Chapter 28

“There you guys are. I thought you’d lost your way or something.” Xander called out; walking up to the blonde duo who had just entered the household.

“We got kinda… stuck in traffic.” Spike made up on the stop.

“At eleven at night? Traffic?” Xander questioned, raising an eyebrow. “Alright kiddies, have fun and don’t make too much damage or Cordy is so gonna kick your asses. I’m off.”

With a goofy grin he walked away quickly being swallowed by the crowd of bouncing teenagers.

Buffy simply cowered behind Spike. The thought of finding the drunken groups of kids that had caught them just ten minutes ago in an extremely compromising position made her stomach turn.

“Oh, God! They’re here!” She squeaked when she saw the short brown-haired boy who had shouted at them. “I’m gonna die. Just kill me now.” She mumbled.

“Calm down, luv. Maybe they didn’t recognize us.” Spike offered.

The moment they fully entered the party, all heads turned to observe them. The wave of hushes and unintelligible whispers that soon followed was barely masked by the loud music.

“Oh, right… they didn’t recognize us at all.” Buffy spat sarcastically.

“I’m sorry, pet.” The Brit apologized.

“You better be.” She narrowed her eyes at him.

“Well, it was your bright idea to sit on my lap.”

“So what?”

“So what?” He repeated. “I’m a guy! You don’t wiggle around on a guy’s lap; especially not an eighteen-year-old-hormone-driven guy!”

Buffy simply rolled her eyes and leaned on a nearby wall, wishing for all the gossiping to cease. Unfortunately, ten minutes into the party the buzzing still hovered around them.

“God! Where’s Willow when you need her?” She mumbled, pouting.

“If they came in Oz’s van it’ll probably be a while.” Spike breathed scanning the crowd and throwing deadly glares at all the gossiping teens, but it was no use. There were just too many of them. He turned to face Buffy: “Wanna shut them up?”

“Yes, please.” Buffy begged. “What’s your-“

She wasn’t able to finish the sentence as, suddenly, he was on her, his mouth smashed against hers in a bruising and demanding kiss, while his body crushed hers against the wall she had been leaning on. His tongue pushed past her lips, greedily exploring her mouth while his hands gripped her thighs and crawled up the sides of her chest. Buffy eyed shot wide open in shock, but soon she relaxed in his arms and her heavy eyelids closed as she responded with a fervour that matched his.

Her mind swirled as her fingers gripped the lapels of his tuxedo, desperately trying to bring him closer, but he pulled away and turning to face the gawking and astonished heard of teens shouted:

“Liked the show?”

Everyone blushed, awkwardly squirming in their places as their gazes bounced off the wall in a pathetic attempt to appear oblivious to the blonde duo. Turning to face a panting Buffy, he grinned at her:

“Worked.”

She tried to answer him, but she was still a bit stunned by the intensity of the kiss and so she opted to simply nod.

“What something to drink, luv?” He asked as he swallowed hard, attempting to hide his lack of breath and his racing heartbeat.

Another wide-eyed nod was the girl’s response.

“Be back in a sec.” He said before turning on his heels and heading for the bar on the other side of the room.

Buffy stood there, still leaning on the wall and practically jumped up straight when she felt someone tap her on the shoulder.

“Buffy!”

She heard Willow’s perky voice.

“Oh, it’s you guys.” She let out a deep breath turning to face Oz and Willow.

“Buffy, are you alright? You’re kinda jumpy.” The redhead worried.

“I’m ok, Will.” Buffy assured her as she watched Spike return with one soda in each hand.

“Hey.” He greeted.

Oz gave him a slight nod while pushing his lips together.

“Where are Cordelia and Xander?” Willow questioned.

“Probably upstairs doing the old nasty.” Buffy offered.

“Yeah, the whelp did have a ridiculous ‘I’m-gonna-get-laid-tonight’ grin plastered all over his face.” Spike confirmed her suspicions.

“Ok, that’s so not the imagery I need right now.” Willow grimaced.

“Same here.” Buffy agreed.

~+~

The song ended and the couples began dispersing, but the blonde duo remained with there arms wrapped around each other as a more fast paced, energetic tune came on. They moved slowly, while the crowd around them jumped up and down in a strange, almost tribal, dance.

“I don’t think this is the way you dance to ‘It Smells like Teen Spirit’.” Buffy finally said with a smirk, looking up at him.

“Says who?” Spiked asked cocking up a scarred eyebrow.

“Everyone in this room.” She replied promptly.

“Pff. What do they know?”

They continued locked in an intimate embrace, swaying to a beat of their own, oblivious to the world around them.

After what seemed like an eternity, they let each other go and moved to join Willow and Oz on the couch.

“You guys not going to dance?” Buffy asked with a smile that spread from one ear to the other.

“Not really in a headbanger’s ball mood.” Willow said crunching up her nose.

“You can always ignore the music and slow dance.” The blonde countered.

“Not very imaginative tonight. Plus…” She pointed at her bare feet. “Sore.”

“Oh! I told you should wear high-heel shoes more often.”

“Can’t.” Willow said simply.

“Why not?” Buffy frowned.

“Height issues.” Willow whispered, looking from the corner of her eyes to make sure Oz was fully entertained talking to Spike.

“Oh…” Buffy nodded as realisation hit her.

“So, why were you all jumpy back there?”

“The rumours haven’t reached you yet?”

“No. I’m rumour free. You know how it is, I’m always out of the gossip loop. I’m loopless.” Willow brought her eyebrows together for a painful frown.

“Well, you won’t be loopless anymore.” Buffy assured, causing her to smile. “On the way over here Spike and I kinda got into a fight.”

“Again?”

“Don’t worry, we’re over it. Anyway, we fought and one thing lead to the another and, long story short, we ended up in a serious make-out session.”

“Oh!” Willow piped up with a grin.

“Yeah, well that was what the guys who drove past us said too. Well, sort of. It was more of a ‘woo-hoo’ thing.”

“Ouch.” Willow winced.

“It gets worse. It turns out they’re from our high school and they’re here as we speak. Hence the rumours and the constant glances at me and Spike.”

Willow smiled as Buffy continued, telling her about the Brit’s strategy to defeat the evil glares.

“What are you two giggling about?” Spike called out coming closer to Buffy and throwing a possessive arm over her.

“Nothing.” Buffy lied. “Girl stuff.”

Spike tilted his head and narrowed his eyes in a clear sign of disbelieve.

“What?” Buffy gave him an innocent look, leaning in for a quick peck before standing up.

“Where’re you going?” He questioned taking a hold of her hand.

“Lady’s room.” She answered before moving to leave.

“Want me to come with?” he asked as he scanned the crowd. There were already too many pissed teens at the party, he really didn’t want her getting into any kind of trouble.

“I think I can manage going to the bathroom on my own. I’ve been able to do it since I was two. I’m pretty sure I’ve got it under control.” Buffy joked.

“Just be careful.” He said letting go of her hand and watching her as she moved into the crowd.

“She’ll be fine.” Oz said, knowing perfectly well the fears going through the bleached teen’s head since he pretty much felt the same way about letting Willow wander around the party alone. Especially the upstairs.

~+~

Buffy climbed up the stairs, trying to avoid the various semi-naked couples that seemed to cling to every available surface. She had tried the two bathrooms downstairs but had found one occupied and the other was… well, not in the most sanitary condition. She reached the corridor where an even more degrading spectacle waited to greet her.

“Get a room.” She whispered, frowning as she tried to remember the drunken girl’s directions.

‘What did she say? Was it second door on the left or right? Or was it third? Damn that stupid loud music.’ She grumbled in her thoughts as she approached the first option. She didn’t need to go near the door to hear the series of ‘Oh my God’s’ that came from behind it. ‘Ok, so it’s not option number one.’ She decided to move to the other side of the hall, but once more loud moans and ungodly screams carried through that door. ‘I guess that leaves doors number three and four. Now, left or right.´

“I think I’d choose right.” She heard someone say.

She turned on her heels to see Angel slouching against the wall, beer bottle in hand.

“You’re looking for the bathroom, right?”

Buffy simply nodded, crossing her arms over her chest in a feeble attempt to cover herself. Damn! Why had she left her scarf downstairs? She really wasn’t liking the lascivious glances he was throwing at her breasts.

“It’s the third on the right.”

“Thank you.” She said quickly reaching to turn the knob.

It was locked. ‘Damn it!’ She cursed in her mind. She smiled nervously as she lightly tapped on the door.

“Hello? Anybody in there?” She asked realising Angel was still staring at her.

“It’s-“

Whoever was trying to answer never got a chance as a gag sound was heard followed by the unmistakable one of someone vomiting.

“Ew.” Buffy winced pressing her legs together. She really needed to go.

“There’s another bathroom in the pool area.” Angel suggested.

“Oh…” Buffy said, having no idea how to reach it.

“I can take you if you want.”

“I thought Cordy said the pool was off limits. She locked all the doors that lead to it.” Buffy explained.

“You forget I’ve been coming to this party for the last three years. I know this house inside out.” Angel smirked.

She didn’t like that. And it wasn’t in a ‘not-liking-Spike’s-gorgeous-smirk’ kind of way; it was in a ‘really-creepy-get-the-hell-away-from-me’ kind of way. Plus, he looked like he was kinda drunk. But what was she supposed to do? Hold it in?

“Ok.” She finally agreed as she followed him downstairs.

Instead of turning left and heading where most of the party was concentrated, they turned right, into the kitchen where a few drunken kids lay sprawled on the floor while others sat on the counter telling anecdotes. They crossed the tiled room and entered a small corridor with a door on each side, one of which lead to one of the bathrooms she had tried earlier. At the end of the hall was a window. Angel reached for it and opened it.

“You’re gonna have to go through here.” He explained.

Buffy waited for a few seconds, contemplating how she would be able to climb out. Tugging at her dress, she pulled just enough so she was able to swing one leg over and then quickly jumped out. She stumbled a bit but was able to keep her balance as her feet hit the grass outside. She watched as Angel easily made his way through the window.

“This way.” He pointed as they went around the corner and were met by the sight of a giant pool spread out in the middle of a garden.

“Wow.” Buffy could help uttering.

“I know. It’s great, isn’t it? Had pretty much the same reaction the first time I saw it.” Angel said sticking his hands into the pockets of his trousers.

Buffy eyed him waiting for him to point out the bathroom.

“Oh! Sorry! It’s over there.” He indicated the small house near the pool.

“Thanks.” She smiled and walked over to the white structure.

~+~

“Where is she? What’s taking her so long?” Spike asked for the fourth time as he nervously scanned the party.

“There’s probably a line. She’ll be down any second now.” Willow tried to calm him down.

“I don’t like this. I’ll go check on her.” He mumbled standing up and walking away.

~+~

Buffy ran her hands over her stomach, flattening the black fabric there as she watched herself in the mirror one last time before opening the door and exiting the bathroom. She looked around and frowned when she failed to find the quarterback.

“Angel?” She called out squinting as she searched the thick garden that surround the pool area.

“Gotcha!” He exclaimed as he grabbed her by the waist, causing Buffy to scream.

He immediately set her down.

“Sorry! Didn’t mean to scare you.” He apologized.

“I-It’s ok.” She stammered.

“So… You enjoying the party?” He tried to make small-talk.

“It’s nice. Leave it to Cordy to plan a party that can make up for the lousy school dance.” She let a soft smile spread over her lips as her eyes stared into the crystal water that mirrored the sky.

“Yeah! She throws the best parties every year. “ He agreed.

They remained in silence for a few seconds.

“Well, we better…” She pointed towards the main house. “…go.”

“Right.” He said nodding and following her.

Buffy wobbled over the grass as they made their way back to the window but, suddenly, her ankle twisted under her and she stumbled to the ground. Instinctively, Angel reached out; one strong arm encircling her waist was enough to stop her from failing.

“Oh… Thanks!” She breathed looking up at him.

Her eyes widened when Angel’s lips were suddenly on hers. She was shocked at first, but immediately pressed her hands against his shoulders and pushed him away.

“What the *hell* are you doing?” She spat angrily wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, not worrying about smudging her lipstick.

“Oh, come on Buffy. I know you want to.” He took a step closer to her, with his hands stretched out.

“Stay away from me!” She warned him and he stopped dead in his tracks.

“Is this about him?”

She frowned.

“Bleach-boy?” Angel explained tilting his head back towards the house.

“This-“ She started but was interrupted by the tall boy’s grotesque laughter.

“You’re all worried about what he’s going to think isn’t it? Good old Buffy! You would never think of cheating on your boyfriend.” He mocked; a hint of anger hiding behind his arrogant tone. “Well guess what? You should check if you’re *boyfriend* is on the same page as you are, darling, cause I’m not really sure if he would agree that yours is a monogamous relationship.”

Buffy glared at him as he paused and took in a deep breath.

“You’re drunk.” She spat tugging at the edges of her dress and preparing to storm away when she heard him call out.

“He didn’t tell you, did he? About why we fought?”

She froze in mid-stride.

“Didn’t think so. I mean, the way you were all over him, I figured he didn’t.”

Slowly, she turned to face him.

“Is this the scene in the movie where you make up some big lie to try and break me and Spike up? Cause that is just so cliché.” She sighed, apparently bored, but inside her heart raced against her chest.

“Just tell your boy to stay the hell away from her. She’s mine now!” He growled.

“Dru?”

“Yeah, Dru. Caught him trying to grab her.” He explained.

“You’re lying.”

“Why would I lie?” He stood up straight. “Why else would we fight? Because of you?” He let out a powerful chuckle. “Come on, honey. Do you really think I still want you? Do you really think I’m as pathetic as you are?” He asked rhetorically. “Not really. You’re…” He took his time, running his tongue over his bottom lip. “…used up.”

A smacking sound echoed in the empty garden as Buffy’s hand came out of nowhere to slap him across the face.

His reaction was a creepy grin and a chuckle as he fingered his now sore cheek.

“Ouch, Buffy. That really hurt.” He said sarcastically. Suddenly, his smile crumbled and he glared at her. “Go. Ask him. Let’s see what he tells you.”

And with that he stormed towards the window, slipping inside.

~+~

“She’s gone. I can’t find her anywhere.” Spike said worriedly as he came back down the stairs to find Oz and Willow still on the couch.

“Are you sure? I-I mean did you check everywhere?” Willow stuttered.

“I checked, believe me.” He grumbled scanning the crowd. His heart immediately settled when he saw the petite blonde entering the living room.

“Thank God, Buffy! Where have you been? I’ve been looking all over for you.” He breathed in relief, bringing his arms to wrap around her small form.

She never moved, remaining perfectly still in his embrace.

“Are you ok?” He frowned.

“I-I’m fine. I’m just a bit tired.” She answered calmly, but he could tell something was wrong.

“What happened?” His eyes went wide at the idea of… “Did something happen? Buffy are you ok?”

“I’m fine.” She repeated. “I just wanna go home, please.”

“But it’s only one o’clock.” Willow noted.

“I wanna go home.” Buffy replied.

The redhead was about to protest, when she felt Oz’s light grip on her forearm telling her to just let it go.

“Ok, I’ll take you home.” Spike agreed putting his arms around her shoulders and leading her towards the door.

~+~

They drove the entire way home in silence. Even though Spike had miserably tried to make conversation, Buffy would simply answer him with either a nod or a monosyllabic reply. He let the car come to a full stop in front of her house before pulling on the hand break. The moment the vehicle stopped, Buffy opened the door and was on her way to her house.

