Chapter 1. Spellbound
“La vache… doit me… touché… de la… jeudi,” Buffy said looking expectantly at her friend, who just furrowed her brow and shook her head. “Was it wrong? Should I use the plural?”
“No. But you said the cow should touch me from Thursday.”
The blonde girl shrugged and gave Willow a wan smile. “Maybe that’s what I was feeling.”
“And you said it wrong.” The redhead gave the slayer a pointed look.
“Oh, je stink.” She put her head between her hands and sighed dejectedly.
“You're just not focused. It's Angel missage, isn’t it?”
“You can’t miss someone who’s not even there, Wills.”
Willow’s heart did a summersault inside her chest, while she did her best to remain impassive yet supportive at this little bit of news. “That bad, eh?”
“Worse and elevate it to the ‘nth power.”
“Uh-oh, it has to be really bad if it has you spouting math formulas like that,” Willow teased.
“Beyond the telling of it.”
“Awww, I’m sorry, Buffy. I know you like him… a lot.” Perhaps as much as she did herself, Willow sighed inwardly. Not that she had any chances of that actually working out. Why would Angel even look at her after being with Buffy? There wasn’t any way she could compare, no matter if the way his eyes followed her at times made her feel… Nah, that was just wishful thinking on her part. Had to be.
The blonde girl scrunched her nose. “That’s exactly the problem. I’m not sure I like him like that any more. I mean, he’s all tall, dark and mysterious, everything I should want, right?”
“I guess?” It’s all she ever wanted at least. Not like she could say that to Buffy, now could she?
“Wrong. It’s just…” She threw her hands up in the air. “I don’t know, Willow. I just want something else, someone else. Someone who preferably has more than one facial expression, you know? And who would be as into me as I’d be into him.”
“I thought you were into him.”
“I was… or I thought I was. I don’t know anymore, I… it’s like something is missing between us. And it’s not just me, it’s him, too. I can feel it. Is it wrong to want for something I don’t have?”
“No, it’s not, but are you sure you don’t have that with Angel?”
“What do you think?”
“Guys, I’m all alone out there. Somebody has to dance with me,” Xander whined, giving them his best puppy dog eyes.
“Well, we’re studying,” Willow replied, wincing slightly at the half-lie.
“C’mon, one dance. You’ve been studying for nearly twelve minutes.”
“No wonder my brain is fried,” Buffy pouted, standing and pulling Willow up with her, dragging the reluctant red head to the dance floor.
“But we should…” Willow started, glancing back at their table and then at her friends, before shrugging in defeat. “Alright, but just for a bit.”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Spike scanned the area from the bar, trying to find his prey among the dozens of teen girls that filled The Bronze. Couldn’t the chit be like all the others and hang out at the usual spots, cemeteries, dark alleys and the like? Wouldn’t be nearly as entertaining, he thought downing a shot of tequila and motioning the bartender for another, but at least he would’ve been done by now.
The Annoying One had talked of the Slayer with something akin to reverent fear, which was somewhat understandable; after all, the girl had single-handedly defeated bat face and kept putting a dent on the vampire/demon population in Sunnydale.
But her lucky streak would end soon. She might be good, but he was better. He was the Slayer of Slayers and the only reason he’d come to this piss-ant town was to bag his third slayer and that was what he would do… on Saturday.
He almost couldn’t wait for the Night of St. Vigeous to come. Every vampire’s powers would be at their peak that day, thus the reason he chose that date. After all, if the girl was half as powerful as everyone kept saying, there was nothing wrong in trying to gain the upper hand by whatever means were at his disposal.
His keen senses finally focused in on a pretty redhead and a drop dead gorgeous blonde talking at a nearby table. He could feel the power emanating from them and knew for certain one of them had to be the ‘Chosen one’, although he wouldn’t be able to pinpoint which until he was closer.
Not that he’d mind getting closer to the golden goddess currently mangling the language of love, he thought as he listened in to their conversation. He had to chuckle at the redhead’s obvious distress with her friend’s lack of skill at creating sentences in French.
All his mirth fled when he heard the rest of the conversation, though. Angel, he growled under his breath. It had to be his poncy granddaddy, hadn’t it? Tall, dark, mysterious, only one facial expression… that was the poof to a ‘T’! So there was trouble in paradise, trouble he could take advantage of to get near the girl… to kill her of course, but no one said he couldn’t have a spot of fun first. He was evil after all!
