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King of Hearts	By : charlemagne4ever Category: > Buffy/Spike(William) > Buffy/Spike(William) Views: 7197 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer (BtVS), nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 10
- 11
- 12
Author's note:
my betas Karbear and Mariana sacrificed their holidays to beta this for me, and as you can see, they've done an awesome job. Thank you so much!
If you are interested in the opera our protagonists are watching today, you can find the texts and the songs as MIDI files at the Web Opera Home Page: http://math.boisestate.edu/gas/mikado/webopera/operhome.html

King of Hearts
Chapter 11
The Fat Lady Sings

Buffy had waited for an hour instead of the recommended twenty minutes, but the small display, no bigger than a pen, still appeared innocently white. No change of colour, no turning blue. Buffy sighed, half relieved, half disappointed. The test was negative. "So, no royal baby on the way," she murmured and cast the early pregnancy test away.

She left the bathroom with the waste paper basket in her hand, meaning to take it outside before anyone noticed.

"Buffy!"

She turned around to see her father. "Hey, Dad," she said casually, casting a quick glance at the waste. The test itself was covered by used tissues and a discarded toothbrush, but the box with the smiling baby on it was half visible. She had no way of concealing it without drawing her father's attention to the waste.

Sir Rupert studied his daughter's expression suspiciously. "Is this a bad time?"

"No, no, not at all," Buffy assured him, "I was just..." She gestured at the waste.

He nodded. "I see. Buffy, this morning I went to see Miss Calendar - you do remember her, don't you?"

"Of course," Buffy replied, though she had no idea who Miss Calendar was.

"I just wanted to confirm His Majesty's reservation for next Saturday, when..."

Buffy now remembered a dark-haired beauty who usually organized all kinds of social events for British nobility, MPs and other Vaguely Important Persons.

"Guess who I met at her office," her father continued.

"No idea," Buffy said, only mildly interested.

"Agent Wesley Wyndam-Pryce!"

"Uh-hu," Buffy said.

"You know him, you've met at the polo tournament," Sir Rupert reminded her.

Buffy nodded. "Dark-haired, glasses, stiff upper lip? Yep, unforgettable."

Sir Rupert shook his head. "He's just a little introvert, not the worst quality, I wish His Majesty possessed at least a little of that. Well, he was trying to get a ticket refunded, for Saturday night! He said he had two tickets, but had to go alone because he had meant to go with an old Oxford friend of his who was detained..."

Buffy shrugged. Why was he telling her that?

"Anyway," Sir Rupert got to the point, "I persuaded him to keep the second ticket!"

"So he has a free seat for his coat?" Buffy suggested.

"Buffy, please, don't be sarcastic," Sir Rupert chided her, "No, of course not, silly. So the two of you can go together!"

"Dad," Buffy said warningly, "I'm not going to date Agent Wyndam Pryce!"

"This is not a date," Sir Rupert disagreed, "You've been sitting at home a lot lately; I was thinking you might enjoy a little outing." He blinked. "But if you prefer waiting by the phone for His Majesty to call...!"

"I don't," Buffy snapped. "All right, Dad, you win. I'm going! BUT: I'm not dating Agent Wyndam Pryce, and I'm not having dinner with him, we're just two single young persons, who coincidentally happen to enjoy the opera!"

Sir Rupert nodded, pleased with himself. "All right, then. Don't let me keep you." He turned to walk away.

"Dad," Buffy said.

"Yes?"

"How is he?" Buffy asked softly.

"He looked good, he had his hair cut and got a promotion..."

"Not Wesley." She paused. "I meant Spike."

"His Majesty is still in the hospital," Sir Rupert told her.

"Can you tell him I want to see him?"

"Buffy, you ask me the same question every day," Sir Rupert said very patiently.

"I know," Buffy whispered. "So, what did he say?"

"We were talking when a visitor arrived, so I had to leave."

"A visitor." Buffy nodded, disappointed. "Who was it?"

"Lady Winifred Burkle."

"She visits him a lot, doesn't she?"

Sir Rupert shrugged. "I haven't noticed."

Buffy walked out the door "But I have." So, silently facing down, she went to dispose the waste, saddened and at the same time, relieved that his father hadn�t noticed it.
*

It took Spike until the Friday of the following week to get well enough to leave the hospital. Yet he was determined not to miss his date with Lady Winifred for the opera. He would have preferred to have Buffy by his side, but she had failed to show up at the hospital and, if Sir Rupert was to be believed, had not asked about him once. As much as it pained him, she made things easier for him by keeping the silence.

He looked at his image in the mirror. No uniform tonight, just black tux and crisp white shirt.

