Getting Ready
Spike looked at the new shirt lying on the bed. “Purple. Why the hell did I pick purple? Right, going for a new look. She’ll like purple. Yeah.”
He tucked his black top into his jeans. “Spandex. She must like spandex, I’ve seen her wear it. I have muscles, she likes muscles, this’ll show them off. I guess.” He put the purple shirt on over top.
He rubbed the gel into his hair and combed it back. “Wish I could see myself in a mirror. Been wearing my hair like this since ‘87, and I got no idea how it looks. Oh well, easy is easy. She hasn’t given me complaints so far. Matter a fact, she seemed to like to muss it up.”
“Now, did I forget anything? New shirts, new jeans, new belt. Oh yeah, jewelry. She hasn’t seen me in that. Might spruce me up a bit.” He reached into the box on his dresser and pulled out a gold necklace. “Gold. Goes against type. Not all gothy like silver. Worth a try. And a ring. I’ll wear a few rings. Used to like them.”
He pulled a silver death’s head - Like the one I gave her, he thought - and pushed it onto his right index finger. He moved it to the ring finger - don’t want to cut her face - cause if she hits me, I’m hitting back. He took a little diamond ring out of the box and put it on his pinky.
He was about to close the lid when another gold ring caught his eye. It was a solid, simple band of fourteen carat gold, a familiar thing though he hadn’t seen it in years.
“Father’s ring,” he said. He picked it up and rubbed it between his fingers. “Mother was so sad when she gave it to me. Said she couldn’t bear to look at it, since he was gone. Knew I would take good care of it. Told me I would wear it one day, at my wedding.”
“But that’s not gonna happen, is it Spike? No wedding for the vampire. No happy ever after with Buffy.” He slipped the ring on the third finger of his left hand.
“But I can dream.”