Whether she was the Slayer or not, well, that didn’t matter to him. Not really. It wasn’t like he was planning on keeping her, now was he?
He watched as a geeky brown haired boy neared them, inviting the girls to dance with him. Stealthily, he made his way to the edge of the dance floor so the trio wouldn’t notice him, his eyes trained on the petite blonde as he observed her body moving to the music while she smiled and had fun with her friends.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“I think you have an admirer,” Willow whispered to Buffy, pointing at the guy as covertly as she could.
Buffy turned her head in the direction her friend indicated, imagining with her luck as of late or lack thereof, said admirer would turn out to be either creepy or nerdy or worse, both. But when her eyes settled on him… wow, this guy was anything but.
His eyes locked with hers and her heart skipped a beat. Talk about eyes that could look right into someone’s soul. Cheesy, yes, but that was how it felt to her right now. Dressed almost completely in black with a shock of bleached white blond hair—because there’s no way that’s his natural hair color—and striking features to add to the bad boy image, he was the epitome of salty goodness. Drool-worthy indeed.
“He hasn’t taken his eyes off you since we started dancing.”
“Really?” she asked Willow, turning to look back at her friend. Things like this didn’t happen to her, at least not since she became the Slayer. Once upon a time she took simple things like this for granted, but lately? Not so much, with the notable exception of Angel and well, that didn’t seem to be going anywhere, did it?
“Uh-huh, and while he seems older than the regular Bronze crowd, well, I’d say you should carpe diem him and all that.” She was going to hell for sure after this, pushing her best friend towards another man like that. Sure, she’d said things with Angel weren’t all that great, but…
“What are we talking about?” Xander asked them, suddenly intruding into their conversation, startling the girls who had forgotten all about him for a few seconds.
“Uhmm… nothing?” Willow felt slightly guilty to leave him out of this, but it wouldn’t do either of them any good to share what they’d been discussing, would it?
“It didn’t seem like nothing to me,” he mumbled, pouting.
“It’s okay, Wills, I think we can tell him,” Buffy interjected, a wicked gleam in her eyes.
Willow blinked. “We can?”
“Yes.” She nodded once, managing to look slightly uncomfortable before pulling both of them closer to whisper at Xander, “I have cramps.”
“What?!”
“Cramps.” Willow and Buffy shared a conspiring look, before the redhead pressed, “I think they’ve talked about those in Health class enough for you to know what they are.”
“Oh. Ohhh!” His eyes just about bulged out of their sockets when he finally caught on to her meaning, his face flaming red with embarrassment. “Y-you a-are… ugh, with the…” he sputtered, looking everywhere but at the girls. “Hey, isn’t that Devon? Be right back,” he said over his shoulder as he made a hasty retreat while the girls giggled.
“That was evil. You know that, right?”
“Well, yeah, but would it have been better to say we were checking the hottie out?” Buffy asked. “Speaking of which…” She quickly glanced around the place and pouted when she didn’t see him anywhere. “Now that sucks.”
She felt a tickle on the back of her neck just before a deep voice purred in her ear, “Were you lookin’ for me, precious?” She was unable to hide the shivers the stranger’s nearness provoked. Because she was sure it was him. And even as sure as she was, she so wasn’t ready for her reaction when she turned around and found herself lost within his intense sapphire gaze.
God she thought him handsome before, but now that he was face to face with her she was surprised she wasn’t drooling. She brought a hand up to her mouth just to make sure she wasn’t, but he caught it in his bringing it to his own to kiss her knuckles and her knees just about buckled at the gesture.
“So, were you?”
Buffy blinked, trying to think through the haze surrounding her mind at the moment. “Was I… what?” she asked.
“Lookin’ for me.” He tilted his head to the right and found the way her cheeks turned crimson, how she lowered her head in mortification at being caught utterly adorable.
“I-uh… I—” She shuffled her feet trying to come up with a plausible explanation for that.
He put a finger under her chin and leveled her eyes to his, “I was just teasin’ you, love. Truth is, I was the one lookin’ for you.” Only his original reason for doing so had changed drastically. When, he truly couldn’t say, but it had.
