A Kick From Champagne
Parts 4-8
Written by: Pattyanne
Author's Website
Summary: Buffy has too much to drink one rainy night, then Spike
shows up. After an overdose of angst last season, I had to do something
kind of silly. This is sort of early season 6.
Disclaimer: The show Buffy the Vampire Slayer and all of it's characters belong to Joss,
Mutant Enemy, & Fox Prod.
Feedback: snapkik@yahoo.com
Part Four...
Five minutes after she'd switched on the television,
Buffy was ready to put her foot through it.
Hundred different channels...not one thing worth
watching...
She didn't have a lot of time for watching these days,
but it seemed as though television had become a vast and arid wasteland of
stupid game shows that made a point of insulting the contestants, reality shows
that had no basis in any reality she'd ever heard of, and sitcoms so painfully
un-funny that even the canned laughter was weak.
"Networks," she grumbled. "Who's running 'em anyway?
Demons trying to juss bore us into uncon..un...to death and take over the world,
I bet. Oughta go down an sssllaayyy every one of 'em."
The picture jumped from one station to the next as she
applied kept her thumb on the channel select button.
"Not even a good movie on," she continued bitching.
"Cable coss an arm and both legs...and they can't show one halfway
decent...whoa! "
She stopped speed dialing channels when she came across a
close up of a woman's face as her mouth traced a slow path down the front of a
very nicely developed male chest.
"Here we go!" she said gleefully, settling deeper into
the sofa cushions to see just how nasty this movie would turn out to be.
After a few minutes, it became clear that it was your
plain old, everyday, soft core porn. The kind that had lots of naked women
frolicking about, while the men were only shown naked from behind, or from the
waist up.
Every time the action on screen got really intense, the
camera zoomed in on faces contorted with either incredible pleasure or agonizing
indigestion.
"This isn't fair," Buffy informed the television. "Hows
come you only show the girly naughty parts? Didju forget about the other half of
the poppy..popala..the REST of us?" she demanded. " S'crimination is what THAT
is!"
She wasn't interested in looking at body parts she
already owned.
Still, in spite of the lame dialogue, bad acting, and
cheesy music, she was finding the movie more than a little...stimulating.
The sexual acrobatics were really impressive.
These people were getting into positions that looked
highly uncomfortable and difficult to maintain, and they were doing it with an
enthusiastic chorus of moaning and groaning, followed by outright squealing
whenever one of them crossed their personal finish line.
"Hey, cute guy!" The man onscreen had short blond hair, a
face that was very easy on the eyes and, if the expression on his partner's face
was any indication, must be hung like a goddamn racehorse.
The women currently riding this stud had medium blondish
hair hanging halfway to her waist, and was endowed to a degree that made Buffy
feel completely inadequate.
This babe was so top heavy that she had to keep her hands
cupped over her own breasts as she bounced up and down...no doubt to keep from
blackening both her eyes.
As the scene went on, the actors changed positions so
many times that Buffy lost track of who was doing what to who.
At one point, the man rolled over and assumed the
position favored by missionaries all over the world. He kept his face hidden
against the side of the woman's neck, and all Buffy could see of him was the
back of his blonde head and his wildly copulating ass.
Watching the performance go through its paces, she began
to notice that the man and woman onscreen had a familiar look about them.
The guy sort of looked like...well, if she squinted real
hard...Spike. The woman, as long as she kept her back to the camera, could have
passed for herself.
"Holy cow!"
She couldn't get it out of her head.
The harder she tried to follow the action onscreen, the
further her mind wandered, until she was off in deep left field, picking
daisies.
Her imagination took off at full throttle, working hard
to present her with her own private little movie, playing in her own dirty
little mind.
Deciding that she couldn't give her undivided attention
to both things at once, she abandoned the televised porn in favor of the porn in
her head.
Closing her eyes, she saw herself and the vampire she was
falling in love with, lying together in a monstrous four poster bed, the kind
with all the trimmings, like a swooping canopy, and silk sheets, and soft
feather...
"WHAT?!" Her eyes flew open as she shot up into a sitting
position.
Falling in love with? FALLING IN LOVE WITH?!
Her head was spinning like a roulette wheel, forcing her
to lie down again.
Oh, no...no you don't...there is no falling being done! I
can't play the Vampire Dating Game again...it's too damn much work...
But no matter how hard she tried, how firmly she denied
them access, how brutally she beat them up, the images in her brain wouldn't go
away and leave her alone. They just kept creeping in when she was unprepared for
them.
Sneaky images..
"Oh, geez," she groaned. "I don't need this. I swear to
God, I do NOT need THIS."
She rubbed her eyes with her clenched fists.
"I've gotta find a regular guy. There must be some out
there...I only need one."
Maybe, if she hung a sign in the window:
Wanted...regular, normal, everyday sort of guy for fun and frequent sexual
encounters. No supernatural beings need apply...especially vampires. Inquire
within...
Who am I kidding? Regular guys don't work for me
either...
She didn't have the time or the inclination to deal with
all the emotional baggage that came along with a 'regular' guy, and the regular
guys out there sure as hell couldn't handle her own set of luggage.
Spike's not regular...
"Yeah...no kidding."
Spike was a lot of things. Smart mouthed, brash, usually
lacking in common sense, and hot tempered.
But, he was funny and insightful, with a depth of
intelligence that he didn't often get credited for.
He was also as loyal as an old dog to the people he cared
about, and Buffy knew that her name, and Dawn's, were at the top of that
particular list.
And he was honest and upfront with his feelings and his
opinions, whether you wanted him to be or not.
Like it or lump it, Spike didn't bullshit you or tell you
what you wanted to hear. His philosophy was rooted in the "tell it like it
really is, bloody well deal with it, and get on with your fucking life!" school
of thought.
And, of course, he was amazingly good looking, very well
built, and sexy down to the marrow of his bones. A big, BIG plus for any guy!
Yes, Spike was all these things and more, but he was in
no way regular, common, ordinary, garden variety, or run of the mill.
"Oh, all RIGHT" she whined. "Think about him that
way..drive yourself nuts. Juss don't come crying to me when you end up in the
nuthouse!"
As though it had been peeking around the corner, waiting
for the opportunity, that big, beautiful bed reappeared in her mind.
Only problem was....she seemed to be alone in it.
"What the hell?"
Off to one side of her mind picture, a door opened and
her dream guy stepped into the scene.
"Thass more like it!"
Dream-Spike approached the bed like a big old jungle cat
padding towards a trapped bunny rabbit. He reached out with one hand and whipped
the satin comforter right off of Dream-Buffy.
Oooh...he's rough...that can be fun...
Dream-Buffy sat up and held out her arms. With a toe
curling growl, Dream-Spike leapt onto the bed and reached for the hem of a white
satin and lace nightgown that Dream-Buffy was conveniently wearing, even though
RealBuffy didn't own anything even remotely like it.
The gown came up and off, and DreamSpike began to kiss
and fondle and caress every inch of Dream-Buffy's naked, panting body,
whispering in her ear, telling her all the things a girl liked to hear at a
moment like this.
"You're so beautiful, luv...so soft and warm. I want
you...I've wanted you from the second I saw you..forgot every other girl in the
world but you."
Now, THIS is the way to make a sexy movie...pay attention
Hollywood..
Dream-Spike rose to his knees, bringing Dream-Buffy along
with him, and she began to help him shed clothing that came off with surprising
ease. It seemed to melt away beneath her touch, with no buttons, snaps, zippers,
laces, or velcro to fumble around with.
Dream-Buffy, who was a LOT more uninhibited than her real
life counterpart, began to explore Dream-Spike's body, her fingers gliding over
hard muscle and smooth skin.
Dream-Spike was no slouch either. He returned her touches
enthusiastically, caressing and kissing the most private places of Dream-Buffy's
body, his tongue lingering on her breasts and between her thighs.
God...he knows what I like. How the hell does he know
that? I've certainly never told him what I like to do in..
"Oh, for God's sake! Who CARES how he knows?" Dream-Buffy
said irritably. "He just KNOWS! Now shut up and quit distracting him!"
Sorry...
Dream-Spike moved to lie on top of DreamBuffy. He
positions himself and begins to thrust. She takes him all the way inside her,
deep and hard. In and out. Slowly...then faster...harder...then faster still.
Their voices vibrate with their pleasure as they moan and
cry out for more. She digs her nails into his shoulders, begging him not to
stop...not to EVER stop...because it feels so good...so perfect...the way their
bodies fit together so wonderfully, as though they'd been specially fashioned
for each other...and anybody who came before was nothing but a cheap imitation.
He pounds in harder, burying his face in her hair,
telling her that her scent makes his head spin, makes him wild with the sort of
desire you can only feel with a true soul mate. He promises to never stop loving
her, wanting her, fucking her.
His head comes up and he orders her to arch her back, to
raise her breast to his mouth so he can taste it...suckle it. He tells her how
warm it is, how sweet it tastes, how much he loves the feel of her nipple
hardening in his mouth, beneath the lash of his tongue.
Her fingers tangle in his hair, guiding his mouth to her
other breast, hissing in his ear to suck it harder because she feels the pull in
her loins every time he does and it's so good and she wants more and more.
