Chapter 40

“Oh, my God! I never thought I’d get this excited over a stupid school play but…” Buffy inhaled sharply as she walked along the sidewalk, her hand occasionally squeezing Spike’s. “… when I saw my name on that list, it just… clicked, you know?”

Her eyes seemed brighter than ever, a certain twinkle in the corner gave new life to the green in them as she looked up at the boy walking next to her.

“I guess… somehow, Miss. Addams was right. I really didn’t know what I wanted out of life. I mean, everyone’s been going through college applications and I just seemed to be going through the motions, you know? I’ll apply to Sunny U and then I’ll decide my major is going to be - that was basically as far as I thought about it… but now? I don’t know! It’s just so exciting! Finding something that I actually like and I really, really want to do and…” Her eyes drifted over the scenery around them and landed over Spike just in time to catch him concealing a yawn from her. “I’m babbling, aren’t I?” She asked with half a frown.

“No, no you’re not.” Spike denied vehemently.

“Did I ever tell you that you’re the world’s worst liar?”

“Sorry, luv. But I am glad you’ve found something you’re interested in.” He replied, leaning in to place a light kiss over her forehead.

She smiled and came to a full stop when she reached the front entrance to her house. Her hands wrapped around his waist as she brought him closer to her and she looked up at him with a smile over her lips.

“Thanks.” She whispered as she buried her face in his chest.

“For what?” He asked with a frown.

“For not freaking out over the play.” She explained before looking up at him again.

“Why should I freak out?” He pretended not to know.

At that she tilted her head sideways and threw him a scolding look.

“I know you saw the rest of the cast list.”

Without a witty comeback, he let his head drop in defeat.

“A-are you really ok about this?” She asked nervously.

“Well…” He trailed off, not bearing to look at her, but he was forced to when her small hand came to rest under his chin to guide his gaze to meet hers. She took a deep breath and paused for a second.

“I-If you want me to quit the play… I will.” She said without much conviction. He could tell that, deep inside, she was begging him not to force her to make that decision. And how could he? He had witnessed her excitement when she had read her name on that paper, the way she wouldn’t stop smiling, giggling over the silliest jokes. God, she had even laughed at Xander’s pathetic Sean Connery impersonation! He had never seen her this happy. No, he couldn’t do that to her. He had no right.

“Don’t be silly.” He tried to sound nonchalant about the subject. “Of course you’re not gonna quit.” He paused for a second and then added with a more serious tone: “I want you to be happy and, if this makes you happy, I am 100% ok with it.”

“Are you sure?”

There it was - the sparkle - it was right back in her eyes.

“I’m fine, Buffy.” He reassured her.

In an instant, her arms were wrapped around his neck, her mouth easily finding its way to meet his for a long kiss. Her head rested against his when their lips finally parted; a mischievous smile dancing over them.

“My mom’s not going to be home for another two hours.” She announced suggestively as her fingers lingered over the lapels of his duster, tugging at them as she walked backwards towards the house.

“Oh, really?” He questioned, raising one scarred eyebrow as he walked up the steps of the front porch.

~+~

One slender hand hovered over the lines on the page, while the other played with long, golden threads.

“Hey…”

Buffy was snapped out of her daze by the familiar voice. With a smile on her lips she looked up to find him standing next to her.

“Hey, Spike.” She replied, scooting over and patting the spot on the bench next to her as her eyes returned to the papers she held in her hands.

“What are you doing?”

“Just going over a few lines.” She explained, never looking up at the person sitting next to her.

“I thought you knew those by heart.”

“I-I do. I just want to make sure before the first rehearsal.” She continued, staring at the page, a deep frown over her eyebrows.

He simply nodded and let his eyes drift over the football field that spread out before them.

“It’s today, right? After school?” He asked.

“Uh-huh.” She mumbled. There was a beat, as she pondered whether or not to invite him to the rehearsal. She had done it every time and every time he had come up with some lame excuse. She shook her head and returned her attentions to the paper.

They sat in silence until he moved to stand.

“Well, I’ll be off then.” He said, standing next to her, his gaze inspecting her, waiting for her to glance up at him, but she never did.

“Oh, ok...” She replied, still too absorbed in her reading.

“Bye.” He waited a moment until she realised he was still there.

She was brought back to reality when she felt soft fingers thread though her dishevelled hair. She shook her head and looked up.

“Don’t I get a kiss?” He asked with a half smile.

She returned the grin as he leaned down and placed a quick peck over her lips.

“Bye.” He repeated.

“Bye.” She replied, her attention quickly returning to the sheets she held.

~+~

“Whelp!” Spike shouted as he made his way through the crowd of teens that filled the corridor.

“Bleach-man!” Xander greeted back as the platinum blond reached him.

“What you doing?”

“Getting ready for torture.” Was Xander’s unenthusiastic reply.

“Come again?”

“Play rehearsal.” He explained.

“Oh… I guess you’re not up for some football after school then.”

“Sorry.” Xander sighed, rolling his eyes.

Noticing the strange look on his friend’s face he added:

“I take it you’re not too happy about this whole play thing, huh?” The brown-haired teen asked.

“Of course I am.” He lied through his teeth. “Makes Buffy happy, makes me happy.”

“Right…” Xander said with a hint of sarcasm. “Cause seeing your girlfriend stage-macking with her ex is so fun.”

“Don’t push me, whelp.” Spike grumbled as he tried to erase the mental picture that suddenly popped into his head.

“Look, I’m sorry. I just think you should talk to Buffy about this. It’s been two weeks and you two haven’t said a word about it.” Xander noted.

“We talked.” Spike argued.

“Really?” Xander asked, rolling his eyes once more.

“She asked if I was ok with it and I-“

“Lied about it.” Xander cut in.

“Hey!”

“I’m just saying… I’m just thrilled that Cordy is the worst actress in the world cause I don’t know if I could handle seeing her kiss Angel.” Xander explained.

“I’m ok with it.” Spike insisted as the anger slowly boiled up in him.

“Are you sure?”

“I’m fine, so just bugger off!” Spike growled, storming away.

~+~

“Hey, Spike!” Willow greeted with a smile as she looked up from her plate to see the bleached teen take a seat in front of her.

“Hey, Red.” He replied, picking up his fork and knife. “Where’s Buffy?” He asked.

“She’s rehearsing for the play.” Willow explained digging through her plate to find something remotely eatable. Her face crunched up in disgust.

“I thought they only had rehearsals on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.” Spike questioned with a frown.

“Miss Addams says they’re getting closer to the opening and that they have a lot of work to do.”

“Oh…” He said trailing off before adding: “So! Why aren’t you there? You know? Standing by your man?”

“I thought I’d take a bit of a break from the whole Shakespeare experience.” Seeing Spike’s narrowed eyes she admitted: “It’s just too painful to see Cordelia ‘act’.”

“Yeah! Heard it was pretty bad.” He chuckled when he saw Willow’s facial muscled twitch at the memories.

“It’s bad. *Very* bad!” She confirmed. There was a moment of pause as she wondered whether or not to approach the subject. In the end, she opted for the former: “Why don’t you go check it out for yourself? I-I mean, you could go to one of the rehearsals. Miss Addams will probably force you to handle stage work, b-but other than that she’s pretty cool about it.” Willow explained nervously.

“Nah, don’t really want to see you yanks murder some of the best work in English literature ever. I’ve got Hollywood movies for that.” He joked, but the uneasiness was clear in his voice.

Willow gave him a weak smile before setting her fork down to look up at the boy sitting across the table from her.

“She really wants you to be there, you know?”

He didn’t say a word, his gaze buried in the unrecognizable pulp on his plate.

“She said so. You should go and see her. Maybe you’ll realise it’s not that bad.”

“Right…” He mumbled sarcastically before finally looking up at the redhead.

“If you hurry you’ll still catch the last few minutes.” She insisted.

Without a word he stood up and started to head out but stopped in his tracks to glance back and whisper:

“Thanks, red.”

“You’re welcome.” She replied to his retreating form.

~+~

“He jests at scars that never felt a wound. / But, soft! What light through yonder window breaks? / It is the east, and…”

Angel’s annoying, histrionic voice seemed to fade away as he saw her walk out on stage. Her hair was tied up in a messy bun, high on the back of her head, a few unruly threads escaping to frame her face. She leaned on the balcony, staring off into the distance while, below, the quarterback went about saying his lines.

“O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo? / Deny thy father and refuse thy name; / Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, / And I'll no longer be a Capulet.”

Spike stared in awe. She was actually good at it. He ignored the exaggerated replies that came from the brown-haired teen; his gaze fixed on her as she continued to speak. The words flowed freely, as if she had just thought of them; sincere longing flooded her eyes, giving them a glassy appearance. God, she was beautiful!

He lingered in the shadows, watching in trance as she now walked about on stage, the beefy quarterback trailing behind her. He felt his stomach turn in protest, but he ignored it as he focussed on the small figure now giggling on stage. Maybe Willow was right. Maybe it wasn’t as bad as he had imagined it. As the thoughts hurried through his mind he found himself relaxing, leaning against the wall. Maybe he had overreacted, it-

He felt his entire body freeze as the suddenly, moment he had dreaded the most was played out in front of him. He watched, in silence, as Angel’s hands came to rest on her waist. A blank, idiotic expression settled on his face, a passionate one on Buffy’s as he leaned in and captured her lips between his.

Then, all he saw was red. Anger boiled in his veins, making his heart violently hammer against his chest, the sweat cursed down the sides of his face, his mouth instantly becoming dry, his vision blurred. He was snapped out of his rage by the feel of a hand resting on his shoulder.

“Hey, man.” Oz’s monotonic voice reached his ears.

Spike shook his head and glanced down at the shorter teen. He didn’t say a word.

“You, ok?”

Miss Addams’ screeching voice, accompanied by her enthusiastic applause, interrupted the conversation.

“Wonderful! You were amazing! Bravo!”

The two teens glanced at the stage where Buffy and Angel were turning bright red under the praise. Turning his gaze back to Oz, Spike practically growled between clenched teeth before storming away:

“I’m fine!”

~+~

“Hello? Giles? Hi, is Spike there?” Buffy asked, twirling her index finger around the plastic cord of the phone.

“No, he hasn’t come home yet.” Was the reply from the other end. “Do you want to leave a message?”

“Just tell him that I called, ok? Thanks. Bye Giles.”

She let the receiver fall back into place and lay back on the bed. Oz had told her about Spike being there during the rehearsal. She raced through the halls in the hopes of finding him, but he was gone. She had looked for him during the rest of the day, but there was no sign of him. Calling Giles was the first thing she had done when came home and apparently he was still MIA.

She instantly stood up straight when she heard the front doorbell ring. She jogged down the stairs, her heart racing as she swung the door wide open.

“God, I thought you- Mom!“

“Surprised to see me?” Mrs. Summers asked as she handed her daughter a few of the grocery bags that she carried.

“No… It’s… um. Why’d you ring the doorbell?” Buffy tried to mask the disappointment in her voice as she followed her mother into the kitchen.

“I forgot my keys.” She explained, setting the bags on the counter. “How was rehearsal?”

“It was fine.” Buffy replied with little enthusiasm as started helping Joyce take out the groceries.

“Just fine?” Mrs. Summers frowned. “Usually you’re so psyched about the whole thing and now it was just fine? What happened?”

“Nothing.” Buffy shrugged.

Mrs. Summers let out a deep sigh and paused for a second, looking at her daughter.

“Buffy… What’s wrong?”

The blonde teen stared down at the counter. God, she wished she could tell her mom about this!

“It’s nothing. I’m just tired, I guess.” She lied.

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

“We’ve just been rehearsing for so long, I’m just tired.” Buffy maintained.

“If you say so.” Mrs. Summers decided to drop the subject. She knew her daughter well enough to know when to push a subject. This wasn’t one of those times.

“I’m going to take a shower, ok?”

“Ok, honey.”

Without another word, Buffy made her way upstairs.

~+~

With a racing heart she walked down the hall, her gaze bouncing off the familiar faces she encountered on her way to class as she searched for him. She felt a pang when she saw him, standing by his locker, his head resting on the metallic door.

“Hey.” She greeted shyly, hugging her books tightly.

“Hey.” He replied meekly as he turned to look at her.

There was a moment of silence between them as they looked at each other; Buffy was the one to break it.

“Um… Oz told me you went to the rehearsal yesterday.” She started, her gaze suddenly dropping to the floor.

“He did, huh?”

She nodded before glancing up at him.

“Look, I-“

“I’m sorry.”

Buffy frowned. That was definitely not what she was expecting to hear.

“For not calling you back yesterday. My da told me you called.”

She remained in silence, still a bit shocked. He tilted his head, leaning on the row of lockers as he stared down at her.

“It’s just that… seeing you… and…” He swallowed hard as he tried to push back the anger that threatened to resurface. “…him and… Everything turned red, you know?”

She nodded once more.

“I just knew that if I talked to you last night I would have ended up saying something stupid.” He explained.

There was a beat between them as they stood in silence once more.

“A-are you still angry?” She managed to ask.

“A bit.” He admitted. “Most of it is kinda gone now.”

Sharp ringing sounded around them and instantly the hoard of teens began to move in the hall.

“You wanna talk about it?” She questioned.

“After class? Meet you by the bleachers?” He suggested.

“That’d be good.” She replied with a weak smile before awkwardly turning around to leave.

~+~

Buffy anxiously tapped her pencil on the table, her eyes glued to the clock over the blackboard. She let out a sharp sigh of relief when the bell finally rang. In a heartbeat, she was out of the classroom and heading down the halls. She quickly made her way through the labyrinth of corridors until she found the door that lead to the football field.

She pressed the palms of her hands against her jeans as she sat down and patiently waited for him to arrive. Glancing at her wristwatch she nervously twirled the small pencil in her hands. The tension in her shoulders seemed to build up when she finally saw him coming towards her.

“Hey!”

“Hey”

“So…” he started.

“So…” She repeated.

“There actually is kissing in the play.” He suddenly blurted out when the silence threatened to settle between them again.

She swallowed hard; she hadn’t expected for him to be so blunt about it.

“It’s Romeo and Juliet.” She stated the obvious. “It’s kinda required.”