“Hey, wait up.” He called out running after her, not bothering to lock the car.

When she didn’t answer, he wormed his fingers around her arm and forced her to turn and face him.

“What’s wrong?” He questioned with a serious tone.

“Why did you and Angel fight?” She asked simply.

“What? Where did that come from?” He frowned at her.

“It’s a simple question Spike. Why did you guys fight?”

He paused to a second, letting go of her arm and sighing.

“Buffy… I… I can’t tell you.” He finally managed to say.

She pressed her lips together and nodded once before she turned on her heels and climbed the steps to her front porch.

“Buffy?”

He went after her, leaning on the front door as she fidgeted with the keys.

“Why are you acting like this?”

She continued to try and fit the key into the lock. Angrily, he reached for her hand, pulling it away from the door.

“Buffy, what’s going on?”

“Was it about me?” A hint of hope shone in her eyes as she asked.

He paused for a second.

“No.”

“They why did you fight?” This time she wasn’t able to control the conflicting emotions inside of her, raising her voice.

“I can’t tell you!” He insisted.

“Why not?” She yelled.

“Shh… You’re gonna wake up your mom.” Spike warned her.

She breathed in deeply turning to face him.

“Spike… either you tell me why you and Angel fought or it’s all over.”

“What?!” he exclaimed with a hint of despair.

“You heard me.” She stood her ground firmly waiting for his response.

He narrowed his eyes, frowning at the same time.

“What is this about? Who have you been talking to?”

She ignored his questions.

“Choose.” She demanded.

“I-I can’t tell you.”

She swallowed hard, turning the key in the lock and pushing the door open.

“Goodbye, Spike.” Was the last thing she said as she closed the door in his face.

~+~

Buffy raced her way upstairs, storming into her bedroom and slamming the door behind her before throwing herself on the bed. Moments later a light knock was heard.

“Buffy…” Mrs. Summer’s voice carried through the wood.

Buffy scrambled to the sitting position, biting back the tears as she watched the door of her room opening slightly and her mother’s head popping from behind it.

“Are you alright? You’re home so early.” She noted stepping into the room.

“I’m fine mom.” The teen answered with a forced smile, squinting a bit when her mother turned on the lights.

“Are you sure?” Joyce insisted still not convinced.

“Yes. I’m fine. The party was just a bit dull and I got tired.”

“Alright then, goodnight honey.” Mrs. Summers whispered kissing her daughter on the forehead before leaving the room.

Chapter 29

Buffy hugged her pillow, the tears finally spilling from her eyes as she lay on the bed still wearing the black gown. Her arm reached out for the phone as it rang.

“Hello?”

There was no answer.

“Hello?”

“Buffy?” The familiar voice was heard.

Without a second thought she slammed the phone down and returned to the pillowcase.

RING! RING!

She sighed and picked up the receiver.

“Buffy, we need to t-“

He wasn’t able to finish the sentence as a busy signal came on. He grumbled something unintelligible and dialled the memorized number again.

“Buffy, stop shutting the ph-“

Beep, beep, beep.

“God! I’m gonna kill that girl.” He growled, but was soon pressing the small plastic keys once again. He frowned when he got a busy signal. He tried once, twice and even a third time before he realised she had probably unhooked the phone.

~+~

“So we’re back to hating Spike’s guts?” Willow asked with a low voice.

Buffy simply nodded as she played around with her food.

“You better suit up for hating mode then.” The redhead warned her as she saw the approaching teen.

Buffy looked up as he set his tray on the table opposite her. The moment he made a move to sit down, she stood up and was out the door without a word.

“Bloody hell!” He grumbled as he scurried after her. “Buffy!” He called out.

But she continued to quickly make her way down the hall. He sprinted towards her, eventually falling into stride with her.

“Buffy, we need to talk.” He said looking at her as she stopped by her locker opening it.

She didn’t answer, simply opened her backpack and took out a few books.

“Buffy…”

“There is nothing to talk about, Spike.” She said never looking at him.

“What do you mean?”

She turned to face him with a plastic smile which crumbled in seconds.

“I mean, there is nothing to talk about. It’s over.”

“What? Because I wouldn’t tell you why Angel and I got into a fight?” He asked in disbelief.

“No.” She lied. “Because… this thing… between us…” Her index finger travelled from him to her and then back again. “Whatever it was, it was just… wrong.”

“What?!”

“We don’t really like each other. I mean, Spike, come on. Be serious. We always have and will always hate each other.” She tried to rationalize. She just wanted to hurt him so much. As much as he had hurt her.

“What are you talking about, Summers?”

She winced inwardly at the use of her surname.

“What we had was just… too many pent-up hormones, I guess.”

Spike simply stared wide-eyed at her. She was reducing what they had to hormones?

“You missed Dru, I missed Angel and one thing lead to another and…” She shrugged, speaking so nonchalantly, though inside she felt a sting at the sight of utter disbelief on his face. “Goodbye, Spike.”

She tried to walk away but he seemed to suddenly snap out of his initial shock and grabbed her by her arm pulling her against the lockers, setting both hands on either side of her.

“Why are you acting like this?” He said in a low voice.

“I’m not acting like this. I’m just tired of playing pretend with you.” She looked up at him.

“Playing pretend?”

“Yes, Spike. That’s all we’ve ever done. Just pretend. Cause the truth is…” She paused, swallowing hard before adding: “I don’t feel anything for you.” She managed to say before slipping under his outstretched arm and walking away.

~+~

“So… How was it?” Willow asked as she walked side-by-side with the Buffy.

“I told him.”

“Told him what?”

“That I didn’t want anything to do with him. That what we had wasn’t real.” Buffy explained kicking a pebble on the pavement.

“Are you sure that’s what you want to do?”

“What was I supposed to do? Just yell at him and act like the jealous girlfriend? No! I’m not gonna be that pathetic. If he’s still not over Dru, that’s his problem, but he’s so not gonna use me to get her back.” She said with resolve in her tone.

“It just doesn’t make any sense.” Willow started. “She was all over him, that day at the cafeteria. You know, the lunch-shower day?”

Buffy frowned as she remembered the scene.

“It was pretty clear that if he wanted Dru he could have her. There was no need for him to pretend that you and he were an item anymore. He could’ve just gone back to her.” Willow rationalized.

Buffy continued in silence wrapping her coat tighter around her waist as the wind blew harder.

“I don’t know, Willow. And I really don’t care. This is just too… difficult. I just don’t want to deal with it now. All I want is to go to the mall, do some Christmas shopping and just forget all about him.”

“But maybe you’re just blowing this all out of proportion.” Willow insisted.

“Then why didn’t he tell me, Will? What else do Angel and Spike have in common besides me and Dru?”

The redhead simply shrugged. She really didn’t have an answer. They continued in silence all the way to the mall until Willow spoke up.

“I just think I preferred the angry Buffy.”

The blonde frowned.

“You know. The way you act towards him. Like nothing has happened and you’re not angry… as if you just don’t care.”

“I don’t Willow. Not anymore.”

~+~

Buffy dropped her bags on the floor as she entered her room, plopping down on the bed. God, she was tired!

“Hey, Buffy!” Her mother greeted. “How was shopping?”

“Mom? You’re home early.” Buffy noted propping herself up on her elbows.

“Giles and Spike are coming for dinner.” Her mother announced.

Buffy swallowed hard.

“I already have plans.” She made-up on the spot.

“Plans?”

“Yeah. Willow and I. We were going out for pizza.”

“Well, you didn’t tell me anything about that?”

“That’s cause we just decided that this afternoon.”

“You better postpone it, then.” Joyce said.

“I can’t!” Buffy immediately piped up.

“Why not?”

“Because of… hum… Willow! She’s kinda down. She’s been having problems with Oz and she really needs someone to talk to. I can’t just leave her.” The teen lied.

“Well… why don’t you invite her to dine with us, then?”

“Mom. She’s having guy problems. She wants to talk, which she won’t be able to do with you guys around.” Buffy quickly excused herself.

Mrs. Summers paused for a second as she seemed to be trying to figure another alternative.

“Alright then.” She finally agreed. “But don’t stay out too late.” She warned her before closing the door.

Buffy immediately reached for the phone.

“Hello? Willow? Are you free for diner tonight? Yeah, something’s came up. Ok, I’ll come by your house in about half an hour.

~+~

“You can’t keep avoiding him forever.” Willow noted taking a large bite from her slice of pizza.

“I’m not planning forever. Just till the end of senior year. Just six and a half months and I’ll be home free.” Buffy forced a smile on her face. “Now, can we please change the subject?”

“Sure.”

“Where are you guys gonna spend Christ- Sorry, Hanukah?” Buffy corrected herself in time.

“At home, as usual. You?”

“Probably home, with my mom. It’s just the two of us.”

“At least you’ll be Spike-free for the Christmas holidays.” Willow reminded her.

“Thankfully!” She breathed. “Just two more weeks of extremely awkward situations and I’m off the hook.” She said with fake perkiness.

“I still think you should…” Willow caught her friend’s glare and quickly added: “Right! Changing the subject. Sorry!”

~+~

The door creaked as she pushed it open and slipped inside. The only light came from the kitchen.

“Hey, mom.” Buffy greeted letting the keys drop on the counter as she opened the refrigerator and explored its contents.

“Hey. How was your dinner?”

“It was ok.” She replied taking out the orange juice and pouring some for herself.

“Is Willow ok?” Joyce inquired.

“She’s fine now.” Buffy paused for a second, pondering whether or not to ask her mother about her evening. “And how was your dinner?”

“It was very nice. I made pot roast.”

“Yippy.” Buffy exclaimed with little enthusiasm as she sipped from her glass.

“Watch it young lady.” Joyce warned her.

“Sorry.” She said with a light smile.

“Spike seemed kinda down though.”

She felt a pang in her chest at the mention of his name, but her reply showed no sign of it:

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah. He was very quiet and he didn’t eat much. Has he had problems at school?” Mrs. Summers wondered.

“Not that I know of.”

“Well, he asked about you.”

Buffy simply nodded in acknowledgment.

“He didn’t know that Willow and Oz had had a fight.”

“Yeah, it happened after school.” Buffy quickly lied.

“Buffy…” Joyce started with a more serious tone. “I’m very worried about him. I think he’s probably having a really hard time in school. I mean, you should have seen his face. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone that depressed. You two seem to be very good friends right?”

“Hum…” Buffy wondered what to say. “Well… sort of… yeah.”

“Well, could you talk to him? His father is really worried, but you know how the English are about these things. He doesn’t really know how to talk to Spike. He’s afraid he’ll say the wrong thing.”

“I… Hum… I don’t think I can…” Seeing her mother’s pleading expression, Buffy sighed and lied: “I’ll see what I can do.”

“Thank you, honey.”

~+~

The days went by, growing shorter and colder by the minute. Buffy sat by the bleachers watching a group of kids having gym class as she waited for Willow. They had agreed to meet there during lunch. ‘What could be taking her so long?’

She jumped up as the sharp sound of a whistle nearly pierced her eardrums. She watched as the teacher herded the teens together pointing at the locker rooms. She looked skywards. Maybe he was right; maybe it was going to rain.

She hugged her legs and rested her chin on her knees, staring out at the now empty field.

“Hey.” She heard a familiar voice call her.

Her heart skipped a beat as she recognized it. Without turning to face him she breathed: “Hey.” As he sat down beside her.

They remained in silence for a long time before he spoke again:

“We’re gonna have to talk to each other eventually. It’s useless trying to avoid me.”

“I’m not avoiding you.” She quipped.

“You’re not? You ask Mrs. Kennedy to change seats; you leave the cafeteria every time I enter the room; you refuse to let me give you a ride home even though it’s been raining everyday and you still say you’re not avoiding me?”

“What do you want, Spike?” She questioned with a hint of annoyance.

“Just to talk.”

“About?”

“Us.”

She sighed and immediately stood up, walking away.

“Buffy!” He called out as the first drops of rain started to fall.

She continued to walk, jumping off the bleachers, completely oblivious to him.

“Buffy!” This time he practically shouted.

“What?!” She yelled back, turning on her heels to face him and jumping back a little when she realised he was right behind her.

“Stop running away from me.”

“I’m not running, Spike. I just don’t want to be anywhere near you.” She argued as the rain began to pour and she turned to race back to the main building.

“Well, what are you gonna do about Christmas? Just ignore me?” He cried out.

She stopped dead in her soaked tracks.

“What are you talking about?”

“Christmas?” He repeated as he came to stand before her again.

“What about Christmas?”

He frowned as he realised she didn’t know. Tilting his head sideways he stared at her for a while from under narrowed eyes as the drops of water marred his face.

“Spike! What about Christmas?” She insisted.

“Oh, nothing.” He lied. A wicked grin spread across his face as he started to sprint back to school.

“Spike!” She called out racing after him.

Buffy ran her hands through her sopping wet threads when she entered the building to see Spike standing there beside her. Equally soaked.

“What about Christmas?”

“It really should be your mom telling you.” He continued to with false worry.

“Spike!” She scolded him, swatting him across the arm.

“Well, since Christmas is a time of cheering and loving and all that crap…”

“Yes!”

“Our parents…”

“Spike will you just come out and say it already?”

“Decided we should all spend the holidays together.” He finally answered her.

“What? We? Who’s *we*?” She frowned wide-eyed as realisation slowly dawned on her. “Us we?!” She pointed at both of them.

“You, me, your mom and my da. One big happy family.” Spike grinned wildly at the growing rage in the petite blonde’s face. “It gets better, pet.”

“What?” She asked afraid of the answer.

“Guess where we are spending the holidays.”

She didn’t reply, simply stared up at him with a frightened look.

“At my da’s cabin up on the lake.” He answered for her. “One whole week. The four of us together. It’s gonna be wonderful.” He mocked sarcastically.

She stood there in shock as the bleached teen threw her a grin and walked away.

~+~

“MOM!” She yelled the moment she entered the house. “MOM!”

There was no answer. She wasn’t home yet. Buffy stomped her way upstairs, quickly changed her soaked clothes and came back down to sit on the coach. Two hours went by before she heard the jingling of keys at the door. She jumped off the sofa and was standing in the hall in a flash.

“Mom!”

“Hey, Buffy.” Joyce managed to breathe from under the pile of paper bags. “Honey, could you please help me with this?” Before she could answer, Buffy was holding two large stacks in both arms and watching her mother gingerly make her way to the kitchen.

“Mom!” She called after her, storming her way into the tiled room and dropping the bags on the counter.

“Thanks, honey.”

“Mom, when where you planning on telling me about your Christmas plans?” A fuming Buffy demanded.

Joyce stopped, turning to face her daughter.

“How did you find out?”

“Spike told me.”

“Oh! I wanted to surprise you last night, but you were already in bed by the time I got home. So aren’t you excited?” Mrs. Summers questioned with a huge smile and sparkling eyes.

“Excited is not the word for it. I think completely pissed off is closer to it.”

Joyce frowned.

“Mom, how could you do this? We always spend Christmas together. Just the two of us.”

“Yes, and you always complain about how we never go anywhere and how it’s always dull. I thought you’d be excited about spending Christmas with Spike. At least you’ll have someone your age to talk to.”

“I don’t want to spend Christmas with anyone else. I want to spend Christmas like we always do. Just the two of us.” Buffy argued stomping her foot and raising her voice.

“Well, I’m sorry Buffy. We’re going to spend the holidays at Giles’ place up on the lake and that’s that.”

