Till the End of Time: Chapter Eighteen
So sorry I haven't been able to get to those that left reviews for Immortal Beloved. Please know that I appreciate it, that I love to hear from you and I love you! :) Thanks. This is a short chapter, but better than nothing, right?
Henry came in to a burst of laughter in Vicki’s room, though only he seemed to notice her wince as she laughed. He frowned at that and stepped forward, nearly pushing Xander aside as he took his place beside her. “Are you all right?” he murmured, taking in her form.
“I’m fine,” she assured him.
“Don’t lie to me. If you’re in pain, tell me so I can get the nurse or the doctor to get you something-“
“Henry,” she implored him, taking his hand and squeezing, “I’m fine.”
“Okay guys, that’s our cue,” Buffy announced.
“Wait a bloody minute here. I didn’t get to see her yet,” Spike said pushing his way to her other side. Smiling gently down at her, Spike asked softly, “How you doin’ pet?”
Vicki smiled up at him, “I’m all right, Spike.”
“Sure? I wouldn’t want you worryin’ him over there. He’s got his knickers all in a twist-“
“Spike,” Henry began on sigh.
“-and I know he’d have trouble sleepin’ if he thought you were in pain.”
Vicki knit her brows together and frowned slightly. “Okay, I’m in a little pain,” she admitted.
Henry clenched his jaw in frustration. He asks and she’s fine, Spike asks, and she tells the truth. “Vicki--” he started, tersely.
“I’ll get the nurse then,” Spike said, cutting him off and shooting him a look to shut up.
“We’ll help,” Buffy chirped and Willow and Xander mumbled their willingness to help as well.
Once they’d all filed out of the room, Henry looked down at her, ready to lay into her no matter the warning he’d gotten from Spike to keep his mouth shut.
“I didn’t want to worry you, Henry,” she told him before he could start.
He blinked, “What?”
“I didn’t want to worry so I didn’t want to tell you I was in pain. I was going to call the nurse as soon as everyone was gone. Tylenol is just not touching it.”
“Why did you tell Spike then?” he asked, having a hard time keeping the frustration out of his voice.
“Because…because I felt guilty thinking of you worrying about me like that. Happy?”
Henry crossed his arms across his chest. “Is that the truth?”
She shot him a look, “You know I’m a horrible liar.”
“Vicki, I want you to be honest with me, nothing but honest. You usually are brutal about it, so why stop now?”
Looking down, she picked at the flimsy blanket covering her legs. “No reason.”
“Vicki,” he said warningly, drawing her name out.
She looked off, her eyes darting across the room and she pursed her lips together.
“Talk to me,” he said, sitting before her, forcing her to look at him.
She sighed heavily and continued to pick at her blanket, refusing to look at him, at least directly. “I know that you’re normally protective of me, but,” she nibbled her bottom lip, and Henry could see the wheels turning in her mind. He waited, patiently. “But I’m not used to you being as worried as you were tonight. It was intense. You were intense. Before I just kind of shrugged off your protectiveness even if a part of me liked it, but tonight I - I found it a little difficult to ignore. It confused me. You confuse me.”
“How do I confuse you?” he asked softly, grabbing her hand gently and stroking his thumb over her knuckles.
“Because I know you care about me, but…it was different tonight.”
He smirked, “Because it was more like I was your lover than just a friend who happens to care?”
Her silence answered his question.
“Victoria,” he whispered, surprised to find his voice shaky, “I-“
She shook her head, effectively cutting him off. “Don’t Henry. Not now.”
“You don’t even know what I’m going to say.”
“I can guess…a little. I don’t want any kind of…umm…confession to come out after an accident.”
Henry pursed his lips together, trying to reign in his temper. “So when would you like it?”
"When you're sure you mean it and not just because you're worried."
"Vicki, when have I ever said anything just on whim, hmm?"
"I've seen you work your charm, Mr. Fitzroy," she told him, wagging a finger at him, "I've seen you smooth talk to get what you want."