Suddenly, he pulls away from her. She wants to scream in
protest, but he gives her no chance as he turns her over and pulls back on her
hips until she's on her hands and knees.
He reaches down and reestablishes their connection, then
begins to thrust, driving her back up that steep incline she'd almost crested
moments ago.
Draping himself over her back, he rests his palms flat on
the bed, nuzzling the back of her neck, asking her if she likes this, likes what
he's doing now. With a snarky grin, he places his lips against her ear and
releases a playful bark.
She smiles and rears back, returning the pressure.
Balancing on one hand, she reaches down to play with herself, but he pushes her
hand away, telling her that it's his job to do that, to make her come, that no
one else is allowed to touch when he's down there.
His own fingers come around front of her and take over,
finding her clit and rubbing it hard, squeezing it gently as his shaft invades
and retreats, over and over, until she's screaming for him to finish, to do it,
to make her come hard, the way no other lover ever had or ever will.
His hips begin pistoning in harder and faster, and he
releases soft grunts every time he goes in all the way, the muscles of his ass
working as he pumps into her, his sack impacting lightly against her own little
bottom.
Orgasm hits them simultaneously, making them scream until
their throats must surely be raw.
Her knees give out when he collapses on top of her, his
own strength completely drained away. He holds his weight off her as best he
can, by resting on his forearms. He covers the back of her neck with kisses and
whispers "I love you..."
Dream-Buffy smiles. "I love you too. So much..."
Oh, my God! That was just...WAIT! NO! I don't ...no
love...I DON'T love!..
Dream-Buffy sighs. "Oh, yes you do."
I do not! I don't want to love!
"Yeah...right."
I mean it! It's too much work. I ain't interested
"Ah, don't be daft, luv," Dream-Spike said, turning to
look at her as though she was standing beside the bed. "Everyone wants to love
and be loved. People...slayers..." He grinned. "Even a few vampires. It's the
natural order of things."
"Love makes the world go round," Dream-Buffy interjected.
Dream-Spike nodded. "All you need is love."
Stop that!
"Love is a many splendourous thing," he added.
"Splendored," Dream-Buffy corrected.
He shook his head. "No such word."
Knock it off!
"Really?"
"Check the Websters, babe."
"Later."
Stop talking to each other like I'm not here...
Dream-Spike looked at her again. "Look, luv, point
is...at the end of the day, love's the only thing worth fightin for. So, if you
find it, you gotta grab on and hold tight to it, cause you might not ever find
it again."
Dream-Buffy sighed. "That was beautiful."
He grinned. "Yeah. I read it in a Hallmark card at the
grocery."
Okay, shut up! Both of you. I'm telling you I don't want
to be in love!
"Then what DO you want, Pet?"
Sex. Meaningless, no strings attached, check your
emotions at the door...sex.
Dream-Buffy snickered. "Liar."
"Please!" Dream-Spike added. "If THAT was true, I'd have
been in your knickers a long time ago."
I BEG your pardon?
"Beg all you want, you know I'm right." He winked at her.
"You been hot for me since day one, Slayer. Same way I've been for you."
Oh, no I...for me? Really?
"Uh-huh. The second I saw that cute little ass of yours
bouncing around, I wanted my hands all over it."
But you tried to KILL me!
"Yeah, well...I'm a vampire. Doesn't mean I didn't want
to nail your arse to the nearest available mattress."
"Okay, enough small talk," Dream-Buffy interrupted
testily. "I want to get MY arse nailed to THIS mattress again." She pushed
Dream-Spike over onto is back, then rolled on top of him, glancing at Buffy.
"You can watch, if you want to."
Okay, YOU have been spending way too much time with Anya..
Part Five....
She opened her eyes and tried to stand,
but the champagne buzz was really kicking
in now, forcing her to surrender.
<All right, FINE! I'll stay here until the room stops spinning, but THAT'S IT! >
She sprawled sloppily on the sofa.
<Probably be here for days...>
Turning her head , she spotted the empty
bottle on the coffee table.
"This is YOUR fault," she groused at
it. "And will you two give it a rest?"
The couple on the screen just moaned
louder.
The remote was on the table next to
the bottle, an innocent bystander.
Buffy punched the off button so
hard that the batteries popped out.
She closed her eyes tightly again, trying to
force herself to think about something...anything...except the irritatingly
arrogant, thoroughly sexy blood
sucking fiend who knew exactly how push every last one of her buttons.
Barging into her life, turning it ass
end up, making her rethink all her
preconceived notions about how
things were supposed to be.
<Think about something else. Something completely off topic...like shopping! The blue dress in Macy's.
Dark blue with a glittery sparkle, the color of the sky right before the sun goes down, the color of his eyes. Deep blue and they sparkle when he teases me and he tries to make me blush...>
"Bad topic. No blue eyed vampires."
<Was that Karen Sutherland I saw at the market? My alphabetical order partner in school. I didn't like her. She was one of the 'Cordelia' clones, a member of her rat pack, and they were all so mean to Willow. Picking on her, making fun of her clothes and I wanted to sucker punch every last one of them
dead in the face. Boom! Light's out. There was Karen and Crystal and Harmony, and I hated Harmony most of all. Stuck up and stupid, my GOD was she stupid. Even after she was turned, she was the
same nitwiit she'd always been. Grabbing MY sister...shacking up with MY vampire.
"Shit!"
<Calculus, physics, biology, geography. Stuff I have no use for at all. Food in the cafeteria wasn't worth eating most of the time. Drinking fountains never worked right. You either had to french kiss the
thing to get a drink, or it shot a jet spray right up your nose. Ugly paint on the walls, ugly in the hallways. Every shade from nile to bile, and we fought
in the hall right outside Beginning Spanish. He scared me, almost took me out of the game. Good fighter. Strong..the best I'd ever been up against, and it
kind of turned me on...>
Mentally throwing in the towel, Buffy
surrendered.
<Where's a white flag when you need one?>
She couldn't do it, couldn't NOT think
about Spike.
If someone was holding her at gun point
and ordering her not to think about him, she'd
be shot right between the eyes.
"Millions of men all over the world. Why am
I so hung up on this one?"
<Because, he's...he's just...oh, he really is..>
"He isn't the only game in town."
<Maybe, but he plays the game better than
any of them>
"Yeah...he's a player."
<Well, I want to play too! It's MY turn, dammit. He
likes to play...I want to
play...why shouldn't we play with each
other>
The mystery giggle once again made it's
presence known.
"Oh, shut up!" she snapped, flinging
a throw pillow across the room. "I'm
trying to think!"
<I'm unattached...he's unattached..he'd BETTER be unattached...I'm over 21...he's WAY over 21...I'm not bad to look at...he's...>
"Too hot looking for his own damn good."
<Beautiful face. Muscles. Barely controlled energy. A smile that could charm an angry wolverine. Put 'em all together and they spell....>
"Spike!" she said brightly.
"What?"
Part Six.....
Buffy felt her entire body turn bright red. Grabbing another pillow, she quickly covered her
face with it.
"Spike?" she squeaked, her voice muffled.
"That's right." He sounded amused.
"Uh...I...hello!"
"Buffy...are you all right?"
Hearing his approach, she clutched the
pillow tighter. "Uh-huh."
Spike knelt beside the sofa. "Buffy?"
"Hmm?"
"What are you doing?" He tugged at the
pillow, but she held on.
"Oh, you know...nothing much. Juss sitting around relaxing."
"With a pillow over your face?" He tugged
harder. "How relaxing can THAT be?"
"Well, it works for me. I'm...HEY!" Spike
finally wrestled the pillow out of her clutches,
tossing it across the room. "That was rude!"
"THAT was rude?" he responded in disbelief. "And is it perfect etiquette to keep
a pillow over your face when someone comes
to call, Miss Manners?"
Buffy watched in silence as his eyes found
the champagne bottle with the empty
glass next to it.
A smart ass grin slowly formed all over
his handsome face. "Well, well...what's
this then?" He picked up the bottle and
examined the label. "This is the good
stuff, luv," he informed her. "Did you enjoy
it?"
She sat up and snatched the bottle out of
his hand. "Yes. S'matter of fact, I did!" She
was surprised to hear the sloshing sound
of liquid. Not bothering with the glass, she
raised the bottle to her lips.
Her aim was slightly askew, and a few drops
of the champagne ran down her chin, making
her giggle. "Oops."
Spike just shook his head and smiled, making
an obvious effort to contain outright laughter.
Buffy wiped her face on the back of her
sleeve. "Wasso funny?"
He shrugged. "Nothing, really. You feeling all right, honey?"
"Yup," she replied cheerily. "I feel great. Just
peachy." She tossed her hair back and gave
him her prettiest smile. "How's bout you?"
Spike cleared his throat. "Fine, thanks." He
pried the empty bottle out of her hand and
set it back down on the coffee table, then
stood up and removed his coat, tossing into
over the back of an armchair.
"So, where's Dawn tonight?" he asked, sitting on the sofa next to Buffy.
"Where's Dawn tonight?" she echoed. "Dawn
is...well, she's..I think...Dawn?"
"Yes. Dawn." He waved one hand in front
of her eyes and she tilted back slightly,
trying to focus on it. "Your sister. Fifteen
years old...long brown hair...nice smile...ring
any bells?"