He’d been mesmerized by the sway of her hips, by her innocent sensuality as she danced, by the smile that lit her face and made her glow. Every tiny little detail he discovered about her enchanted him. It was then it’d hit him, she was the Slayer. Her movements, her poise, her whole demeanor, the power pouring off her in waves screamed what she was. Oh, he would kill her… eventually. But for now, looking into the fathomless green depths, the idea of killing her was the furthest thing from his mind.
What had she done to him?
He was? “You were?” When he nodded, she added shakily, “B-but, why?”
“Well, you’re the most beautiful girl in the whole joint and…” He scratched the back of his head in a nervous gesture and she just about melted. “And, I was hopin’ I could convince you to dance with me?” He winced as soon as the words left his mouth. Bugger, it seemed she’d also reduced him into a simpering teenager with one look.
At that point, she would’ve agreed to anything he asked, so she simply nodded and allowed him to haul her further to the center of the dance floor, everything that wasn’t the two of them vanishing into thin air as he drew her into his arms, making her body tingle wherever it came in contact with his.
She’d never felt an attraction like this with anyone before, so immediate, so strong. Not even Angel, with whom she’d fancied herself ‘in love’, or at least well on her way to being up until a few days ago. Whatever she’d felt for the vampire couldn’t even come close to this, though.
And Spike hadn’t been prepared for the feelings the tiny girl elicited in him either. Lust and desire were to be expected, after all, she fascinated him from the moment he’d laid eyes on her, but it wasn’t just that. To have her in his arms like this, it felt… right. As if that was the way it was meant to be, meeting like this, dancing a very different kind of dance than he was used to, without blows being exchanged; either way, it was like foreplay for him. Except this time their foreplay may see a very different outcome than death and for once he was more than okay with it.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Willow observed them from their table and sighed. The moment the ‘hottie’ showed up by their side, she’d moved away from them. Not that either of them even noticed. It was obvious the two blonds were as taken with the other as they could possibly be, and she couldn’t be happier for her friend. It had nothing to do with the fact that now she might have a snowball’s chance in hell with the brunette vampire. Nope, not at all.
She sighed dejectedly, not that Buffy’s lack of interest in Angel meant that he would automatically fall for her, but… a girl could dream, couldn’t she?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Buffy inhaled deeply, a blend of cigarettes, leather, alcohol and something that had to be pure him filled her nostrils making her dizzy and very thankful his strong arms were around her otherwise she might have fallen to her knees.
“Wha’s your name, love?” he asked after a little bit while they danced. If one could call what they were doing dancing that is. Did moving slowly, oh so very slowly in one spot as they held each other tightly qualify as that?
“Buffy.” She moved her head away from the comfy spot on his shoulder she’d found to meet his azure eyes. “Yours?”
“Spike.”
They both smiled, words unneeded between them as they swayed to the music.
She fit perfectly in his arms, like she was made to be there. Her soft curves molding to his body, the faint aroma of vanilla mingled with her arousal, making him harder than he’d ever been. He pulled her flush against him, his hands caressing her back until they settled on her hips, delighted at her surprised gasp when she felt his erection poking at her taut abdomen.
Buffy couldn’t help but compare Spike to Angel, much in the fashion she’d done with every guy she’d met since he first came into her life, although for the first time since then, the vampire definitely came up lacking. Whereas the brunette was tall and bulky, this man was lean and mean, not much taller than herself. He definitely had more than one facial expression and it seemed he wasn’t worried over showing her how much she affected him.
Angel always treated her like she’d break if he so much as kissed her, which frankly was more than a bit annoying. She was the Slayer for God sakes, but above all she was a girl on the brink of womanhood, desirous to learn all about love… as long as it was with the right man. And if her body’s reaction was anything to go by, she’d just found him.
The scent of her arousal became stronger, washing over him like a tidal wave, the rush of blood in her veins overwhelming his senses until there was nothing and no one else but her, them, on the dance floor, the increasing tempo of her heartbeat echoing through his chest, making him feel as if it were his heart beating instead.
She bit on her lower lip as she looked at him, her eyes wide, innocent and oh so trusting, her desire for him shining brightly in the green depths and suddenly he couldn’t wait any longer to discover if she tasted as sweet as she appeared.