“Yeah… I guess.” He muttered; his elbows rested on his knees as he played with an unlit cigarette between his hands; his gaze buried in his combat boots. “It was just kinda of a shock; the whole lip locking thing.” He explained.

“D-do you want me to quit?” She dared to ask after a beat.

He paused, taking his time as he tried to gather his thoughts.

“I’d be lying if I didn’t say I hate the idea of you and Peaches kissing… but… No, I don’t want you to quit.” He finally admitted.

His stomach turned when he felt her relax next to him.

“You love this, and I’d be a complete pillock if I tried to take that away from you.” He continued, finally turning his head sideways to look at her; a ghost of a smile over his lips.

She smiled back at him, her hand reaching out to stroke his wild locks into place. He nuzzled against her touch, brushing his lips against the palm of her hand. Wrapping his fingers around her wrist he pulled her closer to him, his mouth finding hers for a soft kiss.

“I guess I’ll just have to get used to the idea, huh?” He mumbled.

“I’m sorry.” She said sincerely.

“There is nothing to be sorry about.” He replied, wrapping his arms around her and bringing her head to rest on his chest. They remained embraced for a few seconds, his fingers unconsciously playing with her hair.

“Say, how long till this thing’s over?” He finally asked.

“Four weeks.”

He let out a small growl.

“I’ll talk to Miss Addams to see if she can cut down on kissage.” Buffy offered looking up at him.

“You do that or Romeo is going to end up having to a shining new black eye for the premier.” Spike warned.

At that Buffy chuckled.

“I’m serious!” He insisted with a grave tone.

“I know you are. I’m surprised you didn’t jump on stage and start pummelling Angel right then and there.”

“It’s what I wanted to do.” He admitted.

“Thanks. For not going all psycho on me.”

“You’re welcome.”

She leaned down to rest her head on his chest once more before she remembered.

“By the way, what’d you do afterwards?” She asked.

She felt him freeze under her. With a frown, she looked up at him.

“Spike?”

“Um… I-I kinda gotta tell you something.” He stuttered awkwardly.

“Spike… What did you do?” She questioned, a hint of worry evident on her face as she raised her left eyebrow high on her forehead.

Chapter 41

“YOU WHAT?” Buffy shouted as she stood up and started pacing around.

“Look, I’m sorry! I was fuming and I just wanted to get back at you. I’m sorry.” He tried to excuse himself.

“Wanted to get back at me? For what?”

“I was angry.” He mumbled, dropping his gaze to the floor.

“So you asked Drusilla to be you lab partner in Bio?!” Buffy inquired coming to a halt.

Spike tilted his head apologetically and let his lower lip jut out as she began walking in small circles again.

“It’s not that big of a deal. We’re gonna work together on some silly experiment…” He tried to reason, then added in a low voice: “Not like we’re gonna be lip-locking or anything.”

“What?” She asked stopping in front of him, her hand resting on her hips.

“Nothing.”

“No! You’re still not over this whole kissing thing. Are you?” She demanded.

“Well, what am I supposed to do? Go all ‘yippity-do-da, my girlfriend is smooching with her ponce of an ex’?” He asked raising his voice.

“Do you think I’m happy about this? Do you think I wanna kiss Angel?” She questioned.

Spike didn’t answer, mumbling something under his breath instead as his stare returned to the cement under his feet and the pout was back on his lips.

“Well?” She insisted.

“No…” His voice was a mere whisper.

Buffy sighed audibly, letting her arms fall at her sides as she sat back down next to him. They stayed in silence for a while until Spike spoke up:

“Do you think Miss Addams would be willing to switch Romeos?”

At that Buffy frowned:

“You’re offering to be in the play?”

“Maybe.”

A soft smile spread over Buffy’s lips.

“That’s sweet.”

“More like terrifying. I hate acting. Always had the worst stage fright.” At Buffy’s inquiring glance he added: “Third grade. Played a raisin in a school play.”

“A raisin?”

“It was sort of a fruit-play. Don’t ask.” He exhaled and continued: “Anyway, everything was fine. Rehearsal an’ all. I was bloody brilliant. Well, at least until the actually *day* of the play, when I walked out on stage and completely froze.” He shuddered a bit at the memory.

“You played a raisin?”

“Yes, we’ve covered that already. Fruit-play, remember?” He grumbled.

“I’m just trying to picture you in a raisin suit. You must have looked adorable.” She smiled.

“Don’t remind me.” He mumbled. “Anyway, do you think Miss Addams would let me try out for the part?”

“Doubt it.” She replied, a dreamy look taking over her eyes as she stared at him.

“Why?”

“She needs Angel’s star-pull.”

“Star-pull?”

“You know, popular guy draws in the crowd for the play. Why do you think Cordy’s even in the play? Have you any idea just how bad she is?” Buffy explained.

“I’ve heard. Even though, by what I’ve seen, Peaches isn’t that good either. He plays Shakespeare just as well as a Mexican soap opera actor.” Spike shuddered once more.

“I know. Sometimes it’s actually hard to focus on my lines. What, with trying to dodge those exaggerated arm swings and all. It’s tough.” Buffy said, erratically moving her arms in the air and getting a chuckle from Spike.

After a few seconds their combined laughs ceased and silence returned. A peaceful stillness engulfed them as Spike’s arm came to wrap around Buffy’s waist bringing her closer to him. They stayed like that for a long while, until the sharp ringing of the school bell echoed through the football field.

“We better go.” Buffy was the first to speak when neither of them moved.

Spike simply nodded as the silence settled between them again.

“Are we ok?” Spike finally spoke when Buffy stood up.

“You’re still not off the hook on the new lab partner thing.” She grumbled as she headed towards the school building with Spike trailing behind her. “Owe me a whole lot of grovelling for that one.” She warned him, poking a menacing finger into his chest as he held the door open to her.

“Grovelling?” Spike asked raising his scarred eyebrow.

“Lots and lots of grovelling. Lots of making up to be done.” She assured him.

“I wonder how I can do that.” He murmured, wrapping his arm around her waist when they came to a stop.

“Oh, I’ve got a couple of ideas.” She mumbled suggestively as her finger traced the lapels of his duster.

“Mr. Giles? Care to join us?” Mr. Grey’s low voice snapped the two out of their embrace, leaving Buffy nervously brushing her hair back into place while Spike stumbled into the classroom. “Miss Summers I take it you have somewhere else to be?”

“Y-yes, of course!” She stuttered as she clumsily turned around, running straight into someone. “I-I’m s-sorry.” She stammered before looking up to find Dru staring back at her.

“Miss Garden, you’re late.” Mr. Grey noted looking at his watch.

The two teens eyed each other for a few moments longer before the dark-haired girl turned in her heels and entered the room.

~+~

She smiled when she saw the redhead walking up to her, setting her tray on the table and taking her seat around the table.

“Hey, Will.” Buffy greeted.

“Hey. Have you talked to him?” Willow asked taking her fork into her hand.

“Yeah.”

“And?” A hint of worry filtered into her voice.

“Everything’s fine, Willow.” Buffy assured her best friend.

“Oh, thank God!” The other teen sighed in relief. “So, no more jealousy fits?”

“I don’t think so.” She replied as her gaze looked over her best friend’s shoulder to scan the cafeteria. “At least none coming from him.”

“Huh?”

“Guess who’s Spike’s new lab partner?” Buffy questioned as she twisted her mouth in disgust.

Willow looked up at her with a puzzled look.

“Dru.” The blonde supplied.

“Ouch!”

“Yeah, ouch. And guess whose bright idea it was.” After a beat Buffy answered: “Spike. He asked her to be his lab partner.”

“Double ouch!” Willow said, her eyebrows coming together for a sympathetic frown.

“I know.”

“Are you angry?”

“I was. Now I’ve kinda adjusted to the idea.” Buffy sighed playing around with her food. “He was a bit mad and all…”

“You’re not too happy about it, are you?” Willow asked recognizing the look on her friend’s face.

“No, I’m not!” Buffy immediately admitted letting her shoulders relax. “I hate it!” She grinded her teeth for a second. “But if I’m asking him to trust me, I should be able to trust him too, right?”

“Plus, lab reports usually don’t involve as much touching as playing Romeo and Juliet.” Willow couldn’t help but point out.

“You’re right.” Buffy sighed once more. “But lab reports involve a lot of unsupervised alone time with your partner.” She mumbled in a low voice, but loud enough that Willow could still catch it.

“And you don’t trust Spike being alone with Dru?”

Buffy pondered the question for a while and finally breathed:

“I trust him.” She reluctantly admitted before adding with a disgusted tone: “It’s skanky Goth-Girl that I don’t trust. If she so much as tries to touch him I’ll…” She held the knife tightly in her hands, squeezing the handle with all her might. “I-I’ll…” Struggling with the words she finally settled for: “I’ll cut any body part of hers that comes into contact with him.”

“It’s nice to see you have this whole anger issue under control.” Willow replied sarcastically, earning a smile from Buffy who finally released the knife from her clutches.

“I’m not that psychotic about it. I-I’m just…”

“Jealous?” Willow offered.

“Afraid.” Buffy corrected, causing the teen sitting opposite her to frown.

“Afraid of what?”

“I-I don’t know.”

The lines over Willow’s brow got deeper, making it obvious that she didn’t believe that last reply.

Buffy dropped her fork to press her fingers against her temples before suddenly blurting out: “Of Spike spending too much time with her and suddenly realising he’s not actually over her?”

“What?! Why do you think that would happen?”

“Come on, Willow… Spike’s been head over heels for that-that… *thing* ever since I can remember. It was actually scary.”

“Yeah, but it’s over now. He’s with you. I mean, he had the choice to pick Dru when she was all over him before Christmas and he didn’t. He chose you.” Willow pointed out.

Buffy stopped massaging her head for a second to look up at her friend.

“I guess you’re right.” She paused and then rephrased more emphatically. “You’re right! I’m stupid. This is all stupid. He chose me, he likes me. No matter what that stupid vampire-wannabe does.” She paused, taking in a deep breath as if she was trying to convince herself, and repeated: “You’re right!”

“Who’s right?”

Spike’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts as she turned around to see the bleached teen taking a seat next to her.

“Hey!” She greeted with a smile as she stretched up to give him a quick kiss on the lips.

“So, who’s right about what?” He questioned again.

“Nothing. Just girl talk.” Buffy replied.

Spike narrowed his eyes at her for a moment but, when he realised there was no way she was going to answer his question he simply shrugged and resigned himself to the gruelling task of fishing out the actual pieces of food from the pasty mush on his plate.

“Hey guys!” Xander’s peppy voice reached them. “How are you all doing?”

A general frown took over the three teens sitting around the table.

“What?” The brown-haired teen asked defensively.

“You’re too cheery, mate. You’re scaring us.” Spike explained.

“That’s because I come baring good news, *mate*.” Xander said with a goofy grin. The Brit sitting across from him cringed at his friend’s pathetic attempt at a British accent.

“What’s the good news?” Willow inquired.

“You’ll never believe it-“

“Hey, guys.” Oz greeted, taking his place next to his girlfriend. “Have you heard? Miss Addams called in sick, so rehearsals are cancelled for the rest of the week.” He quickly announced.

“Oh, man, I was the good news barer!” Xander objected dropping his fork in sign of protest.

Spike ignored his pout, leaning in to whisper in Buffy’s ear:

“That means you’re going home early today, right? Before your mom gets home?”

Buffy couldn’t help but giggle as the teen nuzzled into the nape of her neck.

“Hey, hey! Stop it, will you? The R-rated scenes are making me nauseous and I’m already having a bad enough day as it is.” Cordy grumbled as she plopped down on her seat.

“Cordelia, nice to see you in your usual good mood.” Buffy greeted sarcastically.

“Can you believe it? The rehearsals were cancelled for the rest of the week.” She continued making no notice of the blonde’s comment.

“Yeah, Oz just told us.” Willow informed her.

Xander saw his opportunity to protest once more and mumbled:

“I was the one who was supposed to tell the good news.”

“Good news?!” The cheerleader exclaimed. “I was just getting the hang of the whole thing. Now, with this unscheduled delay I’ll have to start from scratch.” She growled, shoving her tray away without having even touched her plate. “And I was getting so good at it.”

The entire group choked collectively.

“What?” She asked semi-outraged.

“Nothing, honey! You’re great.” Xander reassured, giving her a quick kiss on the lips while the others bit back a chuckle.

~+~

“Finally! You took forever!” Buffy breathed, wrapping her arms around Spike’s neck as he reached her.

“Sorry. I had to meet Mrs. Kennedy.”

“More poems?” Buffy asked with a mischievous grin.

“Yes.” Spike answered, opening the car door for her.

She waited for him to enter the vehicle before continuing:

“Any chance of you showing them to me?”

“Buffy, I’ve told you, I’ll show them to you when they’re ready.” Spike explained, turning the key in the ignition. He threw a glance in her direction to see her pout. “What?”

“It’s been almost a month and you haven’t shown me anything.” She mumbled.

“I’ll show them to you when they’re ready. Not now. They’re terrible now.” He insisted.

“I don’t care. I think it’s sexy.” She purred as she let her fingers dance over his denim covered thigh.

Buffy’s eyes turned brighter for a second when she saw him close his lids, keeping them that way for a second and taking a deep breath before turning his gaze back to the road. She felt her stomach twist in that wonderful way. She just loved the see the effect her mere touch had on him. He grinded his teeth together when her hand came dangerously close to his lap.

“Buffy… I-I have to drive.” He said in a low voice, his eyes glassy; his jaw muscles contracting and emphasising his chiselled features.

“So drive…” She whispered as she bit her lower lip.

“I-I can’t concentrate with y-“ He choked back the word when her fingers dove between his legs. “…With you doing that.”

“Doing what?” She asked pressing against the growing bulge.

She watched, amazed, as he tightened his grip on the wheel; his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down as he swallowed hard. She was snapped out of her daze when she was jerked back in her seat as his foot pressed on the gas.

“What are you doing?” She questioned, her ministrations coming to a halt as the vehicle gained speed.

“Trying to get you home faster.” He replied, giving her a leer and a quick glance before looking back at the road.