"Coward," he whispered to himself.

The determined knock at the door reminded him it was getting late already.

"Yes," he said.

Sir Rupert entered with a bow. "Your Majesty, we are to depart for Lord Burkle's estate if we want to be in time for the opera."

Spike nodded. "They won't start without me," he murmured under his breath.

Sir Rupert raised an eyebrow, but did not object.

*

Fred looked very beautiful in her long red evening gown with elegant stole when the royal limo picked her up at her father's estate. The press seemed to think the same way when King William and Lady Winifred entered the opera house side by side. They made a handsome couple.

Spike nodded politely at the people crowding into the opera house. He spotted Ambassador Woods, Sir Riley and Admiral Snyder. None of them failed to remark how lovely his date looked tonight.

Fred's mind, however, was elsewhere. Spike's fall during the polo match had not been an accident. Someone had cut the strap of his saddle, she had no doubt. She had not wanted to bother the king with her suspicions while he was still in hospital, but she hoped to speak to him alone as soon as they were at their seats.

"Would you like a glass of champagne before the performance starts?" Spike asked her.

"No, thank you, Your Majesty," said Fred with a slight blush, which suddenly reminded Spike his unsuspected mistake to offer a pregnant woman some licour. "Well, if you don�t mind, I will" and with that line, Spike proceeded to serve himself a full glass of champagne that he swallowed promptly in a desperate attempt to forget all of Fred and Buffy�s situations and tribulations.

"Your Majesty, it is an honour to see you again."

"Agent Wyndam Pryce," Spike said.

Then Wesley saw Fred. He froze. "Lady Winifred," he said levelly.

Fred cast her eyes down. "Agent."

"You look lovely tonight," Wesley told her, not taking his eyes off of her.

"Thanks." Fred looked in his eyes pleadingly. Can we not do this?

The tension between them was not lost on Spike. Poor Fred!

"I haven't seen Lord Burkle yet," Wesley remarked.

Fred blushed. "My father doesn't enjoy the opera."

"Yes, of course," Wesley said. "If he had told me you would be on your own, I could have kept you company."

"I'm not... on my own," Fred admitted and glanced at Spike shyly.

Wesley suddenly understood. "Oh." So we're dating the King now? He tried to keep his expression neutral. "Well, then I'll just..." He saw Buffy making her way through the crowd. She had disappeared to the bathroom a minute after they had arrived in order to escape his Oxford reminiscence. "Here comes my date," Wesley announced with a side glance at Fred.

"Sorry, there were just too many people in that bathr..." Buffy froze as she saw Spike and Fred.

Fred glanced at Buffy uneasily. The looks passing between the petite blonde and the King of England spoke volumes.

"Miss Summers," Spike said.

Buffy curtseyed as protocol required, but did not cast her eyes down. Instead, she looked daggers at him. "Your Majesty. This is a surprise."

Spike stared at her and Wesley. "Life is full of surprises."

Buffy held his gaze. "I don't like surprises."

Spike did not look away. "Neither do I."

Buffy scrutinized him. His hair was too carefully styled, his tux too elegant, his shoes too shiny. He had made a lot of effort to look gorgeous tonight. "I'm happy to see you're feeling better," she said sourly.

Spike looked at her. Her pink dress was too sexy. It was tight, emphasizing her curves, the neckline was too low, her hair too silky in the candlelight. "Glad you care that much about my health," Spike retorted.

Buffy looked away. Her eyes fell on Fred. The other woman looked like a lady, with her hair up and the red dress that had probably cost more money than the car Buffy had ruined. Buffy felt like a schoolgirl dressed up for prom. With her blond hair down and her silly pink dress, she had to look like a Malibu Barbie.

Fortunately, that was when the bell rang, announcing the opera was about to begin.

"We should go in," Wesley suggested.

"Right," Buffy said with a last glance at Spike.

Spike and Fred left and ascended the stairs.

*

"So, what's the opera about?" Spike asked.

Fred was happy to have something safe to talk about, to take their minds off of their messed up love lives. "The Mikado is the king of Japan. He has forbidden flirting among unmarried couples. If you break the law, you can be sentenced to death. The Mikado's son, Nanki-Poo, comes to town in the disguise of an itinerant musician. Nanki-Poo is in love with the beautiful Yum-Yum, but she is engaged to the Lord High Executioner Ko-Ko. Ko-Ko is under pressure because The Mikado has given orders that someone must be executed within a month. He offers Nanki-Poo a devilish deal: he will release Yum-Yum to marry Nanki-Poo, but only if Nanki-Poo agrees to be sentenced to death and executed within a month." While she was talking, Fred realized that this maybe wasn't the best opera to distract them from their troubles.