He lowered his head to whisper in her ear, “Beautiful, you’re so very beautiful, kitten.” His lips captured hers in a soft kiss before lightly nipping at the bottom lip that drove him to distraction with his blunt teeth. She sighed against his mouth and his tongue entered the moist cavern of her mouth to tangle with hers, moaning when her sweetness infused his taste buds. Her flavor was addicting, making him want things he never knew he wanted until he saw her tonight, until he took her in his arms, until he kissed her.
What the hell had she done to him?
Perhaps he was mistaken and she wasn’t the Chosen One as he had suspected earlier. If not, she had to be a witch, an enchantress, someone capable of casting a spell on him and now… he was powerless to resist the temptation of her lips, her aroma, her body… of her. Everything about this woman enthralled him and on any other day, with any other bird, he would’ve fought it. With her, with Buffy, though, he simply didn’t want to, couldn’t bring himself to as succumbing to it was so much sweeter.
His hands trailed up and down her back, heating her in ways she’d never imagined until now. She simply couldn’t get enough of him, of his kiss, his caress as she pressed her body even closer to his.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Willow almost swallowed her tongue when she lifted her head from her books and saw Buffy and the hottie locked in a heated embrace. Well, that and she also shifted uncomfortably in her seat at her body’s unwanted reaction to seeing them like that. She couldn’t help it and neither could the rest of the patrons enjoying the free show it seemed, because damn, it was her friend and it made her feel icky to be gaping at them, but they were hot together, no two ways about it.
It was more than clear Angel wasn’t even a blip on Buffy’s radar now, not that she could blame her friend. The sparks between the two blonds threatened to set the dance floor on fire and she only wished she could have a tenth of that passion directed at her. If only…
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
They kissed for what could’ve been hours or just a few minutes. Time seemed to stop for them both. Only they existed… and their need to be alone. A need that grew and grew with each passing second, each passionate swipe of their tongues.
Sensing her need to breathe, Spike stopped kissing Buffy, chuffed at her little mewl of protest.
“Stopping bad, why did you stop?” she pouted as she opened her slightly glazed eyes.
He chuckled but didn’t answer, instead scanning the club and finally noticing they had attracted a great deal of attention to themselves and that wouldn’t do. He needed to find a place where he could take her, a place where they could find a modicum of privacy. His eyes finally settled on the stairs leading to the second floor, to the balcony… perfect.
“Want to go somewhere a little more private, sweetheart?” he asked her.
Logically she knew going somewhere private with someone she hardly knew was the most monumental mistake she could ever make, but right now she couldn’t care less. Right now she only wanted more of him; more of what only he could give her, so she nodded her acquiescence and taking the hand he offered her, followed him to the stairs.
tbc
squawks
05/18/17 04:16 am
pj! I remember wishing one of your stories would be finished seriously about a decade ago. Amazing. I just tried an old password I used to use and amazingly got in too. Memories!
pj
03/20/17 01:20 am
10 yrs later, i finally rem my username and password. Pari, you rock. Hope you are well.
Rabbit_moon1
12/23/16 01:12 pm
I donate every month. Please donate to keep this site up!
AudryDaluz1
10/06/16 08:34 am
Great post.
Chrissel
08/31/16 03:45 pm
And anyone else who loves this site, it's worth mentioning there's a nifty little "Donate" option just below the shout box here! ;)
Chrissel
08/31/16 03:43 pm
Just wanted to take a moment to thank Pari and all the mods for maintaining such a great site!
05/18/17 04:16 am
pj! I remember wishing one of your stories would be finished seriously about a decade ago. Amazing. I just tried an old password I used to use and amazingly got in too. Memories!
pj
03/20/17 01:20 am
10 yrs later, i finally rem my username and password. Pari, you rock. Hope you are well.
Rabbit_moon1
12/23/16 01:12 pm
I donate every month. Please donate to keep this site up!
AudryDaluz1
10/06/16 08:34 am
Great post.
Chrissel
08/31/16 03:45 pm
And anyone else who loves this site, it's worth mentioning there's a nifty little "Donate" option just below the shout box here! ;)
Chrissel
08/31/16 03:43 pm
Just wanted to take a moment to thank Pari and all the mods for maintaining such a great site!