~+~

Buffy kicked the front door closed as her hands were too occupied tugging at Spike’s shirt. She was trapped between his arms, their mouth practically fused together as they blindly stumbled up the stairs. Tripping on one of the steps, the couple tumbled to the stairs. Spike hissed into her mouth when his back hit the hard wood, but the pain soon faded away when he felt her straddling, her groin rubbing against his.

“Ah…” He breathed, tearing his mouth away from hers for a second, before attacking it again.

His teeth captured her lower lip, lightly biting at it as her hand finally managed to dive under his clothes to explore his chest.

A surprised sound escaped her when she suddenly found herself being lifted up, her legs instinctively wrapping around his waist as he started climbing up the stairs once again. Eventually, after some struggling, they found their way into her room as the door slammed shut behind them. Buffy felt the air being knocked out of her when the two tumbled onto the bed.

“Mmh-mmh…” she mumbled into his mouth, her hand erratically tugging at the annoying fabric of his shirt.

She smiled contentedly when it was off and started working on the black fabric that remained covering his chest. This one proved to an easier task and soon the offending t-shirt was discarded on the floor along with her sweater. “My sweater? When did I take off my sweater off?” Buffy’s confused brain wondered, but the question was soon erased from her hazy mind when she felt Spike’s lips around her nipple. “I guess my bra is off too.” She was able to rationalize.

She arched into his warm mouth, her fingers diving for the buttons of his denims and undoing them. Spike mimicked her actions and soon two pairs of jeans decorated her bedroom floor.

Buffy blindly followed Spike when he slowly pulled away and the two ended up sitting on the bed, his tongue still tracing the contours of one erect nipple. She was too engulfed in the sensation to understand what he was doing but sighed contently when she found herself under the covers, Spike’s warm body covering hers.

“Good idea. It was getting cold.” She murmured.

She thought she heard a muffled ‘You’re welcome’, but it was lost to her ears when his tongue traced a snake-like path down her belly to the edge of her panties. She felt him hook his finger under the waistband of the soft material and slowly slid it down her legs.

Trembling hands found their way through his bleached locks as his mouth brushed over the sensitive skin of her inner thigh, coming close to her centre. Buffy gasped and her fingers fisted into his hair when his tongue slowly traced the contours of her outer folds. She felt him smile against her skin and she scolded herself for not being able to hide the effect he had on her.

He tasted her, probing and searched until he found the growing nubbin of flesh he had been looking for and took it into his mouth. Buffy arched her back off the mattress, one hand abandoning his head to blindly search for something to grab a hold of, while the other remained buried in his locks. She couldn’t suppress the mewls that escaped her lips when she felt his tongue twist around her clit. ‘God, how does he do that?’ She wondered.

“How…Oh, God!” Her question was cut short when she felt his finger exploring her opening before slowly sliding in.

It turned upwards, finding that perfect spot inside of her and making her gasp. She bit her lower lip, trying hard to keep from screaming as he sluggishly pushed in and out of her, slowly at first but quickly speeding up the pace. Her eyes snapped open when she felt her inner walls being stretched as he added a second finger.

“Spike! Oh-“ Just when she thought this couldn’t get any better, his teeth scrapped against her nub sending a powerful shock through her entire body. She was so close; he knew he just needed to – He gasped when she suddenly tugged at his locks, forcing his mouth away from her.

He froze, his fingers immediately slipping out of her core.

“Did I do something wrong? Are you ok? I-“ He wasn’t able to finish his sentence as she hurled him up her body until he was hovering over her.

“I want you.” She demanded. Her legs quickly wrapped around him.

“Buffy… Christ!” He cursed when she pushed her hips upwards and within a second he found himself buried inside of her.

She never gave him a moment to adjust, starting to gyrate her hips at the same time as she moved up and down, pulling him in and pushing him out of her.

“Fuck, wait…” He breathed, his eyes closing as he searched for control, but she didn’t seem to be listening. “Buffy, wait… I…” He mumbled incoherently. God, he loved it when she took charge and that only served to get him even more worked up. And that wasn’t good. Well, it was good, but not if he intended for this to last more than thirty seconds.

She attacked his earlobe, causing his to clench his teeth and roll his eyes back in their sockets. In a brief moment of clarity his hand was able to find her hips and pin them to mattress, successfully stilling her motions and slipping out of her heat.

“Wait…” He whispered.

He could feel her pouting against his ear and he turned to look down at her.

“How about we take it slow?” He asked with a cocky grin before lowering himself to nibble on her lower lip.

“Slow is good too…” she mumbled, smiling into the kiss.

Instinctively, she found herself holding her breath when he slipped inside of her once again. He moved in slow, long strokes, pulling and pushing. His lips mimicking the same torturous rhythm and he took his time, exploring and searching every inch of her mouth with languorous sweeps of his tongue.

She moaned into his kiss when she felt the heat build inside of her. She tried to push back the growing orgasm, this felt so good, so perfect; she just didn’t want it to end.

“Ah...” She mewled when his hand crept between their bodies to find one perfectly shaped breast. His thumb flickered over small pebbled of hard flesh he found there and that seemed to dig her in. “Mmm-mmm.” Her hard moan pushed into his mouth as the waves of an overwhelming orgasm washed over her entire body, causing it to contour and twist in delight.

Spike continued to thrust in and out of her, drawing her pleasure out until he found himself following after her.

When it was over, he finally tore his lips away from hers, his forehead slipping to rest on the pillow beside her head.

“Buffy, I lo-“

“I don’t know! Maybe Buffy has some in her room.“ A chirpy voice reached their ears as the doorknob turned and the door was opened to reveal a giggling Mrs. Summers. She came to a complete halt when she saw the teen couple in bed, the arms wrapped around her waist stilled too as Giles’ head peeked out from the nape of the older woman’s neck. “Buffy?”

“Mom!”

“William?”

“Da!”

Author’s Note: *Drum roll*!!! The parents finally find out! AHHH! I know, I know awful cliffhanger! I’m sorry! Really, really sorry! I promise to be quick with the next chappie!

Chapter 42

“B-Buffy?” Mrs. Summers repeated; her eyes widening in shock.

The four remained frozen in place, staring at each other.

“M-mom, I can explain…” Buffy stuttered, clutching the covers tightly against her chest.

Joyce remained speechless while Giles suddenly felt the compulsive need to thoroughly clean his glasses, taking them off and rubbing them with the hem of his pullover.

“D-Da, I-“ Spike tried but was interrupted by Mrs. Summers:

“You two, get dressed. Now.” Without another word she turned on her heels and left the room, an extremely confused Giles trailed behind her.

“Oh, my God!” Buffy breathed; her gaze unfocussed as the scene which had just occurred replayed in her mind.

“It’s gonna be alright, pet.” Spike tried to reassure her, rubbing his hand on her back.

“Ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod!” She repeated incessantly as she suddenly began to move.

Her movements were clumsy and uncoordinated as she struggled to find her clothes under the large pile scattered around her bed. Spike mimicked her actions with a little more precision and a little less trembling.

“Buffy, relax don’t-“

“Relax?! My mom and your father just caught us in bed together!” She practically shouted before adding: “Naked!”

“Yes, but-“

“What were they doing here, anyway?” Buffy didn’t even bother to hear what the bleached teen standing next to her was saying. “She is supposed to be at work. She’s not supposed be at home for another two or three hours.” She protested. Suddenly, another question popped into her head. “What is *your* father doing here? Isn’t he supposed to be at the shop?”

Spike had pretty much figured why their parents had come home earlier but, seeing the Buffy’s anxious state of mind, he decided it was best for her to figure it out on her own. So he simply shrugged.

“Ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod!” The initial mantra returned as she pulled her jeans on and flattened her sweater against her stomach.

She glanced over at Spike to find him completely dressed and sitting on the bed.

“What are we gonna tell them?” She wondered out loud.

“I don’t think the whole ‘It’s not what you think’ speech is gonna work here, so I suggest we tell the truth.” He offered standing up straight.

“Everything?”

“Well, it would be a good idea not to mention the nights at the cabin. Or the Chase’s New Year’s Eve party. Somehow I don’t think your mom could handle that right now.” Spike explained.

Buffy let out a long sigh.

“We better go then.” She mumbled, turning the knob and walking out into the hallway and down the stairs.

The two teens reached the living room to find Giles and Joyce standing in the middle of it.

“Sit.” Mrs. Summers ordered and the two blondes obliged, taking a seat on the couch. “Explain.”

“Well…” Buffy started; her heart pounding in her chest with such strength she was afraid it might jump out. “Spike and I are… dating.”

“Dating?” Joyce inquired.

“Spike has been my boyfriend since before the Homecoming dance.” Buffy blurted out nervously as she rubbed her sweaty palms together.

“How?” The older woman continued questioning.

The two teens exchanged a glance before Buffy continued:

“We kinda started hanging out together a lot and one thing lead to another and…”

“You ended up in bed together?” Joyce offered sarcastically.

“No! It wasn’t like that.” ‘Well, come to think of it, it was exactly like that.’ Buffy’s mind reminded her, but somehow, admitting that to her mother didn’t seem like a very sane option at the moment so she mumbled: “W-we really like each other and we’ve been going out together for a while and… yes, we did have sex.” Buffy finally confessed.

“Then why did you lie to me and tell me he was gay?” Mrs. Summers inquired outraged.

“I didn’t!” Buffy defended herself sticking out her index finger. “I-I never said he was gay. You just assumed that he was because I told you I definitely wasn’t his type.”

To that Joyce seemed to have run out of ideas.

“So, you two…” Her finger pointed from Buffy to Spike and back to Buffy.

“Yes, we’ve together.” Spike spoke up for the first time.

“Well, I don’t know how Rupert feels about this but…” Mrs. Summers, who had, single-handedly, lead the inquiry up to that point, trailed off and turned to Giles for an opinion.

“Um… I… um…” He mumbled, being caught off guard by the sudden attention. Truth was there was only one question hammering in his mind: “Does this mean you’re not gay?” He blurted out with a confused frown over his eyebrows.

“No, da, I’m not gay.” Spike sighed, running his hands through the thick locks of his hair.

“Oh, thank God!” Giles breathed; the relief evident as his square shoulders relaxed noticeably. “N-Not that there’s anything wrong with that, understand.” He stiffened again when he felt Joyce swat him across his arm

“Rupert, is that all you have to say?” She asked a bit shocked.

“W-well, n-no, of course not, b-but…” The shopkeeper stuttered, taking off his spectacles and once again cleaning them with his pullover. “W-what you two did was… um… wrong. I mean, misleading us like that, i-is just inconsiderate and… um… wrong and… Oh, bloody hell…I’m just happy that my son isn’t gay.” He finally admitted.

“Rupert?!” Joyce scolded. “I think we need to have this conversation alone.” She announced. “Buffy, come with me. Spike, you stay here and talk to your father.”

Buffy glanced at Spike for support and he brushed his hand over her shoulder, patting it lightly as she stood up to follow her mother into the kitchen.

The teen took her place on one of the stools while her mother remained standing across from her. They stood in excruciating silence for a while until Buffy couldn’t take it anymore and uttered:

“Look, mom. I’m really sorry. I realise what we did wasn’t right, going out behind your back but it all just happened so fast and we really weren’t together yet when all of a sudden you brought Giles home for dinner and announced that he was your boyfriend.” She pointed out as the words seem to rush out of her mouth, never giving her time to inhale properly. “A-and then we started getting along but then we fought and broke up a-and then we made up and we have been trying to tell you guys about us but it’s all been so confusing.” She came to a halt for a sharp intake of breath.

“Are you done?” Was Mrs. Summers’ simple reply.

“Please don’t be mad.” She begged with a painful frown.

Joyce let out a sigh, walking over to the refrigerator and taking out a carton of orange juice. She poured it into two glasses and handed one to Buffy.

“I’m not mad.” She reassured her daughter and the teen relaxed. “I’m just hurt.”

Buffy winced at that. She hated when her mother did that. Most of the times she would prefer having her shouting, screaming at her, anything was better than seeing the look her mother had that instant.

~+~

“So…” Giles started taking a seat on the couch.

“So…” Spike replied. He sat next to the older man, his elbow resting on his knees, his hands clamped together.

“You a-and Buffy…”

“Buffy and I…” The teen repeated.

“You-You’re…” Giles waved his spectacles in the air.

“Together?”

The shopkeeper nodded.

“Yes. We’re together.”

There was complete silence between them, the only sound breaking it came from the heel of Spike’s boot as he nervously tapped it on the floor.

“S-since when?” Giles inquired, tilting his head.

“Since before the dance.”

“Oh, that long…”

Silence…

~+~

“I thought you and I had a special relationship, Buffy. I thought that you could tell me anything. No matter what.” She paused and then added: “I guess I was wrong.”

“Mom…” Buffy trailed off.

There was a ghostly silence between them and Buffy could swear she could hear her own heartbeat.

“It’s not like you tell me everything.” She finally whispered. “You didn’t tell me about Giles until two mouths after you started dating him.

“That’s different.”

“How come?”

“First of all I am the mother and you are the daughter. Not the other way around.”

“Ah, so I have to tell *you* everything, but you don’t tell me anything?” Buffy demanded. “That’s not fair!”

“Too bad! That’s the way things are. You are still under age and-“

“I’ll be eighteen next month.” The teen countered raising her voice a bit.

“Exactly! Till then you are still under age.”

“But-“

“No, ‘but’s young lady.” Mrs. Summers warned her.

“So what? You are just going to forbid me to see Spike? Is that it? ‘Cause I’m telling you I am not going to stop seeing him.” Buffy finished by crossing her arms over her chest.

“Do you really think I would do that?” Joyce asked a bit surprised.

“Yes.” Buffy answered weakly.

“Oh, Buffy. Since when have I ever told who you could or could not date?” Joyce sighed exasperated.

“You weren’t too happy when I started seeing Angel.” Buffy noted.

“But I never told you that you couldn’t see him.”

“Yeah, but you made that face every time he came by.”

After a beat Joyce mumbled:

“I never really liked him…”

At that Buffy chuckled. Both felt the tension melt away as the silence returned, this time a much more comfortable one.

“So…” Buffy started. “You are not going to stop me from seeing Spike?”

“Of course not. Why do you kids have to make everything into an overdramatic, modern tale of Romeo and Juliet?” Joyce wondered taking the two glasses and putting them in the sink.

“Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!” Buffy jumped off the stool and swung her arms around her mother for a bear hug.

“Calm down. You’re still not off the hook.” Joyce assured when she was finally able to disentangle herself from the embrace.

~+~

The silence between the two Brits was overwhelming. Spike sat in his place, pressing his hands together, tapping his foot, while Giles nervously adjusted his glasses back on.

“Spike…” He finally spoke up. “You-You know that you should have told me about this.”

“I tried. You were too busy trying to get me to embrace my ‘true self’ as far as I can remember.” Spike explained, narrowing his eyes at his father.

“Oh, yes… sorry about that. I-I just thought that… Um… you were…”

“Gay.” The teenager offered when the older man seemed to be stuck with the word.

“Yes. Um… which apparently you are not.” Giles noted looking at his son for confirmation.

“Da, for the one thousandth time, I. Am. Not. Gay.”

“R-right, sorry.” Rupert stuttered, not able to contain the smile that spread over his lips.

The stillness returned and the tapping sound louder than ever.

“Do you mind not doing that?” Giles asked.

Spike looked down at his foot and back up at his father before stopping.

“Thank you.”

A moment passed before he spoke again:

“Do you… like her?”

“Buffy? Of course I do. I’m crazy about her!” Spike exclaimed.

“Good, cause I really don’t want her to get hurt. Not only because she is Joyce’s daughter, but because she is a good kid. She’s a very special girl and I don’t want to see her getting hurt.”

“Dad, relax, I’m nuts about her, I would never do anything to hurt her. Ever.” He reassured his father.

“Good.”

Silence.

“Who would have thought…”

Spike frowned and looked at the man sitting next to him.

“Father and son, dating mother and daughter.”

“Yeah, Freud would have a field day on that one.” Spike smirked causing his father to laugh out loud.

~+~

Buffy stared up at her mother, trying to hide the grin that threatened to take over her lips. This was just so great! No more hiding and no more lying to her mother. She hated doing that. Even though the whole hiding thing had it’s ups.

“You and Spike…”

“Yes…?”

“Y-you have… um…” Joyce struggled with the way to approach the subject as the blush took over her cheeks. “You have been having… relations.”

Buffy nodded.

“D-did you... did you take precautions?” She finally said it out loud.

“Yes, mom. I’ve been taking the pill since Angel, remember? You made me take it?” Buffy reminded her.

“Oh, yes… I just never thought… you know? I always thought it was more of insurance than actually…”

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.” Buffy mumbled; her gaze cast down to the floor.

“It’s ok…” Joyce replied, running her hand over Buffy’s cheek. “I just hope that next time you will be able to talk to me about these things.”

“I will.” She promised with a smile as she watched her mother start to leave the kitchen. “Mom?”

“Yeah?” Joyce came to a halt and turned to face her daughter.

“What are you and Giles doing home so early?”

At the question, Mrs. Summers’ face turned bright red.

“Oh… He… um… he was just here to help me with… um… the plumbing.” Joyce stammered the answer.

“Oh…” Buffy said starting to head out to the living room again before coming to a halt once more. “Why did you go into my room?”

“Um… I… um, we… I… we needed… um…”

Hearing her mother’s incoherent babbling made Buffy frown; her brain slowly trying to grasp the reason for such embarrassment.

“Mom?”

“We better go check on the boys.” Joyce blurted out with a plastic grin as she continued to walk, leaving Buffy behind.

Suddenly, a light switch flickered on in the teen’s brain; her face immediately distorting itself for a nauseated look.

“Oh, mom!” She groaned, following her.

They entered the living room to find the two men sitting on the couch, chuckling at something that Spike had just said.

“What are you two laughing about?”

“Oh, nothing, nothing.” Giles quickly replied standing up. “I-Is everything ok?” He asked when he saw the disgusted look on Buffy’s face.

“Everything’s fine.” Joyce answered.

“So Buffy and I can go out?” Spike asked. The anxiety evident in his voice.

“It’s fine by me.” She started before adding: “As long as you behave. Rupert?”

“Oh, it’s fine by me.”

Buffy and Spike smiled widely at that.

“Um, Spike? Can I have a word with you?” Joyce inquired.

“Sure.”

Standing up, the teen approached the smiling woman who leaned in to whisper in his ear:

“You do anything to hurt my daughter, I don’t care if you *are* Rupert’s son; I will hunt you down and cut something off.” All was said with a wide grin on, which only served to terrify Spike even more.

‘Gee, like mother like daughter.’

~+~

“Your parents caught you?? In bed together?” Xander cried out, sprawling back in his chair while Buffy and Spike blushed furiously.

“Thank you, Xander, I don’t think the entire student body knew about that.” Buffy said, her eyes nervously scanning the room.

“Sorry! It’s just… wow! Talk about embarrassing.”

“What’s embarrassing?” Oz asked as he and Willow approached the table and took their seats.

“Buffy’s mom and Spike’s dad caught them doing the ‘wild thing’.” Xander replied casually, popping a French fry into his mouth.

At that the redness in Spike and Buffy’s cheeks intensified.

“Ouch.” Oz exclaimed monotonically, glancing at his girlfriend for a hysterical reaction, but it never came. “You already knew, huh?”

“Buffy called me last night to tell me.” She explained gingerly.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Oz questioned without a hint of accusation in his voice.

“Cause I know you’re not obsessed about Buffy and Spike’s love life like Xander.”

“How could I not be? Their life is a soap opera. It’s addictive.” The brown-haired teen defended himself. “So the parents finally know, huh?”

“Yup.” Buffy replied with a smile.

“What and no drama?” Xander asked a bit confused.

“Nope. No drama. Just a very awkward conversation on prophylactics.”

“That’s no fun.” Xander mumbled earning a swat across the arm from Buffy. “Just kidding. I’m glad you guys are out of the closet. Speaking of being out of the closet…” his gaze fell over the Brit. “Your dad must have lit a few fireworks on finding out that you’re not gay.” He chuckled.

“I’m just glad I’m not going to have to listen to anymore of those ridiculous ‘you shouldn’t be afraid of being who you are’ speeches. They were driving me nuts.” Spike sighed in relief, letting his head drop into his hands.

“Poor, Spikey!” Buffy mocked, running her fingers through his hair.

“So now you two and the parents are gonna go out on double dates or what?”

“Urg! No!” Both Buffy and Spike denied in unison.

“Gotta hand it to you guys, I have a twisted family but you-“

“Hey!” Buffy protested.

“What?!” Xander defended himself. “Do you realise that if your parents ever decide to tie the knot you two are going to be like siblings?”

“Step-siblings.” Spike and Buffy corrected.

“Whatever. It has the word ‘sibling’ in it.”

“Come on, Xander, stop being a meany!” Willow came to Spike and Buffy’s aid.

“I’m just kidding. Don’t worry! Though, I can’t wait to tell Cordy about this!” Xander said rubbing his hand together.

Author's Note: Sorry for the short chapter... and for the delay. It was ready by Wednesday, but RL got in the way. I got home yesterday to find that my electricity had been cut! Isn't life great? Anyway... I’ve finally got the electricity back on and that’s why I’m only updating now! I’m really sorry! :( On the plus side there is no cliffhanger!

Chapter 43

“Mom, you’re only going to be away for one day.” Buffy shouted as she watched her mother climbing up the stairs for the fourth time.

“I just want to make sure I’ve got everything.” Mrs. Summer’s yelled back from the top floor.

“The cab’s here.” Buffy announced, glancing out the window before crossing her arms over her chest and leaning on the wall.

She sighed audibly when she saw her mother racing down the stairs with one bag under each arm.

“Why are you taking so much luggage with you?” Buffy asked.

“You never know what you might need.” Joyce explained as she mentally went through her check list.

“You’re going to LA. I’m pretty sure they’ve got everything we have here and more. If you forget something you can just buy it there.” Buffy noted.

“Well, I don’t like forgetting anything.” Mrs. Summers explained as she flattened her skirt against her thighs. “Ok, now, you know the rules.”

“Yes, mom.” Buffy sighed again.

“Good. No wild parties, no staying up late, no opening the door to strangers, no-“

“Mom! I know.” Buffy insisted cutting off her mother’s rambling.

“Ok, I trust you.” Mrs. Summers admitted with a sharp intake of air as she ran her hands over her daughter’s head before placing a quick peck on her forehead. “Be good.”

“Always.” Buffy said with a roll of her eyes, picking up one of her mother’s bags and opening the door.

“Remember, if there is any problem, call me. The hotel number is by the phone.” Mrs. Summer’s said before entering the taxi.

“I know.” Buffy replied. “Now go. Don’t worry.”

“I’ll be back tomorrow night.” Joyce said as the car door closed behind her. “Try to stay out of trouble till then.”

“Have a nice trip.”

“Bye honey.”

“Bye.” Buffy waved as the taxi drove away.

~+~

Buffy mumbled something undistinguishable as she nuzzled against Spike’s leather-clad arm.

“Come again?” The Brit asked with a smirk.

“I don’t want to go to classes.” She repeated, sitting up straight and rubbing her temples as she rested her elbows on the table.

“Not alone on that one.” Xander said supportively as he finished his lunch.

“I got chemistry.” Buffy protested.

“Math.” The brown-haired teen retorted simply.

“You win.” Buffy sighed audibly, slouching back into her chair.

“What’s gotten into you today?” Willow asked.

“I’m just sick of school.” The blonde moaned crossing her arms around her chest.

“Poor thing.” Spike said in a low voice as he nuzzled against her cheek.

The bell rang and Buffy moaned, cringing as she sunk further in her chair.

“We better go or Miss Thacker is gonna kill us.” Willow told Xander as she stood up.

The teen grumbled something before following her lead.

“See you guys later.” Willow waved at the couple who remained seated.

“Bye, Red.” Turning back to Buffy, Spike rubbed her shoulder. “We better get you moving too.”

“Get me moving? You don’t have classes now?” Buffy asked standing up and walking out of the cafeteria with Spike trailing behind her.

“No.”

There was a strangeness in his voice that told her that he was hiding something. She tilted her head towards his and raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow at him.

“Dru and I are gonna work on the biology assignment during our free period.” He mumbled.

At that Buffy let a hint of a smile take over her lips.

“You don’t have to avoid talking about that, you know?” She said with a roll of her eyes.

“I just…”

“I’m ok with it.” Buffy cut him off, coming to a halt and placing her fingers over his mouth when they reached her classroom. “Now, as for more… interesting subjects…” She practically purred letting her finger trail down to the nape of his neck.

“Yeah…?” Spike replied in a similar tone as he closed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around her waist.

“My mom is going to be out of town tonight.” Her eyes were wide and bright as she spoke.

“Oh, really…?”

Buffy frowned. His reaction wasn’t exactly the one she had expected. The surprise in his voice was forceful and not natural. After a few seconds under Buffy’s scrutinising stared Spike caved in:

“I already knew.”

“How?”

“You’re mom called my Da yesterday to tell him. Something about a problem with one of the shipments. Got stuck in Customs in LA?” Spike explained.

“No fun, I wanted it to be a surprise!” She pouted lightly stomping her foot.

“You keep forgetting our parents are dating.” He chuckled.

“No fun!” Buffy repeated as she turned to leave but he grabbed her by her arm.

“Nuh-uh. You were about to say something before… about your mom being out of town and that being… a more interesting subject…” Spike said with a leer as he cocked up his scared eyebrow.

Buffy simply shook her head.

“Oh, come on Buffy.” He supplied wrapping his arms around her again.

“I was going to ask if… you’d want to… I don’t know.” As she spoke her index finger traced the lapels of his duster, her eyes hooded as she looked up at him. “Maybe… Come over for dinner and… stay?”

Spike bit his lip, his eyes narrowed at her. The extremely tempting proposal turned even more appealing by the shy and nervous way in which she issued the invitation.

“Are you saying you’re going to cook for me, Summers?” He asked suggestively.

“A-actually no.” Buffy replied a bit embarrassed. “I can’t cook. But I’m an expert at ordering Chinese. How about it?” She lowered her gaze to his chest.

His index finger came under her chin forcing her to look up at him.

“I’d love to.” He agreed before kissing her.

The sharp sound of someone clearing their throats forced them to break apart.

“Miss Summers, we’d love for you to join us, if you ever manage to finish saying goodbye to your boyfriend.”

“Oh, sorry!” Buffy mumbled as she awkwardly moved away from Spike.

“I’ll see you-“ Spike was cut off when he felt an arm link around his. He turned his gaze to see Dru clinging to him, her head resting on his shoulder.

“There you are, my sweet prince. I’ve been looking all over for you. I was afraid you were hiding from me, you naughty boy.” The black-clad girl purred in a babyish tone as she lightly swatted him across the chest.

Buffy simply stared at the couple as her stomach turned violently.

Spike winced at the look on her face.

“I’ll see you later, ok?” He asked.

She simply nodded.

“You have theatre rehearsal today?”

Another nod.

“I’ll go be at your house at seven, ok?”

“Miss Summers, are you coming?” The teacher’s serious tone caused Buffy to jump up a bit and she turned on her heels to enter the classroom.

~+~

She hummed completely out of tune as she spread the newly ironed sheets over her bed. She tugged and pulled at them, stretching them over the mattress so that there was no mark, leaving the surface unmarred. She let her arms drop at her sides as she inspected her bedroom. She smiled at the strategically placed candles around the bed, over her nightstand and by the windowsill. She picked one up and brought the wax near her nose before inhaling sharply.

‘Ah, cinnamon and vanilla! Perfect combo!’ she thought, chuckling a bit as her gaze drifted over to her alarm clock. ‘Hum… ten past seven. I wonder why he’s late. Maybe he’s just freshening up so he’s all yummy for me.’ She wondered.

At that moment the doorbell rang and as she practically hopped her way down the stairs. The wide grin that danced over her lips soon crumbled to pieces when she was greeted by Chen from the local Chinese restaurant. She forced a ghost of a smile back on her face as she quickly paid the boy and took the various boxes he handed her.

She took her time taking the food out of the carton containers and transferring them into her bowls and dishes before placing them on the table. By the time she was done it was seven thirty and the phone rang. She raced to answer it:

“Hello?”

