Genesis 7- Let Me Go

Katherine groaned into her hands and Jinx growled beside her as they both watched Spikes’s new dog bark at the window. She raised an eyebrow at the kitchen, Spikes’s music bleeding into the living room, unfazed by the dog’s erratic barking. Katherine picked up a dog toy off of the floor and threw it at the wall beside Damon, hitting it hard enough to break the toy and leave a crack in the wall.
Damon jumped back whimpering, and Spikes rushed out of the kitchen, dish towel in hand. She rushed over to her dog, patting his head until he calmed down again.
“Did you have to scare Damon again?” Spikes asked as she walked up to Katherine, hands on her hips. “It’s not like he was chewing up any of your stuff this time.”
“His consistent barking over squirrels running by outside is going to make me deaf, and nothing makes him stop,” Katherine crossed her arms over her chest as she spoke, “That seems like a fairly good reason to scare the dog to me, and Jinx agrees.”
“He’s been around for six months now, Kitty,” Spikes groaned as she took a seat beside Katherine, “He’s a good boy; he’s just kind of dumb. Besides, Jinx hates him so her opinion doesn’t count.”
Katherine sighed and rolled her eyes, “He’s alright I guess.”
She laughed when Damon jumped onto the couch, his tail wagging in Spikes’s face. Spikes wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him backwards onto her lap.
“By the way Kitty, Xander is going to be stopping by soon,” Spikes kept her eyes on Damon as she spoke.
“Seriously? I thought we agreed on twenty four hours notice before he can stop by,” Katherine groaned. She leaned back on the couch before looking at Spikes.
“He just text me ten minutes ago asking if he could drop by and see me for a little bit,” Spikes ran her hands along Damon’s side.
“So he’s going to hook up with you and leave again basically?”
Spikes snarled and finally lifted her eyes to meet Katherine's. “Will you quit it with your puritanical hang ups over my relationship?”
“I’m sorry,” Katherine rolled her eyes. She lifted Jinx into her lap, running her fingertips beneath the cat’s collar, “I just don’t like the way he treats you. It’s like he just wants a fling, while you want an actual relationship.”
“You don’t know what I want, Kitty,” Spikes growled. Katherine met her gaze with a glare as she stood from the couch, Jinx still in her arms.
“Whether I know exactly what you want or not, doesn’t change that you need to have a serious talk with Mohawk-Guy. You two are not on the same page, and that I am positive of,” Katherine walked out of the living room, leaving the door open after she left. Spikes caught sight of his headlights in the window, but she wasn’t smiling. Katherine’s words repeated themselves in her head. Spikes shook her head, and stood to open the front door. She was only thinking about Katherine’s words because she had just said them. She inhaled as she stared into a mirror, practicing her grin before she open the door. Spikes sighed as she gripped the doorknob and waited for him to knock.
…

Spikes laid on her bed and watched Xander pull his pants back on. She leaned over, pulling his carton of cigarettes from the pocket of his leather jacket.
“You know I’m actually considering quitting,” Spikes muttered softly. She pulled one of the cigarettes out and placed it between her lips, “Kitty just makes it such a pain in the ass to smoke. Doesn’t really seem worth it anymore.”
“Okay,” He pulled his shirt on, leaving it unbuttoned as he turned to face her. His eyes looked her over briefly before resting his lips against her temple.
“You don’t care?” Spikes said as she sat up straight.
“Why would I?” Xander sat down on the bed and shoved his feet into his boots, “We’re not human. It’s not like it affects your health, so I don’t particularly care if you do or don’t. Is that a problem?”
“I guess not,” she let the unlit cigarette fall from her lips and onto the bed, “But I just wanted us to be on the same page.”
“I’m not going to quit just because you might, Spikes,” Xander picked up him carton of cigarettes.
“That’s not really what I meant,” Spikes got onto her knees and moved closer to Xander. She grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him closer. She rest her lips on his collar bone, “I care about you. Whether it’s something we particularly care about or not, I do feel like we should communicate a bit more.”
Xander grinned, his hands resting on her bare waist, “And what is it you want to communicate about?”
“Us,” Spikes said it softly, but Xander still tensed.
“I thought we were fine with things the way they are,” He growled, his hands dropped from her waist.