Buffy stared wide-eyed at her mother before snapping:

“I’m not going anywhere.” She stormed up the stairs and slammed her bedroom door.

“Young lady, you come back down here this instant!” Joyce demanded, but it was already too late.

Buffy furiously looked through her dresser, picking her clothes as she prepared to take a shower when the door to her room swung open:

“Don’t you ever walk away from me again! You hear that?” Joyce scolded, her index finger pointing dangerously at her daughter.

Buffy stood her ground. Her arms folded over her chest, her chin raised up high.

“Don’t you look at me like that! You are going and that’s final.” Joyce snapped before turning on her heels, leaving a steaming-mad Buffy behind.

~+~

“I can’t believe my mom is forcing me to go!” Buffy growled stomping her feet as she stuffed a couple of sweaters into her luggage.

“M-maybe it’s not gonna be so bad.” Willow stuttered leaning on the desk.

“Not so bad!” The blonde repeated. “I’m going to have to spend an entire week in a lousy cabin in the middle on nowhere, with *Spike*!”

Willow’s eyebrows came together for a sympathetic frown as her mouth tugged to the left.

“I’m gonna have a miserable Christmas and all because my mom had the *excellent* idea to spend it with… them.” She spat the last word as she let her body fall to the bed.

“At least you’re gonna have more presents.” Willow tried to show her the brighter side of the issue.

“Oh, great! Presents. I didn’t get them anything. Was I supposed to, you know, get them something?” She wondered.

“Your mom probably took care of that.” The redhead suggested, knowing Mrs. Summers well enough.

“I hope so, cause I don’t have time to worry about that. We’re leaving in half an hour.”

“Mr. Giles and Spike are picking you guys up?”

“Yeah. My mom doesn’t wanna take the jeep.” Buffy said as she stood up and restarted packing.

“Well, I-I better go. Oz’s waiting.”

“Ok, Willow. See you in a week.” Buffy grumbled as she watched her best friend head for the door.

“Call me when you get there?”

“I don’t even know if there is a phone there.” She stood up straight when it dawned on her: “Oh, God! They probably don’t have a TV either. I’m gonna die!” She mumbled stuffing her jeans into her baggage.

Willow gave her another compassionate glance and was about to walk back into the room when Buffy brought her arm up:

“No, go! Go have quality Oz time!”

“You sure?”

“Go. Get out of here.” Buffy insisted.

“Ok, bye.” Willow agreed reluctantly.

“Bye.” Buffy mumbled closing her luggage and plopping down on the bed.

~+~

“Buffy, can you get that?” Mrs. Summers asked from the upstairs.

“Sure. Why not?” Buffy said sarcastically, pushing herself off the couch and slouched all the way to the front door.

“Hello!” An over enthusiastic Giles greeted her on the other side.

“Hey.” Buffy forced a smile on her face as she turned on her heels and went back to her place on the couch as the two men awkwardly followed her into the living room.

“Where’s your mother?” Giles asked a bit nervous.

“Upstairs.” Buffy retorted; her eyes never leaving the flickering TV screen.

“I’ll be right back.” The older man said heading up the stairs and leaving the two teens alone.

There was silence between them as Spike moved to sit on the couch next to her. Immediately, she squirmed to the left, away from him.

“I’m not gonna bite, luv.”

She didn’t answer.

“Are you gonna ignore me for a whole week?”

“That’s the plan.” Buffy mumbled between clenched teeth.

“Apparently you’re not too happy about spending Christmas up at the lake.”

“Whatever gave you that idea?” She asked sarcastically.

Stomping footsteps were heard coming down the stairs and soon, Mrs. Summers stood in the living room.

“You kids ready?” She asked with a huge grin.

“Dear God, what are you two taking with you?” Giles breathed as he rested the three large bags on the floor.

“Presents.” Joyce smiled.

“Are you sure those are gonna fit in the car?” Spike questioned, standing up and walking over to help his father.

“We’re just gonna have to try and fit it.”

“If there is no room left you can use my space. I don’t mind staying here.” Buffy offered with a hint of hope.

“You’re not getting off the hook that easily. Now, get up and let’s go.” Joyce demanded.

“Mom…” Buffy moaned.

“Buffy!”

The blonde teen stood up, dragging her feet towards the front door as she grumbled something unintelligible under her breath.

“I heard that.” Mrs. Summers called out as she locked the front door of the house.

Chapter 30

“Is that the last one?” Giles asked hopeful as he stuffed the large suitcase into the backseat of the car.

“Yes, I think it is.” Joyce replied.

The vehicle was completely packed, its trunk half open with a strong rope tied around it to keep it shut, while the left side of the backseat was also crammed with two large suitcases.

“Hum…” Spike scratched his head as he looked at the car. “How are we supposed to fit in there?”

The four looked at each other for a few moments, pondering over the question.

“Well…” Giles started narrowing his eyes and frowning. “Can’t you two squeeze in there? You’re both very slim, it might do.”

“Squeeze in?” Buffy repeated in disbelief. “I’m not squeezing in anywhere with him.” She pointed at the bleached teen standing next to her.

“I guess we could take the jeep…” Joyce started a bit disappointed.

“Nonsense. They can fit in there.” Giles argued. Then, turning to face the two teens, added: “Isn’t that right?”

Buffy rolled her eyes and said nothing as she stomped her way to the back door of the car and entered. Spike soon followed, trying to squeeze in but finding it impossible.

“Ouch!” Buffy protested as he accidentally pushed her against the luggage.

“Sorry.” He piped up as he brought his other leg in.

After much turning and twisting they managed to settle in, sitting next to each other, their legs compressed in the tied space. Spike winced when Buffy moved in her stop, forcing him to bring his thighs together in a very painful manner.

“Do you mind?” He grumbled as he pushed her leg away from his and gave himself some much needed room.

“What? You have your legs all spread out!” Buffy protested.

“That’s cause I anatomically need them to be *spread out*!” Spike snapped back as Giles and Joyce got in the car.

“Are you kids alright back there?”

“We’re fine!” The two snarled in unison.

~+~

The trip up to the lake seemed to be lasting an eternity, even though it usually only took about thirty minutes. Spike flinched every time she moved by his side, forcing his legs together, but refused to say anything. He clutched his knees until his knuckles turned white but didn’t say a word.

Buffy on the other hand, sat with her arms crossed over her chest, doing the best to look completely oblivious to the boy’s continuous suffering.

As they drove on up the mountain, Giles was forced to make a very tight U-turn causing Buffy and the luggage at her side to slide on the seat, crushing Spike against the car door. That was it! The boy turned from red, to purple, to blue and eventually to a very terrifying shade of white that even caused Buffy to wince in sympathy.

“Here. Let’s try this.” She said, lifting her legs and swinging them over his thigh giving him room to move.

There seemed to be an immediate improvement of his pain, testified by the slight colour that seemed to brighten his pale cheeks.

“Thanks.” He breathed sincerely throwing a smile at her, but she turned away, suddenly finding the pattern of her suitcases extremely interesting.

He rolled his eyes and looked out the window. ‘What did I do to deserve this?’ He thought to himself, when he felt her legs idly move over his thigh, sliding downwards. He froze looking at her out of the corner of his eyes. Was she doing it on purpose? She certainly didn’t seem to be, as she still had the same bored/annoyed look plastered all over her face.

He clenched his teeth as Giles stepped on the gas, causing them to back up a bit in their seats, her leg now pressing against his crotch. He swallowed hard, trying to focus on anything other then feel of her brushing against him. Her scent suddenly seemed to come to life, surrounding him and only serving to heighten his emotions. He didn’t know what was worse, having his legs bunched together, or having her press against him like that. Buffy moved a bit, trying to get comfortable, apparently oblivious to the way her knee now rubbed against him and he couldn’t help but moan. ‘Cor… Bloody hell.’ He cursed to himself, closing his eyes and rolling them in their sockets as he clenched and unclenched his teeth. He didn’t know how much he could take of this before… He glanced down at his pants and: ‘Ok, so much for not knowing how much I can take.´ He thought as he saw the evident bulge there.

“We’re here!” Joyce’s perky tone broke through his hazed mind.

“Thank God!” He breathed, immediately opening the door before the car had come to a complete stop and stepping out.

“William! Watch out!” Giles warned as he saw his son stumble out of the car. “Are you insane?” He asked when he finally pulled the hand break.

“Sorry! My legs were kinda numb. Needed to get out of there.” He excused himself bringing his leather duster closer to his form to hide the effects of having Buffy so close to him.

“Just be careful next time.” Giles warned him stepping out of the car the same time Joyce and Buffy did.

“Oh, Rupert this place is beautiful!” Joyce exclaimed alternating between looking at the small cabin and the lake that spread out before them.

“I’m glad you like it.” The older man said with a hint of pride as he started to untie the rope that was wound up around the trunk.

~+~

He turned the key and pushed the door open allowing Joyce and her daughter to walk into the wooden cabin.

“How do you like it?” Giles asked, setting the keys on a shelf next to the door.

“It’s wonderful, Rupert.” Joyce breathed bringing her hands to cover her mouth as she entered the small living room to her right. “Isn’t it, Buffy?”

The teen simply shrugged even though her eyes immediately fell on the fireplace in far the corner of the room. Maybe that one actually worked. She was tired of not being able to use the one at home because of their stupid chimney that insisted on clogging up.

She glanced around to find a small kitchenette on her left, near a flight of stairs which stood directly opposite of the front door and lead to the top floor. The kitchen area was separated from the living room only by a small wooden counter and three or four stools.

“You want to see the rest of the house?” Giles asked as he walked over to the stairs.

“Oh, yes! Of course!” Joyce answered enthusiastically.

Reluctantly, Buffy climbed after the two, quickly followed by Spike. The bleached teen swallowed hard as he watched her walk up the stairs, her denim-clad behind swinging teasingly on its way up.

When they reached the top they were met by a narrow corridor with four doors, two on each side and a small window at the end. Giles opened the first door on the left, stepping inside.

The others soon followed to find a small bedroom, with a large double bed put up against the right wall and with two nightstands on each side. On the left wall there was a wardrobe and on the wall opposite the door they stood in there was a window.

“This is one of the bedrooms.”

“Oh, it’s very nice.” Joyce exclaimed walking in and examining it.

Buffy watched, with a disgusted look, as Giles stepped closer to her mother and whispered something in her ear, which made the older woman giggle a little before she walked out of the room and they were in the hall once again.

Reaching for the first door on the right, Giles opened it to reveal a smaller room which was arranged in a similar way as the previous one except, this time, there was a single bed and it was put up against the right wall, the wardrobe opposite it, on the left wall, near a door.

“This is one of the twin rooms.”

“Twin rooms?” Joyce asked with a frown.

“We call them that because…” Giles walked over to the door near the wardrobe, opening it to reveal a room exactly symmetrical to the one they were in. “…It’s exactly the same as this one.” He finished with a witty grin, as he took down his glasses and began cleaning them with a handkerchief.

Buffy looked from left to right and realised the two rooms were definitely *twin* rooms. Everything was identical, down to the covers on the bed.

“I-I was thinking the kids could stay in these rooms.” Giles offered, putting his glasses back on as he headed back into the hall and opened the last door. “And this is the bathroom. Only one I’m afraid.”

Buffy frowned. ‘Three rooms. One for me. One for *him*.’ She rationalized in her mind, narrowing her eyes at Spike in disgust. ‘One for… THEY ARE GONNA SHARE A BEDROOM? A ONE BED BEDROOM?!’ She realised in shock, her mouth wide as well as her eyes. She should have guessed it. The little whispered secret, the ridiculous grin. ‘God! I think I’m gonna be sick…’ She thought, swallowing hard as she followed the three back downstairs.

~+~

Buffy violently unpacked her things into the various drawers of the closet. She had ended up with the second twin bedroom.

“This has got to be the Christmas holiday from *hell*!” She muttered between clenched teeth. “I’m stuck in a stupid cabin, sleeping next door to stupid-bleach-boy and my mom is shacking up with stupid-bleach-boy senior. And there is *no* TV!” She finished waving her hands in the air.

She heard a door opening and stood up straight to see Spike leaning on the doorframe that lead to his room.

“You called?” He asked.

“No!” She spat straightening her hair and walking over to him with an outstretched hand. “And I want the keys to this door. It’s gonna be permanently *locked*, at least while I’m sleeping here.”

She waited for an answer, but he simply shoved his hands into the front pockets of his black jeans and shrugged.

“Never had one. When da bought this place the owner didn’t give us a key for it.” He finally replied.

“You’re lying.” She accused him, narrowing her eyes.

“Ask da if you want.” He shrugged again as he watched her furiously pound her way back to her suitcases and wardrobe as she continued to unpack.

“So… What do you think of the place?” He began walking in, but was immediately stopped as she looked up and outstretched a hand in his direction.

“You stop it right there, mister. You’re not coming into this room.” She warned, as she stalked towards him, forcing him to back up. “You just stay away from me while I’m here. You get that? I may be forced to live in the same miniscule house with you for a week, but that doesn’t mean I have to interact with you in any shape or form.”

“Oh, come on Buff-“

“Goodbye, *William*.” She growled between clenched teeth as she closed the door in his face and went back to her unpacking.

She sighed in frustration when she heard the doorknob turn and the door being flung open.

“What?!”

“I like the door open.” He answered her with a forced grin as he walked back into his room and lay on the bed.

Seconds later the door was being slammed shut and he heard her shout from the other side:

“I like it better closed!”

“Open!” He growled back at her when he swung the door and this time remained on the threshold, waiting for her to storm back to him, but she never did.

“Fine! Play your stupid childish game.” She mumbled as she finished unpacking and kicked the suitcase to the corner of the room, near the window. “I have to stand you for one week, and one week only. I’ll just ignore you.” She decided, crossing her arms over her chest.

“You are one stubborn little girl. You know that?” He said walking towards her, not caring about her ‘no entering my room’ policy as he backed her up against the foot of the bed. “Why are you acting like this? I didn’t *do* anything. I-”

“Spike! Buffy!” Mrs. Summers voice carried through the hall. “Dinner is ready.”

She had never been so relieved to hear her mother’s voice as she was in that instant. Her eyes dropped to the floor as she squeezed past the pissed teen towering in front of her and walked out of the room.

~+~

After dinner, the four sat around the fireplace; Giles occupied the couch while Spike laid on the white carpet spread in front it. Buffy on the other hand, reluctantly sat on a nearby armchair, pouting furiously as she stared into the fire.

“This is nice.” Giles began taking a sip from his brandy.

Joyce nodded as she took her place on the couch next to the older man.

“When are we gonna put the tree up?” Joyce asked, glancing out of the corner of her eyes at the pissed blonde on the armchair.

“First thing in the morning.” Giles answered.

There was silence between the four of them once more. It was still awkward, but not as desperate as it had been during their first dinner.

“Dinner was delicious.” Giles decided to break the stillness and Buffy rolled her eyes.

“Thank you, Rupert.” Joyce nodded once more, giving him a blushed smile.

“Erg!” Buffy growled in disgust earning a scowl from her mother.

The teen immediately sat up straight and dropped her gaze to the floor. She really didn’t like her mother’s glares.

Another excruciating ten minutes passed by, with a few occasional comments from Joyce and Giles, both teenagers remaining perfectly quiet during the entire time. Buffy looked at her watch for the tenth time that evening and grumbled inwardly when she realised it was only nine o’clock. Even so, she decided to follow through with her plan. Bringing her hand to her mouth she forced a yawn and outstretched her arms in a pathetic attempt to look sleepy.

