One Good Lay | Catching The Night by TaniTKD

while. It felt good, his demon felt soothed by this. He knew the only way he'd get a positive ID on the girl was to catch her scent, so he settled himself in the shadows to wait until she left the diner. Of course he could just walk in the diner and confront her, but that was too easy, and not nearly as much fun.

An hour, Buffy untied her apron and cashed in her tips. Waving a good-bye at the employees she was leaving behind, she walked out the door. Spike waited until she had gone down the street a bit before emerging from the shadows and went in pursuit.

Suddenly, a delicious aroma trailed back to Spike and he grinned to himself. Oh hell yeah, it was her. Nobody else smelled quite as delicious as her, all vanilla and jasmine with a hint of something that was all Buffy. He suddenly felt giddy, a bounce in his steps. It didn't even register that he wasn't giddy in anticipation of a hunt, he was giddy because he was with her again.

He had followed her for several blocks and he decided she had no business walking alone in this neighborhood, It's really dumb. Good thing she's the bloody slayer, or I'd attack her just to scare some sense into her.

Suddenly, that girl who left the diner cut out of an alley and started calling for her.

"Anne....ANNE!.." She called, getting no response.

"Buffy?" the girl tried. Buffy stopped still, Spike was close enough he could hear her heartbeat speed up. He didn't think he was close enough to be in her slayer radar, but backed up a bit just to be sure.

The girl caught up with her. "Don't be mad. I won't turn you in or nothing. I guess you don't recognize me?"

Buffy pretended to play dumb. Her spider sense was firing slightly, and she scanned the area for trouble. "Lily?" she said to the girl, hoping to bluff her way out of this.

"I mean from before. I was calling myself Chantarelle then. I used to....Well, I was in this cult that worshipped vampires. So lame, I know." The girl said.

Spike's vampiric hearing picked up this declaration, and his mind suddenly connected and put the girl and her scent together. That was when Buffy had held that stake to Dru's heart and I thought I was going to lose my Dark Princess, he thought. Little did I know the Slayer would be responsible for that anyway.

"Yeah, I.. uh, I remember." Buffy finally admitted, her eyes losing even more spark right before Spike's eyes.

"But ... you kinda saved us. I never thanked you or anything" the girl told Buffy.

"Did you tell anyone who I was?" Buffy asked worriedly.

The girl, Lily assured her she hadn't, and then they talked some more, walking along the sidewalk again. The girl wanted her to go to a party, but Buffy told her she wasn't much for crowds.

Suddenly, a homeless man knocked into the two girls, and Lily told him "That's not very polite."

The man turned around and fixed his blank stare on them, and Buffy inquired if he was ok. "I'm no one" was his reply.

Right before their eyes, he walked himself into the street and faced the oncoming traffic, wanting the cars to end his miserable existence for him. Spike watched with shock as Buffy dropped her bags and raced into the street, and pushed the man out of the way. The truck that the homeless man had been hoping would take him out, struck Buffy instead. Spike watched as she was slammed into the windshield, where she bounced off and was tossed through the air. She hit the pavement, flipping over backward and rolled to a stop in the middle of the street.

Spike was racing to her side before he was even aware he was in motion, and was the first one to reach her. She was unconscious, her uniform bloody and torn. Her arm lay at an odd angle, and Spike knew it was broken.

The man frantically got out of his truck, going around to the front of the hood. He saw a blonde man, One Good Lay | Catching The Night by TaniTKD Catching The Night
Parts 1-4

Written by: TaniTKD
Author's Website

Summary: Buffy in LA after Becoming, alternate ending to Anne with a Spuffy twist. Warning-bloodplay and lots of biting. Spoilers through Season 3
Disclaimer: The show Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel (The Series) and all of it's characters belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, & Fox Prod.
Distribution: Hell ya! Just let me know where it's going! Set in beginning season 3, I think everything is the same up until Anne. Goes AU from there.
Feedback: tanitkd@yahoo.com

Chapter 1 Los Angeles

Spike paced the streets of LA in a frenzy, hoping the noise and people could provide a much needed distraction. Agitation was flooding him, he was unable to tolerate anything he used to find enjoyable. Things that used to send a wicked thrill through him,no longer interested him or he bored quickly. Things like the thrill of the hunt, the fear, that first taste of coppery blood from a terrified victim, that feeling that came when his demon was perfectly satisfied. All those wonderful things that used to scream through him, making him what he was, a vampire. A deadly predator who reveled in carnage and bloodshed. Now, it all left him feeling flat and unsatisfied. So yeah, he was agitated. He NEEDED it back, needed the distraction. Because this was just not any good, he could feel himself losing his edge.