“Hey, Buffy, it’s me.” Spike’s voice came from the other side of the line.

“You’re late.” She scolded.

“I know I’m sorry.”

“Well, you are going to have to make it up to me *big* time.” She tone immediately switched from the harsh one of the first reply to a soft enticing purr.

“Erg…About that…” Spike hesitated a bit.

“Is something wrong?” A frown quickly settled to mar her eyebrows.

“It’s just that…”

“Is mommy’s little dog going to take much longer… mommy’s not happy…”

“Is that-” Buffy practically choked in disgust when she recognized the semi-insane voice coming from the background. “Is that Dru?”

“Yeah, we had to-“

“What is she doing at your house at seven thirty at night?” She demanded trying to calm herself down.

“That’s what I was trying to explain to you.” He grumbled. “Dru couldn’t make it this afternoon and we weren’t able to work on the assignment so we are making up for it now.” He quickly explained.

“What do you mean she couldn’t make it? She was with you when you left me for chemistry class.” Buffy continued questioning, her voice growing louder and louder as the image of Dru clinging to Spike’s arm flashed before her eyes.

“Yeah, well you know Dru.”

“No, I don’t. Explain it to me.” Her tone was dripping with harsh sarcasm as she heard Dru’s insane giggling on the other side of the line.

“Well, she suddenly remembered she had something to do and-“

There it was again! The giggling! What was that chromatically-challenged ho giggling about? What was she doing? God, she hated this, she really did. No matter how much she tried to stick it in her head that she was ok with it she definitely wasn’t, especially not right now.

“Ok?” It was the first thing she heard when she finally tuned back to listen to Spike.

“Sorry, I didn’t hear what you said.” Buffy apologized pressing her fingers against the bridge of her nose.

“I asked if it would be ok if I came back later to- Dru will you stop doing that?”

Ok, that did it! Buffy practically felt her head exploding.

“Don’t bother.” She said harshly. “The food’s already cold anyway so you better not come at all.”

“But, luv we can still-“

“Forget it, Spike. I’ll see you tomorrow ok?”

“But-“

“Spike, I said forget it, alright?”

There was a moment of pause and a sigh of frustration was heard before Spike’s beaten down asked:

“Are you sure you don’t want me to come over?”

“I’m sure.” She replied with a strong tone.

“Ok, I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

“Whatever.” Buffy grumbled before slamming the receiver down.

Spike let out another heavy sigh when he heard the busy signal and put the phone down. He ran his hands trough his thick curls before looking up at his living room. He scanned it a couple of times but failed to find Dru. Grumbling something incomprehensible he pushed himself off the chair and stood up.

“Dru?” He called out but there was no answer. “Dru?” He repeated and this time he heard giggles coming from the upstairs.

With an annoyed frown over his eyebrows he climbed up the stairs to find that the sound came from his bedroom. He inhaled sharply before pushing the door open and entering. He found her sitting on the windowsill staring blankly out into the dark night.

“Dru?” He called again.

“My sweet, dark prince came…” She purred, slipping off the windowsill and practically hovering her way towards him. She looked like a wildcat on the prowl as her long nail dug their way across his t-shirt-clad chest.

“Dru… What are you doing?” He asked, closing his eyes for a second.

She never answered him. Instead, she let her head fall to the crook of his neck and let her face nuzzle there.

Her scent surrounded him, her soft skin brushed against his. It was hard to admit it but, at that moment, he, somehow, missed her. He fisted his hands at his sides and asked:

“What do you want, Dru?”

“Don’t you miss playing...? Mommy wants to play…” She whirred as one long finger sluggishly trailed down his stomach to reach the waistband of his jeans.

That did it! In a flash his hands were gripping her wrists hard and pushing her away from him.

“Go home, Dru.” He said in a low, harsh voice. “I don’t want to play.”

“But… the whispers in my ear tell me-“

“I don’t bloody well care what those sodding whispers in your ear tell you.” He growled pushing her out of the room and dragging her down the stairs. “Get out!” He finally said when they reached the main door.

“It’s that witch!” She hissed, narrowing her eyes. “She’s been weaving nasty, little spells around your pretty head. Trying to push you away from me, trying to make you stop loving me.” She clawed her way around his form, her hand waving around his head as she spoke in a babyish tone: “But I know you still love me… Mommy knows.” She said with an insane smile as she pushed away from him and walked over to the door. “You’ll realise it… I know you will.”

“It’s over, Dru.” He was barely able to say. There was something about her that still got to him. It was hard to erase his first love, especially since it had lasted as long as it had.

“I’ll see you on the other side of the storm, my prince.” Was the last thing she said before she closed the door.

Spike simply sighed and leaned against the wood for a few minutes before it suddenly opened on him. He quickly moved away to see him father coming in.

“Hey, Da.” He greeted with little enthusiasm.

“Hello, William.” Giles automatically replied. Seeing the strange look on his son’s face he stopped for a second. “Is everything alright?” He asked.

“I’m fine.” He mumbled as he dragged himself up the stairs.

“Since I came home a little late I thought I’d order out instead.” Giles shouted up at his son.

“Whatever. I’m not hungry.” Spike grumbled as he continued on his way up to his room.

The older man frowned. There was definitely something wrong with his son if he wasn’t at least relieved that he wasn’t going to have to eat his father’s cooking. And what was he doing at home? Wasn’t Joyce out of town? He would have figured that the two teens would have jumped at the chance of having a whole house for themselves. ‘Something is definitely wrong.’ Giles thought as he started looking through the phonebook.

~+~

Spike hung up the phone for the fifth time that night. Why wasn’t she picking up? He rolled to his side to be greeted by his old ‘Sex Pistols’ poster. He closed his eyes for a second but his quest for sleep was cut short by a light knock on the door.

“Yeah?” He grumbled.

“Dinner is on the table.” Giles announced, opening the door.

“I’m not hungry.” Was Spike’s short reply.

“Of course you are.” Rupert insisted, entering the room and walking over to his bed.

“Just go away, Da.” Spike mumbled, turning on his stomach and burying his face in his pillow.

“You stop this nonsense this instant and come downstairs now.” Giles said with more authority.

“I don’t-“

“William, you have had a fight with Buffy and you don’t want to talk about it. That’s fine! But I’m not going to let my son go to bed starving because of some silly fight with his girlfriend. Now go get washed and be downstairs in two minutes.” Giles demanded before he walked out of the bedroom and down to the living room.

Within five minutes the teen was slouching into the room and onto a chair. Not even the sight of pizza on the table brightened his mood as he brought one piece into his mouth and took an unwilling bite off it. The two men sat in silence as they ate their dinner. Giles was the one to break it:

“Would you like to talk about it now?” He asked.

“No.” Spike replied simply, without bothering to glance up at his father.

Giles nodded and continued eating. When the teen was done, he stood up and was about to go upstairs when the older man’s voice halted him.

“William, it’s you’re turn to do the dishes.” And without another word, Rupert stood up and walked into his study.

Spike grumbled a thousand curses under his breathe as he started picking up the plates and bringing them into the kitchen.

~+~

He rubbed his hands hard against his closed eyes as he slowly made his way up the stairs. He was tired and all he wanted to do was sleep. He knew he wasn’t going to be able to. He hated fighting with her. And worst of all, he didn’t even know if the conversation they had had on the phone could qualify as a fight. The fact that she wasn’t answering her phone told him that it had probably been one.

Sighing audibly, he pushed the door to his bedroom open. He never even bothered to turn on the lights; the frail moonlight coming from the open window was enough for him to find his way around the room. He pulled his t-shirt over his head and flung it towards his dresser, proceeding with undoing his belt and unbuttoning his jeans. When he was fully undressed, he dragged his feet across the floor and let his tired form drop onto the bed. He sat there for a few seconds, contemplating what had happened that day and wondering what he had done wrong. The thought that he could have been laying in her bed right now, with his arms wrapped around her waist, sent a shiver of regret down to his stomach. It was all Dru’s fault, he finally decided as he lay back on the bed and curled under the covers.

~+~

Awareness crept up on him when he felt the weight on his mattress slowly shift. His heart started slamming hard against his chest as all sorts of grotesque and terrifying scenarios ran through his sleep-clouded mind. Someone was in the house, in his room and now slowly crawling their way into his bed. His palms grew sweaty when he felt a female form press against his back. A very recognizable, very naked form, followed by an equally familiar scent. *Her* scent. His heartbeat increased, this time for a different reason as light fingers found their way over his stomach to trace unrecognizable patterns on the tender skin there.

A hot mouth assaulted his neck and he couldn’t help but growl when a wet tongue slipped through the maze of his ear. A gasp escaped his parted lips and his eyes closed shut when the hand, which had been dancing over his abdomen, ventured further down his body to wrap itself around his hardening cock. He clenched his teeth at the combined sensation; the warm tongue playing with his ear and neck and the small fingers that pumped him in a slow, vicious pace. He tried to resist the urge to turn around and respond, his hands fisting themselves around the white sheets under him, practically ripping them as he attempted to keep his hips from trusting into the hand that was sliding up and down his length.

The sound of a soft moan in his ear and two small breasts pressing against his back were his undoing as he suddenly turned on his back and crushed his lips against her parted ones. Without asking for permission, his tongue seized the opportunity and invaded her mouth, hungrily lapping and pushing inside as his hand rested on the back of her head and pressed her against him.

Soon, breathing became an issue and the woman now hovering over him pulled away, panting violently as she let him trail hard kisses down her neck.

Spike ran his teeth long the tender column of her throat, inhaling sharply the scent that now surrounded him. The scent he loved… her scent…

“Dru…” He mumbled against her skin.

Chapter 44

The moment the words were out of his mouth, Spike felt the body hovering above him freeze before abruptly pushing off of him.

“What?!” An outraged voice broke the silence as he felt the small form scrambling away from him, taking the sheets with it.

Without a word, Spike stretched his arm over to his nightstand and turned the bedside light on. The once blue room was flooded with shades of fiery yellow and orange. He shifted in the bed to see Buffy kneeling on the mattress, the white fabric of his covers bunched up around her chest as she clung to the material; her eyes wide as she stared back at him.

~+~

Buffy felt her heart suddenly stop at the word that tumbled from his lips. For a second, she didn’t know what to do, how to move. Her mind drew a complete blank as it tried to process the repercussions of what he had just said. She didn’t even notice when she uttered one single, enraged, word back at him.

After a while, she was able to move again and she quickly jumped away from him. She watched in the moonlight as he calmly moved towards the nightstand and turned on the lights. She didn’t even bother to narrow her eyes when the sudden burst of light coming from the lamp stung them. She remained perfectly still as he turned around to face her. What she saw on his face was the last thing she had expected… a smile. Better yet, a grin; a smug, aggravating grin. What was he grinning about?

They stared at each other until Spike couldn’t help but chuckle. Buffy continued to gawk, utterly confused.

“What are you smiling at?” She snarled at him.

“Your reaction.” He answered simply, crawling over the mattress towards her only to have her jump off the bed and stand next to it; sheets tightly clutched against her chest. “Oh, come on, pet…” He purred as he reached the edge of the bed.

“You said her name!” Buffy stated the obvious, her green eyes staring holes into his chest.

They grew wider when he chuckled again.

“You think that’s funny? You thought I was her.” She spoke up outraged.

“Do you really think I thought you were her?” He asked, leaning back down on the mattress.

“Yes!” She replied quickly.

“Oh, come on Buffy, I knew it was you from the moment you touched me.” He sighed, the smile still on his lips.

“Riiight.” She replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “That’s why you said *her* name.”

“I said it on purpose.” He explained, trying to reach for her one more time, but she stepped away from him and the bed.

“No, you didn’t! It was dark, you couldn’t have recognized me-“

She was cut off when suddenly he was off the bed and right in front of her, his arms wrapped securely around her waist.

“One – keep it down or you are gonna wake up Da. Two – I would recognize you even if I was deaf, dumb *and* blind.” He muttered, leaning down to nuzzle his nose against the crook of her neck. “God, I love the way you smell, Summers.”

The anger inside her melted away as his naked body pressed against her sheet-clad one, his hot mouth coming to trail open-mouth kisses down her neck. She felt herself being carried towards the bed when the memory of Dru’s name being muttered by him echoed in her mind and she abruptly slapped him across the arm before pulling away from his grasp.

She quickly moved about the room, looking like a penguin on acid as she struggled with the long sheets around her until she had the bed between him and herself. This was better! From that distance she could actually form a logical train of thought. She exhaled sharply from the effort before speaking:

“So, I’m supposed to believe that you knew that it was me all along and that you just said her name to royally piss me off, practically zeroing any chance of you getting laid tonight.” She asked sardonically.

“When you put it that way… not very smart, huh?” He questioned, scratching the back of his head. “Come to think of it I do have the tendency to say the stupidest thing in the most inappropriate moments.”

“Yes, you do.” She confirmed setting her mouth in a straight line.

They remained silent for a moment, until Spike tilted his head and let his lower lip jut out for a childish pout.

“I’m sorry! It was a bad joke.” He apologized, crawling over the bed to reach her.

“Oh, no! Saying you’re sorry is not going to cut it, mister. What-” She announced as she moved back.

Spike’s index finger immediately went over his mouth, signalling her to keep it down.

“What would you do if I muttered Angel’s name while we were… doing it.” She hissed in a lower voice pointing at the bed.

Spike pondered the situation for a few seconds. The mere mention of the scenario was enough to get his blood racing a bit faster and his stomach to twist. His face contorted for a painful frown.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t-“

The teen was silenced by the sound of a door being opened followed by steps coming from the corridor. They froze, waiting, as the noises became louder and then drifted away. After a few moments of stillness, the familiar sound of water being flushed was heard, followed by the same footsteps and the creaking of a door being shut.

Buffy remained glued to the floor as she continued straining to hear anything. Spike seized the opportunity and, in a flash, had her trapped in his arms again, his mouth on her neck causing her to gasp for air.

“It was stupid of me… I’m sorry… Never do it again… promise.” He muttered between kisses as he made his way to her earlobe.

Without warning, his hand snaked between the sheets to reach the soft skin of her right thigh, while the other remained wrapped around her waist supporting her as she suddenly felt her knees buckle from under her.

