves for the long drive back to Sunnyhell. Of course, then his mind decided to play devil's advocate and remind him that his Black Goddess didn’t want him, only her precious Daddy. He cursed again, and popped in the Sex Pistols, cranking the volume to take his mind off Dru, the Slayer and everything else waiting for him in that God forsaken Hell Mouth.
.
Buffy had spent the time after her movie, eating a can of the soup and feeding Lucky. No longer hungry, she decided a shower to clean up and a change into a clean outfit would make her feel a little more like herself and less pathetic. She knew the food would soon be running low, and caring for Lucky meant needing cat food and litter, too. It naturally followed that perhaps it was time to find a job.
She stepped outside into the late afternoon and wandered down the street checking out the neighborhood. About two blocks along, Buffy saw a diner that, wonder of wonders, had a “Help Wanted” sign in the window. She was only 17 and had never worked before but waitressing couldn’t be that hard to learn and besides, the sign said “No Experience Necessary”. She took a deep breath and looked down at her outfit. The black skirt and white peasant blouse were simple but tidy, so she pushed the door open and hoped for the best.
The odor of old grease made Buffy’s stomach turn but she sternly told herself “You don’t have to eat it, just bring it people who want it.” With that she walked up to the counter and forced out in a cheerfully false voice, “Hi there. I’m looking for a job. My name is Anne.”
The owner, a middle-aged man with a gray crew-cut and an apparent fondness for whatever he cooked in grease that came out from behind the counter and asked, “Ever waitress before?”
Buffy responded with a rueful shake of her head, “No sir, but I’m strong and I learn fast. And I really need a job” she added almost desperately.
He regarded Buffy closely, then nodded and asked, “Can you start immediately?”
Stunned, Buffy replied, “I guess so.”
He said, “I’ll give you a try. Locker 10 in the back has uniforms. Find one that fits you, and write your name on a blank nametag on the desk, and you can start as soon as you get changed. Payday is Friday. That suit you?”
Buffy nodded in disbelief, and went to start her new job.
Spike grinned after mowing down the “Sunnydale Welcomes You!” sign and drove straight to the mansion. He found no Dru, who had definitely been there as all her stuff was gone, but her scent was recent. Frowning that his pursuit would soon be interrupted by daylight, he figured he’d rest in his old room until nightfall. He’d find his dark princess tonight and beat her until she stopped wailing about the damn wanker and started loving him back. He would win. He WOULD!
Spike stripped after ensuring he had an outfit for the next day in his old closet. It was uncomfortable being back in the mansion. His wheelchair was there taunting him, but at least Acathla had been removed, probably to a bloody museum. Muttering to himself as he climbed into bed, “Un-fucking-believable is what this whole mess is! It was supposed to be a simple thing, but I’m definitely paying the price for helping the Slayer.” Thinking again of Buffy’s eyes that awful night, Spike continued, “I think I’ll stop by Buffy’s mum’s place tomorrow and see if the bint actually lived.” With that he closed his eyes and fell asleep, not yet realizing how completely he had changed himself and his world through the truce with the Slayer.