And it was all that's bitch's fault. The Slayer. Just the thought of her brought a sneer to Spike's face, and he growled low in his throat. Stupid fucking bitch. All her goddamned fault that Dru dumped his ass in LA, taking off for god knows where. If that stupid bitch hadn't given Angelus that huge happy, he and Dru would still be together. Dru wouldn't have been able to fling herself into Angelus's bed like a bitch in heat. And if Spike hadn't had to go to that stupid bitch for a truce to take down Angelus, Dru wouldn't haven't have told him he'd gone soft and left him.

Spike had tried to uphold his end of the bargain to the bitch, by taking himself and Dru out of the country. He had made it as far as LA before Dru came screeching to consciousness, almost making him run off the road in her wild hysteria. She tried to kill him, furious at his deception and at her precious "Daddy's" demise.. Wouldn't listen to a bloody word. Then she just took off and Spike had been trying to find her since. But he knew it was a lost cause. And it was all HER fault. Buffy. Stupid fucking name for a stupid fucking girl.

Spike was stalking down a somewhat run down part of town, the sides of the streets lined with mostly hole in the wall dives. For some reason he could never figure out, he still looked into the window fronts, hoping to see himself reflected back. And never did. That is what he was doing when he looked at the window of a restaurant called Helen's Diner and caught a glimpse of a blonde haired girl waiting tables. He stopped and investigated further. For some reason, he had been imagining seeing the Bitch everywhere he turned, sometimes Spike felt like she was haunting him, she was in his mind almost constantly. It just fueled his agitation. He took a long drag on his cigarette and stepped slightly to the side of the window so he could observe the girl.

The first thing he noticed was the absence of fire in her eyes. She looked dead inside. Other than that, it looked like her, blonder hair and the same beautiful eyes, same stunning body. What the..? Spike stood there in shock, where the HELL had those thoughts come from??? That's not how you think of the bleedin' slayer, you wanker. You hate the bitch, you don't comment on her being a looker~

Buffy could feel eyes on her, and she looked around the diner to locate the source. There were several patrons eyeballing her youthful beauty, but that wasn't what was sending this shiver down her. There was something different about this, yet oddly familiar. She glanced to the window and failed to note the shadowed figure standing just out of sight. Buffy gave another shiver and then brushed it off. LA was major weird, a lot of things gave her the wiggins here.

Buffy was still a little shaken about almost being recognized earlier by that girl who was in there with her boyfriend. Lily, she said her name was now. Buffy easily remembered her. When she had held a stake to Dru to get Spike to release the kids of that freaked out vampire worshipping cult. Those thoughts led to thinking about the look of pure panic and fear on Spike's face at the thought of Dru's demise. It had truly startled her. She had almost felt guilty for worrying him like that. Almost. Then she had felt surprising jolt of jealousy go through her, and to this day, she still did not know where that emotion came from.

As usual, any memories of Sunnydale triggered a reaction of sadness through her. She felt like she wasn't really living, like a part of her had been sent to hell along with Angel. Knowing that her mother had told her not to come back had actually made things easier for her. This way there wasn't much that reminded her of home. Of Angel. Of sending the man she loved to hell. She didn't have to talk about it, have people look at her in sympathy, then turn around and look at her with hatred for unleashing the demon Angelus. She felt her eyes tearing up again, and had to force herself to get her ass moving to thrust all thought of Angel and Sunnydale out of her head. Avoidance, they name is Buffy. Or Anne, in this case.

Spike was almost positive it was her. If it was, what in the bloody hell was she doing here? He didn't even dwell on the fact that it wasn't anger he felt at seeing her again, in fact it didn't even cross his mind. What Spike felt most of all was curiosity. Why would Buffy be working in a shit hole in the wall diner in LA? Surely she wouldn't have been stupid enough to believe her mother meant her last words when they had left the house, would she?