“I’m not…” She tried to speak but her panting breaths and the feel of his fingers slowly creeping up the inside of her thigh to reach the apex of her legs only served to cloud her mind and make it harder for her to think, let alone say anything coherent. “I’m not done being mad…” She gasped again when she felt the edge of the bed behind her knees before tumbling onto the mattress; Spike’s naked form quickly following her. “…at you.”

“I’m sorry…” He repeated as his mouth focused on the small spot just behind her earlobe, his tongue darting out to lap at it. “I was just pissed that you…” kiss “wouldn’t pick up the bloody…” lick “phone.”

“I was kind of busy coming over…” Her reply was meant to sound clever and witty, but it came out weak and breathless. “…to surprise your sorry ass. But you had to ruin it and-” Her new found anger was lost when his mouth assaulted hers for a demanding kiss; his tongue quickly pushing past her lips to delve in and explore.

She tore away from his mouth with a sharp intake of breathe when his fingers finally reached their goal, probing and testing the swollen and wet spot between her legs.

He watched, amazed. Her eyes were closed shut, her eyebrows coming together for an almost painful frown as her hips urgently thrust towards his hand. His fingers played around, tracing the contours of her silky folds, teasing her mercilessly, refusing to give her what she needed and causing her to moan and beg underneath him.

“Please…” She whispered between gasps, buckling against his hand.

“Please what?” He asked teasingly but, inside, he searched for all the strength he could muster to keep from answering her silent request.

She didn’t reply, simply continued to mewl and pant. She held her breath when she felt him lean in to whisper in her ear:

“How could you even think that I would want anyone but you?” He questioned in a husky, strained voice as his fingers continued to play with her. “Don’t you know you’re all I bloody well think about, Summers?” He continued, coming closer and closer to her entrance as his other hand silently sneaked between their bodies to pull at the sheets until she was completely uncovered. “You’re all I see…” His fingers fisted themselves in her hair forcing her to look up at him as he now hovered over her. “All I taste…” His voice cracked a bit when he finally slipped one long finger into her and she closed her eyes, moaning as she arched her back off the mattress, her bare breasts thrusting upwards and brushing against his chest. “All I feel.” He managed to finish his sentence, bending down to kiss her.

As their tongues battled for dominance, Spike moved his finger inside of her, exploring until he found that perfect spot inside of her, causing her to moan into his mouth.

She mewled in protest when his finger slipped out of her, but a mixed wave of relief and anticipation washed over her when she felt him position himself between her spread legs. She held her breath once again as the head of his cock brushed against her entrance. He looked down at her for a few seconds before he moved his hips forwards and pushed inside of her. The two let out a joined gasp at the tight fit. It wasn’t long before he started slipping in and out of her in a slow, breathtaking rhythm.

His elbows rested on the mattress, on each side of her head as he thrust his hips against her, his head lolling down as his eyes rolled back in their sockets at the intensity of their connection. After a while he was able to find the much needed control to adjust to her heat and control his erratic breathing. His mouth instinctively found its way to hers for a burning kiss as he increased the pace at which he moved inside of her.

After a while, she was forced to break away from his lips, when the need for air was too much to handle. She swallowed hard, her eyes wide as she gulped down air in a frustrated attempt to control her breathing. The sight of him hovering over her, sliding up and down with his head dropped, his eyes tightly shut and his jaw muscles clenching and unclenching was almost too much take, causing her to gasp.

“Ah…” She moaned when one of his thrusts went deeper and she felt her inner walls clamp around him.

Her hands immediately flew towards his back, clawing at his skin as the feeling growing inside her became overwhelming. She lifted her back off the mattress to bite into his shoulder in order to keep from crying out. Her eyes went wide when she heard his ragged breath in her ear:

“Don’t you know I could never want anyone else?” His voice was hoarse, raw with emotion. “How could you ever think that…?” He trailed off as the feel of her internal muscles gripping him tightly made it impossible to think with clarity. “How could you…? God, Buffy… you’re all I want… all the time… every time. Always you!” He trust harder and her teeth and nails sank deeper into his flesh.

He heard her strangled cry as she finally came, her muscles contracting wildly around him and causing him to quickly follow her. They clung to each other with all their strength as the waves of orgasm washed over their quivering bodies. Buffy was completely lost to the world, it seemed that everything had vanished and the only thing remaining was herself and the man laying over her, pulling ragged breaths from his lungs. A sweet numbness invaded them and all strength seemed to pool away, leaving them limp and deliciously weak.

They remained perfectly still for the next moments. Spike was the first to move, reluctantly slipping out of her as he rolled off of her to face the ceiling. A soft smile took over his swollen lips when he felt her stir next to him, her thin arms coming to wrap around his waist as she spooned her naked and sweaty body against his side. Her head rested on his shoulder, occasionally snuggling against the crook of his neck before she breathed:

“Angel…”

Spike immediately stiffened. He was about to protest when he felt her smile against his skin.

“Payback’s a bitch, ain’t it?” She asked looking up at him, her neck barely able to support the weight of her head so she rested her chin on his chest.

“Not funny, pet.” He grumbled with a frown as he put his arm under the back of his head in order to be able to look at her.

“You started it.” She noted.

“I said I was sorry.” He mumbled with a fake pout.

She sighed and let her head drop onto his chest, her eyes facing his perfectly shaped abdomen, her sweaty hair sticking to his wet skin. Her finger came to trace the contours of his bellybutton as she wondered out loud:

“I should have made you suffer longer for what you did.”

“No use resisting me. I’m just too darn sexy.”

That earned a sardonic chuckle from her as she propped her chin up on his chest to look back at him.

“Ha! Some ego!”

“Can’t help it if it’s true.” He replied with a smug grin.

“You’re not irresistible.” She retorted.

“You *know* I am.”

“Humph…” She mumbled. “Not *that* irresistible.”

He chuckled and there was silence again. After a while, her gaze was cast down to his chest as her finger danced from one of his collarbones to the other.

“What was she doing?” She finally asked.

“Who?” He questioned with a frown.

“Dru.” Seeing the persistent confusion in his features she elaborated. “When we were on the phone... She was giggling and you told her to stop.” She dared to throw a glance up at him.

“Nothing.” He replied not meeting her gaze.

Without warning Buffy stood up and got off the bed, her eyes dropping to the floor as she started gathering her clothes.

“What are you doing?” He asked puzzled once more.

“Looking for my clothes.” She replied dryly as she found her underwear and started slipping it on.

By the time Spike got out of bed, she had put on her jeans and was now working on her bra.

“Buffy, where are you going?” He asked following her around the room as she looked for her sweater.

Where had she put that damned thing? She was pretty sure she had left her clothes all gathered up in a bunch before making the *huge* mistake of slipping into his bed. A-ha! There it was. Under the bed!

She bent down, picking it up when she felt a strong grip around her arm forcing her to turn and face him.

“What did I do now?” He asked.

“You’re lying. That’s what you are doing.” She spat at him.

“Lying? I’m not lying. Why do you think I’m lying?”

“Then why won’t you tell me what she was doing?” She asked triumphantly, raising her chin up high.

“You wanna know what she was doing? Fine, she was clinging to my arm.” He sighed audibly, letting go of her to drop his arms at his side in defeat.

She simply glared daggers up at him, flinging her sweater over her head before stomping her way to the bedroom door and flinging it open.

“Buffy, where are you going?” He asked again, exasperated as he quickly scrambled to find the nearest pair of jeans, putting them on and slipping on one untied boot before he trailed after her.

Apparently, their little quarrel had managed to wake up Giles as he peeked his head out into the corridor to see a very pissed Buffy walking towards him, his shirtless son was hopping after her, apparently trying to put on one of his boots.

“Buffy…?” He questioned with a sleepy voice as he rubbed his eyes.

“Hello, Giles. Goodnight, Giles.” Buffy greeted as she continued down the stairs.

Seeing the puzzled look on his father’s face Spike simply put up his hand, halting any question the older man might have.

“I’ll explain later.” He assured him, when he finally managed to put on his boot and followed the enraged teen down the stairs and out the front door.

“Buffy…” He sighed as he watched her race down the street.

He took a sharp intake of breath before chasing after her. Unfortunately, Spike quickly realised that running after ones pissed girlfriend is easier if one does it with their laces tied since they have a tendency of causing you to trip. Grumbling a few curses he bent down and tied his laces before getting up to follow her. By the time he was done she was out of sight. It didn’t take a genius to figure out where she was going and after a long while he caught up with her near her house.

“Buffy!” He called out; drawing harsh pants from his lungs as he slowed his pace down to stride along side her. ‘Note to self: quit smoking or, by the time you’re thirty, you won’t be able to walk around the block without coughing out a lung.’ “Buffy, will you just… *cough*… listen to me?”

“Go home, Spike.” She uttered as she continued to walk.

“No.” He said, raising his voice a little as he grabbed her arm and forced her to stop.

“Let go of me.” She warned him between clenched teeth.

“Not until we talk this out.” He replied, tightening his grip when she pulled away.

“Let me go!” She yelled in his face.

“No!”

“Hey, will you keep it down? People are trying to sleep here.” Someone shouted from a window on the other side of the street.

“Shut up.” The two teens replied in unison.

Buffy pushed away from his grip and continued walking down the street, Spike trailing right behind her.

“Buffy…” He called out again when she reached the stairs to her front porch. “You know?” He yelled at her retreating back. “It’s amazing how quickly you can go from hot to cold.” She came to a halt at the top of the four steps and turned to see him standing there, with his arms opened wide in defeat. “So Dru tried to cop-a-feel off of me. Big deal! It’s not like the poof doesn’t do that every *single* day.” He growled at her.

“It’s for the play.” She spat back.

“Oh, right. I forgot. You are in a play so that gives Angel the right to make out with *my* girlfriend.” He hissed, narrowing his eyes and tilting his head.

“I asked you.” Her index finger pointed dangerously at him. “I asked you if you were ok with this and you said you were!”

“I told you what you wanted to hear. You wanted it to be fine, so I gave you what you wanted.” He shouted taking a step closer to her. “But you… *You* get all buggered up over the fact that I have to spend time with Dru because of some stupid assignment and that’s all we do. We spend time working on a stupid report. Nothing else! It is nothing compared to the major suck-face festival that goes on on that stage almost every afternoon.” His arms pointed out into the darkness of the night when he finished.

“Nothing else? You just said she tried to cop-a-feel.” She snapped.

“Cop-a-feel! Exactly! Not check my tonsils with her bloody tongue.” Spike spat back.

“How many times do I have to say this? It’s for the stupid play! And we kissed like…three times, in front of like *twenty* people. We don’t spend an afternoon together in an empty, unsupervised house.” Buffy rebutted.

“So I have to spend time alone with her. Don’t you trust me?”

“No, I don’t. You know why? Because what Angel and I had was three months. Three measly mouths and not three years like you and Dru. Three years at seventeen is like a… fifth of your lives!” She let her arms drop at her sides in defeat.

“Two and a half.” Spike corrected. “And it’s closer to a sixth.”

“See, you probably even know the days and hours you were together. What you had with her? I can *never* compete with that. You were insane about her. You grovelled at her feet, for Christsake.”

“I don’t want you to compete with anything. And I don’t grovel.”

“Yes, you did. I remember seeing the way you looked at her and hating Angel for not looking at me the same way.” She insisted. “And now all of a sudden I’m supposed to believe that you don’t want her anymore? That you don’t feel anything for her?” She questioned, her voice cracking a bit under the turmoil of emotions going on inside of her.

“I want you.” He said in a calmer voice.

“Tell me you don’t feel anything for her.” She demanded.

There was a long silence between them.

“I… I can’t.”

At that Buffy let her shoulders slouch in defeat.

“Dru… She’ll always mean something to me… She was my first love.” He said patiently.

“I keep thinking that if you stay close to her long enough you’ll realise…” Buffy swallowed hard as she forced the words out of her mouth: “You’ll realise you still want her. You want her… and not me.”

“Never.” Spike breathed immediately.

“Just go home, Spike…” She mumbled, turning around to go into her house.

In a flash, he was up the steps, his hand gripping her arm tightly.

“Let me go, Spike. Just-” Her voice was weak and beat down.

“I can’t.” He cut her off. “I’m in love with you, Summers.”

Chapter 45

Buffy froze in place, her eyes wide, her mouth partially open as she stared up at him, his words still ringing in her ears. She continued trapped in her foggy daze when he spoke:

“Buffy…?” He felt his heart beating erratically in his chest as if it wanted to leap out.

The small beads of sweat came together to trail down his bare back and, when a soft breeze blew passed them, sending a chill through him, he realised he should have grabbed a shirt before racing after her. He fidgeted nervously, fisting and unfisting his hands repeatedly as he waited for her reaction, but she remained motionless in front of him, stiff as a board and gawking wide-eyed up at him. ‘Ok! Maybe this wasn’t the right time to tell her.’ He wondered nervously. His mind raced with all the possible reactions she could have. The catatonic one she was doing now only served to heighten his despair.

“Buffy…?” He called again with a faltering voice.

This time it seemed to have some effect as she suddenly shook her head and blinked a couple of times.

“Yes?” She asked, trying to keep the edginess out of her voice as she ran her trembling hand over her forehead and a forced, nervous smile tugged at the corners of her lips; her gaze bounced over every available surface in a desperate attempt to avoid meeting his stare.

“D-Did…” He swallowed hard as he tilted his head and repeated: “Did you hear what I just said?”

“Um… yes… Um…” She was completely lost. Somehow, all ability to speak had abandoned her, or maybe it was the tight knot that was forming at the base of the throat and was now making it impossible for her to breathe, let alone speak. “Um… It’s late!” She suddenly blurted out, finally meeting his gaze. “I gotta go. Goodnight.”

Next thing he knew she was gone and the front door of her house was being slammed in his face, leaving him standing in her front porch… shirtless, in the middle of the night.

After the few seconds it took him to gather his wits, he moved almost on autopilot, his index finger reaching for the small button on the doorframe and pressing it.

Buffy leaned against the door, her heart beating at an almost unnatural pace as she pulled ragged breaths from her lungs. She really couldn’t deal with this right now. Not right now. He loved her? How? She shook her head to push back the myriad of questions that assaulted her mind. She jumped up when the doorbell rang again and she heard him call out her name.