“God! What time is it?” She started, looking at her watch again. “Just nine? It feels like midnight. I must be really worn out from… the trip and all. Well, I’m going to bed. Goodnight.”

“But-“

Before Mrs. Summers could finish her sentence, Buffy was already bolting up the stairs. She sighed audibly, looking at Rupert for support when Spike stood up.

“I’m kinda knackered myself. I’m off.”

And he was out of the living room in a flash.

“Don’t worry. They’ll adjust.” Giles reassured Joyce, bringing his arm around her as she rested her head on his shoulder. “Eventually.”

~+~

“Worn out from the trip? What? All thirty minutes of it?”

Buffy rolled her eyes as she turned around to look at the teen standing on the doorway.

“What do you want?” She growled.

“Nothing.” He said nonchalantly as he strolled into her room.

“Which part of my not wanting you in my room did you not understand?” She grumbled leaning against the wardrobe.

“What do you think about it?” He asked, ignoring her question.

“Think about what?”

“The two love birds downstairs.” Spike explained.

“Trying very hard not to think about that, thank you.” She retorted moving towards her bed, pulling at the covers and slipping between them to sit up against the metallic headboard. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going to bed.” She said crossing her arms over her chest as she waited for him to leave.

“I don’t mind.” He answered her, tilting his head and leaning on the wall next to the bed, looking down on her.

“Well, I do! Leave. Now!” She ordered, pointing at the door.

“You look so cute when you’re angry, you know that?”

Buffy frowned at that.

“Leave. Now.” She repeated between clenched teeth.

“You don’t really want me to, pet.” He smiled down on her.

“Yes, I do.” Buffy retorted, raising both her eyebrows.

“Sure about that?” He asked pushing himself off the wall and coming to sit on her bed.

“Positive.” She insisted.

“Fine, if that’s what you want.” He agreed, but didn’t move.

“That’s what I want.” She assured him.

The two remained still, looking at each other. Spike stared blindly at her as if entranced.

“This is the part where you leave?” Buffy piped up.

“Buffy… I didn’t do anything.” He said in that low voice which made her stomach turn.

“I never said you did.”

“Then, why are you doing this?” He asked, a hint of hurt slipping into his voice.

She looked at him, a mixture of anger and pain building inside of her as she swallowed hard and replied:

“Goodnight, Spike.”

She let her tired body slip under the covers, her hands reaching for the light on her nightstand and switching it off as she snuggled between the sheets, her back turned to him. She felt her heart sink as the weight shifted on the mattress and then it was gone. The sound of slow footsteps leading away from the bed filled her ears, followed by the crack of the door being carefully shut.

~+~

She tossed and turned in her bed before deciding to turn on the lights to check her watch. She groaned when she realised it was only eleven o’clock. She wasn’t tired at all. It was too early plus, the knowledge that *he* was sleeping just on the other side of *that* door made her stomach do a couple of nervous flip-flops. She sat on the mattress, wondering if he was already asleep, or if he was up, thinking…

After much pondering, she let her legs fall to the floor as she swung them over the covers and stood up. Barefoot, she walked on the cold wooden floor towards the door that separated the two rooms and rested her ear on the surface, straining to listen.

There was complete silence. ‘Figures he would be sleeping like a baby.’ She grumbled in her thoughts.

“Pig.” She spat between clenched teeth as she began to move away but suddenly changed her mind.

She dropped to her knees so her face was lined up with the keyhole and squinted as she tried to see what was happening on the other side of the door. She felt her heart skip a beat when she realised the lights were on. ‘Not sleeping...’ She thought as she tried to make something out, but all she could see was a surreal painting of light and shadows. She let her weight slip to the floor as she dropped her head, gluing it to the floor as she tried to see something from under the door.

“Yes.” She whispered triumphantly as she identified a pair of feet walking about the room in circles. She giggled a little at the sight of them, but quickly covered her mouth when she saw him freeze. She remained perfectly still for a second, waiting to see what he would do and then he moved. He disappeared from her sight only to suddenly reappear right in front of her at the foot of the door, but when she realised it, it was too late. The crack of the door swinging open was the last thing she heard before the wood smashed her across the face and she fell backwards, sprawled on the floor.

“Buffy, are you ok?” A shirtless Spike cried out, realising what he had done as he entered the room.

“I-I’m fine.” She stuttered bravely as she stumbled to her feet, squinting wildly.

“Are you sure?” He asked as he saw her wobble backwards toward the bed.

“Yeah. Just having a little trouble focussing on any available object.” She explained as she continued to open and close her eyes. “Hum… Spike? Why won’t things stop moving?” She wondered as she suddenly lost all balance and dropped. Thankfully she had reached the bed and was now sprawled on it.

“Oh, God! I’m sorry!” Spike apologized as he came to lay next to her. “Just lay down.”

“I thought I was laying down.” Buffy frowned as a splitting headache began to spread, starting from the bump on her forehead all the way to the back of her neck.

“You are, pet. Just stay put. I’ll be right back.”

He left the room, but it only took about a minute for him to be back to sit on the bed, next to her, holding a pack of ice to her wound.

“That feel better?” he asked clearly concerned about her.

She nodded with a pout when her head started pounding. She finally opened her eyes and forced herself to sit up.

“What were you doing down there?” He managed to ask.

“Looking for, hum… my earrings.” She lied badly as the sight of his naked torso seemed to interfere with her ability to come up with a better excuse.

“They’re on your nightstand, luv.” Spike stated, tilting his head and frowning.

“That’s why I couldn’t find them.” Buffy gave him a weak smile and her gaze dropped to the floor.

He paused for a second before a wide grin spread over his lips.

“Were you spying on me?”

“NO!” She answered immediately; widening her eyes and standing up to nervously walk about the room.

“You were.” He insisted when her reaction clearly confirmed his suspicions.

“You are so conceited.” Buffy growled wobbling awkwardly around in circles, still a bit dizzy.

“You were trying to catch a glimpse of old-“

“Oh, please Spike. I’ve seen…” She struggled with a word and finally stuttered: “*it*. It’s not new anymore, remember.”

“Doesn’t have to be new for you to want to take a look.” He replied with a smug grin which made her blood boil.

“I wasn’t trying to take a look at anything, alright?” She spat raising her tone as she stopped moving and turned to face him.

“No need to get upset, pet.” He started, getting off the bed and closing the distance between them. “If you want…” He stood right in front of her, invading her personal space, but she refused to back away. “All you gotta do is ask, luv.”

“Erg, you’re a pig.” She replied pushing him away to put some much needed space between them.

“You never tire of saying that, do you?” He questioned turning around to see her getting into bed.

“Go to bed Spike.” She snarled as she let the covers drape around her after she turned off the lights. “Ah!” She screamed when she felt the mattress shift under her and the sheets being pulled away as someone snuggled into bed with her. She struggled, slapping his arms away as she stretched to reach for the light switch, fumbling with it for a few seconds, but eventually being able to turn it on. “What are you doing?! Are you out-“ Her shouting was cut short by one hand clamping around her mouth as two blue eyes stared down at her.

“You wanna wake them?” He asked.

Buffy’s heart raced as she took in the naked chest pressing against her, the strong hand resting on her increasingly dry mouth, the feel of his denim covered legs brushing against her bare ones.

“Plus, you told me to go to bed, remember?” He began with a smirk, but it soon crumbled when he became aware of her galloping heartbeat.

The two remained frozen for a few moments. Slowly, coherent thought filtered back into their minds as Spike moved his hand away from her mouth to lightly rest on the crook of her neck, his thumb running over her jaw line for a sweet caress. His head moved at its own accord bringing his lips closer to hers until they brushed together. The moment they touched, Buffy felt a string of electricity run through her body as she willingly opened her mouth, inviting him in.

He moved his chest to cover hers as his tongue dove into her mouth, exploring, battling with hers. Buffy moaned into the kiss as his leg pushed between hers and rubbed between her thighs in a slow, even rhythm.

She seemed to lose all ability to think. Her hands roamed madly over his back, leaving small red tracks everywhere they passed. She arched off the bed, deepening the kiss, pressing against him, needing to be as close to him as possible.

His lips abandoned hers to drift to her neck, pulling at her nightgown in a frustrated attempt to expose her to him. Realising it was impossible without tearing the fabric, his hand came to cup her breast as he kissed it through the soft material, leaving it soaked in the process. She moaned as his lips teased her mercilessly, causing her to dig her nails deeper into his back.

Suddenly, for no apparent reason, she seemed to have a single moment of clarity when she heard him call her muffled name.

She was pushing him off her bed and covering herself with the sheets in a flash.

Spike remained tumbled on the floor for a few second trying to understand what had just happened.

“Get. Out.” She said the words between clenched teeth.

“Buf-“

“I will start screaming if you are not out of here in three seconds.” She glared at the confused teen.

“Buffy, we need to-“

“One.

“-talk. You can’t just-“

“Two.”

“Buffy, please-“

“Aaaaaah!!!” She began screaming off the top lungs.

Spike wobbled nervously between her and the door. Realising her cries only became louder every time he came closer to her he opted for the door, slamming it shut just as the other one opened to reveal a very worried Joyce.

“Honey! Are you ok?” She asked coming to sit next to her daughter who had shut up the moment Spike had closed his door. “What happened? Are you ok?”

Buffy watched as a sleepy Mr. Giles walked into the room, a large book in one hand served as a weapon, while he tried to clumsily adjust his glasses with the other.

“What is it? What happened?” He asked as he scanned the room.

“I-I’m ok.” Buffy said in a low voice. “It was just a bad dream.”

“Are you sure honey?” Joyce questioned running her hand over Buffy’s flushed cheek as the door to the twin room opened, revealing an equally reddened Spike.

“Yeah. I’m sure. Just a dream.” Buffy answered staring straight at the bleached teen. “It won’t happen again.”

Chapter 31

She stumbled out of bed, inhaling sharply as her bare feet came into contact with the ice-cold floor. With eyes still narrowed from sleep she searched for her beloved slippers, smiling when she finally found them.

She dragged her feet and scratched her head as she walked down the hall, pausing for a second in front of *his* door. She felt a pang in her heart at the memory of what had happened that night. The look on his face as he came back to her room, watching her as she lied to her mother... She shook the thought away and continued down the stairs to find her mother behind the counter, in the small kitchenette.

“Something smells good.” Buffy said with a hoarse voice.

“Hey, you’re up early.” Joyce noted giving her daughter a sweet smile before returning her attention to her cooking.

“Pancakes, huh?” The teen leaned on the counter, reaching for a large plate that contained the newly fried goodies.

She jumped back when her mother swatted her hand with a wooden spoon.

“You’ll have to wait for breakfast. Giles and Spike should be back any minute.

“Back?”

“Yes. They went to get the Christmas tree.” Joyce explained gleefully. “Now go get dressed, young lady, you know I don’t like you coming downstairs in your pj’s.”

Buffy hopped off the stool and was about to leave, when the door directly under the stairs flung open, revealing a flushed Giles. The blonde frowned, she had never realised there was a door there.

“We’ve got the tree.” He announced gingerly, setting his hand triumphantly on his hips.

“Da! Do you mind?” A grumbled protest came from behind Giles as the large box was pushed towards the older man.

“Oh! So sorry!” Giles awkwardly excused himself, turning his attention to the assignment.

“A tree in a box?” Buffy wondered out loud as the two men hurled the carton into the living room and Spike finally came into view.

With an annoyed look on his face he stood up straight and ran a hand trough his dishevelled mass of curls which refused to stay in place.

“It’s an artificial one.” Giles explained.

“We’re having an artificial Christmas tree in a cabin? In the middle of the woods?” Buffy frowned.

“I-I could never bring myself to cut down a tree.” Giles stuttered, taking off his glasses and running his handkerchief over his perspired forehead. “Plus, if we miss the smell, we can just pick a few loose branches and bring them in the house.”

“How do you get firewood?”

“We buy it…” Giles looked down and proceeded with unpacking the box.

Buffy simply shook her head, glancing at the bleached blond, who was yet to say a word to her or even looked at her for that matter. She watched as he strolled towards his father, sighing loudly as he offered to open the carton for him.

“Well… I’ll go and take a shower.” She announced as she headed up the stairs, her eyes fixed on Spike.

~+~

She let her newly blow-dried hair flow freely down her back as she set the brush on the nightstand and walked over to the window. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw him standing outside, on the small dock, his hands safely tucked into the front pockets of his jeans as he stared out at the foggy lake. She let the curtains fall into place and headed downstairs.

“Hey!” She greeted. “Oh, wow!”

Her eyes went wide at the sight of the newly decorated living room. Four red Christmas stockings hung over the fireplace while, inside, flames grew, filling the cabin with warmth and the familiar scent of burnt wood. To the left, between the fire and the kitchenette, stood the tree, still half decorated in shades of red and white. The room seemed completely transformed and Buffy felt her body relax as, for the first time, she thought that, maybe, this Christmas wouldn’t be so bad after all.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Joyce asked as she finished setting the pancakes on the table near the window.

Buffy nodded as she entered the living room with her arms crossed over her chest and a soft smile on her lips as she watched Giles clumsily try to put a small angel on one of the branches. She shook her head and reached for the piece placing in properly.

“Thank you.” Giles smiled at the short teen.

“You’re welcome.”

“Breakfast is ready.” Joyce announced looking out the window. “Buffy, could you go out and call Spike?”

“Sure.” Buffy nodded, heading out the door.

~+~

She walked slowly down to the dock. He seemed oblivious to her presence, remaining perfectly still, immersed in his thoughts. Buffy cleared her throat when she stood just a couple of feet away from him. He immediately spun around to look at her but didn’t say anything as his glance quickly returned to the crystal water that surrounded them. Buffy swallowed dryly at the cold reaction and uttered:

“Breakfast is ready.”

He nodded and turned around, heading for the cabin, leaving her alone on the dock in the cold.

~+~

The moment breakfast was over he jumped out of his seat and headed up stairs without saying a word. Buffy felt her heart sink at that and continued to pick at her pancakes with her fork.

“Are you alright honey?” Joyce questioned as she started clearing the table.

“I’m fine.” She shook herself out of her daze and stood up, gathering a few plates on her way to the kitchenette.

“You seem kind of quiet.” Her mother noted.

“Just a bit sleepy, I guess.” She tried to explain as she began washing the plates.

~+~

Buffy tapped her nails on the counter, bored out of her mind. After washing and drying the dishes she had sat down on the stool and had remained there for the last ten minutes with absolutely nothing to do. Joyce and Giles sat cosily on the couch reading through the newspaper and a few magazines. ‘A few very dull magazines.’ Buffy corrected as she slid off the stool and started pacing.

Neither adult on the sofa looked up, too absorbed in their reading to notice her boredom. She sighed and headed up the stairs.

She entered her room and resumed pacing. Her mind drifted over the events of that day. Spike hadn’t said a word to her all day, barely even glanced at her and, for some reason that caused her stomach to turn and an uncomfortable knot settle on her throat. She plopped down on the bed only to scramble quickly to her feet when she felt something cold and wet under her. She sighed and picked up the wet towel feeling the covers and realising they were soaked too.

“Great.” She mumbled between her teeth as she exited her room and entered the bathroom.

