“You look perfect.”

“I look like a bloody pillock.”

“Well, yeah. A perfect pillock.” Buffy tried and failed to suppress her giggles.

“You can stop that right now. Only reason I’m doing this is for you.” He let out a big huff as he flopped down on the edge of the bed.

“You know I wouldn’t have asked you to do this if there wasn’t a good reason. If you want to prove to people that you’ve changed, then you have to actually change. Be law abiding and honest.” Buffy tried hard to be serious and remind Spike of the mission at hand.

“I know pet, I just feel like a soddin’ pansy.”

“I know, and I promise I’ll make it up to you.” She sat down next to him, leaning in to cover his neck with licks and nips.

He growled. “It’ll take a lot more than that for me to bloody forget this.” He gestured at himself and stuck out his bottom lip.

“Why, what would it take honey?” She murmured against the shell of his ear.

“Leather. Cuffs. Whips. Chains.” He said deadpan, expecting a gasp of surprise.

“It’s a deal.”

Spike’s eyes widened with a mixture of shock and arousal. “Too bloody right it is. What time is it?”

Buffy smiled and nuzzled into his shoulder as she checked her watch. “Just gone five. You’re going to be late. And the deal is only good if you do this properly.”

Spike sighed and rolled his eyes. “Bloody buggerin’ hell.”

**

Downstairs, Xander and Willow were debating the finer points of daytime soap opera when Buffy and Spike joined them in the living room.

“Spike.” Xander started. “You’re…”

“Wearing orange?” Willow gaped.

“There’s a cow on your hat.” Xander snorted.

“You’re stripey!” Willow giggled.

Spike snarled and stomped out of the living room. His exit marked by the loud bang of the front door as Buffy, Xander and Willow promptly dissolved into hysterics.

“Well if that aint love, I don’t know what is.” Willow grinned.

##########################################

“You should really get a tetanus.”

“I’m a soddin’ vampire, why the hell would I need a tetanus?” He waved his arms wildly for effect, forgetting for a moment the dull throb in his left forearm.

Buffy tilted her head, not realising she was mirroring him as he waited patiently for the bound-to-be-stupid answer that was about to come out of her mouth.

She goldfished for all of ten seconds before saying triumphantly, “Infection! Ha! Vampire’s still get infected.”

“Only by poison love. So unless you have yourself a poisonous puppy, then I think I’m bloody safe don’t you?”

Buffy made a silent ‘O’ with her mouth as a flush creeped up her neck and blossomed on her cheeks.

“You’re the slayer here, pet. Please don’t tell me the scourge of our kind doesn’t even know a basic blood fact about a vampire.” He smirked, seeing the perfect opportunity to push her buttons.

“I knew that.” She threw back her shoulders defiantly. “I was just testing you.”

“Of course you were.” He shook his head at her with mild amusement.

“I was. Don’t think I don’t know how much you hate needles.” It was Buffy’s turn to smirk now.

“I’ll bloody well kill that whelp, I will!” The game forgotten, Spike took his anger out on the nearby kitchen top with a loud thunk. “Bloody shaggin’ bollocks!” He roared, clutching at his sore arm.

“You made it bleed again, see. Stupid vampire.” She winked and passed him a tissue to clean the wound.

“This is your fault.” His brow was knitted with pain and concentration, hissing as the tissue came into contact with the wound.

“It always is.” Buffy rolled her eyes and knelt down to stroke the puppy, cowering at her ankle. “See, Willy, you really should be nice to Big Bad Spike. He’s going to be babysitting you tonight.”

Spike groaned, louder than the last time. “The things I do for you.”

#########################################

“Morning honey!” Buffy rolled over and threw an arm over Spike’s waist. He was out cold.

“Darling?” She stroked the back of his neck with her index finger.

She humphed and nudged the back of his thigh with her knee. No reaction.

"Baby, you know what day it is today?"

He growled, low and deep but still asleep.

She took one last look at him before slipping out of bed and padding to the bathroom. He almost always woke up when she got out of bed. The sudden lack of her presence next to him seemed to set off his subconscious radar.

She took some time to brush her teeth, swill her face and comb her hair fully expecting him to be sat up by now, cigarette lit and hair tousled with that sleepy, sexy look on his face that she loved so much. Instead, she found him in exactly the same position she'd left him. Sighing loudly, she sat back on the bed hard.

"Spike." She faced away from him, her voice high and loud, her fists clenched on her knees. "Spike."

She turned round shoved him hard in the side. Her anger dictated her movement - and the violence of it.

Spike span off the bed and out of sight.

The loud thud as he hit the floor was the wake up call Buffy had been hoping for.

"What the bloody hell?" He roared.

She peered down at him as he thrashed in his sheet. "You've forgotten."

"It must have been the soddin' knock to my head that did it!"

"You don't know what today is do you?" Buffy pouted.

"Kick the Spike day?" He grumbled, scrambling to his feet.

"It's our anniversary." She climbed off the bed and stood glaring at him, hands on hips.

He shook his head at her in disbelief. "And this..." He waved his arms wildly, "is for that?!"

She replied with a narrowing of her eyes.

"Number one - vampire here, I usually sleep in till at least midday and by my reckoning it's only 6am. Number two, you're being highly irrational. And number three, our anniversary is the 10th of July not the 10th of bloody June!"

Buffy goldfished for a few seconds which dissipated any annoyance Spike was feeling, replacing it with mild amusement.

"It's ok pet, it's only fair I get to be right once in a while. Care to kiss my bumps better?" He turned round and wiggled his bottom.

He knew he'd won when she laughed.