"Sounds like fun," Spike remarked gloomily.

"It ends well," Fred reassured him.

Spike shrugged and looked down at the stage. The curtains were still closed.

Fred hesitated. "Spike, there's something I have to talk to you about."

He sighed. "Yes, I was with Buffy before. It couldn't work out, I mean, she's Sir Rupert's daughter, he hates me, and..."

"That's not what I meant," Fred said shyly.

"Oh. Alright, then."

"About your accident," Fred began. "Remember you asked me to go to the stables and look after your pony Darla?"

"Yes, of course."

"Well, I went there, and..."

The curtains opened and revealed the stage.

"Maybe we can talk during the intermission," Spike suggested and turned his attention to the opera.

*

Buffy was grateful when the opera started. Talking to Wesley for five minutes had already bored her to tears. The opera house was dark. She craned her neck to look up to the royal box, but she could not see anything. Probably Spike was holding Lady Winifred's hand. It made her furious.

She was not enjoying the opera at all. The lyrics made her furious, too.

NANKI-POO.
Were you not to Ko-Ko plighted,
I would say in tender tone,
"Loved one, let us be united--
Let us be each other's own!"
I would merge all rank and station,
Worldly sneers are nought to us,
And, to mark my admiration,
I would kiss you fondly thus--
YUM-YUM.
But as I'm engaged to Ko-Ko,
To embrace you thus, con fuoco,
Would distinctly be no gioco,
And for yam I should get toko--
NANKI-POO.

So, In spite of all temptation,
Such a theme I'll not discuss,
And on no consideration
Will I kiss you fondly thus-- (Kissing her.)
Will I kiss you fondly thus.
Let me make it clear to you,
This is what I'll never do!
The lovers on stage kissed, the lights went off briefly, the curtains closed. The ceiling lights went on.

Buffy rose with relief. "So, that's it," she said happily. "Wesley, it's been a pleasure, thank you very..."

"But this has just been the first act," Wesley explained.

Buffy paled. "There's another one."

Wesley stared at her in shock, then suddenly laughed. "You really had me going there for a minute. Come on, let us get some champagne. There will be an intermission of fifteen minutes, I could tell you how I was appointed Head Boy at Eton..."

"I think I have to go to the bathroom," Buffy hurried to say.

"But you went right before the...!" Wesley protested.

"Girl stuff." Buffy winked.

Wesley nodded. "Oh, right."

"See you in a bit." Buffy fled.

*

Spike was still glued to his seat.

"Don't you want to go downstairs and mingle?" Fred asked.

He shook his head. "Go if you like, I'd rather to stay put, if you don�t mind. I'm not in the mood for warm champagne and shallow conversation."

Fred nodded compassionately. "I'll just go to the bathroom and come back here. Maybe we can talk before the second act starts."

*

Buffy was on her way to the bathroom when she saw Lady Winifred coming down the stairs from the royal box - alone. She hesitated. This might be her only chance to speak to Spike alone. Buffy only thought about it for a moment. Then she boldly walked up the stairs and asked Spike's guard to speak to the King.

She opened the door and took a tentative step into the box.

Spike jumped from his seat. "Buffy."

She stood motionless and silent for an uncomfortable minute. "How are you?" she finally asked.

He knew he should do the right thing and send her away. But his lips moved before his reason could object. "I miss you," he said softly.

Buffy took a deep breath. "Yeah. That's why you never asked to see me once."

He blinked. "I did..." He paused, rage beginning to rise in his clear blue eyes. "Why am I trying to defend myself? You were the one who didn't seem to miss me all that much. Otherwise you wouldn't have come here with that git."

"Well, how about your date?" Buffy snapped. "Lady Winifred, dresses like she's fifty and talks like she's five!"

"At least she was at the hospital when I lay dying!"

"You lay dying? You fell from a horse and had a few bruises! If she has the time to sit by your bed and hold your hand, that's fine with me! Some of us don't have all day for charity; some of us actually had to work!" Buffy took a step back. "I don't know what I'm doing here. I shouldn't have come here in the first place. Don't worry, I won't bother you again. I will go home, light a candle and thank God that I'm not carrying your child!" She made to storm out from the box, but Spike caught hold of her arm.

"What did you just say?"

"Never mind," Buffy said quietly. "I was a bit worried because I was overdue. I was just tense, I think. The test was negative."

Spike hesitated. He had been determined to stick to Sir Rupert's plan and never to see Buffy again, for her own good. Now his resolution was faltering. "Why didn't you come to me?" he asked, his voice trembling.