He saw as a reddish blonde haired girl left the diner, arms wrapped up around a long haired boy. She walked right by Spike, completely oblivious to his presence, focused entirely on her boyfriend. As her scent wafted by Spike, he took note that it smelled slightly familiar. He was usually pretty good at remembering peoples scents and placing their faces, but this one remained elusive.

Spike turned his attention to the blonde inside the diner, Anne he could read on her name tag. She looked tired, and if it was Buffy, the fire and passion that usually lit her face was missing. He saw a man try to pinch her ass as she walked by and found himself growling. ~What the hell,? First you think about her looks, now you get pissed because some git tries to feel her up? ~ he mentally conversed with himself. He was good at that, often having long talks with himself on a regular basis. Suddenly, Spike realized the agitation that he'd been feeling since Dru left a few weeks earlier was gone. Something, or someone was holding his interest for the first time in ahunched over the girl's still from, concern evident on his face.

"Jeez, I didn't see her," the driver told Spike.

Spike didn't acknowledge him, he wasn't hearing or seeing anything except Buffy.

"Is she ok?" The girl who Buffy had been talking to rushed up and crouched at his side. She had seen this blonde guy in black fly out from nowhere. It seemed like he knew Buffy. When he reached out and gently traced a finger down her pale cheek, she figured he must, it was such a caring gesture. Lily wondered if he was why Buffy was running, ex boyfriend or something.

Spike turned his face to look at her and the girl gasped in alarm, all color draining from her face. Her eyes were filled with horror and fear. "Oh my god, NO." she cried, "Please no, don't hurt me." as she tried to scoot back from him. This monster still played a major role in terrifying recurrent nightmares, where she would wake up screaming and crying. His was a face she had hoped to never see again.

Spike ignored her, turning his attention back to Buffy. He noticed her eyelids start to flutter, and they slowly opened to reveal their dazed green depths. She looked confused, glancing around her. Her mind became more clear and she remembered the car striking her. The pain hit her then, and she cringed.

She focused on the face in front of her, and she thought she was dreaming. She tried to get her mouth to move, but it seemed as if it was disconnected from her body. "Ssppiike?" she finally managed to whisper, in a voice oddly sounding relieved instead of fearful.

He nodded, "It's me, luv." he told her gently, holding her hand and giving it a soft reassuring squeeze. He grabbed the bottom of his t-shirt and ripped off a piece, applying a pressure dressing to a nasty bleeding laceration on her arm.

"I'm going to call 911. She needs to get to a hospital. " the man who had hit her announced, looking around wildly. He went back to his truck and plucked a cellphone off the seat and started to dial.

Spike could see the look of panic enter Buffy's eyes and she reached out to grip his arm with her non fractured one. "Please Spike, don't let them take me to a hospital. Please". She begged frantically.

Again, Spike just nodded, and glanced at the girl, Lilly. Her face was still frozen in terror, but she tried to let Buffy know she was there for her. "If you don't want to go to the ER alone, I can go with you."

Buffy frantically tried to shake her head, but everything hurt. "No," she managed to get out. Her eyes locked with Spike's again, and he could see the desperate pleading in them. "Please." She whispered.

Without a thought as to why he was helping her instead of killing her, he leaned down and carefully picked her up. She hissed in pain, turning her face into his leather clad chest to muffle the sound.

"Please don't kill her." Lilly begged, tears running down her face. Guilt was surging through her, and she was trying to be strong. Buffy had saved her life from this vampire, and Lily was repaying her by letting Spike just walk away with her. Lily knew Spike wanted to kill Buffy, and she was practically giving her to him.

Spike shot an incredulous look in her direction. "I'm not going to bloody kill her. She asked me to help her." he told her. Confusion floated its way through her terror, and Lily wondered what she was missing, why Buffy wasn't strugglng to get away.

The driver who had hit Buffy tried to grab Spike's arm to keep him from fleeing the scene with the injured girl. Spike instinctively morphed into his game face for a second before switching back to his human mask. Even though it was just for a second, the evil directed at the man from the yellow eyes was enough to get the man to hastily back off.

