"It's The Little Things"

Author: A. Price
Email: andramichelle@yahoo.com

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"Do that again." He called from his perch on the barstool.

"Do what, again?" She smiled as she turned and faced him, her arms elbow deep in the dishwater.

"Wash another glass." He grinned at her.

"You want to watch me wash a glass? You are one strange vampire." She giggled as she picked up a glass in one hand and the soapy rag in the other. He watched her as she put her hand in the glass and swirled the rag around in it , the removing the rag and rinsing the glass before she sat it in the drainer. She looked at him with a mischeivious grin, "Was that good for you?"

"Yes, baby it was." He laughed out loud as he continued to watch her finish the dishes.

"Now what are you going to do?" He asked as he hopped down from his perch.

"I’m... no - *we* are going to dry them." She smiled that glorious smile at him as she tossed him a dishtowel.

"As long as I can watch you." He raised an eyebrow at her as he began to help her dry the dishes. He watched appreciatively as she stretched to put away dishes on some of the higher shelves. And then he was very apprciative when she bent over the trash can to pull out the bag. He watched her every move, she was graceful at all times and he never got tired of seeing her in action, any kind of action.

"You know the last few weeks you’ve been watching me like I was going to go "poof" and dissappear Spike. I’m not." She sighed as she tied the trash bag closed.

"I know.’ He said defensively. But he wasn’t very convincing because part of him was so very afraid of losing her again. so he opted for smart alecness instead, "I’m not afraid of losing you. I just like to watch your pretty little bottom." He smirked at her as he took the trash bag and walked towards the back door with it.

She laughed out loud then and shook her head, "I should have known."

When he returned from taking the trash out he couldn’t find her, "Buffy." He called for several minutes before he heard the basement door open and went to find her with a laundry basket of clean clothes in her arms.

"There you are." He said with relief as he took the basket from her and carried it into the living room.

"Yep, I told you I wasn’t going anywhere." She patted his arm as she sat down beside him on the couch. "Spike, seriously you don’t have to worry about me. I’m here and I’m staying awhile."

"I know that, Buffy. It’s just that when I lost you - it was so heartbreaking, I knew I would never see you fight again, or stomp off away from me again or use me as a punching bag again or even wash a dish or pick up Niblet’s mess from the living room and it hurt. You don’t think how much you’ll miss those things until they are gone. I could watch you read the newspaper and be happy." He sighed as he took her hand in his.

"I’m sorry that you ever had to go through that. But I’m here now. And hey if you like watching me read the paper, then watching me fold this laundry should really make you happy." She grinned as she picked up the lace panties from the basket and held them up for him to see before she slowly and purposely folded them and sat them on the coffee table. He grinned as she reached for the next pair, folded them and added them to the stack.

"So are you enjoying this?" She asked as she folded a matching bra and pantie in pale blue.

"Loving it." He replied as he reached for her knocking over the basket of laundry in the process. She giggled as he peppered kisses all over her face and neck. "I’ll have to wash them again!"

"Good! Then I’ll get to watch again." He laughed as his lips found hers again and he felt the tangle of her small hands in the hair at the nape of his neck.

Soon the laundry was forgotten as more clothes were added to the pile on the floor and sighs and whispered "I love you’s" filled the room.

As he lie on the couch with Buffy spooned against he absently played with a blond curl as she slept peacefully. He surveyed the mess in the floor, he had to help her pick it up in the morning before Niblet got home. Buffy sighed in her sleep and nestled closer against him. He smiled - it was the little things that meant the most.