“Buffy, are you really planning on leaving me out here half naked all night?” She heard him shout.

There was no answer.

“Buffy!”

A small blonde head popped out from behind the door.

“Will you keep it down?” She hissed at him, letting him inside. “You’re gonna wake up the entire neighbourhood. You don’t have to shout.” She forced a sigh out of her, in a frustrated attempt to look calm, rolling her eyes and once again avoided meeting his gaze.

“I just told you I was in love with you and you slammed the sodding door in my face. How am I supposed to react?” He asked; the exasperation clear in his voice.

“Well, what did you expect? You don’t say that to a girl in a middle of a fight.” She explained as the stutter began to creep its way into her speech. “You-you don’t just say something like *that*.” Her arms were flying around in erratic swings as she rambled on: “It’s not something you just… blurt out, you know? I—I mean, one minute we’re having this all out fight and the next you’re saying…” She struggled with the words: “You’re saying… *it*. You just- I-I didn’t expect that. I-I-“ She shook her head and a frown took over her eyebrows as she repeated with more conviction: “You can’t just say that.”

“Buffy, I lov-“

“You don’t!” She stopped him in mid sentence and he stared at her wide-eyed.

“What?” He asked in a weak voice.

“You don’t.”

“Huh?” Now he was confused.

“You don’t…” She felt the word getting caught in her throat and wasn’t able to finish her sentence.

Spike continued staring at her like she had grown a second head.

“What are you talking about? Of course I-“

“No, you don’t!” She insisted, letting out a long sigh as she headed into the kitchen.

Spike was still a bit shocked. Out of all the scenarios he had enacted in his head, this was never one of them. It took him a few seconds to realise she had left him standing in the hall. Shaking his head slightly and blinking a couple of times, he followed her into the kitchen to find her pacing around the room; a bottle of water tightly clutched in her sweaty hands.

“Buffy, you have to believe me. I do lov-“

She came to a halt as she spoke up, cutting him off:

“Four months ago you were still moping around over Dru cheating on you. Planning how to get her back because she was your… dark princess or whatever weird pet name you had for her. And now, all of a sudden, you say that you… you… you know.” She waved her hand in the air as she failed to say the word once more.

“Why are you so obsessed over Dru and I?” He was finally able to speak a complete sentence.

“Because you were completely meant to be together! I mean, you’re both English, both into the whole Goth slash punk thing… you’re both *nuts*, that’s for sure!” She ran her hand over her forehead and took in a deep breath.

“So just because me and Dru have got some things in common…”

“Some things?!” She asked almost outraged. “You’re practically the same person, only different genders and she’s a bit more out of it than you are.” She stated widening her eyes at him.

“Just because we have things in common doesn’t mean that we were meant to be together.” He countered. When he realised it wasn’t having the desired effect, he added: “She was snogging Angel!”

“Yes, and even so you still wanted her!” Buffy noted, raising her voice.

There was silence between the two of them until she sighed and let the bottle of water rest on the counter.

“You were crazy about her for so long. Anyone could see it.” She said in a defeated tone.

“You’re right.” He spoke after a moment of pause. “I was completely obsessed with her.”

Buffy felt her stomach turn at what he said next.

“She was all I thought about, all I dreamt about and it’s true…” He paused for a beat: “I loved her. I won’t deny it. But it’s over now.”

“You better go home…” Buffy breathed, her head bowed as she started heading for the hall once again. “You’re gonna catch a cold if you keep-”

She felt a chill run down her spine when he moved and blocked her passage. They stood toe-to-toe, staring at each other.

“I’m in love with you.” He whispered, reaching to push an unruly thread of hair away from her face, but she stepped away before he could touch her.

“No, you don’t.” She insisted.

Her words seemed to trigger the anger inside of him as he inhaled sharply and fisted his hands in an attempt to control his rage.

“That’s really arrogant of you, Summers, you know that? To presume to know my feelings better than I do?”

“Well, maybe I do.” She challenged him, raising her chin.

“Oh, really?” He narrowed his eyes at her.

She nodded.

“Well, did you know that the first time I saw you I felt like all the air had been sucked out of the room and I couldn’t breathe?”

She was a bit shocked but quickly found a way to counter:

“That’s very romantic, but we were in the middle of the courtyard, and you were yanking my ponytail and the way you were shouting ‘Fake blonde ahead, danger, danger!’ I doubt it that you had any trouble breathing.” She spat back sarcastically.

“You don’t remember do you?” He asked, tilting his head and narrowing his eyes at her once again.

“Remember what?”

“Walking into my Da’s bookshop for the first time.” He replied and she frowned. “You didn’t see me, I was stacking up some books in the back while you were talking to Da.” He paused and looked at her intensely as he continued: “But I saw you.” He breathed. “You’re hair was longer then, less wavy” His hand hovered around his head as he spoke: “and you had it pinned up in messy bundle. You wore a light-blue summer dress. The one the whelp ruined last year when he spilled his lunch all over it.”

Buffy simply stared at him, her mouth partially open as she listened to him.

“I couldn’t get my eyes off you. I remember you giggled at something my Da said. Don’t remember what, I just remember feeling as if someone had just punched me in the stomach. You said something back and then you were gone.” He spoke calmly as he started to move away from her. “I wondered if I was ever gonna see you again and sure thing, next day there you were, standing in the middle of the courtyard with Red…” He chuckled a bit as a memory seemed to come to him. “Remember it took me practically the entire break to get the courage to come over to talk to you. When I finally did, Peaches suddenly pranced into the picture. You just gawked at him like he was God’s gift to womankind.” He felt his stomach turn at the memory. “You might have been together for just three mouths, but you had your eye set on him even back then. I guess I hated the poof even before the Andrew thing.” He smirked and shook his head. “So, I did whatever normal fifteen year-old kid does to call a girl’s attention. I embarrassed you in front of the entire student body. Made a lasting impression.”

He took in a deep breath as started walking around the isle, running his fingers over the white surface:

“Then I met Dru. She was like no one else. She was dark and wild, but at the same time frail and weak. It felt good to feel wanted… needed.” He stopped and looked up at her and chuckled a bit.

His eyes were unfocussed as he remembered the past.

“Come to think about… she knew. Dru… She knew you had a hold on me even before I did. Every time I said something about you she would go into one of her madcap, screw-loose episodes. She’d start babbling and rambling, making even less sense than she usually did. Saying that you were going to take me away from her. That you were a thief and that you were going to steal me from her.” He smiled and looked up at Buffy. “I just thought she was nuts. I was *so* sure I hated you. Everything about you made my entire body scream. I thought it was out of anger and hatred. Turns out it was lust and wanting.” He paused and stared straight into her eyes. “I’ve wanted you since the first time I saw you… but I only fell in love with you when you kissed me. That kiss in the library had me spinning for days on end.”

Buffy seemed to be frozen in place as he began walking towards her, shortening the distance between them until he was towering in front of her once again.

“You might not believe it… but I do love you.” He whispered, running his thumb over her paled cheek; her eyes wide, staring up at him. He smiled and let his hand drop at his side. “Well, I better go, pet.”

The sight of him walking around her seemed to snap her out of her daze. She shook her head and turned around.

“Where are you going?”

“Home. My Da must be going up the walls by now.” He replied as he began to walk away again.

In a flash, he felt a hand on his arm turning him around and before he knew it he was being slammed against the frige; Buffy’s mouth pressed against his in a demanding kiss. It took him a few seconds to react to the warm body brushing against his naked torso, but soon his hands wrapped around her small form and his lips parted, granting her the needed access to deepen the kiss. Buffy moaned into his mouth when he swept her off her feet and she suddenly found herself pinned against the refrigerator door. They battled for dominance. Buffy’s hands flew everywhere, roaming up and down his body until they settled around his neck.

Spike gasped when she suddenly jumped against him, skilfully wrapping her legs around his waist before tearing her mouth from his to gasp:

“Stay.” She said between pants as she stared down at him, panting. Her pupils were dilated to a ridiculous extent and, for a second, it looked like she had ebony eyes.

“But my Da’s…”

She let her fingers trail between his unruly curls, her other hand brushing down his back.

“Please, stay.” She breathed, tightening her grip around his waist and consequently rubbing her pelvis against his.

His eyes rolled back in their sockets and he had to swallow hard before he could speak.

“Ok.”

She let out a sigh of relief and eagerly leaned in to kiss him but he pulled back. At her frown, he explained:

“I better call him first, though.” He managed to say.

Instinctively, she pouted, her lower lip jutting out as her eyebrows came together high on her forehead for a painful frown.

“It’ll only take a second. I promise.” He guaranteed her.

Reluctantly, she let her feet drop to the floor and pulled away from his embrace, standing still in the middle of the kitchen as she watched him walk over to the phone. He picked up the receiver, his eyes leaving hers for a second as he dialled the familiar number. He waited a beat, his gaze returning to her, to see her nervously fidget with the edge of the sweater. She looked so cute when she did that.

He was snapped out of his thoughts when someone picked up the phone on the other side of the line.

“Hey, Da? Yeah… it’s me. I-I know, I’m sorry.” There was a moment of pause as he listened to his father rant. “I know. I said I’m sorry… Um… no, I was… um…” More silence. “No, everything’s fine. I’m at Buffy’s. Yes, she’s ok too.” His hand instinctively went through his dishevelled curls as he continued the conversation. “No… um… actually I was thinking of staying here. Yeah, sleep over. Is that ok?”

Buffy’s grip on her sweater tightened as she waited for a reaction from Spike. It took a while as he remained silent.

“Oh… um… I know, I left in a hurry and I forgot to take a shirt…” His eyes wandered over the room as he thought of a solution. His gaze finally fell over Buffy’s waving form.

“You can borrow some of my dad’s old things.” She whispered from the kitchen.

“Buffy says I can borrow one of her dad’s old shirts.” Spike paused once more. “Well… da, I don’t know why they still have clothes of Buffy’s father around the house.” He frowned at Buffy, shrugging. Was his father acting jealous? Weird. “Ok, then… Don’t worry. I’m not gonna get into trouble. Ok, Da. See you tomorrow.” He paused and rolled his eyes as he listened to his father give him the usual stuttered warnings. “Ok, goodnight, Da. Bye. Ok! I got it! Night!” Finally he was able to set the receiver back in its place.

“So, you can stay?” Buffy asked nervously as she leaned on the isle.

“Yeah… But just cause we don’t have school tomorrow.” Spike replied, his hands digging into the back pockets of his jeans.

For some strange reason he felt nervous. Very nervous. Well, maybe it wasn’t strange, considering he had just told Buffy he loved her a few times now and she hadn’t said anything back. He swallowed hard and tried to push back the thought.

“So…” He started.

“So…” She repeated; the butterflies in her stomach and the knot in her throat making it almost impossible to speak.

There was silence until Spike finally spoke:

“When’s you’re mom coming back?”

“Tomorrow afternoon.” Buffy quickly replied with an anxious smile. “She called to say goodnight before I went to… your house and…” She trailed off; her pathetic attempt to fill in the soundless moment turning against her.

“Yeah…” He muttered.

Silence.

“You’re dad… Was he ok? I mean, I-I’m sorry we woke him up and…”

“He’s ok. He was kinda worried about me going out half naked.” Spike supplied, outstretching his arms, showing his current state of undress.

“Yeah…”

“Yeah…”

When the silence became too much to bare Buffy pushed herself off the isle and started walking towards the hall.

“We better go…” She said pointing up the stairs.

Spike nodded and followed her up. They reached the room and the awkward stillness hovered around them as Buffy moved about the room, Spike simply stood back as if waiting for instructions.

“I’m just gonna go…” She finally spoke, clinging to her towel and pointing at the door. “Take a shower.”

“Oh, ok.” Spike nodded.

She was about to leave when she stopped in her tracks.

“Do you want something to sleep in…? You know, shirt, shorts? I-I can go to the basement to get them.” Buffy stammered slightly.

“No, I’m fine.”

Buffy nodded.

“I’ll be right back.” She breathed before exiting the room.

Spike let out a deep breath and let his body drop limply onto the bed. What was he doing? Why had he said it? Stupid, stupid, stupid! It was obvious she wasn’t ready to take that step. He was pressuring her. Stupid!

“Me and my big mouth…” He muttered as he stared up at the ceiling, regretting ever having brought up the subject.

~+~

Buffy let the warm water run down her back as she faced the wall, her forehead leaning on the cold tile, while her hands rested on the faucets.

Her heart was still racing, her mind swirling with the events of that evening. Goosebumps spread over her flushed skin as she remembered what he had told her back in the kitchen. The thought of him wanting her for all that time sent a shiver of feminine pride over her entire body as her cheeks turned bright red.

She shook her head, turning off the water and gathering her hair between her hands to twist it. She wrapped the towel around her soaked form and walked over to the mirror. One trembling hand came into contact with the cold surface of the mirror, brushing away the small droplets of condensed water in order to see her reflection. She stared at herself as all the memories flooded her mind. Form the first time she had seen him to the day of their infamous pact. A smile crept over her lips as she remembered her reluctance to kiss him. A giggle escaped her parted lip at the memory of him hiding between her sheets as her mother walked into the room. Her heartbeat increased as she remembered the day in the classroom, when they had been caught making out on the teacher’s desk. She stood there for a few moments, replaying every single moment since then. It seemed so far away; a world away. She couldn’t picture her day-to-day without him at her side. It seemed almost absurd.

With a long sigh and a confident smile she turned around and walked out of the bathroom.

Author’s Note: Sorry it took so long you guys. Just had this major case of the WB. But I think it’s gone now. I’m pretty sure where I’m going with this story. Not too many chapters to go though.

Chapter 46

She clutched the damp towel against her chest, her clothes bunched under her arm, as she walked slowly; the sloshing sound of her wet feet in her plastic flip-flops following her down the empty hall. She stopped when she reached the white door, taking in a deep breath and pressing her lips together before she silently turned the knob. A smile crept its way onto her lips when she saw him lying on the bed; the soft moonlight coming from the open window painting his bare chest in tones of blue. His feet were firmly planted on the floor while his torso lay sprawled on the mattress, left arm resting at his side while his right one was folded over his face, partially covering it, revealing only his lips and chin.