"Oh my god, you're going to kill her, and it's all my fault." The girl Lilly said after seeing Spike's true face emerge.

Buffy looked up from Spike's chest and told the girl weakly, "It's ok. I'll be all right."

Lily watched as the blonde vampire strode back to the side walk with the young girl securely in his strong arms, black duster flowing behind him, and slipped through a dark alley. Then they were gone, and Lily wondered what the hell had just happened. Sirens were heard in the distance, and she did not want to be there either when they arrived. As she was leaving, the man who had hit the girl asked her "What the hell was that thing, do you know?"

With a sad smile, Lily answered, "Yeah I do. He's a vampire. An evil vampire." The man tried to get her to stay, to give her report as a witness, but Lily had her reasons to stay away from the police.

She was tempted to see if she could follow where the vampire went, but was still too terrorized by seeing Spike again. Lily decided she just had to go see Rickie again, and went home.

SPIKE'S HOTEL

Spike had been staying in a fleabag hotel since Dru took off. He could have afforded a better place, but the atmosphere of the place had fit his mood at the time. Plus if some of the guest happened to meet an untimely end, chances are not too many questions would be asked.

Spike now wished he had provided himself with a better place as he carried Buffy through the door into the dingy dim room and laid her on the king size bed. She had passed out again on the way, but her heart rate was still strong, so Spike wasn't overly worried. He went to get some ice out of the ice machine, and used some of the towels for bandages. While she was still unconscious, he expertly set her broken arm, having more than his share of experience with broken limbs. He used a rolled up magazine as a splint, and bound it up with a sheet. It was primitive, but it would work. Luckily for her, Spike knew she had her slayer healing to help her.

She had multiple abrasions and lacerations covering her, and Spike couldn't help but lick at the blood that was still flowing free. He also knew it would help the wounds close quicker, one thing a vampire was good for. Surprisingly, his blood lust didn't surge at the tantalizing tease of her succulent slayers blood. He paid particular attention to the nasty laceration she had on her arm, the unfractured one, lapping at the blood and flicking his tongue lightly over the gaping skin. He noted with satisfaction that the wound immediately stopped bleeding and it's edges started to pull together.

Buffy's mind struggled to the surface, fighting her way out of the blackness. She could feel that she was laying on something soft. Keeping her eyes closed, she tried to think of where she was. Her mind was hazy, and she was getting flashes of images. Lily. Car. Flying through the air. Then what? She became aware of pain, from everywhere in her body. Wait, what was that? Something was touching her arm, something cool, moist and silky, offering a feather light touch, taking the pain away from that spot. It sent a shiver through her. What the hell was it? She opened her eyes and turned her head, and a gasp escaped past her lips.

"Back to the living, are we, Slayer?" came the deep guttural British voice.

Buffy suddenly remembered seeing him, on the street, looking at her with.. concern? And she remembered her asking him to keep her away from the hospital.

"What are you doing?" she asked in a pain roughened voice.

He smirked, holding up her arm he was attending to. "Cleaning ya up, slayer."

Buffy just stared at him. "You're licking me." She announced, trying to figure out how this made her feel.

His smirk intensified. "Well, yeah. Vampire here, luv. I like blood." He told her, deliberately bringing her arm up and running the tip of his tongue over a laceration he hadn't attended yet. His eyes were intent upon hers the entire time, gauging her reaction. He knew he was safe from a staking at the moment, but the night was still young. His actions caused another shiver to run through her, which did not escape his notice. "And I have to tell you, yours taste just delicious." He added in a low tone, sucking gently on the wound.

"Why does it stop hurting when you do that?" she asked him.

"It's something we have in our saliva. Well, what saliva you have when you're a dead guy. Has healing properties, enzymes of some sort." He explained.

"Spike?"

"yeah luv." he said, still tending her wounds, gently running his tongue back and forth, lapping at the blood that was spilling out. He could do this all night. Buffy shivered again and he hid his grin against her arm.

"Why are you helping me?" she asked.

He was still for a moment, before gently putting down her arm. "I don't know." He finally admitted.