He leaned forward, settling his hands on either side of her, pinning her with his body and his gaze. "I have never lied to you; I have never played games with you--"
She snorted at that and his eyes bore into her all the more. She gulped, staring up at him. "When it comes to how I feel about you, Vicki Nelson, I have never and would never lie to you." He straightened then, peered down at her, "I'm going to make sure you get something for the pain and then I'm going to sleep. I will be back tomorrow."
She nodded silently and before she could even blink, Henry kissed her, whispered, "I love you," and was out the door. All Vicki could do was stare at the doorway, her mouth hanging open.
*********
“Tell me again how it wasn’t Anya,” Xander said for possibly the fifth time since he, Buffy, Spike and Willow had left the hospital.
“Pet,” Spike said warningly to Buffy and that was all the clue she needed.
“Xander, it wasn’t her, now stop asking,” Buffy shot over her shoulder at her friend. The last thing she wanted was for Xander and Spike to start going at it.
“What is this? You’re taking his side?” Xander barked on a whine.
Buffy sighed wearily and turned to her friend. “I’m not taking sides, and if I am, I’m taking my side right now. I’m tired, it’s late, Vicki’s been hurt, The Bronze is in pieces again, and I just want to go home and get some sleep. I understand that you’re worried about Anya, but she wasn’t the one that did it and I am with Spike in that I don’t want to hear it anymore. If you’re concerned, tell Anya I’m after her friend now and suggest to her that perhaps she doesn’t want to follow in her footsteps of I’ll be after her too.”
Xander stood, gaping, open-mouthed at his friend. Willow patted his back sympathetically and kept silent.
Spike beamed at his Slayer and tugged on her arm. “Come on, luv. I ever tell you I’m great at massages?”
“Don’t even start, Spike.”
“I’m just sayin’.”
“You never just say,” Buffy returned, giggling despite herself. “But if you want, I can make some hot chocolate. I think this is a hot chocolate night.”
“Marshmallows?”
“Of course! It’d be sacrilege not to.”
“Something I’m quite familiar with,” Spike mused causing Buffy to giggle again.
Henry came in to a burst of laughter in Vicki’s room, though only he seemed to notice her wince as she laughed. He frowned at that and stepped forward, nearly pushing Xander aside as he took his place beside her. “Are you all right?” he murmured, taking in her form.
“I’m fine,” she assured him.
“Don’t lie to me. If you’re in pain, tell me so I can get the nurse or the doctor to get you something-“
“Henry,” she implored him, taking his hand and squeezing, “I’m fine.”
“Okay guys, that’s our cue,” Buffy announced.
“Wait a bloody minute here. I didn’t get to see her yet,” Spike said pushing his way to her other side. Smiling gently down at her, Spike asked softly, “How you doin’ pet?”
Vicki smiled up at him, “I’m all right, Spike.”
“Sure? I wouldn’t want you worryin’ him over there. He’s got his knickers all in a twist-“
“Spike,” Henry began on sigh.
“-and I know he’d have trouble sleepin’ if he thought you were in pain.”
Vicki knit her brows together and frowned slightly. “Okay, I’m in a little pain,” she admitted.
Henry clenched his jaw in frustration. He asks and she’s fine, Spike asks, and she tells the truth. “Vicki--” he started, tersely.
“I’ll get the nurse then,” Spike said, cutting him off and shooting him a look to shut up.
“We’ll help,” Buffy chirped and Willow and Xander mumbled their willingness to help as well.
Once they’d all filed out of the room, Henry looked down at her, ready to lay into her no matter the warning he’d gotten from Spike to keep his mouth shut.
“I didn’t want to worry you, Henry,” she told him before he could start.
He blinked, “What?”
“I didn’t want to worry so I didn’t want to tell you I was in pain. I was going to call the nurse as soon as everyone was gone. Tylenol is just not touching it.”
“Why did you tell Spike then?” he asked, having a hard time keeping the frustration out of his voice.
