Eyes Like Ice

By the time I reached my bedroom, all of my wounds were completely healed. Looking at my pale neck in the bathroom mirror made me think about Riley and the wound I had given him by biting him. I had meant to take care of that for him, but I had forgotten. Hopefully he was capable of taking care of the injury himself.

A while later, I was showered, dressed, and on my way to school. When I entered the choir room, I found that Riley had actually gotten there before me for once. I also noticed that his neck was bandaged.

"Hi, Raven!" the human greeted me brightly.

"Hello, Riley. How is your neck doing?" I questioned as I sat down beside him.

"It's all right," he answered with a smile. "How are your wounds?"

"Fully healed, thanks to your and Dominick's blood."

"I'm glad I was able to help," Riley said, though his smile had wavered slightly at Dominick's name.

A few minutes later, class began, and so did my boring, uneventful school day.

-

I walked out of the school's front doors at two-thirty and found Riley waiting for me with a smile on his face.

"Can I walk you home today, Raven?" he asked, beginning to walk alongside me as I continued down the sidewalk.

"I'm not going home quite yet, actually," I informed him, staring at the ground before me.

"Oh...Where are you going, then?"

"Spike's." He stopped walking suddenly, so I stopped and turned to look at him. "What's wrong?"

"Why do you have to go to Spike's?" he asked softly, now looking at the ground sadly.

"I need to talk to him about something."

"What?"

"Just...something, Riley. You don't need to worry about it."

"Can I come?"

"No," I answered simply.

He gritted his teeth for a moment, glaring at the sidewalk, then he said, "You're going to sleep with him again, aren't you?"

"No. I'm just going to talk to him."

"Then why can't I come?"

"Because you don't need to."

"But-"

"Riley, you can't come. That's it. No negotiation." I turned and began to walk away from the poor boy. "I'll see you tomorrow."

He just stood there, watching me go, and I soon disappeared from view.

-

I knocked on Spike's door once, and almost immediately found the vampire standing before me. He looked frantic, which seemed very odd for someone as naturally calm as him.

"Raven! I'm so glad you're here!" he said as he grabbed my arm and pulled me into the mansion, slamming the door shut behind me.

"Why?" I asked, cocking an eyebrow at the panicking male as he dragged me toward the stairs.

"I just got a letter from my mother. She's coming here. Tonight!"

"What does that have to do with me?" We entered Spike's bedroom, and he let go of my arm before rushing over to the wardrobe across the room from the doorway.

"Well...uh...you know how I told you that she thought I had a wife at one time?" he asked while throwing the doors of the armoire open and begginning to look through it.

"Yes," I said slowly, not liking where this was going.

"Well, she...might be under the impression that I still have one."

"And you expect me to pose as this wife of yours, right?"

"Yes. If you wouldn't mind, that is," he said, pulling a black silk gown out of the wardrobe and studying it.

"Do I even look old enough to be married to you?" I questioned while watching him.

"Yes. I told her that my last wife died, and I recently married another young woman. I may have even said that she was a...Levellua..."

"So we've only been married for a week or two, then?" I asked, coolly raising my eyebrows.

"Ah...Yes..." Spike replied, carefully avoiding my gaze while laying the dress on his bed and heading back to the wardrobe.

"You planned this whole thing out on the day you met me, didn't you?"

"No. I had told her that my wife had died, and just to keep her from trying to find me another female to wed, I told her that I had almost immediately married another woman. I just remembered you from our meeting earlier that night, so I decided to use you as a model for this imaginary wife of mine."

"Lovely," I sighed.

"My apologies." Spike found a pair of shoes in the wardrobe to match the dress, then he said, "There. That's what I'm going to need you to be wearing at sundown, when Mother arrives."

"All right. What do you expect me to do until then?"

"Mm...Was there a reason you came here?" he questioned while walking over to me, seeming far calmer now that I had agreed to pose as his wife.

"I wanted to talk to you about something."

"What?"

"Your possessiveness issues."

"I don't have any possessiveness issues," he stated as he turned and walked away from me, beginning to pace around the room.

"Yes, you do. You nearly snapped and killed Dominick and Riley."

"I just tend to get protective of the people I feed from," the vampire mumbled, keeping his gaze on the floor. "That's all."

"But they weren't even hurting me, Spike. How can you protect me from something that isn't even a threat to me?"

"They were hurting you. Dominick was biting you, and Riley..."

"Riley was kneeling beside me to see if I was all right. How does that hurt me?"