"Yeah, sure," Buffy nodded, almost cross-eyed. She blinked hard and tried to look
serious. "Absolutely. You're right about that."
Spike waited for her to continue. After thirty
seconds of silence, he prompted, "Well...?"
Buffy frowned, trying to remember what he'd
said. "Well...what?"
He raised his voice. "Where is she?"
"Don't yell at me!" She drew her knees up under
her chin and glared at him.
Spike modified his tone. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean
to yell. Where's Dawn tonight?"
"She's..." Buffy concentrated, "...spending the
night will Willow and Tara. They're cramming."
"Doing WHAT?"
"Stud-dee-ing," she enunciated clearly. "There's
final ezams coming up, ya know. Verrry important."
"Final ezams, huh?"
"Yeah," she rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Tests.
Jeez, didn't you go to school back when you
weren't.." she hiccuped "...dead?"
"Yes," he said. "I went to school back when
I wasn't dead." He smiled at her, his eyes
soft with amusement. "God, this is adorable."
"What is?" she asked brightly. "Me?"
"Yes." Spike nodded. "You...like this."
"Like this?" Her brow furrowed. "Like what?"
"Baby," he leaned in close. "You are very
cute...and a little drunk."
"I am NOT!" Buffy pulled back, offended.
She shook her head in vigorous denial, then
held one hand over her eyes until the room
stopped spinning.
"Buffy...sweetheart," Spike said patiently. "I've
been around for a long time now, and I've
seen enough drunks to know one when it
falls on the floor in front of me." She tried
to stand up and he grabbed her hand. "Which
is exactly what you're about to do...sit down."
"No," she replied fractiously. "I don't feel like
sitting down." She tried to pull her hand out
of his.
Spike shrugged. "Fine," he replied, releasing
his grip. "But don't expect me to pick you
up when you fall on your....
Buffy stood, swayed, and fell to the floor
in a graceless heap.
"...face." Contrary to his words, he gathered
her up and placed her back on the sofa. "Are
you all right?"
"I'm FINE" she said irritably. "Quit asking me
that. I just...just didn't eat much today so I'm
a teensy bit dizzy is all."
Spike frowned. "You mean you haven't had
any dinner?"
"Oh, of course I did," Buffy said, "when I
got home before...I did...really!"
He looked at her doubtfully, then went into
the kitchen to see for himself. He was back in
less than five seconds, holding her forgotten
sandwich in two fingers as though the bread
was ticking a countdown.
"THIS?" he demanded. "This is your idea
of dinner?"
"It's food," she said defensively. "Any food
you eat at dinnertime is...dinner!"
"Buffy..." he shook his head, not believing
what he was hearing. "You ate ONE bite.
One bite isn't a snack. It's not even an
appetizer, and it's sure as hell not dinner."
He tossed the sandwich into the waste
basket, and sat back down beside her.
"No wonder this hit you like a freight
train." He brushed her hair out of her
eyes.
She enjoyed his touch so much that
she tilted a little to follow it, seemingly
unaware of what she was doing.
Spike caught her arm and straightened
her up. "Never drink to excess on an
empty tummy, sweetheart."
That sounded reasonable and he was so damn
cute that she nodded agreeably. "Gotcha." She
glanced at the window. "Hey, look! It stopped
raining."
His gaze followed her and he nodded. "For
the moment."
There was something she was supposed
to do...something she should already
have done, but she hadn't because of the
rain. "I should probly go out and..."
"Go out and what?" Spike asked. "Go out
and...patrol?" He stared at her in horror. "Is
THAT what you're trying to say?"
"That's it!" she said, snapping her fingers. "Thank you."
She began to stand up, but he pushed
her back down.
"Are you suddenly INSANE, as well as
drunk?!" he shouted. "You can't stand up
straight. Hell, you can't even SIT up
straight." He shook his head. "You wouldn't
last five minutes out there. Forget it!"
Buffy felt all melty and sugary inside. He was
worried about her. How cute was THAT?
"You're so sweet to worry," she crooned,
patting his cheek. "But I'm really A-OK. A
little fresh air s'all I need, and I'll be fine."
She stood up slowly, trying to remain steady
on her feet.
Spike stood up as well. "No, you won't be
fine...you'll be DINNER!" He planted himself
in front of her, blocking her path. "You might as
well paint a BULLSEYE on your chest while you're
at it!"
Buffy opened her mouth to reply to this silly
comment, but was cut off when Spike leaned
in close and glared into her eyes. "Sit...down!"
he grated through clenched teeth.
Buffy returned his steady gaze defiantly, at
first, then slowly lowered herself back down to
the sofa.
Seated once again, her nerve deserted her
entirely, and she dropped her eyes and grumbled, "This is stupid...I am perfly able to do my
job."
"Is that so?" Spike asked. Sitting beside her,
he placed one finger in the center of her chest
and gave her a nudge that wouldn't have unseated
a three hour old kitten.
"HEY!" Buffy squealed as she lost her balance. Pinwheeling her arms to try and steady
herself, she did a backwards somersault and
crashed to the floor. "OWWW!"
"Still feeling perfly able, luv?" Spike asked
casually.
"When I get back up there," she muttered,
rolling onto her hands and knees, "you're
gonna pay."
He watched her struggle to regain her feet
with a huge smile on his face.
"Yeah," he said. "I can see that. You gonna
give me a head start before you come after
me?"
"Oh, shuddup," Buffy said. "Think you're so
damn smart, donchu?"
He chuckled. "Well, I'm not the one crawling
around on the floor," he said. "Although, I
must admit, you're very appealing in that
position."
Buffy's head jerked up and she stared at him,
wondering if she'd heard him properly. "Whatta
ya mean by that?"
"You know what I mean," Spike said, his voice
dropping into a lower register. "On your hands
and knees like that. Makes the mind reel with
possibilities and.." He winked at her. "..naughty
thoughts."
"Okay, wait a minute." It had been a while since
she'd had a suggestive remark aimed at her,
but she still recognized one when she heard it.
Climbing back up on the sofa, she crawled on
her hands and knees down to the other end
until she was nose to nose with him. "Are you
kidding me?"
He smiled tenderly, and tucked a lock of her
hair behind one ear. "Course not, baby."
She sat back on her heels, tilting her
head. "Are you flirting with me?" she asked
suspiciously. "How come?"
"Don't you know?"
"Would I ask, if I knew?"
Spike trailed one finger over the curve of her
cheek. "Maybe because you're so pretty?" he
suggested.
Buffy held her breath, waiting for him to continue. After thirty seconds, she couldn't hold
her tongue. "That's IT?"
"No!" he laughed. "That's not IT!" Taking hold
of her arms, he pulled her forward into his
lap. "You know I'm crazy about you, luv."
"You are?" she gulped. "Really?"
Spike nodded. "Really."
"Ohhh," Buffy sighed. "Thass so...no! Wait!" The
smile disappeared from her face. "If..if you're sooo
crazy 'bout me then...then why've you been
avoyling me?"
"Why have I been doing WHAT?"
"You been avoy...a...not touching me! Ever
since that night when...when we..."
"I remember, baby," he assured. "God, do I
remember."
"Yeah! And...and ever since then...nothing! Not
a word or...or nothing! Zip!" She struggled
slightly in his hands. "I was starting to think
that I'm icky or something."
Spike took a firmer grip on her arms and
pulled her closer. "Don't you EVER think a thing like
that!" he said fiercely. "There's nothing wrong with you, baby. You're perfect from
top to bottom." One hand slid lightly down her
back and caressed her rear. "And your bottom is
especially cute."
"THAT'S what I said!" she pouted.
"No, no...don't do that." He groaned softly. "Not
with the face. You know I can't take it."
"I dunno WHAT you mean," she replied airily,
knowing exactly what he meant.
"Oh, don't you?"
"No, I...HEY!" she yelped when he turned
her in his arms, keeping her on his lap, but
facing away from him.
He pulled her back until she was reclining
against his chest. "You know damn well what
I mean, pouty," he whispered in her ear. "Whenever you make that face at me,
you're just begging for it."
Buffy didn't know what was making her more
light headed, the alcohol she'd consumed, or
the tone in Spike's voice, or the feel of his
mouth as he placed light kisses on the side of
her neck.
"God, baby...you smell so good," he said,
rubbing his cheek against her hair. "What is
that?"
Buffy's eyelids lost their mooring and drifted
shut. "What...does it smell like?"
He took another sniff. "Coconut?"
"Shampoo," she said, giggling when he
tickled her ear.
"And...lemons?"
She nodded. "Conditioner."
He moved further down, nuzzling her cheek.
"Peaches...no, apricots."
"Fash...fisha...the stuff I wash my face with."
"Is that what makes it so soft?" he asked. Lifting her hand, he kissed the inside of her wrist.
"This one's easy...vanilla."
Buffy brought her free hand up to cup his
cheek. "D'ya like it?"
"Do I LIKE it?" he asked, charmed by her
flirty demeanor. "Baby...you're dessert."
She tilted her head back to look into his
eyes. "Are you hungry?"
Before he could answer, she heard the
laughter that had been plaguing her all
evening.
"Did you hear that?" she asked in a whisper,
not wanting to alert the giggler.