“We are fine, Xander. I just mean for the future,” She was quiet as she spoke, she kept her eyes off of his, “I know you aren’t the romantic type and I don’t expect you to be. I just want to know you’re as invested in this as I am.”
“Kat, said something didn’t she?” Xander rolled his eyes and turned away from Spikes.
“Don’t call her that. She hates that,” Spikes whispered and followed after him.
“Do you want to go out for dinner on Valentine’s day?” Spikes stopped and stared at him with wide unblinking eyes. He turned around, hand rubbing the back of his neck, “It’s in three days. Romance isn’t my thing, but I can try. If that’s what you want.”
Spikes grinned and wrapped her arms around Xander’s neck. She kissed his cheek before taking a step back, “It’s more than I hoped for, thank you.”
“You don’t have to thank me,” Xander bent over and kissed Spikes’s forehead. He pulled her into his arms and gently bit down on the nape of her neck, “Not until after dinner at least.”
Spikes shuddered and held back a giggled. Xander kissed her briefly and made his way towards the door.
“You’re sure about this. That you want this too?” Spikes stood in her doorway, grin plastered on her face. Xander stopped at the glass staircase that led to the living room. He looked back at her with a grin that didn’t quite reach his eyes, “Of course, Carissa.”
…

Katherine shivered as she stepped out of her car. She threw her jacket over her shoulders as she walked to the cliff edge, a smile on her lips as she stared over the edge at the water below. The water around the city were murky and black, but she watched with fascination as the waves crashed against the wall of earth.
She inhaled deeply and looked up at the city across the water. Skyscrapers glistened with the midday sun, the early winter carnival was in full swing, and on a hill separate from most of the city was the graveyard. A chill ran down her spine and she quickly averted her eyes from the graveyard and looked back to the water below.
“Kat?” Katherine felt her heart fall to her stomach at the sound of a familiar male voice. He called again but she stood frozen, her shaking hands gripping the railing.
She heard him get closer, and for a moment she wondered how much it would hurt to jump from the edge.
“Kat?” His voice was breathless as he grabbed her shoulder, forcing her face him. His eyes filled with tears as they met hers, “It is you.”
Katherine stood motionless as he wrapped his arms around her. She stood completely still as he cried, his grip tightening for a moment before finally taking a step back.
“Where did you go?” He wiped tears from his eyes as he took a step back, a grin now plastered on his face. “After I heard about what happened to your dad, I went straight to your house but it was almost completely burned down. I tried to call you but the line was disconnected.”
Katherine stared at him, her hands shaking. She opened her mouth to speak, but she couldn’t seem to find the words.
“I was so scared. The news kept saying only one body was found, but I was so scared you died to,” He wiped tears away from his eyes. He stepped forward and gripped her shoulders.
“Are your parents with you, David?” Her voice was hoarse as she cut off his words.
“No, they’re in the city though. They’re going to be so relieved to see that you’re okay,” His hand slid down her arm as he took her hand with his own and tried to pull her away from the cliffside, “You would not believe how upset they were when they heard the news-”
“No, I wouldn’t,” Katherine hissed and pulled her hand from his, “I have to go home, and you need to forget you saw me.”
David turned to look at her. His elated grin had been quickly replaced by a menacing look in his eyes, “What?”
“I left to get away from you people,” Katherine hissed. She took a step back, her backside hitting the railing, “I have no intention of you dragging me back now.”
“To get away from us people?” David’s voice started to get louder as he spoke, “You might want to clarify because I seem to be out of the loop. Last that I had checked I did nothing but love you and support you.”
“You wouldn’t understand David!” Katherine cried out, pressing against the railing.
“Why because I’m a stupid human?”
“You know that’s not how I feel about that.”
“Then explain it Kat!” David screamed, “Explain to me why you threw away a year long relationship without actually saying a damn word to me. Explain to me why you need to get away from me. Explain what the hell I did wrong because I thought we had something special.”
“I have to go David. Please, please don’t do this,” Tears filled Katherine’s eyes as she slid along the railing away from him.
“You owe me an explanation at the very least Kat,” David grabbed her hand, “You vanished without a trace. I’d hardly call it unreasonable for me to want to know why.”