She froze. It was only when she was half into the room that she heard the familiar sound of running water. She knew that the right thing to do was to turn on her heels and just leave, but she found herself glancing over to the shower. For a moment she cursed the thick curtains that draped around it, but as her eyes adjusted to the blurred effect, she was able to see the outlines of a wide, masculine back turned to her, one hand was put up against the wall, the other… She frowned when she saw the quick, erratic movements his arm was making. After a couple of seconds her eyes went wide as soft moaning sounds finally seemed to reach her ears. Oh, God, was he? She strained to hear the rapid breathing, the occasional repressed gasp. He was! Buffy turned bright red. One part of her yelled at her to leave the room at once, the other compelled her to stay and watch. The latter seemed to be strongest as she remained perfectly still watching in awe as he continued to move his hand between his thighs in a fast, eager pace until, suddenly, he stopped and his body began to convulse in short jerks that propelled him against the wall.

“Cor… Buffy.”

She felt her stomach flip-flop at the hoarse sound of her name being called out as he slumped against the wall, letting the warm water fall on him. As her brain slowly processed the information it had just been fed, she stumbled back a bit causing her elbow to brush against something. She turned to see the plastic bottle wobble a bit, but before she could reach it, it fell to the floor with a loud thud. She seemed to be frozen in place, her eyes still glued to the shampoo on the floor as she refused to look up at… him.

Spike jolted to attention at the sound, immediately turning and pushing the curtain aside. His eyes widened when he saw her semi-bent over, her hand reaching for a bottle now on the floor.

Buffy swallowed hard as her heart slammed against her chest at a frightening pace, she could feel her skin growing redder and redder by the second. Finally she gathered enough strength to look up at him.

“I was-“ She immediately looked away from the completely nude and soaked man standing in the shower, the water still running behind him.

Spike jumped, nervously looking around for a towel. His eyes fell on the white fabric draped over the toilet seat, right next to Buffy. He was about to step out of the shower, when she reached out and handed him her own towel.

“I-I was just… um… Just… um…” She stuttered panicky. ‘Stupid words…’ she grumbled inwardly as she watched from the corner of her eyes that he had already turned the water off and covered himself with the towel she had handed him.

“Buffy, I-“

Looking at him, she piped up: “I was just leaving.”

And she was out the door and into her room in record time.

“Bloody hell!” He growled as he stepped out of the shower, nearly stumbling over the shampoo bottle on the floor on his way out.

~+~

‘Please don’t come after me, please don’t come after me, please don’t come-‘ Buffy stopped her mental mantra when the door to her bedroom was flung open and a soaking Spike stepped in. She let her eyebrows drop for a frustrated sigh as she turned around to face the music.

“I-I didn’t see anything.” She immediately announced before correcting herself: “I mean I did, but it was just when you pulled the curtain and were… well, naked. B-but other than that – nothing! Not a thing. I was just there for like a second before the bottle fell. A-and even if I had been there before the bottle thing – which I wasn’t! – there wouldn’t be anything to see“ At his frown she rephrased: “N-not that you don’t have anything to see, I mean you do, but the curtain was thick and-and it doesn’t really matter cause I wasn’t there and I didn’t see anything or hear –“ She stopped herself when she realised she was babbling. “Sorry. Babbling.”

“I’ve noticed.” The Brit forced a smile as he closed the door behind him and stepped in.

“I-I’m sorry, next time I’ll knock.” Buffy reassured him as her gaze bounced off the walls at anything but his bare chest.

“Knocking is good.” He agreed taking a step towards her.

“Well,” She brought her hands together. “I guess that’s settled. I’ll knock. Let the records show that the knocking proposal was approved.” She joked with a forced smile as she squeezed her fingers together.

He tilted his head and watched her nervously pressing her palms into one another.

“Buffy, about before-“

“Don’t know what you’re talking about.” She immediately jumped in, blushing even more.

“Yesterday? Last night?” Spike elaborated.

“Oh, that.” She realised. ‘Not a good topic either, but at least it’s better than *Why I was moaning your name while masturbating*’

“Yeah, that. What did you think I was talking about?” Spike frowned a bit.

“Nothing!” She answered a little too eagerly and it seemed to confirm Spike’s suspicions.

“Bloody hell!” He mumbled.

“What?” She asked a bit afraid of the answer.

“Nothing.” He replied turning around to leave, but stopped in mid-stride to turn around, resolve fixed on his face. “You know what? I do.”

“Do what?” she questioned backing away when he walked over to her, invading her personal space.

“Think about you when I wank off.” He stated without any kind of shame.

Buffy froze, her eyes wide, her cheeks turning to a furious shade of red.

“I-I” She stuttered as she was finally backed up against the wall and Spike towered in front of her.

“You’re all I bloody think about. I can’t get you out of my head. No matter how much of a bitch you’ve been lately.”

“E-excuse me?” She tried to sound outraged, but it came out as a meek attempt at a protest.

“You heard me Summers.” He retorted, letting his hand rest on the wall just over her right shoulder.

“I-I don’t have to stay here and listen to-“ She started and she tried to move but a strong grip on her arm stopped her and forced her to back up against the wall again.

“You *will* listen. For once in your life.” He growled. “For the one thousandth time: I. Didn’t. Do. A. Bloody. Thing. Wrong.” He pulled the words out, one by one as he stared down at her. He paused waiting for a reaction. When he realised she wasn’t going to oppose, he pushed himself off the wall and started pacing in front of her. “You really wanna know why I got into a fight with Angel?” He never gave her a chance to answer: “It’s none of you sodding business but I’ll tell you anyway. It had absolutely *nothing* to do with you or Dru. It was for the same reason I suddenly stopped hanging out with Angel. Remember? Angel and I used to hang out together quite a lot when I first came here. I wasn’t too keen on him. Knew from the start he was pretty much an idiot, but I decided: ‘What the hell, let’s give him a chance.’ Eventually, my first instinct was right. He’s a complete idiot and a wanker!” He rambled while Buffy remained frozen up against the wall, watching him furiously walk around in circles until he came to a halt and looked at her. “It was because of Andrew.”

Buffy frowned: “Andrew? What does Andrew have to do with anything?”

“Well, one day I walk into the locker rooms to find Angel beating the scrawny thing into a bloody pulp. The poor kid was in the hospital for two whole weeks. Wouldn’t tell anyone who had done it, scared shitless that the ponce would do something.” Seeing the confused look on her face he tilted his head. “You didn’t even realise he was gone, did you? Sure, it’s not like you know Andrew even exists, let alone notice he was gone for two weeks.”

Buffy swallowed dryly, noting that it was true.

“Anyway, I pulled Angel off the kid and socked him back, telling him if he ever laid a finger on Andrew again… Well, you know, told him something nasty and extremely cliché to give him the right idea.” He watched as Buffy took in the information. “Everything was fine after that. No problems. Until the other day when Andrew smashed into us in the hall. The look on his face. I just knew that Angel was up to something. I talked to Andrew, he denied it at first but eventually he admitted it. So I did what I had promised and beat the crap out of Angel. And that’s it. It was nothing over you, or Dru or anything of the sort. Happy?” He finally asked after his long dissertation.

Buffy just stared at him with her mouth half open. All that information. It was a little too much to process, especially with naked-Spike in front of her.

“Why?” She finally managed to ask. “Why would Angel beat up Andrew?”

Spike paused. This was the question he didn’t want to answer, but he sighed and reluctantly uttered:

“Andrew plays for the other team, luv.”

“Huh?” Buffy frowned.

“He’s gay, pet.”

“So?”

“You knew?” Spike asked in disbelief.

“I didn’t know-know. But, I mean, I always just kinda figured...” Buffy rolled her eyes.

“Oh. Right.” He said a bit taken off guard by her reaction at the revelation. “So that’s the big secret. Andrew’s gay and Angel found out he had a secret crush on him and being extremely insecure in his masculinity the wanker pummelled the kid.” Spike said succinctly.

Buffy stood there, staring at Spike.

“Why didn’t you tell me this before?” She finally asked a bit outraged.

“Because it wasn’t something I could tell you. It wasn’t my secret to tell. I’m not gonna go outing the poor fellow just because my girlfriend has absolutely no trust in me. Plus you were really pissing me off. How could you think I beat up Angel because of Dru?” It was Spike’s turn to question.

“Well… I… um… I sort of bumped into Angel. And he hinted that-“

“And you believed him?” Spike questioned in disbelief.

“I didn’t at first!” Buffy defended herself. “But then I asked you and you just avoided the subject and I thought – Busted!”

They stared at each other for a while in silence until Buffy took a step closer, looking up at him from under hooded eyes as she reached for him. He immediately stepped back, bringing his hands up as if someone was holding him at gunpoint. Buffy stopped dead in her tracks, her heart slamming against her chest as the realisation of what was happening dawned on her.

“Spike, I-“

“You should have trusted me. You should have believed in me.” He said in a low voice. “I can’t be with you like this.”

Buffy let her gaze fall to the floor as he walked over to the door that lead to the room. Suddenly, he turned around and made his way back to her with ground-eating steps.

“God, who am I kidding?” He breathed before crushing her mouth with his as his naked arms wrapped around her small form to bring her closer to him.

Buffy’s response was immediate as her hands erratically reached for his shoulder. Her fingers swiftly gliding over the soft skin seeking the back of his neck and then moved up to dive in between his wet curls as she responded to his kiss with the intensity and hunger as he did.

His own hands ran wildly over her clothed body, down her back to cup her behind and bring her up against him. He moved, instinctively guiding them towards the bed, causing Buffy to topple onto the mattress when she reached its edge; Spike following her, never breaking the famished kiss.

The Brit fought with the hem of her sweater pulling it upwards over her head to reveal the simple white bra that covered her breasts. His fingers reached for the small mound cupping it lightly as his mouth crushed hers for another demanding battle.

Spike gasped, breaking the kiss when her tiny hand sneaked between their bodies and found its way through the white towel to wrap itself around his cock.

“Cor, I missed you.” He breathed into her ear as he began trailing his way down her neck with hungry open-mouth kisses until he reached one of her cotton-clad breast.

It was Buffy’s turn to exhale sharply when he pushed the white fabric away and his lips brushed over her erect nipple. She arched into his touch as she slowly began to pump him in a slow, steady rhythm. She felt a wave of feminine pride wash over her as she watched and listened to him helplessly moan her name under her ministrations.

Suddenly, he seemed to partially wake from his daze as his hands began working on the buttons of her jeans. Buffy relaxed into his touch, slowly drifting deeper into her daze, when a giggling sound reached her ear. She frowned at first, but suddenly it hit her: ‘My mom’s downstairs. Oh, god, oh, God, oh God!.’

“No.” She said, jumping up and reluctantly pushing him to crawl away from him.

“What? What now?” He asked desperately trying to move over her again but she squirmed off the bed leaving him on the mattress alone.

“Your dad and my mom, downstairs. That’s what.” She explained reaching for her sweater, but before she could grab it she was trapped between his arms and his mouth was on her neck.

“I’ll be quiet. I promise.” His voice was muffled by the kisses he placed on her collarbone.

“I bet you…” She gasped. “will, but I can’t promise I’ll be... quiet.” She managed to push him away again. “Now, get your clothes on.”

“I’ll be really quick. You won’t even feel a thing, so you don’t have to worry about making any noises.” He joked walking over to her.

Buffy narrowed her eyes at him and he dropped his shoulders in defeat.

“Buffy, I don’t think I can go a whole week without touching you or…” he tilted his head towards the bed.

“You’ll have to.” She insisted as he came closer to her and his hand grazed over her hips and down to the valley between her thighs to slowly press against the stop where her clit was. “Spike…” She tried to sound serious and determined but the way he was touching her… it was impossible!

“Buffy, please.” He begged into her ear as his nuzzled against her hair, his finger still moving over her.

“Ok.” She finally agreed and he lashed out for her neck. “No! Not now!” she pushed him away once more and put on her sweater. “Tonight. When they’re asleep.”

“But…”

“Tonight.” She repeated throwing the towel at him and he reluctantly grabbed it, draping it around his waist.

Chapter 32

Buffy yawned audibly for the tenth time that evening as she patiently listened to her mother’s rambling.

“Oh! And we can also make that special apple mincemeat crumble you love so much.” Joyce piped up gingerly, completely oblivious to her daughter’s boredom.

“Great mom.” Buffy replied unenthusiastically as she ran her nails on the counter next to where her mom scribbled hurriedly on a small notepad.

“Well, I’ll need to buy some Brazilian nuts and quick cooking oats for that one. What else?” The older woman looked up from the yellow paper she held in her hands; a bright childlike spark in her eyes as she gazed blindly at her daughter for suggestions.

“I think you’ve got enough food there to feed the entire United States Marines Corps, mom.” Buffy grumbled as she nervously looked at her watch. Two hours. Two whole hours had passed since Spike had ‘gone to bed’. Man, he was going to be pissed when she finally made it up to her room. Pissed or sound asleep.

“Oh, come on. It’s not that much.” Joyce commented scanning trough the enormous grocery list that filled ten whole pages. “What about the broccoli-cheese casserole?”

“No! No broccoli, mom. It’s Christmas Eve!” Buffy immediately snapped out of her daze, holding up her small hand at the eminent threat of having to eat vegetables on Christmas Eve.

“Um… I guess you’re right.” Mrs. Summers finally agree, putting the cap back on the pen while standing up to enter the kitchenette.

Buffy’s eyes brightened at the thought of going to bed, but she covered her excitement by yawning once again.

“I’m tired. I think I’ll go up to bed.” She said jumping off the stool and raising herself on her to give her mother a light peck on the cheek. “Goodnight, mom.”

“Goodnight, honey. I think I’ll turn in too.” She replied as she watched her daughter practically fly up the stairs. “She’s gonna wake up Giles and Spike.” Joyce mumbled to herself, hearing Buffy stomp her way to her room.

~+~

Buffy stopped just outside her door, taking in a deep breath as she felt her stomach do the funny little flip-flopping thing it always did every time she knew she was about to see him. She ran her hands over her hair, smoothing out the wild locks that cascades down her back. After she was absolutely sure she looked her best, she put on the sleepiest face she could muster and turned the knob.

There was complete darkness in the room when she entered.

“Spike?” She whispered in a low voice as she squinted and narrowed her eyes to see while her left hand blindly travelled over the wall next to her, searching for the light switch. “Are you here?”

She felt her heart sink, a bit disappointed when suddenly she found herself being pinned against a cold surface, the door slamming shut behind her as a hard, lean body now pressed against her. Before she could even make a sound, ravenous lips smashed against hers for a demanding kiss, while two strong hands seemed to want to cover every inch of her as they travelled up and down her frame.

“Spike…” She managed to breathe once his lips abandoned hers and proceeded to kiss her earlobe as he buried his face in her soft curls.

“What took you so long?” She heard him ask with a hoarse voice as he continued to lick and suck at the tender flesh of her neck, his chest still pressing against hers, his hips pinning hers to the wooden surface.

She gasped when she felt something long and hard pressing against her stomach and suddenly she wasn’t able to speak.

“I… um…”

“I’ve been dying here, Summers.” He breathed, as his left hand came to cup her breast over the cotton of her sweater.

“My mom…” She tried to form a coherent sentence, but it seemed impossible as she watched him step away from her for just enough time to bring his shirt and t-shirt over his head. He let the garments drop to the floor as his mouth attacked her collarbone and his hands wormed their way under her sweater, eagerly travelling up her frame and bunching it up.

“Off…” She was able to hear him say between the series of open mouth kisses he was placing at the base of her throat.