The male froze beside the bed with his back to me, remaining silent until he muttered, "You know, I think I might have some better dresses in one of the guest rooms." He turned and headed for the door, but I blocked his path, causing him to stop and instantly look down at the ground at my feet.

"Spike, why have you gotten so possessive of me?"

"I haven't."

"You have."

"No, I haven't."

"Yes, you have."

"Does it displease you?" he asked, done lying, apparently.

"Somewhat. It's almost flattering in a way, but I don't like that you seem to want to hurt Dominick and Riley so much. Especially Riley. I mean, he's just a human. Where Dominick could probably hold his own against you, Riley couldn't. He's...weaker than you."

"Weak, huh?" a soft voice asked from the doorway. I turned to find Riley standing there, looking incredibly hurt.

"No, Riley. I just meant-"

"I know what you meant, Raven. I'm weaker than them, right? Too weak for you?"

"Riley, no. That's not-"

"I'm sorry I'm not strong enough to protect you like Spike and Dominick. I'll just...leave you alone..." The sad human then turned and headed away from the room.

I stared at the doorway for a moment, then I looked over at Spike. "I'll be back by sundown," was all I said before I went after Riley.

I caught up to the boy just as he was leaving Spike's property.

"What do you want, Raven?" he asked in that pitiful, depressed voice of his.

I moved so I was standing in front of him, forcing him to stop and stare at my shoes. "You are weaker than them, Riley, but that doesn't mean you can't protect me. I saw the way you fought in Carpenter's home, and I know that you could defend me if I needed it." I felt an odd urge to touch him, and I went along with the impulse, reaching out and running my fingers along his cheek gently. "You're stronger than a lot of other humans, Riley," I told him softly, now lightly touching his jaw, "but you're no vampire or Levellua. I know you would sacrifice yourself for my safety, though, so you're..." I gently took his chin and tilted his head back, forcing him to look at me as I finished quietly, "You're more than strong enough for me, Riley."

His brown eyes widened at this, and he seemed as if he couldn't believe it. "But...I could...In a fight...I'd never be able to protect you...Doesn't that make me weak?"

I shook my head slowly. "No. You're strong, Riley," I told him, letting my hand fall away from his face. "I know you could protect me if you needed to."

He simply stared at me for a moment, then he threw himself at me, his arms going around me. "Thank you, Raven!" he nearly yelled as he hugged me.

I staggered back when his body slammed into mine, but I quickly managed to catch myself. "You're...um...you're welcome," I said, hesitantly putting my arms around him. "I should probably get going now, though."

He released me and stepped back, cocking his head. "Where are you going now?"

"Home. If I'm going to meet Spike's mother, I should try to look as presentable as possible, right?"

"I guess so," he said, his head tilting the other way.

I nodded. "I'll see you tomorrow, then."

"Mhm!" he agreed, smiling. "Have fun with Spike's mom!"

"I'll try." And with that, I turned and headed off in the direction of Miss Lumberton's mansion.

-

I arrived at Spike's mansion just before the sun went down, this time having to knock a few times before the door finally opened.

"Wow," I said, my eyebrows raising as I looked the vampire over with my pale blue eyes. To put it simply, he looked damn good in a tuxedo.

"Thank you, I suppose. Your dress is still upstairs in my bedroom," he told me.

I nodded, then went up the stairs and into his bedroom. I decided to get dressed right there with the door hanging wide open, never having been very shy or modest or anything. The dress was a simple black evening gown, and it fit me almost perfectly. It was just tight enough at my waist and chest, getting looser at the skirt, which nearly reached the floor. The dress had off-the-shoulder sleeves, and though I'd never really liked dresses, I didn't mind this one.

Spike entered the room when I was putting the shoes he had picked out on. "Are you going to do anything with your hair?"

"I hadn't planned on it," I answered, finishing with the shoes and standing up.

"Good," he said simply before looking me over. The faintest smile reached his lips. "You look beautiful."

"Thank you," I replied. "You look nice as well."

"Thank you. Now, let's get downstairs. She should be arriving at any-" A knock on the door cut him off, and I watched as panic rapidly set in again. "Oh, God. She's here."

"Relax," I told him. "This is going to be a nice evening, and everything's going to go well."

He nodded slowly. "Yes. You're right." He offered me his arm and said, "Let's go meet my mother."

I took the proffered limb and gave a single nod. Then, we went down the stairs and to the front door. Spike released my arm and took a moment to compose himself, then he opened the door.