“Please let go of me,” She whispered. Her arms shook and she kept her eyes on the ground. David released her hand. His hands crossed over his chest as he let out a small sigh.
“I guess I’m the idiot for assuming you’d be happy to see me.”
“David, stop that. You’re not an idiot,” Katherine took a step closer to him.
“If you had missed me, or cared for me at all then you would have found a way to talk to me,” David shook his head, his eyes on something in the distance, “Or at least give me the decency of a real break up.”
“My father was murdered, David. We had to leave. There wasn’t time,” Katherine groaned.
“It’s been almost two years, Kat. I’m sure you could have found an opportunity.”
“Please stop calling me Kat. I don’t go by it anymore,” Katherine wiped at her eyes before tears had the chance to fall.
“What is wrong with you?” David shouted, taking a step back, “How could you possibly think that is a priority right now?”
“I can’t do this, David,” Kat whimpered as she took another step away from him., “I have to go.”
Katherine ran through the snow. She ran into her car without looking back and drove away. She felt dizzy, her breathing labored as she pulled up to her home, collapsing on the patio steps as tears cascaded from her eyes. She couldn’t run anymore. That’s the thing about the past. No matter how fast you run, no matter how far you go. You’re going to have to face it one day, because it will always catch up to you. Always.

Genesis 6- Misguided Ghosts

Spikes and Xander stood stunned for a moment while Josh and Derek ran outside. Xander glared at Spikes for a moment before running after them. He was back within a minute, still glaring.
“Well they’re gone, and the cops are on their way,” Xander growled, messing up the hair on top of his head as he ran his hair down, “Why couldn’t you wait to have a self realization at least until the job was over?”
“How does that even make sense, Xander?” Spikes barked, throwing her hands into the air, “I know I fucked up, but what are we going to do?”
“At least you admit it,” He scoffed under his breath. He took in a deep breath of hair, his hand gripped a square shape in his pocket, “I don’t even have time for a smoke to think. So for now, we run. We’ll run to our usual halfway point and then try to form a plan from there.”
Spikes nodded and ran outside of the house with Xander close on her heels. They had started to run into the forest area around the house, and already they could see flashing red and blue lights approaching.
“Gotta love how quick their response time is for rich people,” Xander growled and lowered himself.
“We can’t run Xander. They’ll see us,” Spikes’s heart was racing. She stared at the approaching lights and ducked behind a bush.
Xander sighed heavily and reached his hand out for hers. He smiled softly as she slowly moved closer, “We're going to get out of this, but I need you to stick by and trust me. You know I have your back.”
She took his hand and he squeezed it for a moment. He motioned for her to follow beside him as he quickly darted behind bushes. They had almost gotten over a hill when an officer began shouting.
Xander glared at the voice over his shoulder and took off running with Spikes close behind. Spikes ran as fast as she could, but even they couldn’t outrun cars.
“We have to get away from the roads,” Xander called out to her as he turned towards the trees. She nodded and followed behind him. He moved as quickly as he could, keeping out of the sight of the roads. Spikes could still see the red and blue flashes. Spikes sighed with relief when she noticed the flashes of light has drastically faded as they reached the edge of the city. Xander grabbed Spikes’s hand and ran as fast as they could through the city streets and into an alley.
Spikes fell to her knees, breathing heavily while Xander tried to move the dumpster enough for both of them to hide behind it. Spikes winced with pain as she moved further into the corner of the ally. Her muscles were aching and she was having trouble catching her breath. She looked up at Xander who leaned against the dumpster breathing heavily. They held their breath as they heard sirens approaching. Xander crouched down beside Spikes as they watched a figure enter the alleyway.
“Found you,” Spikes yelped at the sound of Josh’s voice behind her. He grabbed her by the shoulder and shoved her to the end of the alley lit by a street lamp where Derek had stood as a distraction.
“Fuck off, Josh,” Spikes screamed as she tried to run back into the cover of the dark alley. Josh went to shove her again but Xander tackled him to the ground, shoving his face into the concrete. He looked up as a cop car pulled up. Derek had vanished and within seconds the officer had Spikes pinned against the hood of the car.
Xander stood up and hesitantly took a step forward. Spikes shook her head softly, evading the officer’s notice and Xander slipped back into the shadows.