"You were busy with Lady Winifred," Buffy said bitterly.

"You didn't have to go through this alone," he replied.

Buffy shook her head. "Yes, I did. I always have to go through everything alone. You're never there. You're always away, working hard to impress people you don't care about."

"I'm the King of England!"

"Yeah," Buffy replied, "Wish you weren't, but you are."

"So this is it?" Spike asked desperately.

Buffy kept her head held high and walked away from him.

*

The second act started, but the seat next to Buffy was still unoccupied. Where had Wesley gone? Was he as bored with her as she was with him and just left? She could not care less. Her evening was ruined anyway.

The music of the second act was even more beautiful than the songs of the first one, but Buffy had no enthusiasm left to appreciate it. Yum-Yum's wedding song was just beginning:

The sun, whose rays
Are all ablaze
With ever-living glory,
Does not deny
His majesty--
He scorns to tell a story!
He don't exclaim,
"I blush for shame,
So kindly be indulgent."
But, fierce and bold,
In fiery gold,
He glories all effulgent!
I mean to rule the earth,
As he the sky--
We really know our worth,
The sun and I!
Yeah, Buffy thought gloomily, that was so like Spike! She hoped he was listening closely. She looked around to see if the light was better than during the first act so she might get a glimpse of Spike and Lady Winifred.

Observe his flame,
That placid dame,
The moon's Celestial Highness;
There's not a trace
Upon her face
Of diffidence or shyness.
And it was. A blinding spotlight which symbolized the moon had risen above the stage. Buffy could see quite clearly. But what she saw froze the blood in her veins.

She borrows light
That, through the night,
Mankind may all acclaim her!
In one of the top boxes on the gallery, she recognized something shiny and metallic: the barrel of a rifle. The shooter was concealed in the dark, but he was aiming straight at the king's box. Buffy's head flew around. Spike and Winifred had not noticed anything. They were intently watching the play. The person hidden in the box right opposite of them was positioning the rifle. Only seconds remained. No way could she alert security in time. There was just one chance.

And, truth to tell,
She lights up well,
So I, for one, don't blame her!
Buffy hoisted up her dress and leapt over the astonished opera visitors in the rows before her.

Ah, pray make no mistake,
We are not shy;
We're very wide awake,
The moon and I!
Spike stared down at the audience. Someone was racing toward the stage, and it looked like...

"Isn't that Buffy Summers?" Fred asked, surprised.

"What's she up to?" Spike wondered.

Ah, pray make no mistake,
We are not shy;
We're very wide awake,
The moon and I!
Buffy climbed up the stage. The music stopped at the unexpected interruption. Security reacted at once and ran for the stage to stop her, but the element of surprise was on Buffy's side. She tore the microphone from the flabbergasted Yum-Yum's costume and yelled in the direction of the top box: "DOWN!"

Spike reacted instinctively. He leaped from his seat and pushed Fred on the floor with him. A deafening shot cut the air like a knife. The bullet hit the seat in which Spike had sat just a second ago.

Security flooded the top boxes and blocked all exits.

"Where is he?" Wesley demanded, suddenly appearing at Buffy's side.

"Where were you?" she asked reproachfully.

"In the bathroom," he said apologetically. "It was too busy during the intermission, so I thought..."

"He's in the box opposite the royal box, hurry!" Buffy informed him.

Wesley nodded. "We'll get him."

*

They did not get him. The shooter had vanished as suddenly as he had appeared.

Security had gotten Spike out of the opera house through the back exit under extreme safety measures. And yet someone had managed to get that close to the king once again. There had been appalling security leaks in the past, and it was safe to say some heads would roll this time as well, but the fact remained that the king was nowhere really safe.

Fred was sitting in his office, a blanket wrapped around her and a mug of hot chocolate in her hands.

"I should have insisted on talking to you before we went to the opera," she blamed herself; "I had feared they'd try it again."

"Again?" Spike asked in confusion. "Do you mean this wasn't the first time?"

Fred made a guilty little face. "When I went to the stables after the polo match, I got to see your saddle. The strap was cut, not torn. Someone wanted you to fall from the pony and break your neck. And when you think about what happened at Canterbury. I think it makes perfect sense. If I may speak openly: I don't think it was a coincidence that shield came down when you were under it. Someone wants you dead."

Spike's head hurt. "But why?"

"You're not exactly the perfect king from the fairytales," Sir Rupert remarked, "Among the traditionalists in British royalty, you are regarded as a disgrace. I could name about fifty people who have a reason to want you dead before your official coronation."