"Hello, Spike," the woman standing outside said with a slightly eerie-seeming smile. Even I couldn't deny that she was rather pretty, though. Black hair falling in gentle waves to her waist, dark blue eyes, pale, flawless skin...I now knew where Spike got his incredibly good looks.

"Mother. It's nice to see you again," Spike said in his usual emotionless tone, stepping aside to let the woman in. She ended up standing beside me, and I realized that I was a few inches taller than her. So he got his height from his father...

"I feel the same way, darling," the vampire said with that same creepy smile. She then turned to me and asked, "Is this your lovely wife?"

"Yes. This is Raven," Spike said as he walked over to my side and took my hand gently. "Raven, this is my mother, C-"

"Camilla May Manson." Her smile remained. "A rather bland name, I know."

"I think it's very beautiful, Miss Manson," I said while giving a slight curtsey.

Camilla laughed. "She's a sweetie, isn't she, Spike? Is that why you married her?"

"Partially," Spike answered as I straightened from my curtsey. "She's also strong, kind, and incredibly intelligent."

"Good qualities to have," the female vampire said as she studied me. She looked over at her son suddenly and asked bluntly, "How good is she in bed?"

Spike's face flamed, and I knew that I would've been laughing myself into a coma if I could have. As it was, all I could do was look from mother to child and wonder what the male would say.

"I...uh...I..."

I put one of my arms around his, using my free hand to take his. As I rested my head on his shoulder, I said, "What he means to say is that I'm great."

Camilla laughed at this and said, "I love her, Spike. You picked a good one this time."

"I know," Spike said quietly, giving me a soft smile.

"So, Spiky...Would you like to give me a tour of your home?" Camilla asked after a moment, looking around the entrance hall.

"Of course," the male answered. "Please, follow me."

I just trailed behind the vampires during the tour, feeling oddly out of place with them. They were both vampires, and related to each other, no less, while I was a Levellua who wasn't a part of their family.

Hell, I didn't even have a family of my own.

I didn't really mind, though, so I just continued to follow them until we found ourselves in one of the many sitting rooms in Spike's large mansion. Luckily, it wasn't the one we had had sex in. This one was slightly smaller, and there was only a couch and a chair situated inside.

"You have a very nice home," Camilla commented as she sat in the chair, leaving Spike and me to sit together on the couch.

"Thank you," Spike replied, inclining his head for a moment.

We were all silent for a few seconds, then Camilla got to her feet. "I should probably get going."

Spike stood, seeming the slightest bit surprised. "Already? But you just got here."

"I know, but I've already seen everything I needed to see." The woman smiled, this one seeming warmer than her usual creepy ones. "I approve of your wife, and I approve of your home. Why would I need to stay any longer?"

"All right. If that's how you feel..."

"I'll come visit you again sometime, okay?" The woman gave her son a kiss on the forehead, having to stand on her tiptoes and force him to bend down slightly to do so, then she went over to me. "And you...It was nice meeting you, Raven."

"Likewise, Miss Manson," I said as I got to my feet, giving another short curtsey and straightening. She leaned up, and I thought she was just going to give me a hug or something, then go, but that's nowhere near what happened. Much to my surprise, she kissed me. Not just a little peck on the cheek or anything, either. A full-on kiss on the mouth. She pulled away after a moment, and I just stood there, actually stunned.

"Goodbye, Raven," the woman said with a smile before leaving the sitting room. I continued to just stand there while Spike went after the woman, walking her to the door.

When he returned a minute later, I was still standing there. "Sorry about that," he apologized as he walked over to me.

"It's all right. But...why...?"

"She did that to my last three 'wives.' She says she does it to test my wife's love for me. If they stay with me even after finding out just how strange my mother is, they love me and are good enough for me. If they leave me just because my mother's a freak...Well, obviously, they don't love me." He let a slight frown show. "I've lost three friends because of her."

"Don't worry. I won't be another one to leave you."

"Really?" he asked, now seeming ever so slightly surprised.

"Yes. I'm used to strange things. I'd like to go home and use as much mouthwash as I possibly can, though, if you don't mind."

"Of course. Would you like to change first?"

"No. I'll just take my clothes with me."

"All right. Feel free to keep the dress, and thank you for helping me."

"Okay, and you're welcome." And with that, I went upstairs to get my clothes, and then I left. The whole walk back to Miss Lumberton's mansion was filled with the same thought, repeated over and over and over again...

What. The. Hell?