"Hear what, sweetheart," he asked,
kissing the side of her face and her ear. "All
I hear is you."
"No, not me. Not me." She sat up and
looked around the room. "That laughing.
Someone laughed."
She placed one finger to her lips. "I
think we gots a.." She wasn't even going
to try and say poltergeist. "..ghost. A ghost
that laughs."
Turning on his lap to face him, she found
him looking at her as though she'd changed
colors. "What?"
"That was you."
Buffy looked confused. "Who was me?"
"The ghost that laughed," he said.
She stared at him for a moment, then smiled.
"Spike...don't tease me. S' not nice."
"I'm not teasing you, luv," he reported seriously. "That was you laughing, and if you've
been hearing it all night and thinking it was
someone else.." He sighed. "Then you're
even drunker than I thought you were."
Buffy was losing interest in the discussion and
wanted to go back to the previous topic.
"Whatever," she shrugged. Turning around again,
she tilted her head and offered him access to
her throat. She sighed softly, snuggling back
into his arms. "You were saying?"
Spike hesitated, groping for some semblance
of self control. "I think it's time for bed."
"I think so too!" She sat up in his lap, smiling
brightly.
He helped her stand, then placed his hands
on her shoulders and looked her in the
eye. "Time for YOU to go to bed," he amended.
"Yeah!" she said eagerly. "I heard you the
first time."
He made no reply, but just looked at her.
Slowly divining his intent, she gasped out
loud. "You mean...you don't mean...by
myself?"
"By yourself." he confirmed.
"But...but thass a TERRIBLE idea,"
Buffy complained loudly. "Thass the worst idea I ever
heard!"
"Maybe," Spike said, turning her and gently
urging her towards the stairs. "But it's a safer
one."
She dug in her heels. "Safer for who?" she
whined.
"Safer for me. I don't even want to think about
you might do after you sober up and remember
what happened."
Buffy smiled. She could fix this!
Turning to face him, she placed her arms
around his neck. "Oh, come on," she said,
rubbing against him kittenishly.
Spike grabbed her hips, holding her lower
body away from his. "Don't do that."
"Don't do what?" Buffy asked sweetly. "Don't
do this?" Thrusting herself forward, she made
intimate contact.
"Yes," he hissed through clenched teeth. "That
would be the thing to not do, luv."
"If you say so." Locking her arms more firmly
around his neck, she bent her knees a little,
the jumped straight up into the air. "Catch!"
As though the movements had been choreographen specially for them, Spike slipped
his hands under her bottom as she wrapped
her legs around his waist.
Before he could utter a sound, she lunged
forward and kissed him.
Unable to resist, his hands moved caressingly
up and down her back, molding her upper body
against his.
They kissed feverishly, exploring each others
mouth with their tongues, until Buffy was
forced to break away for oxygen.
"Take me upstairs," she panted. "Take me...."
The sensation of her warm breath on his skin
nearly destroyed any resolve he had, but her
words pulled him out of the erotic miasma he
was drowning in.
"Buffy...baby, listen to me. You have to stop
now."
Setting her firmly on her feet, Spike untangled
himself from her embrace.
"Please don't misunderstand," he said earnestly,
looking into her expressive green eyes. "I want
you. You have no idea how badly I want you..how
long I've waited."
"The wait's over now," she said happily. "Just
take me upstairs."
"No."
Buffy shrugged. "Okay!" Her hands moved to
unbutton his shirt. "Right here is good, too."
Spike closed his eyes, shaking his head in
self disgust. "Christ," he muttered. "I don't
BELIEVE I'm saying this."
"Well join the club!" she said peevishly.
He opened his eyes and gazed down into
hers. They were wide, and dark with desire.
Her hair was mussed, her lips moist and
a little swollen from being kissed so
hard.
She almost looked like she'd already been
made love to, passionately and thoroughly.
"Oh, God help me," he groaned, picking
her up in his arms and carrying her up
the stairs.
Buffy's room was illuminated only by the
light of a moon that was just beginning to
emerge from behind a bank of storm clouds.
As Spike placed her on the bed, urging her
to lie back into the pillows, Buffy reached
for him.
Knowing that if she touched him he was
lost, he took hold of her seeking hands and
held them firmly.
"Spike," Buffy whispered, "I want you to make
love to me."
"And I WANT to make love to you," he said,
steeling himself. "But...not like this. I can't
take advantage of..."
"Yes, you can!" Buffy interjected impatiently. "You can take as much advantage as you
want. Just help yourself. I got lots more. I'm
loaded with advantage!"
Spike rolled his eyes. "You're loaded all
right." She opened her mouth to reply,
but he clapped one hand over it. "I can't
take advantage of a helpless girl."
"Thince when?" Buffy glared at him, her
voice muffled by his hand.
"Since tonight, it seems." Smiling ruefully,
he took his hand off her mouth. "Can you
feature that? Turns out I still got a few ethics
left."
"Congratulations," Buffy grumbled with
a scowl. "I'm real happy for you, but you
picked a lousy time to discover them."
"I agree," he said, kissing each small
hand. "Listen, sweetheart...you get some
sleep. You're gonna need it. Champagne
has a hell of a kick, specially if you're
not used to it."
"Spike..."
He let go of her hands and reached for a
quilt at the foot of the bed, covering
her with it. "In the morning," he added,
tucking her in like a sleepy child, "Take
some aspirin and have some weak tea and
crackers if your tummy's upset. Try to eat
anything else and I promise you'll be sorry."
"But, I..."
"I'm gonna go now and kick my ass all the
way home," he said, avoiding her seeking
hands. "Be a good little girl, and I'll come
see you tomorrow night."
As he turned to leave, Buffy rolled over
in bed and wrapped her arms around her pillow. "All right," she said, trying
to project a false sincerity. "I'll be good. I'll
stay right here."
She looked over her shoulder at him
with innocent eyes. "I promise. You can
go now. Bye-bye."
Smiling to herself, she faced the
opposite wall again. She counted to
fifteen, then looked back at him. "Why
are you still here?"
Spike narrowed his eyes slightly. "You won't
do anything stupid...like go out and play with
vampires...will you?"
"No!" she said, a litle too quickly. "You were
right. I shouldn't go out slaying when I've
been drinking. There's lots of really dangerous
things out there. They're allllll over the place.
Dangerous."
She rolled back over to face him. "Besides,"
added, giving him her sweetest smile, "You
know I always try and do what you tell me."
Spike studied her carefully, trying to gauge
her intent. "I think you're bluffing," he said.
"But, I can't take a chance on it....
Buffy's eyes sparkled as she reclined back
into the pillows, patting the empty place
beside her invitingly.
"....so I'll be downstairs."
"SPIKE!" She popped back up like a broken
jack in the box. "I swear to GOD, if you walk
out that door and leave me then you may as well just keep going and start a
new life somewhere else, because I'll NEVER let you back
in. I'll revoke your invitation so fast you
won't know what hit you!"
"Buffy..."
"I mean it, Spike!." She pointed one finger
at him threateningly. "I'll have Willow double
bar this house with a whammy so strong it'll
bounce you into the next time zone!"
He lifted his hands in surrender. "All right. I'll
stay here. Settle down."
Sitting down beside her, he pulled off his
boots and dropped them next to the bed.
He leaned back against the headboard, arms
folded across his chest. "Bossy little brat."
In spite of his words, his tone of voice was
amused and affectionate, and Buffy's demeanor did an immediate about face.
"Thank you," she said. "I'll be good."
Spike rolled his eyes. "I'm sure."
Buffy sighed. "I mean it. I won't touch anything that you don't want me to touch."
"That's the problem, luv. There IS nothing I
don't want you to touch."
"Okay, then I won't touch unless you ask me
to," she promised, certain that in less than
five minutes she would have him begging her
to touch.
"That's good to know." Spike reached over
and switched off the lamp on her nightstand.
"Now go to sleep."
"No kiss goodnight?" Buffy pouted, sliding
down until she was stretched out on her back.
Spike leaned over. "You just LIVE to torture
me, don't you?" he asked, brushing her lips
with a brotherly kiss. "Goodnight."
Buffy caught him. Wrapping him in her
embrace, she parted her lips beneath his.
A soft moan came from deep in his throat
as he slipped his arms around her and
pulled her snugly against him.
She took this as a sign of surrender, and
returned the kiss with passionate intent.
As he rolled over on top of her, her head
began swimming once again, making her
dizzy.
Her lashes were suddenly too heavy to
keep open, and the last thing she was clearly
aware of was a voice husky with desire,
murmuring in her ear, over and over.
"I love you, Buffy...I love you...love
you...love...."
Part Seven...
It was raining again. She could hear it spattering on the window pane in hard
bursts, like handfuls of gravel. It sounded cold and unfriendly, and Buffy was glad she didn't have to go out in it.
She snuggled down deeper into her pillow and was beginning to drift back to sleep when a crack of thunder went off like automatic weapons fire.
"Oh!" She shot straight up in bed, clapping her hands over her ears to muffle the noise, and was instantly sorry for it when a jolt of pain sliced through her head. "Oww!"
Clutching her head, she rocked back and forth. "Somebody kill me," she moaned. "Please..."
"Poor baby."