“Because…because I felt guilty thinking of you worrying about me like that. Happy?”
Henry crossed his arms across his chest. “Is that the truth?”
She shot him a look, “You know I’m a horrible liar.”
“Vicki, I want you to be honest with me, nothing but honest. You usually are brutal about it, so why stop now?”
Looking down, she picked at the flimsy blanket covering her legs. “No reason.”
“Vicki,” he said warningly, drawing her name out.
She looked off, her eyes darting across the room and she pursed her lips together.
“Talk to me,” he said, sitting before her, forcing her to look at him.
She sighed heavily and continued to pick at her blanket, refusing to look at him, at least directly. “I know that you’re normally protective of me, but,” she nibbled her bottom lip, and Henry could see the wheels turning in her mind. He waited, patiently. “But I’m not used to you being as worried as you were tonight. It was intense. You were intense. Before I just kind of shrugged off your protectiveness even if a part of me liked it, but tonight I - I found it a little difficult to ignore. It confused me. You confuse me.”
“How do I confuse you?” he asked softly, grabbing her hand gently and stroking his thumb over her knuckles.
“Because I know you care about me, but…it was different tonight.”
He smirked, “Because it was more like I was your lover than just a friend who happens to care?”
Her silence answered his question.
“Victoria,” he whispered, surprised to find his voice shaky, “I-“
She shook her head, effectively cutting him off. “Don’t Henry. Not now.”
“You don’t even know what I’m going to say.”
“I can guess…a little. I don’t want any kind of…umm…confession to come out after an accident.”
Henry pursed his lips together, trying to reign in his temper. “So when would you like it?”
"When you're sure you mean it and not just because you're worried."
"Vicki, when have I ever said anything just on whim, hmm?"
"I've seen you work your charm, Mr. Fitzroy," she told him, wagging a finger at him, "I've seen you smooth talk to get what you want."
He leaned forward, settling his hands on either side of her, pinning her with his body and his gaze. "I have never lied to you; I have never played games with you--"
She snorted at that and his eyes bore into her all the more. She gulped, staring up at him. "When it comes to how I feel about you, Vicki Nelson, I have never and would never lie to you." He straightened then, peered down at her, "I'm going to make sure you get something for the pain and then I'm going to sleep. I will be back tomorrow."
She nodded silently and before she could even blink, Henry kissed her, whispered, "I love you," and was out the door. All Vicki could do was stare at the doorway, her mouth hanging open.
*********
“Tell me again how it wasn’t Anya,” Xander said for possibly the fifth time since he, Buffy, Spike and Willow had left the hospital.
“Pet,” Spike said warningly to Buffy and that was all the clue she needed.
“Xander, it wasn’t her, now stop asking,” Buffy shot over her shoulder at her friend. The last thing she wanted was for Xander and Spike to start going at it.
“What is this? You’re taking his side?” Xander barked on a whine.
Buffy sighed wearily and turned to her friend. “I’m not taking sides, and if I am, I’m taking my side right now. I’m tired, it’s late, Vicki’s been hurt, The Bronze is in pieces again, and I just want to go home and get some sleep. I understand that you’re worried about Anya, but she wasn’t the one that did it and I am with Spike in that I don’t want to hear it anymore. If you’re concerned, tell Anya I’m after her friend now and suggest to her that perhaps she doesn’t want to follow in her footsteps of I’ll be after her too.”
Xander stood, gaping, open-mouthed at his friend. Willow patted his back sympathetically and kept silent.
Spike beamed at his Slayer and tugged on her arm. “Come on, luv. I ever tell you I’m great at massages?”
“Don’t even start, Spike.”
“I’m just sayin’.”
“You never just say,” Buffy returned, giggling despite herself. “But if you want, I can make some hot chocolate. I think this is a hot chocolate night.”
“Marshmallows?”
“Of course! It’d be sacrilege not to.”
“Something I’m quite familiar with,” Spike mused causing Buffy to giggle again.