“I… my mom…” She tried to speak, her hands feebly trying to push him away from her so she would be able to form a coherent line of thought, but her body betrayed her as her fingers lingered down his back.

His hands grabbed the hem of her sweater and yanked it up further. In a second it lay discarded on the floor, next to his clothes as Spike started working on her white lacy bra while his mouth dropped to kiss the upper curve of her breasts.

“Spike…” She breathed, her eyebrows frowning a bit as she tried hard to concentrate. “My mom’s-”

She was cut off by Spike’s lips as they found hers once again. His tongue used the opportunity to slip into her partially open mouth and quickly moved to explore the inside, while his hands blindly worked on the clasp of her bra.

He sighed into her mouth when he finally opened it. His fingers travelled over her shoulders, dragging the thin strings down her arms. He pulled away to watch the small piece of fabric fall to the floor and expose two small, round globes.

He started at them for a second, his breath catching in his throat for a moment as he saw her bare breasts for the first time.

The moment of pause gave Buffy enough time to rewire her brain so she was able to say what she had been trying to since he had started kissing her. Quickly, she bent over, hastily picking up all the discarded clothes and shoving his against his chest as she breathed:

“My mom’s not in bed yet.”

Spike snapped out of his thought and partially pouted when he saw her cover herself and push him away.

“What?” He asked still a bit dazed.

“My mom! She’s still up. She can come in at any-“

She was cut off by the sound of a door being closed down the hall.

“I guess your mom’s gone to bed.” Spike managed to say before grabbing the clothes, throwing them on the floor and wrapping his arms around her small form to crush his mouth against hers.

Buffy moaned into the kiss, as they stumbled back to the bed. She gasped as their bodies impacted against the soft mattress, his mouth leaving hers to trail down her neck, his hands masterfully sneaking between their bodies to work on the buttons of her jeans.

She was about to protest, but lost all intent when she felt his lips encircle one hardened nipple, his hand cupping her breast to direct the tender flesh into his mouth.

She seemed lost in the feeling, only breaking out of it when she felt him tug her jeans down her legs. She quickly toed her shoes off, enabling him to strip her of all her remaining clothing.

He propped himself up on his hands, hovering over her as he gazed down at her naked form. She felt the flush raise to her cheeks under the intense stare and thanked whatever gods there were that she hadn’t been able to turn on the lights and that the only brightness filling the room were the soft rays of the moon streaming from the window.

One strong hand came to cup her cheek and force her to look up at him.

“God… you’re so beautiful.” He breathed dropping to kiss her.

She moaned into his mouth as his hips moved between hers and the rough material of his jeans brushed against the tender spot where her legs came together.

Blindly, her hands travelled down his chest to find his zipper, quickly pulling it down and popping the top button open. She smiled against his mouth when she realised he wasn’t wearing any underwear… again. Her small finger hocked on the hem of the jeans and pulled them down his hips to his knees, where her feet came into play and helped push the denim further down, till they were bunched up around his ankles.

Spike struggled a bit with his boots. Stupid combat boots. Why did he wear them? He grumbled inwardly as he found himself forced to abandon her to sit down at the edge of the bed and work at the laces of his boots. In record time, he had them off and was safely in her arms, his mouth travelling down her neck to claim her breast once again.

Her fingers dug into his bleached curls, as his mouth worked on one of her breasts while one of his hands kneaded the other. He expertly fingered her hardened nipple into a frenzy and then, slowly trailed down the side of her stomach to dive between her legs.

Buffy threw her head back as she felt him trace the contours of her feminine folds without daring to go any further. She moaned, a bit desperate as he continued to play with her outer lips, moving up and down, carefully avoiding her centre as well as the needy bundle of nerves at the apex.

“Want something, pet?” He asked, grinning against the tender flesh of her breast.

“Spike…” She breathed looking down at him with hungry eyes.

“Yes…?” He continued to question as his tongue curled around her nipple.

“Please…” She moaned as his finger came inches away from her clit, but quickly moved away.

“You sure?” He smiled again.

“Spike!” She protested, swatting him over the shoulder. Why did he always have to tease her like that? “I-“

She stopped in mid sentence as his index finger flickered over her clit.

“Ah…”

“Like that?” He asked as he did it again.

Buffy nodded wildly as her nails dug into his back.

He pressed harder against the sensitive bundle and she moaned under his ministrations. His finger trailed down to find the moist entrance to her womb; it circled its contours a couple of times, causing Buffy to grind her teeth together in expectation. Pushing one long finger into her, he watched in awe as her neck arched as her head fell back on the mattress.

He slowly moved in and out of her, searching for the right stop inside of her with every stroke. He knew he had found it when he heard her breath catch in her throat and a strangled cry escaped her o-shaped lips.

The expert finger continued to massage her, moving in and out, accelerating the pace and building up the rhythm as he stared at her intensely.

He swallowed hard at the sight of her facial muscles contorting in pleasure, as small ravenous mewls reached his ears. He closed his eyes for a second, trying hard to find the control necessary to stop himself from pushing her legs apart and burying himself in her. He tried to focus on anything, but the amazing sounds she was making broke all and any concentration.

“Spike…” She moaned his name and his eyes flew open to see her arch off the mattress to let out a strangled cry as the walls that surrounded his finger contracted wildly; her nails trailed bruising tracks down his arm as she came.

She let her body fall limply on the bed, her eyes closed, her chest raising and falling erratically as she pulled hard breaths from her lungs. Her eyes opened again when she felt his lips brush over her neck.

Her numb hands found their way between their bodies and encircled his hard cock. She bit her bottom lip, when she heard him gasp, his forehead resting on the mattress just over her shoulder.

She slowly began to pump him and felt a chill run down her spine when she heard him mewl:

“Buffy… Missed you so much.” His fingers ran between her long, blonde locks as she worked on him, pushing him closer to the edge with every stroke.

His grip on her hair tightened when she flickered a finger over the sensitive tip, brushing away the few drops of liquid there.

“Wait!” He warned her, freezing on top of her.

“Did it hurt?” She asked a bit unsure. She didn’t have a lot of practice at this and she still felt extremely insecure about it.

“No…” He shook his head as he swallowed dryly. “It’s just… if you do that one more time, I’m gonna come.”

Buffy eyes brightened with female pride at his words.

“Isn’t that the point?” She smiled as she prepared to move her finger again, but one strong grip on her wrist, stopped her.

“It’ll be messy.” He explained.

“Oh…” She realised.

“Plus… I’d rather…” He tilted his head downwards.

“Oh…” She repeated with a mischievous grin as she parted her legs wider, inviting him in.

He pushed his eyelids closed in order to be able to move off the bed.

Buffy frowned a bit and watched as he dug through the pile of clothes on the floor; his actions extremely reminiscent of their first night but, this time, when his hand left the pockets of his jeans it was filled with at least five plastic wrappers. He sat on the bed, quickly working to get the condom. In the meantime, Buffy lay on the bed, dwelling on whether of not to tell him…

“Spike, we don’t need-“

“Just a second.” He halted her with one hand while the other continued to struggle with the prophylactic. “There!” He said triumphantly as he cat-crawled his way to nestle himself between her legs.

Buffy stared wide-eyed up at him, as he positioned himself at her entrance; whatever she had been trying to say before vanished from her mind as his hips dipped down and she felt him push between her wet lips.

Spike shut his eyes and took in a deep breath as he felt her inner walls clamp around him. It wasn’t as big of a shock as it had been the first time, but it still managed to take his breath away just how tight she was. He paused for a second, letting her adjust to him. He opened his eyes to meet hers. He found her with a smile on her lips. The moment he started moving in and out of her, it crumbled, to be replaced by an expression of complete awe and pleasure.

The rhythm began at a slow pace, slowly building up, growing faster and harder with each stoke until his hips were practically slamming into her.

She opened her mouth to let out a silent cry as the tension built inside of her. Even in that moment of complete daze, in a distant part of her mind she still remembered that her mother was sleeping just down the small corridor. She bit down on her bottom lip; hers nails digging into the back of his arms as the pleasure became impossible to suppress, causing him to wince in pain.

“Sorry…” she mewled as her hands dropped to her sides to grasp the sheets underneath her. Her small fingers burrowed into the fabric, nearly ripping it to pieces as she tried to stomp herself from crying out in pleasure.

Spike rolled his eyes back in their sockets as he felt her get tighter and wetter with each stroke.

“Fuck… Buffy.” He mumbled into her neck as his hand came to cup her left breast.

“Spike.” She started as she realised she was closer to the edge. “I can’t… I’m gonna… Oh, God!” She moaned as he moved quickly in and out of her. “I-I’m gonna scream.” She finally managed to say between ragged breaths; her nails still digging into the sheets as she arched off the mattress and prepared to cry out.

“Shh…” He whispered into her ear as his hand abandoned her breast to clamp down on her mouth, muffling her cry. He continued to pump in and out of her, his fingers over her lips as he watched her battle with herself.

Her eyebrows were crunched up to there maximum, her eyes closed shut as soft moans tumbled from her covered mouth and into his hand.

When he thought she had been able to control herself, his grip softened and he let his hand drop to the bed.

“Ah!” She mewled when he pushed harder into her. “Oh, God… Spike. I’m gonna… A-“

Her scream was cut short as his mouth crushed against hers to swallow the cry of pleasure. Behind his closed lips, Spike’s eyes rolled back as he felt her practically squeeze the life out of him as her orgasm surged through her, causing her body to slightly trash underneath his.

In wasn’t long before he was following her; his mouth abandoning hers and falling partially open, his eyes closing tightly shut, his grip on the sheet next to her shoulder tightening before he fell limply on top of her.

He lay motionless until he heard her breathe:

“Need… oxygen here… Being… smothered to… death.”

“Oh, God. I’m sorry.” He said immediately rolling off of her.

He sighed in relief when he saw her smiling up at him.

“Gotcha.” She whispered.

“Ha-ha. Very funny.” He tried to sound annoyed as he sat up on the side of the bed, quickly taking off the used condom before laying back down next to her.

“You could never smother me. Too skinny.” She mocked.

“Look who’s talking.” He retorted.

“Hey!” She frowned.

Smiling he curled his arms around her and brought her against his chest. They lay there for a few seconds, staring up at the ceiling until Buffy broke the stillness:

“Um… Spike…” She began a bit uncertain.

“Yes, pet?”

“It’s… um kinda cold. Can we get under the covers?”

“Oh, God yes!” He sighed in relief as they immediately stood up and crawled under the sheets.

“Oh, God yes?” She frowned as she lay on the bed, her head coming to rest on his chest as her left leg swung over his.

“It was cold. But if *I* had said anything about it, *I* would have been an insensitive creep who was trying to sneak himself out of the mandatory post-coitus cuddling session.” Spike explained.

“I wouldn’t have thought you were an insensitive creep.” She defended herself.

“Right. Buffy. With our track record, I’m amazed you haven’t come up with an excuse to kick me out of your bed by now.”

“Hey!” She protested propping her chin on his chest to look up at him.

“It’s true.”

“Is not.”

“Is too.”

“Is not.”

“See. We’re already fighting.” He noted.

“Are not. You are just-“

She was cut off by his mouth as his hand cupped the back of her head and forced her to kiss him. Soon she was eagerly replying, her tongue worming its way into his mouth to deepen the kiss. She mewled in protest when he pulled away.

“I guess the only way to keep us from fighting is to kiss you.” He said with a wicked grin.

“I think I like that technique.” She smiled back at him, giving him a light peck on the lips before resting on his chest once again.

They lay on the bed, in a tight in embrace as Buffy let out a soft sigh.

“What?” Spike asked.

“I like this.” She smiled, trailing small kisses on his chest.

“I like this too. And we could’ve been doing this last night too, if you’d only trust me.” Spike replied. He tried to make it sound like a childish retort, but she could see a glimpse of hurt in his eyes.

“I’m sorry.” She apologized as she looked up at him.

“It’s ok.”

“No, it’s not. I should have trusted you. It’s just that… you just made the whole thing so secretive, what was I supposed to do?”

“Oh, I don’t know? Trust me.” He jibed, receiving a light swat over his right arm.

“I said I was sorry.”

“I know, pet.” He leaned in and gave her a light peck on the forehead.

“I mean, how was I supposed to know that you were all ‘defender of the oppressed’?”

Spike smiled at the title.

“Poor Andrew. Having a crush on that poofter. Bloody rotten taste.”

At his words, Buffy couldn’t help but giggle against his skin.

“What?” He enquired with a frown but got no answer. “What?” he insisted.

“Oh, nothing.”

“Buffy…”

“I think Andrew has evolved in his taste of men. Much like I have.

“Come again?”

Buffy looked up as him, her chin now resting on her hand that lay over his chest as her eyes sparkled mischievously at him.

“I don’t think Andrew likes Angel anymore.”

“Really?”

“Really. Especially now that he has his knight in shining armour.” Buffy giggled again as her fingers ran over the contours of his pectoral muscles.

“Huh?”

Buffy shook her head. It was amazing just how blind Spike was sometimes.

“Andrew has a crush on you.” She announced.

“What!?”

“Andrew. Has. A. Crush. On. You.” She pronounced each word as carefully as she could.

“What? No. He likes the ponce.” Spike replied.

“Spike. Everyone at the school knows this. Just like everyone knew that he was gay Except you, apparently. I mean, the way he stares at you during lunchtime is a dead giveaway. And why do you think you won for Homecoming King. It’s not like you’re Mr. Popularity.” At Spike’s still confused look she continued: “He rigged the votes.” Spike continued to stare dumbly at her and she patted him on the chest as she said in a motherly tone: “Trust me. He has a crush on you.”

“No, he does not.” Spike insisted.

“Fine. He doesn’t. Whatever.” Buffy rolled her eyes as she turned on her side, her back facing him.

There was a moment of silence, before Spike awkwardly asked:

“Andrew has a crush on me?”

Chapter 33

She exhaled sharply as she rolled onto her back, feeling the sheets caress her naked skin as she moved. Her eyes sluggishly fluttered open as rough fingers traced her collarbone. She squinted a bit, trying to focus her sight. Slowly, her eyes fixed on his moonlit form. A soft smile spread over her lips as she watched him; his head, slightly tilted, propped up by his left hand while the fingers on his right one still rested on her neck.

“Hey…” She greeted with a hoarse voice.

“Hey…” He replied back.

Their gazes remained locked for a couple of seconds.

“What time is it?” She asked as she abruptly moved to her side and reached for the watch on the nightstand. She squinted as she turned on the light. “It’s past six a.m. You better go.” She said turning to face him again, setting the watch back in its place.

“It’s still early.” He protested as he reached over her and turned off the light before his mouth dove for her neck.

“Early? You’re father is gonna be up in an hour.” She noted as her hand half-heartedly reached for the lamp switch but suddenly found herself too weak to do so.

“There’s still time.” He murmured as he traced a series of kisses down her neck and over her collarbone, his weight coming to rest over hers.

“Spike…” She managed to breathe as his mouth reached her breast.

Her head lolled back on the pillow as his tongue encircled her nipple, his teeth occasionally scraping over the tender flesh causing her to tense up, only to relax a few seconds later. His hand cupped her breast, giving it a light squeeze as he brought it closer to his mouth.

Unconsciously, she pouted when he abandoned her breast to travel over her lean stomach, his tongue momentarily diving into her perfectly shaped navel. She was completely lost in the sensation and it was only the subtle pressure he applied over her left leg that broke her out of her daze. His motion caused her to part her thighs and she realised then what his intentions were as she watched his head slither down between her legs.