Buffy turned her head slowly, trying to keep it from tumbling off her shoulders, and stared wild eyed at the man lying beside her.
"Oh...you...oh, gosh." Her voice sounded squeaky and pathetic in her ears.
"I'll get you some aspirin," Spike said soothingly, beginning to climb out of the bed.
Buffy stared at his bare chest in disbelief. If his chest was bare...then surely
other parts of him were in the same condition. "No! Don't...just don't...move."
He looked at her, concerned. "Do you feel sick, sweetheart? You need to....?" He gestured towards the bathroom.
"I...my head hurts," she whimpered.
"I know it does," he said sympathetically. "Let me get you something for it."
"Spike...wait." Buffy laced her fingers together nervously. "Did we...uh...DID we?"
He gave her that slow, sexy smile that he was so terribly good at. "What do YOU think?"
"Oh...oh, God." She stared at him, glassy-eyed. "Oh, no..."
The smile immediately left his face. "Buffy, you...God, you look horrified. You really didn't want..." There was a slight catch in his voice, and he cleared his throat to cover it up. "I'm sorry."
He turned away from her, his eyes wandering around the room, looking at everything but her. A muffled sob drew his attention back to her face.
She was biting her lower lip, her eyes shimmering with tears.
"Fabulous," he muttered. "I've actually made you cry."
Buffy was visibly struggling to control her emotions. "It's just that...I didn't want it to be that way...between us."
"Yeah, I'm beginning to see that." Leaning over the bed, Spike grabbed his shirt off the floor.
"Please, don't be mad."
He shook his head. "I'm not mad." Two diamond bright tears traced a slow path down her cheeks, and he sighed heavily. "Don't cry about it, Buffy. We didn't..."
"I can't help it," she cut him off. "I'm a terrible person."
"No, you're not..."
"But I AM" she insisted. "I'm horrible. Just look at what I've done." She flailed her arms around the bed. "The...the first time we make love...and I can't remember it!"
Giving up the fight, she burst into noisy tears and covered her face with her hands.
Spike stared at her in shock. "Is THAT what you're upset about? That you can't remember it?"
"Of course I'm upset about it," she sobbed. "That should be a beautiful memory...and I ruined it. I-I got drunk..and I passed out and I just...just ruined it!"
"Sweetheart, no," he reached for her. "Listen..."
Buffy turned over in bed and buried her tear streaked face in the pillow. "I'm sorry," she whimpered. "I'm sorry..."
Spike took hold of her and gathered her into his lap. "Don't cry, Buffy," he begged. "I can't stand it when you cry." He cupped her chin and lifted her face. "Everything's all right, I promise."
"No, it's not." She jerked her face out of his hand and hid it against his shoulder.
"Stop crying, baby." Wrapping his arms tightly around her, he rocked her a little on his lap, hushing her like a tired child as he stroked her hair. "Come on, now. You're gonna make yourself sick."
When she finally settled down, he tilted her face up. "That's my girl," he smiled at her, brushing the tears from her cheeks.
Laying her head on his shoulder, Buffy sat quietly in his lap, an occasional sniffle the only testimony to her emotional upheaval.
When he felt that she was completely calm, he said, "I'm sorry, baby...this whole thing was my fault...yes it was," he added when she shook her head in denial. "We didn't make love last night. The only thing we did in this bed was sleep, luv."
Raising her head, she stared at him with a confused expression. "Really?"
"Yes. Really," he confirmed. "I shouldn't have teased you about it...and I'm sorry."
He pressed a gentle kiss against her forehead. "Will you forgive me?" he coaxed.
"Yes," she nodded. "But...aren't you.." She gestured at his bare chest, with a blush that completely charmed him.
"No, I'm not," he chuckled, lifting the quilt to show her that he still had his pants on. "I just took off my shirt...so I could feel you next to my skin," he admitted.
"Oh..." Buffy sighed with relief. "Then I didn't miss anything?"
"Nothing important, honey," he assured her, maneuvering them both back down on the bed, keeping her close.
They laid together, without speaking, listening to the rain and thunder pound the little house.
Spike watched as Buffy went back to sleep. When he was sure he wouldn't disturb her, he eased her out of his arms and climbed carefully out of bed.
Grabbing his shirt and boots off the floor, he finished dressing in the
bathroom, then searched the medicine cabinet for a bottle of aspirin.
Downstairs in the kitchen, he made a phone call, found some blank paper, and sat at the table to write a brief note.
A few minutes later, when he heard Buffy get out of bed and go into the bathroom, he made her a cup of tea, then took it and
the aspirin upstairs and left it on her bedside table. The note, he placed on her
pillow.
Donning his coat, he stepped out into the cold morning air, uncaring of the rain and grateful for the lack of sunshine.
Looking back up at Buffy's bedroom window, he smiled and threw her an unseen kiss, them climbed into his car and drove away.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
Buffy yawned and rolled over in bed without opening her eyes, searching for
the solid comfort of Spike's body, but finding only a pillow.
Frowning, she lifted her head a little and looked around the room. "Spike?"
Bracing herself for a nasty pain in her head, she sat up slowly. Surprisingly, it had scaled down from a screaming blast to a low grade, throbbing ache. Not a lot of fun, but bearable.
Crawling out of bed, she went into the bathroom, massaging her temples.
The glare from the overhead light seemed painfully brighter than it usually did, and the reflection she saw in the mirror was truly frightening.
Her hair was a tangled mess, her skin was pasty, her eyes were gluey with sleep, and she was fairly certain that her breath could stop a charging rhino.
"Well, I hope you're satisfied," she said, glaring at herself. "You're getting exactly what you asked for."
After taking care of her most urgent need, she ran the water in the sink until it warmed up, then washed her face and brushed her teeth twice. She couldn't bear the thought of applying a brush to her hair, possibly making her head ache even more than it already did, so she settled for smoothing it as well as she could with her hands.
When she returned to her room, she saw the tea and aspirin waiting for her. Smiling, she went back to the door and called Spike's name.
Buffy knew that if he'd been in the house, he'd have answered her, so she climbed back into bed and propped herself against the headboard, then reached for the tea. It was still warm, and lightly sweetened, and she sipped it gratefully.
She picked up the note, and her lips curved into a smile as she read it.
Good morning, Sunshine...
I know that you're probably
not feeling very well right now.
You rest and be good to
yourself today. Remember,
crackers or some dry toast if
your tummy's upset.
I called Willow and arranged for
Little Bit to stay another night.
Be my good girl, and I'll come
see you tonight...and we'll make
that beautiful memory...together.
All my love....
Your (former) worst enemy...
Buffy read the note twice, the folded it and placed it in the drawer of her night stand.
"He loves me," she sighed, sliding down in bed. "And tonight, he's gonna show me how much."
The showery day passed quietly. She called Dawn, and then Giles, informing him that she thought she might be coming down with a cold and didn't feel up to patroling that night.
A manufactured cough or two lent credence to her story, and he didn't argue with her or scold her for blowing off her responsibility.
Since there were no new disasters looming on the horizon, Giles encouraged her to stay in that night, reading her a veritable laundry list of possible remedies that she might employ in treating the virus.
Buffy listened patiently, rolling her eyes and shifting from foot to foot. Giles could never just say something like "starve a cold and feed a fever". If there was a stuffier way of saying something, her watcher would find it.
Before he hung up, he mentioned that tonight he would locate Xander, and possibly Spike, and the three of them would take a brief swing through her route.
Buffy encouraged him to do just that, knowing that he might be able to locate Xander, but Spike would definitely be unavailable.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
She spent most of the afternoon napping on the sofa, wrapped snugly in her mother's hand knitted afghan.
When she woke up, it was almost 5:00, and she felt ten times better than she had that morning.
It wasn't fully sundown yet, but the rain clouds darkened the sky and she knew he would there soon.
She threw off the blanket and ran upstairs, feeling silly and excited, like a teenage girl waiting for the captain of the football team to show up at the door.
In the shower, she washed and conditioned her hair again, then scrubbed her skin until it was pink and glowing with health.
She finished by shaving her legs again, wanting them to be smooth and touchable.
After drying off, she rifled through her closet, searching for something to wear.
Spike was a bit of a sensualist, a tactile creature, and he enjoyed the feel of silky soft fabrics beneath his touch.
Rejecting one outfit after another, she remembered the pink silk pajamas she'd been given on her nineteenth birthday.
She only hesitated a moment before she took them out of her lingerie
drawer. Pajamas seemed a little forward, but she pushed that thought firmly away.
This evening was going in one direction. She knew it and so did Spike. Why not be a little forward?
<Why not be a LOT forward while you're
at it..?>
Pleased with her choice, she dried and curled her hair, then applied light makeup.
A blush of pink on her cheeks, rose tinted lipgloss on her mouth, and a soft taupe shadow emphasizing the color of her eyes.
She finished with a few strokes of mascara.
Pleased with the results, she slipped on the pajamas. Soft and flowing, they felt sinfully good moving on her bare skin as she walked downstairs.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
Buffy fiddled with the knobs on the gas fireplace until she had it blazing cheerily.
After dimming the lamplight, there was nothing left to do but wait.
She sat cross-leged on the floor in front of the fireplace, staring into the flames.