“You have the right to remain silent,” Spikes stopped listening as the continued on. She didn’t struggle as she was shoved roughly into the back of the cop car. She just sat quietly and wondered if she had actually made the right decision.
…

“You already have me in a cell, why the hell am I in cuffs too?” Spikes barked at the officer locking up her cell.
“You’ve been deemed a significant threat for whatever reason,” He looked young, his sad eyes glanced her over once before he turned and walked down the hall. She growled and kicked the bench inside the cell before sitting on top of it.
For a moment she tried to struggle against the metal cuffs clanking against her wrists but they didn’t budge. So she waited, though she wasn’t quite sure what she was waiting for. Court? A ? Freedom? Death even?
She heard screaming down the hall, what sounded like a shrill female voice. Spikes rolled her eyes and leaned back against the cell wall. She sighed, and wondered if maybe this was all that was left for her. Stone walls, and a caged door was no way to live though, but neither was the way she had lived before now.
“I didn’t want this… I never wanted this,” Spikes muttered softly. She didn’t care if there were people around, she didn’t care if anyone heard, or if anyone saw the tear slip from her eye. “I didn’t want to grow up on the streets. I didn’t want to watch my brother die, or have my only family after him abandon me. I didn’t choose this. I don’t want this!”
Spikes’s shout reverberated off of the walls and echoed in her ears. Words spoken into an empty empty cell, without anyone to listen.
“Sounds to me like it’s time for you to come home,” Spikes’s head shot up at the sound of her voice. Soft and warm contrast to the cell she sat in. She stood beside an officer unlocking the cell door, her sapphire blue eyes filled with laughter as she crossed her arms over her chest.
Spikes could feel tears rush to her eyes as she stared into Katherine’s, “I don’t understand.”
“There’s nothing to understand, Spikes,” Katherine almost laughed. She reached out her hand towards Spikes, “The door is open. You just have to walk through it.”
The officer raised an eyebrow at the two girls, but continued on and stepped into the cell and removed the handcuffs from Spikes’s wrists. Spikes rubbed her wrists as she stood up and walked towards the open cell door.
“Why?” Spikes stopped before stepping out of the cell.
Katherine rolled her eyes, a smile on the corner of her lips, “Because we’re friends, Stupid. It’s what friends do.”
Spikes stepped forward and wrapped her arm’s around Katherine’s shoulders. Her shoulders heaved as she tried to keep herself from crying, tried to keep herself from squeezing the cat too tightly.
Katherine wrapped her arm’s around Spikes, chuckling slightly as she pulled away, “Alright you big sap. Let’s go home.”
Spikes nodded and followed behind Katherine as she trotted down the hall and made their way outside where a cab was ready and waiting for them.
“Kitty, I can never thank you for this,” Spikes stood outside the cab, “I can never repay you for this. You just stopped me from possibly spending my whole life in that cell.”
“Well if it were a life sentence they’d move you to an actual prison, instead of just in holding,” Kitty shrugged her shoulders. She still grinned despite Spikes’s glare.
“You didn’t have to get me out,” Spikes sighed and took a step away from the car.
“I didn’t have to make arrangements for an interior decorator to visit the house next saturday either, and yet it’s already been done,” Kitty sauntered past Spikes and sat down in the cab, “So can we please go home now? It’s like two in the morning.”
“Home?” Spikes questioned. She hesitantly stepped into the cab, the door slamming shut behind her.
“You’re not back to that dingy apartment Spikes,” Katherine grinned, and gave the driver the address back to her house.
“Are you asking me to live with you?”
“I’m basically ordering you to,” Katherine leaned back in her seat. She stretched her arms over her head, eyes fixated on the car’s ceiling. “You’ll always have a comfortable place to sleep, food, and a roof over your head and you don’t have to pay any bills. I just figured that… being alone really sucks, and since we’re both alone maybe we should stick together.”
Spikes rubbed away the tears pooling in her eyes. The smallest of smiles rest across her lips and she reached over and grabbed Katherine’s hand, “Thank you, Kitty.”
“Don’t thank me. It’s what friends do,” Katherine squeezed her hand as the cab pulled to a stop. “ And Trust me, you will not be thanking me when you see what the room you’re staying in for now looks like.”