Spike sighed. "So what do we do?"

Fred's eyes sparkled. "We'll set a trap they can't resist. And then we hunt them down."

Spike looked at her with a surprised expression. Hell of a girl.

*

"'A family of heroes'," Buffy's friend Xander Harris quoted from a quality paper.

"Oh, shut up," Buffy complained and took another sip of her cappuccino.

"'After her father's, Sir Rupert G.'s, heroic prevention of a tragic accident at Canterbury a few weeks ago, his daughter Buffy S., currently employed at Buckingham Palace, proved to be equally courageous and patriotic by saving her sovereign's life at yesterday's performance of 'The Mikado' at the London Opera House," Xander read on.

"At least they didn't publish your full name," Willow comforted her.

"'Police circles announced that the attempted assassination of King William has been no more than the unreflected deed of a mentally disordered single perpetrator. The police are currently holding subjects in custody for questioning'."

"They don't know a thing," Buffy snapped. "They're completely in the dark! If they rounded up the usual suspects, there would not be any high society left!"

Xander still seemed more interested in the newspaper report than in Buffy's first hand account. "'His Majesty has expressed his infinite gratitude to Miss S., who will be rewarded with the Royal Medal of Courage, First Order, at a reception held at Buckingham Palace tomorrow afternoon at five o'clock."

"Infinite gratitude!" Buffy shook her head. "He can go to hell for all I care!"

"Yeah, right," Xander said, "That's why you saved his life last night!"

"I would have even saved the American president last night! Okay, in that specific case I might have thought about it a little bit longer, but that had nothing to do with Spike personally." She paused. "He's got that Burkle woman."

Willow shook her head. "Maybe they're just friends! I'm sure he still in love with you. How can he not? You saved him! He'll come to you after the reception. You know what they say. The opera isn't over till the fat lady sings."

Buffy pouted. "The fat lady's done her singing. And it's so over." She drank her cappuccino down in frustration. "Y'know what? Wesley has asked me out again!"

"But you're not going!" Xander interfered with a serious expression.

Buffy looked at him as if he were insane. "Of course not! He's a jerk."

"I think he's kind of cute," Willow said.

"Puppies are kind of cute, too," Buffy replied, "But I wouldn't wanna date one!" She took the newspaper article out from Xander�s hands. "I'm gonna send that to mom. She'll be thrilled."

Xander scanned the papers for more articles about the events. "Oh, here's another one."

"The SUN," Buffy said with disgust.

"'Buff Naked? - PLAYBOY offers 500,000 for nude heroine!'" Xander paused then added with a lecherous tone and a hopeful face. "Are you considering that?"

"Put it away," Buffy chided him.

"Hey, you could give the money to your dad for his car and pay off your debts!" Everyone stared at Xander disapprovingly. "Just a thought."

*

"I'm not sure if we're doing the right thing," Spike told Fred. "This is turning out to be too dangerous."

"If we want to catch him, the moment to do so, is now. Imagine he comes after you at your coronation. With all those people in Westminster Abbey, the risk would be much higher," Fred said. "He is bound to try it at the reception tomorrow. He knows the exact time and place. What's more, he knows that you and Buffy, who have previously ruined his plans, will be there. He won't miss the opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. Don't you worry. There'll be guards circulating the perimeter and this time they�ll be looking out for something and someone specific. It'll be a calculated risk. The fact that this reception is going to be a set up is a knowledge that he doesn�t have. We have the advantage on him or her." Fred smiled reassuringly. It had been her plan, but she was as nervous as Spike was.

"What if he throws a bomb?"

"It's not his style," Fred said. "If you remember correctly, he has tried to kill you three times, and in those three instances, he has never, ever, put anyone else in danger. You're the target, Spike. And you alone. Security will be focused on you alone. The Secret Service will be at your side. So, no big worries."

He looked at her sceptically. " Yeah. You say so because it�s not your ass on the line. And besides, how could I be worried when Agent Wyndam Pryce will be there to protect me. That�s a really encouraging thought."

"Hey." She sat down next to him while taking hold of his hand in support. "Look at me. I know Wesley. He's very responsible. The assassin�s not even going to get close to you."

Spike looked at her in the eyes. "You love him, huh?"

"I don't think..."

"I saw you gaze at each other. At the polo match AND last night." He smirked.

Fred blushed. "I'm here. Right?"

He studied her burning face. "Right. But... you love him."

Fred rose and added, nearly whispering. "I'll survive."

He nodded. "So will I." But he was not so sure, after all, he had a rendez-vous with a killer, his wanna-be killer, to attend tomorrow.

TBC...

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King of Hearts