Tonight was a turning point. Everything would be different from here on out.
Spike would be a part of her life in a whole new way...and she was ready
for it.
She'd missed having a man in her life, someone to hold her, maybe even take care of HER once in a while, instead of the other way around.
And Spike was the right man. He was right for her in a way that no other man had ever been.
With Angel, it had all SEEMED so right. He had known her for who and what she was. He'd been perfect for her.
So she thought...
When their relationship had taken its natural course into physical intimacy, her life and her love had turned into a nightmare right before her eyes.
With his soul lost once again, Angel had reverted back into the vicious and violent animal he'd been for more than two centuries.
Everything in him that had been beautiful and good, had become evil and ugly overnight.
By the time she'd condemned him to hell, he had driven her nearly to the point of insanity.
When he'd come back to her, his soul had been restored, his memory wiped clean of his attrocities...and she'd known then that they were doomed.
The knowledge had been so painful that she'd buried it deeply in her psyche, so deeply that her conscious mind hadn't been aware of it.
SHE had tried, and HE had tried,
but in the end there was nothing for them to hold onto.
They couldn't be close without eventually giving in to temptation.
And she could never...EVER ...let that happen again.
Angel had been the first one to bring their problems out into the open. He had quietly made his plans, then turned his back and walked away, smashing her heart into a thousand and one pieces on his way out.
The only thing that had gotten her through the pain had been the mundane chores of day to day living, her friends, and her responsibility as the slayer.
High school was over, and college was ahead of her. She pinned her hopes on the future, and left her
childhood behind forever.
In college, she'd still been dumb enough to think that all things were possible, even for her.
She'd dated one or two guys, but they'd aroused no more in her than a mild interest, easily forgotten.
Then, the "Parker" incident had occurred, one of her more spectacular errors in judgement.
His good looks and charm, combined with what turned out to be phony sensitivity, had made of her an easy target.
She had allowed him to seduce her in an indecently short period of time, then gotten exactly what she'd deserved the next morning.
The memory of it was still enough to make her squirm with embarassment.
When Riley Finn came into her life, she had been at her lowest point
relationship wise.
Although she'd felt an immediate attraction to him, she'd learned the hard way not to rush into anything.
Riley had been sweet and caring, and she'd liked him before she'd loved him.
He was the closest thing she'd ever had to a "regular" guy, and once again, she had allowed herself to hope.
By the time she'd realized just how "unregular" he was, it was too late to turn back. She'd cared too much.
As it had been wih Angel, everything had been good in the beginning.
They went to movies, parties, the beach, and just had fun together.
Then, like clockwork, all the other weirdness of her life began hacking
away at them.
His inolvement with the Initiative, Professor Walsh's betrayal and the revelation of what she'd done to him, the "Adam" horror show...all guaranteed to blow them right out of the water.
After it was over, and Riley's health had been restored, things had never been the same between them.
Her mother had gotten sick, Dawn had come into their lives, and Buffy had begun to push him away.
Slowly, almost imperceptibly, she had withdrawn. She hadn't realized it was happening, but Riley had, and he simply couldn't deal with it.
The death blow had been struck on the night she'd seen him sitting in a filthy, broken down vampire's lair, being fed on by the skankiest looking female vampire that Buffy had ever seen,
Being fed on...encouraging it...getting off on it. It had been a disgusting sight.
Her feet nailed to the floor, she'd stood and stared in horror. Wanting to scream, but unable to, she'd felt the bile rising in her throat to choke her.
When Riley had come out of his stupor and saw her standing there, he had tried to get to her. But she had already turned to run as fast and far as she could, afraid that if he managed to touch her...she would kill him.
In one last ditch effort to repair their relationship, Riley had announced that he'd been asked to rejoin his
unit in some jungle on the other side of the planet, leaving Sunnydale..and her...behind forever.
Unless SHE stopped him, of course.
It was up to her, he had told her, to keep him from getting on that helicopter and flying out of her life for good.
It had been a highly veiled threat, implying that if she didn't say right then and there what he wanted to
hear..then he would go, allowing her no opportunity to deal with it once she'd calmed down from the
initial shock.
This ultimatum, and the not-so-subtle pressure it had brought to bear, had infuriated her and she
had refused to give into it.
Xander had been the one to convince her that she shouldn't let Riley just walk away.
She'd ran after him, but when she'd arrived, the helicopter had already taken off.
Riley hadn't looked back once.
She had stared up at the sky long after the lights of the aircraft had faded away.
It was over, and she'd had to try and pick up the pieces of her broken heart...again.
Spike had been a fairly constant presence in her life, and a pain in her ass of heroic proportions, throughout the course of her botched up romances.
He'd first come to Sunnydale hauling his half dead and totally insane vampire girlfriend along with him, searching for a way to restore her to her former strength.
Oh, and he'd come to kill the slayer as well.
Their mutual hatred of each other had set the stage for some of the most difficult fights either of them had ever been involved with, and which neither of them ever won.
But as much as he'd hated her, his hate of Angel ran far deeper.
When Angel's soul had still been intact, Spike had hated him for allying himself with the slayer.
After he'd returned to their vampire family, Spike's hate for Angel had grown by leaps and bounds.
Resentment of the way Angel had walked in and taken over, as if nothing had ever come between them, had tormented Spike night and day.
Gradually, he came to despise everything about his sire. The assumption that he and Drusilla would just fall into line behind them and follow his orders, no matter how loony they were, and Angel's constant taunting of Spike's ability, or lack of it, to satisfy Drusilla while stuck in a wheelchair, had been bad enough.
But the thing that had pushed him over the edge had been the way Drusilla gave herself
completely to Angel.
She'd done anything he'd asked of her, whether it was crawling into his bed, or plotting to
to send the entire world to hell in a handbasket.
So, he'd come to find the slayer with an offer of truce, promising to help her destroy Angel in exchange for safe pasage out of town.
Against her better judgement, Buffy had accepted the offer, and had condemned Angel to the hell he'd planned for the entire world.
Spike had kept his promise and taken Drusilla out of the country, but the damage had been done, and he'd never managed to make her forget Angel.
They'd been in South America when the final break up had played out.
When it was truly over, he'd returned to Sunnydale without thinking twice.
Which had been a mistake.
The Initiative had bagged him and tagged him, stopping him in his tracks.
Buffy's relationship with Spike had taken a turn for the surreal, changing from bitter enemies, to uneasy allies, and to reluctant friends, with an always present undercurrent of physical attraction buzzing between them.
And, tonight, they were going to take the final steps in the dance they'd
been performing for so long, and start a brand
one.
There was going to be a future with Spike. He wasn't the "love 'em and leave 'em" type. Once
they started down this road, there would be no turning back.
Buffy felt a wave of shivery anticipation wash
over her.
She had forgotten how good it felt when this point in a romance arrived. When you knew that you wanted someone more than anything, and that they wanted you just as badly.
The moment when you wake up to the fact that, without knowing when it had
happened, you had fallen in love.
And she WAS in love. She knew it now, as surely as she knew anything. These feelings were far too deep to be anything less.
Everything pointed to it.
The desire to make herself look as pretty as she could when she knew she'd be seeing him; to wear something in his favorite color or do her hair in a way he liked; the agony of watching time crawl
by as she waited for him to show up, and the worry that simmered in her when he was late.
And there was the jealousy that swamped her whenever he talked about his years with Drusilla, even in the most offhand way.
But Drusilla wasn't the only one to stir up Buffy's inner green eyed monster.
She'd been out in public with Spike plenty of times, and had seen the looks on the faces of nearly every woman that walked
by them.
Although this irritated her, it didn't surprise her. A woman would have to be blind, deaf, and stupid not to be instantly attracted to Spike.
He oozed sex appeal from every pore.
His beautifully sculpted face and penetrating eyes, the hard muscle and instinctive grace of his body, combined with his cocky attitude and sexy accent, was a lethal combination designed to drive a girl wild.
He certainly was driving HER that way lately. Another sign that she was in love...the intensity of her "I want him and I want him right NOW!" feelings.
The only thing that still concerned her was whether or not they'd be accepted as a
couple by the others.
Everyone had adjusted long ago to Spike being a part of their team. This didn't mean,
however, that they'd adjust to a romantic relationship between the slayer and another vampire.
She knew Dawn would have no problem with it. She adored Spike, considering him an honorary big brother.
As far as Dawn was concerned, Spike could move in tomorrow.
<Now, THERE'S something to think about. Getting him out of that dark, moldy crypt and into someplace civilized...like my bedroom...>
She intended to spend a lot of time with Spike, and she wasn't about to do it in some hole in the ground, no matter how well furnished it might be.
Willow would probably be okay with Spike being Buffy's significant other. She knew
what it was like to be in love with someone...different, and even though Oz was no longer a part of her life, there was still a great deal of affection between them.
And, Willow was the type of person who wanted everyone around her to be as happy as she was.
Buffy was far more worried about Giles' and Xander's reaction.
Even though they had come to an understanding with Spike, Buffy was afraid that they would always see him as a demon, first and foremost. A vampire with no redemptive soul, no matter how worthy he might turn out to be.
But at the same time, they seemed to realize that Spike wasn't gonna go away.
They acknowledged it, came to terms with it, and even managed to accept it with good grace...most of the time.