Her fingers immediately grabbed a hold of his tussled curls, forcing him up and away from her. He looked at her from under a frown:

“What’s the matter?” He asked a bit disappointed, he had looked forward to this ever since they had made up. He had thought about it, over and over while he waited for more than two hours in her room.

“I don’t want you to.” She replied shyly.

“Wha’? Why not?” He questioned as his chin rested on her stomach.

“I-I just don’t like it, that’s all. You know that. I’ve told you.” She pouted a bit.

Spike simply tilted his head, his eyebrows coming together to let her know that she would have to explain herself better.

She let out a loud sigh and rolled her eyes before she began:

“When Angel and I-“ She stopped for a second when she felt his grip on her thighs grow stronger, his facial muscles twitching at the sound of the quarterback’s name. “When we were together…” His jaw clenched and unclenched, but he remained silent, waiting. “He did… that.” She awkwardly waved her index finger downwards as her eyes travelled all over the walls, trying to avoid his stare. “And it wasn’t really all that special.” She finished, her gaze finally finding his.

“Well…” He purred a little as his chin grazed over her stomach on its way down between her legs. “Maybe the poofter just didn’t know what he was doing.” He grinned a bit as he lowered his mouth to the inside of her thigh and nibbled at it while his eyes remained fixed on hers.

“Or maybe I just don’t like it.” She insisted as she jolted her leg, trying to push him away, but his hands gripped her thighs and forced them down on the mattress.

“Only one way to find out, pet…” He murmured as his placed a trail of open-mouth kisses on her thighs, making his way to the spot where her legs came together.

“Spike, please don’t…” She begged unconvincingly as her hand tried to pull his away. “I don’t want- Ah!”

She let out a strangled cry as his tongue traced the contours of her outer lips.

“I promise, pet…” He whispered as his hands pushed her legs further apart, opening her up to him. “You’ll like it.” He breathed before his lips capture one of her outer folds into his mouth causing her to catch her breath and grip the sheets at her sides.

After suckling at her tender flesh for a few moments, he let it go to look up at her. A proud, cockish grin spread over his lips at the sight of her beautiful, flushed face contorting in pleasure. His eyes continued fixed on her as his tongue darted out to lick her inner folds, tracing them up and down, carefully avoiding the sensitive bundle where they came together.

He slowly tortured her for what seemed like an eternity, lapping at the abundant juices that now coated her. Her body twisted as she anxiously waited for him to make a move and, eventually, he did. His lips finally encircled her clit and her grip on the sheets became tighter, her teeth bit into her lower lip as she tried to stop herself from screaming. His own fingers dug into her thighs as her repressed mewls and moans reached his ears, making it almost impossible to bear. He forced his eyes shut, trying to focus on her as he buried his mouth between her folds. His lips opened over her clit, greedily sucking it into his mouth, causing her to gasp and run her fingers through his bleached locks. His tongue eagerly worked on her as one of his hands abandoned her thighs to dive into her wet heat. He looked up at her once again; the vision of her with her head thrown back, her mouth half-open, gasping for air was, without a doubt, the most erotic sight he had ever witnessed.

She swallowed hard as his fingers traced the contours of her opening, occasionally venturing closer to her entrance, teasing her. Her head lolled left to right as he continued to twirl his tongue around her clit, his finger painfully continuing its teasing.

“Please, Spike, please…” She finally begged shamelessly.

She didn’t have to ask twice as he thrust one long finger into her, causing her to arch her back off the mattress.

“Oh, God!” She mewled as her grip on his hair grew stronger.

“Shhhh… Buffy, they’ll hear.” Spike warned her, stopping his ministrations, his finger still buried inside of her.

“No, don’t stop. Please, don’t stop.” She pleaded desperately.

“Just be quiet.” He whispered.

“I’ll be quiet, I promise. I won’t-I’ll-” Her mumbling was cut short when his finger moved inside of her, searching and probing for just the right stop.

His lips returned to her clit, pulling and pushing at it while his finger, having found its goal, moved in and out, stroking the small surface every time he drove into her. He watched under hooded eyes as she twisted under his ministrations, her face flushed, thrown to one side, biting hard into her pillow as she desperately tried to keep from screaming. It proved impossible when Spike suddenly trust a second finger into her, stretching her and causing the exquisite feeling which had been growing inside of her to explode and flood her entire body.

Spike eyes went wide as her back arched off the mattress again while her inner walls clamped down around his fingers with brutal force. Instinctively, Spike quickly crawled over her body, but before he could cover her mouth a loud, almost inhuman scream pierced through the entire cabin.

Buffy still hadn’t come down from her orgasm when the sound of shattering glass reached her ears.

“They’re up.” Spike announced.

“What?” A very dazed Buffy asked as she watched the bleached teen jump off the bed to rummage through the pile of clothes on the floor.

“Bloody hell!” He hissed giving up and simply shoving all the items under the bed before making a run for the door that lead to his room.

~+~

An instant later and Giles would have caught a glimpse of Spike leaping into his bed as he swung the door open and turned on the lights. Instead, he found his teenage son sitting up straight wiping his mouth with the back of his hand as the thick sheets covered his naked form.

“What happened?” The older man asked as he adjusted his glasses and came to sit on the bed. “Are you alright?”

“I-I’m fine. What was that?” Spike swallowed hard trying to mask his breathlessness as he lied through his teeth.

“Buffy…” Giles realised as he headed for the connecting door.

~+~

The moment one door closed, the other swung open to reveal a female form wrapped in a robe. Joyce palmed the wall trying to find the light switch as she asked:

“Buffy? Are you alright?”

When she was successful, she turned to find a very flushed and breathless Buffy laying on the bed, clutching the covers to her body.

“Did you have another nightmare?” The older woman asked coming to sit on the bed next to her daughter as the door to Spike’s room opened to let in Giles.

“Is she ok?”

“I-I” Buffy struggled with a reply. The stuttering grew worse when, a few moments later, Spike entered the room wearing a t-shirt and a pair of boxers. She swallowed hard as she tried to ignore the cocky grin on the teen’s face and focus on what her mother was asking her.

“What? Um… Yeah, I-I had another nightmare. I-It was nothing. I’m fine. Really.” She insisted; her eyes never leaving Spike’s as she felt the delicious afterglow crawl its way through her entire body.

“Are you sure you’re ok? I mean, you usually sleep so well. Did something happen?” Joyce questioned, oblivious to the looks exchanged between the two teens.

“I’m fine mom. It’s probably just from sleeping in a strange bed. That’s all.” She tried to justify.

“Are you sure? I don’t-“

“Mom! I’m fine.” She assured her.

“Maybe it was because of those horrible sounds earlier tonight.” Giles offered.

“Horrible sounds?” Buffy asked with a frown.

“Yes, didn’t you hear it? There was all this banging and shrieking. God awful noise kept me up till two in the morning.” Giles elaborated.

“Oh! Those sounds!” Buffy felt her heart leap to her throat and the flush spread to her cheeks as she looked wide-eyed at Spike.

“Probably racoons.” The bleached teen offered calmly, but inside his heart skipped a beat. “Going through the garbage, is all.”

“Maybe.” Giles agreed.

“But you’re ok now, right?” Joyce insisted.

Buffy simply nodded as she pushed her lips together. The older woman smiled, running her hand over her child’s face before turning to look at her wrist-watch.

“Well, it’s seven am already. No sense going back to bed now, is there? Plus we have to go into town to buy the things we need for dinner tonight.” She said a bit excitedly, standing up. “You better get up.”

Buffy pouted a bit and dropping her head she looked up at her mother:

“Mom, do you mind if I skip the whole shopping thing? I kinda didn’t get much sleep last night either. On account of those… pesky racoons.” She added, throwing Spike a dirty look at the last part of the sentence.

“Ok. If you’re tired. But don’t stay in bed for too long.” Joyce agreed.

“Um… Da. Can I skip it too?” Spike ventured.

“Wasn’t expecting you to come anyway.” Giles replied with a half grin as he exited the room closely followed by Joyce, leaving the two teens alone in the room.

The moment the door closed, Buffy was off the bed and had her arms wrapped around Spike’s neck as her mouth came crashing over his, almost causing him to lose his balance.

“That was amazing!” Buffy muttered against his t-shirt when the kiss finally broke.

“Yes, it was.” He replied, still a bit shaken by the fact that he had naked-Buffy pressing against him.

She was about to speak when she heard the sound of a door opening coming from the hall. In a flash, she was once again buried between her sheets.

“Better wait till they leave.” She whispered.

~+~

She held her ear up against the wood, nervously twirling her fingers around the edges of her sleeves as she strained to hear what was going on in the hall. She waited patiently for the pounding of footsteps to grow weaker and weaker before opening her door and popping her head into the hall. She sighed audibly when she heard the front door closing and ran for the window just in time to see Giles enter the car and close the door. The instant the engine roared, she was off towards the connecting door, swinging it open to crash into Spike.

“Ouch!” They both called out in unison.

“You ok?” Buffy asked. Spike wasn’t even able to finish his nod before Buffy was already on him. “Good!” she breathed between kisses as she pushed him towards the bed.

Spike raised an eyebrow as his back hit the mattress. He found himself staring up at Buffy, who was still standing in front of him; a lust-filled look on her face.

“Since when did you become such a sex-starved minx?” He questioned with a cocky grin plastered over his lips but it soon crumbled, being replaced by a gaping mouth the moment she lifted her nightgown over her head to reveal her completely naked form to him.

Silently, she crawled over his body, placing one knee on either side of him, her chest pressing against his. Her mouth dropped to his earlobe, taking it in as she twirled her tongue around it. She smiled when she heard him gasped. God, she loved hearing him gasp like that!

“Buffy…” He moaned when she bit into his flesh.

She moved away from his ear, tracing hungry kisses along his jaw until she found his mouth and let her tongue invade it.

“You.” Kiss “Were.” Peck “Amazing.” She ended by letting her tongue linger over his lips for a few seconds.

“So, I’ve been told.” He grinned.

Buffy froze and in his mind Spike kicked himself for what he had just said. ‘Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!’ He screamed inwardly as he watched her sit up straight and give him a deadly glare.

“Oh, really? And by whom, may I ask?”

“No one.” He answered immediately.

Suddenly, she jumped off of him, picked up her nightgown and slammed the door on her way to her room.

“Wha’?” He asked from his sprawled position on the bed.

He had no reply.

“Buffy, what’s wrong?” He questioned standing up and going after her.

She gave him no answer, stomping her way around the room in her nightdress, looking under the bed, picking up his clothes and shoving them against his chest.

“Out!” She spat.

“What happened?” He pretended not know.

“Nothing.” She said between clenched teeth as she pulled and pushed at the sheets in a very angry attempt to make her bed. “So I’ve been told.” She muttered under her breath, making it almost incomprehensible for him.

“Oh, come on Buffy. I was joking.”

“No, you weren’t.” She contoured, glaring at him.

“Fine! So I wasn’t lying.” He admitted. “Buffy, you gotta understand that I did *have* a life before we got together and it involved other girls.”

“So did *I*!” She retorted, letting go of the sheets for a second before going back to making the bed. “But I don’t go around throwing it in your face.”

“I wasn’t-“ He tried to defend himself but was quickly cut off.

“Oh, yeah, right.” She huffed. “You weren’t.” She grumbled.

“Come on, Buffy.” The moment he took a step towards her she stood up straight and stared up at him.

“I don’t go around gloating about all the things that Angel and I did together. And believe me, we did *a lot.*” She lied.

Spike swallowed hard as he tried to control the anger that slowly started to build inside of him.

“Actually, we did everything!” She revealed giving him a lascivious look.

“Good for you.” He managed to say between clenched teeth.

“You bet it was.” She immediately retorted. “It was amazing! I-It was *really* amazing!” She insisted, oblivious to the twitching of his facial muscles as she returned to her task and pulled at the covers again. “I mean, he’s the quarterback, those muscles really come in handy when you need-“

She wasn’t able to finish her sentence, feeling the wind being knocked out of her as she suddenly found herself laying on her back, on the bed with Spike hovering over her, between her legs. She was about to protest when she felt his hand quickly crawling its way under her nightgown until it found the small mound of curls at the apex of her thighs.

She exhaled sharply, fighting to keep her eyes open when his fingers began to tease her still sensitive flesh. “Was it really that great?” He asked against her mouth.

She parted her lips as she tried to reach up to kiss him but his free hand now held a strong grip on her golden locks, keeping her mouth just inches away from his.

“Was it?” He repeated.

She didn’t answer as she continued to struggle against his hold on her hair.

“Was it…” He paused for a moment as his finger entered her wet opening and slowly massaged her inner walls.

“Ah!” She cried out.

“…this good?”

He grinned against her skin when she began to vigorously shake her head in denial.

He pumped in and out of her a couple more time before pulling completely out and pushing himself off of her. She was a bit taken by surprise at the sudden loss of exquisite contact.

“Wha’?” She asked a bit dazed as she propped herself up on her shoulders

“Just wanted to make sure.” He grinned down on her as he headed back to his room.

“Why you little…” She began as she ran after him.

Chapter 34

She entered the room just in time to see Spike exiting through the other door. Buffy trotted after him, a frown and a pout set on her face.

“Where’re you going?” she tried to sound nonchalant about it, jogging down the stairs and stopping to lean on the railing as she watched him head toward the kitchenette.

“Breakfast. I’m hungry.” He answered, opening the refrigerator door.

She didn’t say anything, taking the last step of the staircase and wandering into the living room. Plopping down on the couch, she pretended not to notice the metallic noises coming from the tiled room as she brought her hand to her mouth to lightly nibble at her cuticles. After a few moments, a delicious aroma of fried eggs reached her nose and she wasn’t able to resist throwing a glance in Spike’s direction. She found him standing in front of the stove, his t-shirt-clad back turned to her.

“What are you doing?” She finally gave up and asked, standing to walk over to the counter and take a seat on one of the stools there.

“Breakfast.” He replied, stepping aside to reveal a simple omelette on a clean plate. “Want some?”

Her mouth watered at the sight and smell of it, but her pride stopped her from showing any signs of it. Her mind dwelled over how, just a minute ago, he had broken away from her, leaving her alone in her room. Her pout returned to her lower lip at the recent memory.

“No, thank you. I’m not hungry.” She answered, defiantly titling her chin upwards and wrinkling her nose.

“Suit yourself.” He shrugged and walked into the living room to sprawl on the couch.

They sat in silence for what seemed like an eternity as Spike munched on his break fast, apparently completely oblivious to the little, pissed blonde loudly tapping her nails on the counter. Suddenly, she stood up and announced:

“I’m gonna take a shower.”

Spike smirked to himself as he watched her angrily stomp her way up the stairs.

~+~

Buffy walked around in circles in her bedroom, her wet hair tumbling down her back as her fingers fidgeted with the sleeves of her read turtleneck sweater.

She resisted the urge to enter his room and check if he was still there. She was sure she had heard a door opening when she had finished her shower and was combing her hair in front of the foggy mirror. Her heart had raced in her chest as she made her way to her bedroom, confident that she would find him there, maybe laying naked in her bed, ready to beg her forgiveness. She turned the knob as a thousand fantasies ran through her mind. They were all shattered when she found the room empty.

