[Late Tuesday Night, the Maru, locked to Belthazor and Beka]

[demonbelthazor]

It had been a long, weird day. And the last thing on Belthazor's "to do" list was talking to Beka about what had happened Sunday night. He stopped in his room to check on Phoebe, making sure she was still safe and asleep, then headed out to Beka's ship, where they could have safe, private conversation. He was pretty sure he didn't want to hear what she had to tell him, but he needed to know.

Comments

[valentine-tart.livejournal.com]

"Hey," she said quietly when he arrived. Still not quite ready to meet his eyes, she offered the ominpresent cigarettes and settled on a cargo crate.

[demonbelthazor]

He took a cigarette and smoked in silence with her for several long moments. Finally, he asked softly, "Beka, what happened?"

[valentine-tart.livejournal.com]

"Maybe I should offer you blood and a blowjob. I hear it's all the rage as a way of starting humiliating conversations." There could be no mistaking the bitterness in her tone.

[demonbelthazor]

"Humiliating? Beka, what the hell did I do?" he asked. "I can see you, but if I think about it too much, I start...I start feeling angry."

[valentine-tart.livejournal.com]

"Confirm my working theory first?" she returned. "You went to see Crowley Sunday night, didn't you?"

[demonbelthazor]

"Yeah...yeah, I did," Belthazor said. "He was fucking with you, he was fucking with Tara, and what he said about Phoebe? I couldn't not go."

[valentine-tart.livejournal.com]

That brought her head up, finally, to look him in the eye. "Thanks for that. But you know, you're an idiot. I warned you. Gods I wish you'd listened to me, Bel."

[demonbelthazor]

"He did something to me, didn't he?" Belthazor scowled. "Well, I couldn't just let him sit there and threaten what's mine. That's not the way it works. I don't back down from threats."

[valentine-tart.livejournal.com]

"That's not how I remember it." Hot anger sparked in her. "Backed down just fine when it would've saved your own hide. And damn you anyway with claiming what's yours."

[demonbelthazor]

His face flushed red. "That was different!" he growled. He threw his cigarette down. "Fuck you. I don't need this."

[valentine-tart.livejournal.com]

"Maybe if you did, this wouldn't be so damned hard," she said quietly.

[demonbelthazor]

"Right, and just how would you explain that to Phoebe?" he shot back.

[valentine-tart.livejournal.com]

"Invite her to join us?" she said archly.

[demonbelthazor]

"Somehow, I don't think that will go over well," Belthazor snapped.

[valentine-tart.livejournal.com]

"What part of this is my fault? It's not like I set out to seduce you. Hell, I'm fucking Angelus. I like fucking Angelus. Apparently, though, you don't like me fucking Angelus," Beka snarled.

[demonbelthazor]

"I never said that!" Belthazor snarled. "Go fuck him all you want. Go fuck Buffy or Illyana. I don't give a damn."

[valentine-tart.livejournal.com]

"Right, so that the next time you're trying to strangle a witch and I'm trying to stop you, you can hurl that in my face too." She spun away from him, not wanting him to see how much that had hurt.

[demonbelthazor]

"What the hell are you talking about?" he said angrily. "Will you just fucking give me a straight answer?"

[valentine-tart.livejournal.com]

"It's not straight. None of this is straight. It's all fucking tangled."

Pull yourself the fuck together. Pretend it's Angelus. You'd never let him see you like this.

Beka took a long breath, and let it out, a shuddering sigh. She ignored Bel's imperious glare and took her time getting another cigarette and very very deliberately lighting it herself. She didn't offer him one, but set the pack down where he could take it if he wanted it.

"You went looking for a fight with Crowley. He gave you one. He must've tempted you with rage or something. I was walking through town after the bonfire. First I saw of you, you shoved CJ so hard you sent her sprawling and called her a bitch..."

[demonbelthazor]

He blinked. "I did? I see her face, but...." He shook his head. "Then what?"

[valentine-tart.livejournal.com]

"Then..." She took a long drag off her cigarette, not looking at him. "Then you asked me if I was done trying to fuck Angelus at the memorial service. Alanna showed up and I managed to warn her off some. I told you to stop, and you asked me if I wanted to play. Said you guessed Angelus hadn't tired me out enough then."

[valentine-tart.livejournal.com]

Because I had to do something to distract myself from the emo, I moved them to the margin. (http://www.livejournal.com/users/demonbelthazor/9846.html?thread=128886#t128886)

[demonbelthazor]

"You know I didn't mean that...." he protested.

[valentine-tart.livejournal.com]

"Hurt anyway, Bel." She sighed. "I tried to stop you, you hit me, then you said I wouldn't hurt you because I love you. That's probably why I hit you so damned hard with that rock."

[demonbelthazor]

"I...I'm sorry," he said. "You're my friend, Beka -- you know I wouldn't do something like that unless there was something wrong."