Still, she knew that their accepting him as a friend, or as Xander put it, a member of her posse, did in no way guarantee their acceptance of him as a love interest for her.
In the drama that was her life, Giles and Xander had permanently cast Spike in the role of supporting player, NOT leading man.
They might not go disgruntled postal worker on her, but they WOULD disapprove, and she'd always had an irrational fear of that disapproval.
But sitting here now, for the first time, the thought of that disapproval didn't upset her or scare her.
It irked her.
<Let them disapprove. I'm all grown up now and I deserve to be happy just as much as THEY do. Spike makes me happy and that should be enough for them.>
Life was just too damn short not to wring every ounce of happiness out of it that you could.
Her life in particular was chock-full of danger and the constant threat of sudden death.
She couldn't afford to turn down any opportunities.
"This is MY life! And I'm gonna spend every day of it with the...the man I love."
There. She'd finally said it, and the sky wasn't falling...the earth wasn't splitting in two...and they weren't being plunged into nuclear winter.
"I love him...I love Spike...Spike is the man I love..."
She tried the words on for size, and they sounded damn good.
"I--AM--IN--LOVE!"
At that moment, as though it had been planned that way, she heard Spike's car pull into the driveway.
She flew across the room to the mirror at the bottom of the stairs to see how she looked.
And she wasn't surprised to see that, appearance aside, she looked happy.
Completely.
The front door opened, and she turned with a smile to greet her future as he walked into the room.
Part Eight...
Spike closed the door behind him, smiling when he saw Buffy standing there, waiting for him.
His eyes looked up and down her small body in a caress she could almost feel.
"Well, hello baby," he said softly. "Don't you look pretty tonight?"
"Thank you," she replied sweetly, returning his smile. "And best of all," she moved forward a couple of steps, "completely sober."
He held out his arms to her, bringing her forward momentum to a halt when she saw a familiar looking green bottle in one hand.
"What...what's that for," she stammered, pointing at the bottle. "Why...why did you..."
Realizing she sounded like an idiot, her voice trailed off as she began to back away.
<What the hell...now he WANTS to get me drunk?>
"This is a special night," he said, pacing slowly towards her. "I think we should celebrate."
He backed her into the wall, then turned the bottle over with all the flourish of a wine steward in a five star restaurant, letting her see the label.
"Sparkling cider," he announced. "For the little girl who can't hold her liquor."
Buffy laughed in relief and delight. "I believe that would be me," she said, throwing her arms around his neck and pulling until he lowered his head and kissed her.
When she pulled back, she took hold of his hand. "Let's sit by the fire," she suggested, towing him along behind her.
Spike set the bottle on the coffee table, shed his coat and joined her on the floor.
Buffy couldn't help noticing that he looked damn good himself. He was wearing his usual black denim pants, the tight pair she liked best because they were snug and left absolutely nothing to a girl's imagination.
He'd traded the usual t-shirt for a black, button down tucked into his trousers. He'd left the top three fastenings undone, and her fingers itched to start working on the rest of them.
"How are you feeling, luv?"
"A lot better than I did this morning."
"You didn't get sick did you?" he asked, brushing her hair back."
"No...but I had the mother of all headaches," she confessed.
"Poor little girl," he consoled her, still stroking her hair.
Buffy shrugged. "I slept most of the day and it was gone when I woke up."
"Glad to hear it, sweetheart." He reached for her, easing her into his lap. "Did I tell you how pretty you look?" he asked, running his hands up and down her silk clad arms, fingering the soft material.
"Actually, you did." She turned in his lap until she was straddling his thighs, her bare feet planted on the floor behind him. "But don't let me stop you from saying it again. It's not the kind of thing a girl
gets tired of hearing."
He took her hands and placed them on his shoulders. "It's not kind of thing I'll ever get tired of saying."
Sliding his fingers into her hair, he leaned closer and tilted her head slightly as he began to lightly kiss
and nuzzle the side of her face.
When his lips were barely touching hers, he whispered, "Open your mouth."
Buffy parted her lips, allowing his tongue to slip in and find hers.
As the kiss lengthened and deepened, she made a soft sound in her throat.
Spike heard the breathy little sigh she made, and turned her in his arms,
lowering her to the floor and stretching out beside her, all without losing contact
with her mouth.
He began working on the tiny buttons of her pajama top, then left the delicious heat of her mouth to blaze a trail of
kisses on every inch of skin he exposed.
When he had all the buttons undone, he slipped his hand under the pink silk, stroking the soft flesh of her stomach.
Buffy impatiently yanked the top open, baring her breasts to his admiring eyes.
Arching her back, she offered heself.
"Beautiful," he murmured.
She placed one hand on the back of his neck to guide him where she wanted him to go.
"Please," she begged softly.
He dipped his head, leaving hot, wet kisses on her breasts.
Buffy inhaled sharply, and he looked up at her. "Harder?"
"Mm-hmm."
He increased the pressure, moving his mouth back and forth from one soft mound to the other.
"Do you like that?" he whispered against her skin. "Does it feel good?"
"Yes," Buffy said, squirming a little beneath him. "But..."
"But what, baby?" he teased.
She looked into his eyes. "Your mouth," she demanded. "Use your tongue."
Her heated gaze burned into his.
"Do you want me to lick them?" he asked, flicking his tongue over her nipples.
"Yeah," she moaned. "Do that."
Rising to his knees, he brought her up with him. He put his hands on each side of her breasts and pushed
them together, creating a tempting cleavage.
Buffy's head dropped back as his tongue glided wetly over her nipples.
"Yes," she hissed. "More."
"More?" he asked. "You want me to suck them?"
Buffy's heart lurched in her chest when he closed his lips around one hard peak, suckling it as his tongue drew circles around it in his mouth.
In a matter of moments, Spike reduced her to a panting, writhing armful of sexual energy.
"God, you taste good," he said, lifting his head as he squeezed and fondled her warm breasts, sweeping his thumbs over both nipples. "Such a pretty girl."
Moving one hand down to her rear, he nudged her lower body up against his, grinding his erection against her.
Buffy returned the pressure, and it was his turn to gasp.
She cupped his face in her hands. "You aren't gonna make a run for it if I ask you to take me upstairs, are you?"
He stood up and pulled her to her feet, then picked her up and carried her to her bedroom.
Buffy laughed as she was unceremoniously tossed on her bed. She sat up, beckoning him with one finger.
When he was standing at the foot of the bed, she scooted down and began to work at his belt buckle as he unbuttoned his shirt.
Between the two of them, he was undressed in record time. Placing one knee on the bed, he removed her top, then pushed her down onto her back.
He pulled her pajama bottoms down and off, tossing them onto the ever increasing pile of clothes on the floor.
As he crawled up her body, Buffy looked down and her eyes got bigger when she saw what he had for her.
She felt a churning in her insides.
"See...that's what you do to me," he said. "From the second I first saw you. No girl ever made me so hard, so quickly."
She tried to move her hand down and take hold of him, but he eluded her.
"Not yet," he chided, moving back down her body. "There are things I need to do first."
He parted her legs, then settled his head between her thighs and licked her hard, from bottom to top.
Her entire body strained upwards, until the only part of her touching the mattress was the back of her head and her heels.
The pleasure was so intense that it could quite easily become pain, but he never let that happen.
Buffy's eyes were hazy with one sensation after another as he tongued her thoroughly.
She lifted herself, leaning on her elbows as she looked down to watch what he was doing.
Her eyes locked with his as he worked over her, lashing her with rough strokes of his tongue, then pushing it deeply inside of her, moving it around.
When he began to thrust it in and out of her, mimicking intercourse, her hips began to rise and fall, matching his rhythm.
It was only seconds before orgasm exploded through her body, making it tremble and jerk.
He continued licking her, bringing her down gently, drinking every bit of the juices her body was producing so copiously.
She arched and twisted in his hands, and he finally allowed her to escape his grasp.
Spike sat up between her splayed thighs, wiping his face and smiling. "You
look completely debauched," he informed her.
Buffy opened her eyes and smiled back at him. "I do?"
"You do," he said. "Like a rose that's been thoroughly plucked."
Her smile widened. "Thoroughly what?"
"Plucked," he repeated clearly.
"Oh," she giggled. "I thought you said..."
"No. Not yet." Sliding his hands beneath her legs, he pulled her towards him as he sat back on his heels. "But soon."
Buffy sucked in a deep breath and held it as he rubbed the head of his shaft against her opening, teasing her with it.
She sat up a little and pushed his hand away. "I want to do that."
He gave her a pleased look and gave way.
His hips jerked a little at this first touch, and he groaned softly, stroking her thighs.
"You must like this," Buffy said with a naughty smile. Drops of semen appeared from the slit in the tip of his cock, and she used her thumb to smear them back into his achingly rigid member.
"Oh, I do," he assured her. "Even more...because you're doing it...ahh, fuck...Buffy...I've wanted this for so long...wanted to feel your hands on me, those little baby fingers wrapped around my cock...so warm and so soft...squeezing it...sliding up and down...just pumping me faster...and..."
Buffy studied the steely rod in her hand. "It's so hard."
He chuckled. "It works better when it's hard."