Soundlessly, she pushed the door open, taking off her flip-flops and pushing them aside before tip-toeing her way into the bedroom. She stood motionless near her desk for a few moments with her clothes still under her arm as she contemplated him. He stirred a bit, mumbling something incomprehensible under his breath, his left hand clutching the bedspread under him for a second before relaxing. Buffy frowned a bit and bit back the chuckle that rumbled in her chest. Silently, she moved closer to the desk, dropping her clothes on the chair before her fingers danced over the wooden surface, blindly searching for the small box she knew was in the back, up against the wall. She took it into her hands when she finally found it and popped the lid open. She hissed when she saw him move abruptly out of the corner of her eye.

“Buffy?” He mumbled with a hoarse voice, blinking a couple of times; his eyes having some difficulty to focus on the small figure standing five feet away from him.

His fingers pressed against his eyelids for a few seconds before he looked back at her to find her fidgeting with something around her neck.

“Buffy?” He asked again.

“Hey.” She whispered a bit breathless as she struggled with her task.

“What are you doing?” He questioned, still a bit dizzy. He had been lost somewhere between slumber and awareness. His mind wandered over the events earlier that evening and he had decided that it had definitely been a mistake to have told her. Maybe it was too soon. He should have just kept his mouth shut. ‘Definitely should have kept my stupid gob closed.’ He scolded himself mentally.

“Nothing.” She answered, letting her hands drop at her sides; her palms brushing against the white fabric of the towel that covered her thighs.

There was a moment of silence as Buffy closed the box once again, putting it away.

“Um…” Spike started as she moved. “Maybe staying here wasn’t such a good…” He trailed as she turned on the lamp at her desk. “…idea.” He finished, his eyes staring at her.

A soft fiery glow filled the room. It was very weak but enough to highlight her soaked form. She stood in front of him, her hands resting over her chest. Her small fingers were tightly wrapped around the bunched up edge of the towel. The white fabric dangled all the way down to her knees leaving the lower part of her legs exposed. A ghost of a smile curled the corners of her mouth as her wet blonde threads trailed down the side of her face; a few lazier strings clinging to her damp skin. As he glanced at her bare neck, he realised what she had been struggling with when he found, curling around it, the thin necklace her had given her for Christmas. He couldn’t help but smile.

“I was starting to think you’d lost it. Haven’t worn it in a while.” He murmured in a low voice.

“Decided to save it for special occasions.” She replied as she picked up her jeans and starting folding them before putting them away in her closet.

Spike’s gaze followed her everywhere as she moved about the room. He shook his head and ran his left hand through his dishevelled hair before saying:

“Look, Buffy, maybe I shouldn’t be here.” He started as she came to stand by the desk. “My Da might be worried and I really should g-“ He was cut short when he saw the towel pool down to the floor leaving her bare-naked in front of him, the only item on her was the amber necklace around her neck. He shook his head lightly, blinking comically a couple of times before clearing his throat to finish his sentence. “…Sh-should go.” She took a few of steps towards him until she was standing about a foot away from him.

“Or maybe not?” She offered impishly.

“O-Or maybe not.” Spike repeated with some effort as his eyes roamed over her exposed body.

His gaze lowered, following her as she knelt in front of him. Her small hands came to rest on his denim-covered knees, tracing tiny circles there before roaming upwards to press against his bare chest. When he wouldn’t move she pushed a bit, forcing him to lie back on the mattress. His eyes never left her as her thin fingers traced a sinuous path back down his torso, across his abdomen, over his thighs until they returned to their original starting point – his knees. Her hands pushed them apart so she could slither her body between them.

Quickly, she worked on the laces of his boots and soon they were off. The next object of her attention was the fastening of his jeans. Her index finger dipped under the waistband of the rough material, popping the top button open and slithering deeper inside to pop-open the next one.

She could hear his breath catching in his throat as he desperately tried to control his breathing. His hips moved at their own volition, blindly following her hands, searching for the much needed contact, but she avoided it expertly. When all the buttons were undone, her fingers abandoned the area to grasp the edge of his jeans. She looked up at him, waiting. He seemed to be a bit dazed for a few seconds, probably pondering over the loss of her touch but, eventually, he realised what she wanted and he lifted his hips. Slowly, she pulled at the denims off and after a moment they were dismissed to the floor, next to his boots.

By now, his breath was coming in rapid and short gasps. He had stopped trying to control his breathing, realising he had lost the battle as he watched her fingers wandering over his bare legs, sketching strange patterns on their way up his body. He swallowed hard when he saw her rise up on her knees before crawling up his body. With one hand on either side of him, one knee positioned between his thighs, and pressing against the mattress she let her head drop, her warm tongue slipping out to trace one single straight line that went from his navel to his collarbone.

Instinctively, his hands came to gasp her hips but, before they could make contact with her body she grasped his wrists, shaking her head slightly and giving him a scolding look before bringing his hands over his head and pressing them against the soft bedspread. Her head dipped over his shoulder and she whispered:

“No touching.”

Her tongue flickered across his earlobe before wandering across his neck. He arched backwards, exposing his throat to her as he shut his eyes in a vain attempt to control the urge to grab her and roll her over. A moan escaped his lips as her tongue circled his Adam’s apple, playing with it for a few seconds before dipping between his collarbones.

He was completely lost in the feeling when he heard her breathe:

“Scoot…”

“Huh…?” He mumbled his voice hoarse, his eyes still dazed.

“Move up.” She repeated, as she pointed towards the headboard of the bed.

“Oh…” He nodded, propping himself up on his elbows and slouching back until his entire body was laying on the bed.

She crawled after him and her mouth quickly returned to his chest. She trailed a series of open-mouth kisses down his bare torso; occasionally letting her teeth lightly scrap the skin, her tongue quickly following to lap against the tender flesh. She felt the desire inside her grow as he twisted and moaned under her ministrations; his hands fisting into the bedspread.

She looked up to see him with his eyes tightly shut, the chiselled lines of his face heightened as he clenched his teeth. He groaned when her tongue circled his navel before diving in.

God! This was paradise! It had to be. It was amazing just how much he wanted this girl. Not even an hour ago they were in his bed, having sex, and now it felt like she hadn’t touched him in years. His mind dwelled on the strange intensity of his attraction for her when suddenly everything went blank. His eyes shot open and he glanced down to find her head dipped between his legs, her tongue tracing small circled on his inner thigh. ‘Oh God, is she gonna… Oh…’

He felt the air choke in his throat as he held his breath waiting. He propped himself up on his elbows so he could see her. What was she…?

He opened his mouth to speak but the sound refused to come out. He tried again and once again he failed as her tongue came dangerously close to his groin. Wetting his lips, he made one last effort:

“Wha-“ He panted and shut his eyes for a second in search of control. “What are you–” He gasped when her tongue flickered across his cock. He was about to speak again but found it impossible as she licked her way up his length, this time applying more pressure.

His eyes rolled back in their sockets, his fingers digging into the covers.

Seeing his face contort in pleasure she became bolder and her lips came into play, brushing against his soft skin while her tongue moved between them in languid, lazy circles. She covered his cock with wet kisses, successfully avoiding the bulging tip as her hands caressed his hips.

She glanced upwards to see him with his head lolling sideways, his mouth partially open. She nervously glanced away when their gazes met and returned her attention to the task at hand. It was too much to handle.

“Oh, God Buffy… please…” She heard him mewl.

The guttural need in his voice sent a chill down her body, straight to the stop were her legs came together. Without thinking, she scrapped her teeth against the tender skin at the tip of his cock.

“Christ!” Spike hissed thrusting his hips.

Buffy’s head mimicked the motion, jolting back a bit, her eyes immediately searching his face for any sign of pain.

“Did I hurt –“ She started to ask a bit worried.

“No, no.” He immediately denied, shaking his head vehemently. “You’re just perfect. So bloody perfect! P-please don’t stop.” He begged her under hooded eyes.

She was still a bit hesitant but she returned to her task. He jumped up again as her tongue finally flickered over the slit at the top of his cock. She looked up to make sure there was nothing but pleasure on his face and found him clenching his teeth, his eyes tightly shut in an effort to keep from moving.

Spike waited anxiously, but nothing had prepared him for when her hot lips encircled tip of his cock and she let his hard length slip inside her willing mouth. His eyes shot open, his lips parting to let out a long repressed gasp when she started sliding up and down, her cheeks being slightly sucked in in each upward motion.

“Oh, fuck!” He growled as he watched her head bob up and down. “Oh, fuck, fuck, fuck.” He chanted over and over again as his hand came attentively to rest on the back of her head.

He knew he wasn’t going to last more than twenty seconds if she didn’t stop. He didn’t want this to end so quickly. ‘Not yet, not yet.’

“Buffy, please… you gotta…” His fingers threaded themselves between her soaked blonde locks. “Oh, Christ!” He grunted as she sucked harder. “Fuck- Buffy please… stop.”

The moment he said the word her mouth was off him and he almost screamed at the loss of contact.

“Y-you don’t… like it?”

The fear and hesitation in her voice made him want to kick himself.

“What?!” His eyebrows came together for a deep frown. “Of course I do. W-why wouldn’t I?” He questioned back.

“I-It’s just that- I-I never did… this.” She said, her gaze dropping for a second.

Spike felt like his heart stopped. ‘She never… Angel never…?’ A rush of pride washed over him. He was the first to… His trail of thought was lost when she suddenly stood up and dropped to the floor to grasp her towel.

“What…? Where are you…?” He was completely lost. His mind was still dwelling over the fact that she had never gone down on anyone. And he was her first.

Before he knew it, she was out the door.

Scrambling off the bed he quickly followed her, only catching up with her when she was already half way down the stairs, the towel tightly wrapped around her small frame.

“Buffy, would you just stop for a bleeding second?” He asked after her as she stomped her way into the kitchen. “Ok, this is definitely becoming a lousy habit of ours.”

When she looked up at him quizzically he explained:

“I feel like I’ve been running after you all bloody night. And I’m getting pretty tired of it.” He growled.

“Well, no one’s forcing you to be here. You’re more than welcome to leave.” She snapped at him, waving her hand towards the backdoor of the kitchen.

She felt a pang in her chest when she saw him narrowing his eyes at her, his teeth clenched together before he turned on his heels and jogged up the stairs. Not even a minute later she heard the loud thumping of footsteps coming downstairs.

She glanced to see him walk into the room; his jeans partially buttoned up and the laces of his boots undone.

“Do you still have your Da’s old shirts?” He asked; his voice cold and distant.

Buffy was shocked into silence. He was leaving?

“Summers?” He called out.

The sound of her surname on his lips made her stomach twist painfully. He was really leaving.

“Y-you’re leaving?” She questioned in a weak voice.

“That’s what you want, right?”

“No!” Buffy answered immediately.

“A second ago you were telling me to leave. Will you just make up your bloody mind?” He shouted.

There was no answer. The two stood still in the kitchen, eyeing each other.

Suddenly, he moved, walking briskly towards the backdoor of the kitchen. He was about to turn the knob when he heard her gasp.

“Stay.” The urgency in her voice made him stop. When he wouldn’t turn around to face her, she added: “I-I want you to stay.”

Slowly, he turned around and leaned on the door.

She stared up at him, her fingers lingering over her chest as she nervously tapped at her collarbone. He let out a long sigh of frustration.

“I’m tired, Buffy.” He started as he pushed himself off the door. “I’m tired of having to chase after you all the time. Of having to prove everything I feel for you is real all the time. The whole time I’m chasing after you trying to put to rest all your fears and doubts about my feelings, while you…” He shook his head, his hand running through his hair. “What about my doubts? My fears?”

“What fears?”

“What? You think I don’t worry about you still having feeling for Peaches?”

“I-“ She tried to deny it but was cut off.

“You say you don’t, but that doesn’t…” He paused. “You were making *googly* eyes at him since the ninth grade, for fuck’s sake.” Another beat, but before she could say anything he continued: “Do you think I don’t have insecurities about this whole thing. Especially with you two having major make out scenes in a stupid play. And by the way, I never thought I could hate that play as much as I hate it right now!” The anger slowly boiled inside of him, causing him to raise his tone. “I feel like my gut is being twisted inside out every time he’s anywhere *near* you but do I say anything? No! I don’t say a thing because I trust *you*.” An accusing finger came to point at her. “I trust *us* even though you don’t spend half the time chasing after me the way I do after you!”

“I’m a girl!” She argued.

“And?!”

“Me girl, you boy. Boy chase girl.” Her finger stupidly moved between the two of them as she illustrated her overly simplistic logic.

“Oh, well maybe this boy is tired of chasing.” He replied.

Buffy froze in place and the moment he said the words he regretted them.

“Fine, then go chase after someone else. Some undead-wannabe.” She was about to turn around when she heard him:

“See, *this* is what I’m talking about.” She stopped. “When will you get it through that thick, over-bleached skull of yours that I don’t want Dru? I want you.” He practically growled. “I love *you*.”

She felt her heartbeat double. It seemed amazing, but she was sure she would never get enough of hearing him say that.

“Why don’t you believe me? Why-“

He was cut short when he suddenly found himself lost between her arms, her mouth coming to crash against his in a demanding kiss. He was stunned at first; the feel of her body against him making it impossible to think. All he had to do was tug at her towel and she would be naked.

‘No!’ He scolded himself. He couldn’t do this. Not again. Every time they had a fight it ended up with them having sex. Not this time. He wasn’t giving her the easy way out. He was about to push her away when she abruptly jumped up, the towel hitching up as she quickly wrapped her legs around his waist. ‘Ok, this is making it a little bit harder.’ He thought as she rubbed herself against him, her tongue pushing past his lips to invade his mouth.

“Buffy…” He mumbled tearing his mouth from her for a split second.

“Shhh---“ She shushed him.

“We have to.... mmmm… talk. We can’t just-“ He tried to speak, but the way she was wiggling against him, her smiling lips hungrily searching for his. “Buff-“

“Shut up you idiot.” He was about to protest at the insult, when she pulled away from him and looked him in the eyes. “I’m trying to tell you I’m in love with you, too.” She breathed.