A strange mixture of anger and disappointment made her chest heavy and caused her throat to tighten a bit. She hated this horrible feeling of insecurity she had around him. She never knew what to expect from him. He was so volatile; so sweet and desperate one moment, so smug and cocky the next.

She let out a deep sigh and headed out of her room. Letting her feet drag along the steps, she made her way downstairs. She felt her breath catching in her chest and she brought her hand to cover her mouth when she saw an incredible breakfast set on the table. There was a larger platter, where five or six scoops of a variety of jelly and jams were placed in a circular shape. Next to it was a small mound of pancakes topped with what looked like maple-syrup. Her finger lingered over her lips as she scanned the table to find a bowl, filled with an assortment of different fruits, which hid itself behind a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice. Finally, placed in the centre of a white plate was a single red rose.

“Oh, my God.” She breathed.

“I was wondering when you were gonna come down.”

She jumped up, a bit startled by the voice that came from behind her. She turned to see him leaning on the railing of the staircase, his arms crossed over his chest, the trademark grin dancing on his lips. He had put on his red shirt over the t-shirt, the worn-out black jeans and combat boots completing the outfit.

“Hungry yet?” He asked, taking a step closer to her.

“Oh, my God.” She mouthed again, her gaze bouncing from Spike to the table and back again.

“You’ve said that already.” His smile grew wider.

“Thanks.”

“For what?” He raised a scarred eyebrow.

“Well…” She tilted her head towards the table.

“Oh, that’s not for you.” He said coolly.

An immediate frown settled over Buffy’s eyebrows as her mouth fell open but, before she could say anything, he had his arms wrapped around her waist and his lips were on hers. She didn’t even bother to struggled, letting his tongue sweep over hers while his hand came to cup her cheek. When he pulled away from her, a breathless Buffy swatted him across the chest, causing him to jump up.

“Ouch! What was that for?” He asked between chuckles.

“Evil.” She spat and immediately pouted.

“Very.” He agreed with a lascivious grin before giving her a light peck on the lips and turning her around to face the table. “Now eat! You’re too skinny.” He commanded, pulling out the chair for her.

“Hey!” Was her feeble protest as her eyes landed on the feast laid out before her. She was starving, but was still able to pick up the rose and take a quick whiff before setting it aside and taking her fork and knife into her hands. “Where did you get that rose from?”

“You haven’t been out back, have you?” Spike’s lips curled sideways as he watched shake her head while hungrily shovelling a large piece of pancake into her mouth.

“There’s a small rose bush there. Not in very good shape though, since we’re not here to water it or anything, but amazingly it has survived.”

A moment of silence passed by as Spike continued to stare at her with a grin on his face.

“Wha’?” The word came out almost unintelligible, muffled by the large quantity of food filling her mouth.

“Nothing.” He replied propping his head on his hand and eyeing her.

She chewed quickly, swallowing the large lump before asking guiltily:

“I look like a pig, don’t I?”

“No.” He answered truthfully as she continued to eat.

“This tastes wonderful.” She managed to say between bites. “Where did you learn to make these?” She questioned pointing at the pancakes with her fork.

“My da taught me.” He answered still gazing blindly at her.

“They’re delicious.”

She quickly devoured the three pancakes, using up all the jams in front of her. In the end, she downed the rest of the orange juice, settling back on the chair and tapping her stomach.

“Satisfied?” The simple question came out dripping with innuendo.

“Maybe.” She let her lips curl for a wicked smile that made his mouth water.

He grinned back at her, but said nothing as he began to pick up the table and headed for the kitchenette. She quickly followed him, watching him as he stopped at the sink and pulled up his sleeves before starting to wash the dishes.

“So…” He started, his eyes never leaving the soapy water in front of him. “Are we… ok?”

“We’re ok.” She answered as she sat on the stool.

“Good.” He said in a low voice.

Another moment of silence filtered by before he questioned again:

“I’m sorry. I have a tendency of getting my foot in my mouth.”

“I’ve noticed.” She smiled picking at a grape and popping it into her mouth.

“How can you still eat?” He asked astonished. “You just ate three huge pancakes and now you’re eating fruit?”

She pouted and he felt his heart leap to his throat. God, he loved it when her lip jutted out like that! Just made him want to… He shook his head and returned to his task, but it proved near impossible when he felt her small hands worm around his waist and her chest press against his back as she placed a light peck over his red-clad shoulder blade. He inhaled sharply when she pulled away, stepping up next to him to pick up a nearby towel and began drying the dishes.

“So…” She started a bit hesitant, her heart skipping a beat when he turned to look at her. “Have you been told a lot of times?”

He frowned and glanced at her again to find her with her gaze buried in the plate she was drying.

“Been told what, luv?”

“About… you know… being good at…” She looked at him out of the corner of her eyes to find him semi-grinning back at her. “Oh, come on. You’re not gonna make me say it, are you?”

He sighed audibly. He knew eventually they would have to have the inevitable “exes conversation”.

“A few times.” He tried to avoid the specific numbers but wasn’t able when she quickly piped up:

“How many?”

“Buffy…”

“What?” She asked innocently.

“Do you really wanna get into that?”

“It’s just a question, Spike.” She noted.

“Two.” He answered.

A light smile settled on her lips as relief washed over her.

“Just Dru?”

He frowned for a second, then, realising her assumption, he corrected.

“Three, counting you.”

“Oh…” The disappointment clear in her voice.

There was a moment of silence and he could hear the unasked question hovering all around him, shouting in his ear. Finally, he sighed and murmured:

“There was a girl back home.” He paused and added. “Cecile.”

She didn’t say a thing, her eyes still on the towel she fumbled with as she waited for him to pass her something to dry.

“What about you?” He questioned, anxious to take the attention off of him.

“Angel… and you.” She replied with her head bowed.

Instinctively, Spike’s teeth clenched and unclenched at the answer.

There was an extremely uncomfortable silence between them, until Buffy flung the towel over her shoulder and sighed:

“This is ridiculous. So we both had someone in the past. One of us more that the other but…It’s ridiculous.” She said nonchalantly.

“Are you sure?”

“I’m fine.” She insisted, but inside she could feel her stomach turning at the thought of him with someone else.

“It doesn’t really matter how many there were before as long as you know that all I want now is you.” He quickly dried his hands on his shirt and stepped closer to her. “You do know that, right?”

She nodded and gave him a smile as he leaned in and took her lower lip into his mouth. His hands circled around her waist to meet at the small of her back and bring her closer to him. They pulled away instantly at the sound of a metallic key turning in a lock.

“Buffy!” She heard her mother call out.

“Over here.” She shouted giving Spike’s pout an ‘I’m sorry’ look before throwing the towel over the dried dishes and walking around him to meet her mother. “Mom, what did you do? Buy all the food in the supermarket?” She questioned when she saw her mother standing at the door with four plastic bags dangling from each hand.

“Could you two please go help Rupert out?” She asked walking into the kitchenette.

The two teens walked out to find Giles standing by the car, the trunk open to reveal itself completely stuffed with shopping bags.

“Is she ok? I told her not to take so many.” He said a bit worried.

“She’s fine.” Buffy smiled as she scanned the groceries.

~+~

“When do you think we should tell them?” Spike asked as he sat on the table with Buffy watching the older couple clumsily walk around in the small kitchenette as they prepared the Christmas Eve supper.

“Tell them?” She asked sitting up straight.

“About us?” Spike tilted his head towards her.

“Oh…” She said with a perfectly ‘O’ shaped mouth as leaned on the table; her fingers tracing odd patterns on the wood. “Could we sort of wait for the end of the festivities?”

“Why?” Spike questioned with a frown.

“I don’t know. Might be kinda traumatic for your dad to find out you’re not gay.” She giggled when she saw the outraged look on his face. Trying hard not to laugh she swallowed and continued, letting her hand discreetly rest on his: “I’m sorry.” She pushed her lips together in a frustrated attempt to stop from smiling: “I just think it would be kinda weird for you to… go back into the closet on Christmas Eve.”

“Weird? It would be a relief. I’m getting really tired of all this gay-talk. I am not gay.” He insisted between clenched teeth, careful not to be heard by the couple still busy in the kitchen. “I think I proved that last night.” He added, leaning into her and running his tongue over his lips suggestively.

“Conceited much?” She asked raising an eyebrow at him.

“Will you two stop yapping and come help us?” Joyce’s voice carried into the living room as she stirred a large pot on the stove.

The two teens sighed, standing up to walk over to the counter.

“I don’t think the four of us fit in there.” Spike noted with a hint of satisfaction.

“You can wipe that grin off your face and start cutting the garlic.” Giles announced with a forced smile and he set a chopping board and a knife on the counter with a thud.

“Oh, da. I hate garlic.” Spike sulked out.

“Poor, Spikey.” Buffy mocked with a smirk.

“And you, young lady, can chop the onions.” Joyce commanded handing her a knife and a basin filled with onions.

“Mom!” Buffy protested.

“Finely chopped.” Her mother interrupted as she turned her attention back to the stove.

“Don’t you dare say a thing.” The blonde teen said with a threatening tone, waving the knife at Spike as he tried to suppress a chuckle.

~+~

The four moved awkwardly in the small space, tripping over each other as they tried to get their respective tasks done.

“Can you three just stand still for a second?” Joyce finally snapped, sighing audibly. “I knew that making this dinner together was a mistake.”

“What? We’re helping. It’s not our fault that the kitchen is miniscule.” Buffy pouted as she tried to squeeze between her mother and Spike to reach the condensed milk on the other side of the room.

The bleached teen’s eyes rolled back in their sockets as he felt her chest press against his back. God, she had to be doing that on purpose! In the one hour they had been in the confined space she had brushed up against him at least five times and it was becoming almost impossible to keep his hands away from her. All he thought about was grabbing her and kissing her breath away right then and there, in front of both their parents. Appearances be damned! He sighed and eyed his father and Joyce as he quickly adjusted himself through his jeans before returning to beating the egg whites.

“When I bought this cabin I wasn’t exactly planning on having big dinner parties.” Giles excused himself as he finally managed to exit the kitchenette. “I’ll go get some more firewood from the basement.” He announced before leaving.

“Are these ok, Joyce?” Spike inquired swallowing hard as Buffy brushed up against him once again on her way back. ‘Little tease! Just wait until tonight.’

The older woman threw a glance at the bowl Spike held in his hands and nodded:

“That’s great, Spike. Just put those over there.” She pointed at the nearest available surface.

The teen brushed his hands against his shirt and asked:

“Anything else I can do?”

“Could you set the table?”

“Sure.” He agreed as he picked up the towel and headed for the living room.

An hour later a warm fire burned in the fireplace as the four finally sat around the table devouring the mountain of food that spread out in front of them.

“This is delicious, honey.” Giles froze as the last word left his mouth. He looked around, expecting to find disgusted looks on both teenagers’ faces and was surprised when there was absolutely no reaction from either. He frowned a bit at the oddity. Maybe they were coping with the idea of there parents being an item. He continued to observe as the two shovelled absurd quantities of food into their mouths. ‘Or maybe they’re just too hungry to hear anything.’

“Thank you.” Joyce replied with a smile as she followed Rupert’s gaze and watched the teens barely inhale between bites.

“So… when do we open the presents?” Giles tried to start up a conversation.

“Buffy and I usually open them on Christmas morning. It’s tradition.” Joyce replied when she realised her daughter was too busy eating to answer.

“Christmas morning it is.”

“Hey, don’t I get a say?” Spike protested looking up from his plate for the first time since he had sat down. “We always do it at midnight.”

Giles frowned and gave his son a disapproving look.

“What?” Spike asked, completely oblivious to his father’s deadly stares.

Giles simply shook his head and sighed.

“Fine. We’ll open them on Christmas morning.” Spike resigned to the idea returning his attention to his plate.

~+~

The rest of the night went on uneventfully as the four moved from the table to sit on the couch near the warmth of the fireplace. Initially, there had been some discomfort and lack of subject but, little by little the conversation started up and soon the four were shouting at the top of their lunges as they discussed which cuisine was best, the American or the English.

“I don’t know why you’re making such a fuss out of it. The point is that the Americans simply don’t *have* gastronomic traditions.” Giles argued as he lay back on the couch, one leg crossed over the other as he sipped from his brandy.

“Of course we have gastronomic traditions.” Buffy said confidently then looked up at her mother to quickly ask: “Right?”

“Yes.” Her mother replied with a smile, running her hand through her daughter’s hair who sat on the floor at her feet. “What about apple pie?”

“It’s not even American. Or do you really think that the rest of the world didn’t have apple pie until you Yankees thought of it?” Giles countered.

“Yeah.” Spike spoke up from his stop on the carpet, laying on his back, propped up on his elbows. “All you have are burgers and even those are a bloody German rip-off.”

“What about that ‘angis’ thing?” Buffy’s nose wrinkled up as her facial muscles contracted in disgust. “You guys eat entrails stuck in a sheep’s stomach! Yuck!”

“It’s haggis! And that’s Scottish, luv!” Spike corrected with a chuckle which earned him a swat across the arm from the petite blonde. “Hey!”

“I don’t care what you say; hotdogs are ten times better that fish and chips wrapped in an old newspaper.” Buffy retorted crossing her arms over her chest.

“Don’t knock it till you try it, pet.” Spike said in a mocking tone.

“Well, whatever your preferences are, I think its time for bed.” Mrs. Summers said as she yawned.

“Smooth, mom, very smooth.” Buffy chuckled turning to face Joyce.

“It’s four am.” Her mother replied. “Come on. Up you go.”

Reluctantly, Spike and Buffy stood up and, after saying there goodbyes headed up the stairs. The moment they reached the top and were well out of sight Buffy found herself pinned against the nearest wall, Spike’s body crushed against hers. She let out a little yelp which was quickly muffled when his mouth smashed against hers for a bruising and ravenous kiss. Her eyes went wide as his hands moved erratically over every inch of her, one pushing under her sweater to knead her breast while the other slipped around her to gruffly cup her ass and force her pelvis against his.

Buffy gasped, looking up breathless at him when he pulled away from her.

“What was that for?” She asked when she was finally able.

“What did you think? That I would let you tease and taunt me like that all afternoon and there wouldn’t be any consequences?” He leered dangerously at her, both his hands resting on the wall, on either side of her.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She didn’t even try to sound convincing as she smirked at him.

“You little vixen! You’ve were purposely brushing up against me every time you had a chance.”

“What can I say? I just love that face you make.” She mocked.

“What face?”

“You know. That…” She rolled her eyes a bit before closing them hard, clenching and unclenching her teeth as she held her breath in a successful attempt to imitate his reaction before relaxing her muscles and adding: “…face.”

“I do not.” He denied vehemently.

“Of course you do. You were doing it in the car all the way over here.” She threw him a teasing look before pushing herself off the wall and walking over to her room.

“You were doing it on purpose?!” He asked outraged as her went after her blocking her passage.

“I know…” She took a step towards him and ran one single finger down his chest. “… I was really a bad girl.” She said in a semi-childish tone.

“Really, really bad girl.” He repeated with a grin.

“And now I have to be punished.” She continued looking up at him from under heavy eyelids, a wicked smile on her lips.

“Yes you do.” He agreed closing the distance between them and leaning into her.

“So, what’s it going to be?” She breathed as his closeness started to interfere with her ability to speak.

“You get to sleep…” He began in a low voice, but suddenly stepped away from her and added: “…alone. Goodnight, Buffy.”

Before she could say anything he had walked past her, made his way to his bedroom door and disappeared from the hallway.