Another bead of semen oozed out and she wiped it away with her finger, then looked him right in the eye and licked it off.
Spike's jaw clenched as he concentrated on not coming right then and there. It was probably the most erotic thing he'd ever seen.
"Mmm...Buffy. Your sweet mouth...I want it on me...on my cock," he whispered. "Please, baby? Please do it...for me..."
She urged him down on his back, moving into a comfortable position. His erection jerked in her hand as she placed a kiss on the tip, her tongue probing the cleft.
Dragging her tongue up and down the hard column, she teased him with a light touch.
He raised his upper body into the same position she'd been in moments ago, watching with an avid gaze.
"Come on, baby," he pleaded. "Do it...suck me...ahh...yeah...like that...a little harder...oh, yeah...that's good...ahh fuck, baby...you're amazing..."
This verbal foreplay was arousing Buffy as much as her mouh on his cock was arousing Spike.
None of the three lovers she'd had ever said such things to her. She'd
heard endearments, and vows of love, and lavish compliments, but never this raw and explicit commentary.
Spike, though, seemed to be fluent in this new language. He was so good at it that just his words alone were causing fresh wetness to flow from her sex.
Unable to maintain the position, he dropped back on the bed. His eyes closed, and he immediately tangled his fingers in her hair, helping her slide up and down on his cock.
"Oh, yeah...oh, God...Buffy...that's my girl...let me...fuck your mouth...so good, baby...perfect..."
When she felt his sack tightening, he made her stop, pulling her up and rolling her onto her back.
Without hesitating, she spread her legs wide as he moved on top of her and reached down to position himself.
She took in a deep breath when she felt the slow tightness of his penetration. It had been a long time since she'd had a man, and although her body and his mouth had provided the necessary lubrication, she still felt stretched.
Spike eased into her a little at a time, his eyes shut tightly as he held
on to the control he'd mustered up from somewhere inside of him.
When he was completely buried in her, he opened his eyes and looked down at her.
"Buffy," he said in a strained voice. "Am I hurting you, baby? Tell me if I am."
She shook her head. "I'm fine," she assured him, placing her hands on his hips to keep him from moving. "Just be still for a second."
He smiled at her. "Let me help." Shifting his weight to one arm, he touched her lips with his finger. "Open your mouth, babe."
Buffy obeyed, and he slid his finger between her lips. She took it eagerly, licking and sucking on it until it was wet.
Afraid that her sucking might set him off, he removed his finger and sent it down to the place where their bodies had merged.
Easily finding what he was looking for, he rubbed his wet finger against it.
Buffy nearly screamed at the intensity of the pleasure. Sliding her own hands down and around, she dug her nails into his ass and shut her eyes.
Her body released another flood of slick fluid, and she moaned softly in his ear, begging him.
"That's good...that's just lovely...I'm ready for you...go on...yes...yes..."
He watched her expressive features as he began to thrust, slowly...slowly...in...then back out, almost all the way...then in again.
"Fuck...fuck...baby, you're so tight...so wet and tight around me...I can feel you squeezing my cum out of me...make it tighter...fuck me back, Buffy...fuck me..."
Her hips began to rise and fall, complimenting his rythmn, matching him thrust for thrust.
"Deeper," she moaned. "Go in deeper...oh, please...feels so good and I'm so close...I want it...do it, Spike...give it to me...all of you...I want all of you..."
"Buffy..." he choked out. "Take it, baby...take it all...s'all for you...for your sweet little pussy..."
"Unh...uhn...uhn..." Buffy grunted with each slam of his pelvis.
He moved one hand beneath her, then lifted her lower body, holding it in place as he moved faster.
Bending his head, he took one breast in his mouth and sucked hard, feeling the delicious contraction of her sex with every pull.
When he sensed the beginning of her climax, he redoubled his efforts, pounding into her with primal force.
Taking his mouth from her breast, he rasped, "Open your eyes, baby...I want to see them when...you...come..."
Her lashes fluttered open, and she met his lust filled gaze with hers. "Kiss me," she entreated.
Spike lowered his head and covered her mouth with his, his tongue searching for hers, wanting to play.
She caught it in her mouth, then sucked on it as hard as she could.
Suddenly, he pulled back, his eyes wide as he stared at her.
"Baby...I'm gonna come...can't stop..."
"Don't stop," she said, her head thrashing on the pillow. "Never stop...never, never, never..."
With a snarl that would have sent most people running for the nearest
plane, train, or automobile out of town, Spike began the rapid thrusts that would trigger his ejaculation.
"You ready, girl?" he whispered in a tortured voice. "Ready to come?"
Buffy dug her nails into his back, almost hard enough to draw blood. "I'm...yes...I'm ready...unh... now...now...now...yes...do it...now...now..NOW...NOWWWW...yes, so good...ahhh..."
The moment before his own release, he saw her eyes briefly lose focus with the force of her orgasm. Pumping faster than ever, he rammed himself in.
"Yes, baby...do it...do it with me...that's right...my baby...my sweetest little baby.."
His body locked up, straining as he came harder than he'd ever done before,
filling her to overflowing, his semen spewing into her.
As his seed left his body, all of his strength went with it, and he collapsed into Buffy's arms.
She held him tightly against her, petting him, stroking the back of his neck and his tight shoulders, telling him how much he'd pleased her..how wonderful he'd made her feel...that it had never been so good before.
Spike raised his head and smiled at her. "You're mine, now, Buffy.
"Yes," she replied happily. "And YOU'RE mine."
"That's right." He buried his face in her fragrant hair. "All yours, baby...."
They laid together in contented silence, until she gently nudged him.
"Spike...?"
"You want me to get off?"
"No...no, you're fine right here. It's just that I couldn't help noticing..."
He lifted his head. "Noticing what, honey?"
Buffy blushed a little. "You're...you're still...ready."
Spike grinned. "Didn't I ever tell you about that?"
Her eyes widened, becoming as round as silver dollars. "I'm almost positive you didn't."
"Well," he said modestly. "Let me explain. You see, luv...vampires..."
He leaned down and began whispering in her ear.
"Really?" she asked.
"Mm-hmm."
She was silent for a moment, considering what he'd said.
"THAT many times, huh?"
He nodded. "Bare minimum. Now, personally, I've never tried for MORE than that, but if you want to take a shot at it..."
"Hold it, Romeo," she said, pushing him back a little. "I may be the slayer, but I'm still only human."
"Meaning?" he asked, his eyes dancing with laughter.
"MEANING...let's start with half that amount and see how it goes."
"I guess I can live with that," he said, rolling over until she was stretched out on top of him.
Buffy sighed. "I only hope I can."
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
An hour later...
"Are you asleep?"
"No. Who wants to waste time sleeping?" Spike tightened his arms, keeping her close.
"There's something I need to tell you. I know I...well, I should have told you before but..."
He raised his head. "Is it something terrible that I'm not gonna want to hear?"
"No!" She frowned. "I mean..I don't THINK so..."
"Then tell me, sweetheart," he prompted.
<Say it...don't be such a coward. HE said it to YOU...now you damn well say it
back!>
She took a deep breath. "I love you..I know I should have said it before...and I don't really have an excuse...I just..."
He opened his mouth to say something, but she pressed one finger against his lips.
"Wait...let me say this." He nodded, and she moved her hand to caress the side of his face. "I love you. You're all I think about...all I dream about. You're in my gut...you're in my throat...and you fill up my heart." She leaned down and touched her lips lightly to his, then closed her eyes and whispered, "I'm
drowning in you..."
After a long kiss, she pulled back and smiled shyly. "Please don't say all those mean things that I said to YOU."
Spike was staring at her in amazement. "I can't believe you remember that. God...you were so mad at me."
"I know," she said, hiding her face against his shoulder. "But I never forgot it...that's gotta count for something, right?"
He smiled and kissed the top of her head. "It counts for everything, baby." Placing one finger under her chin, he made her look at him. "Thank you for saying it."
"Thank you," wasn't exactly the response she'd been hoping to hear. Something like, "I love you, too," or "I can't live without you" Either of those would be better than "Gee, thanks."
"So," she said, trying to sound casual. "Do YOU still love ME?"
"More than ever," he said, giving her hair a
gently tug.
She waited for more. "But do you still respect me?"
"Well...no, but..."
"WHAT?" she yelped, pummeling his chest as he laughed. "Very funny."
He caught her fists and held her off. "Don't beat up the man who loves you, Slayer."
"Then don't give me smart mouth...VAMPIRE!"
"How about this kind of mouth?" he asked, pulling her down and kissing her senseless.
"Oh, that's much better," she panted when he released her. "Kissy mouth is much nicer than smart mouth."
He fondled her hair. "You know what?"
"What?"
"Someday," he said, smiling in a slightly evil manner, "I'm going to ply you with champagne and we're gonna do last night all over again."
"Oh, we are, huh?"
"Yes. BUT...next time, I'm gonna take every bit of that advantage you so charmingly offered me."
"Do you mean to say that I won't have to force myself on you?"
He rolled her over in bed, until she was beneath him. "In fact," he said. "I believe I'll take a little of that advantage right now."
"Take as much as you want," she offered. "For you, I have an endless supply."
Outside, it began to rain again.
But the slayer and her demon lover never noticed.
THE END
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