"Where's Dru?" Buffy asked.

A flash of anger flickered across his handsome features. "She left me." He finally said.

"Oh. Sorry." She replied, casting her eyes downward. She looked at her other arm, and noticed the makeshift splint. "You set my arm?"

"I did. Figured it would be better if I did while you were out, less chance of a piece of wood running through me that way." He answered, in a slightly mocking tone.

"Thank you. But why are you helping ?" she asked again, her voice soft. "I'm pretty much a sure kill here, y'no. Can bag your third slayer and have bragging rights for an eternity."

"Nah, it's no fun if you don't fight back." he told her, trying to evade the question. "Your nice little uniform is pretty much trashed, I've got a t-shirt you can slip into, if you want. Think you're up to standing?"

He got up and went to the chest of drawers and got out a clean t-shirt. From behind him, Buffy asked "Don't tell me, let me guess. Is it black?"

He turned back towards her and put a scowl on his face. "Should be a little more grateful, Slayer. You could be in one of those little cubicles down at the ER, getting poked and prodded."

A flash of fear washed over her, and she immediately looked contrite. "Sorry." she whispered.

He looked at her in askance. This wasn't the slayer he knew. The Slayer he knew would have dished it right back at him. "What the bleedin hell happened to you, Slayer? What the hell are you doing here? In LA?"

Her face immediately closed in on itself, and sadness and defeat seemed to take her over. "Don't wanna talk about it."

"Fine." he snapped and threw the shirt at her. "Do you think you can walk?"

That seemed to get some backbone in her, and she jerked her head up. "Think so." she mumbled, trying to swing her legs over the edge of the bed. Her body felt like it had been run over, oh wait, it almost had. With her splint, she was unable to get the leverage to get herself upright. Spike came over to stand in front of her and grabbed her shoulder and swung until she was sitting on edge of the bed. "Grab my arm." He told her. She grabbed it with her good hand and he helped her stand. He let her stand still for a moment until he was sure she wasn't going to pass out. He took note that there was little change in her heart rate when she went from sitting to standing, which he took as a good sign.

"How are ya doin', Slayer? Woozy?" he asked.

She shook her head. "I'm ok, thanks." She took her hand off his arm and made her way a bit unsteadily into the bathroom, clutching his shirt.

When she got the door closed, she leaned against it with a huge sigh. She felt totally wiped out just walking across the room. Slayer healing could not kick in fast enough here. She walked to the sink and cringed when she saw her appearance in the mirror. She had some pretty good road rash on her cheek, and she looked pale and wan. Even more so than she had lately.

It took her a while to get herself undressed one handed, and as Spike's soft t-shirt slid down her body, she thought she'd never had anything feel so good. It reached to just past mid thigh on her, and she wished she had some bottoms to put on. Her pantyhose were history, and she slowly peeled those from her legs.

Buffy managed to wash her face, which made her feel better. She used the bathroom, and was just about to open the door when she heard Spike call "You ok in there?"

Did he actually sound like he cared? Whoa. The events leading up to point had seemed so surreal that she hadn't even really thought about it. She had asked Spike to keep her from the hospital, and he had listened. What was that all about? She remembered Lily's fearful face right there, Buffy could have asked her for help. So why did she ask Spike? ~Because you knew he could help you.~ came the little voice in her head. And he had. He'd taken care of her arm, cleaned her lacerations... Well, he had licked the blood to clean her lacerations, but he could have drained you. He finally got a taste of you, it should have made him want the whole enchilada.

"Buffy." he called, knocking on the door. She realized in all of her self thoughts, she hadn't answered him. What the hell? Did he just call me Buffy?

"I'm fine." She answered, opening the door suddenly, almost not catching the anxiousness that had been evident in his eyes. His face smoothed over into it's usual indifferent look, and he offered his arm to help her back to the bed.

She offered him a small smile, and grabbed it, trying not to notice the hard muscle underneath her hand. He had turned the sheets back, and he helped Buffy settle herself back on the bed, drawing the covers over her. he tried very hard not to notice the shapely muscular legs being displayed where his T-shirt left off, oh yeah, Let's get those babies covered up.

They just looked at each other, wondering just what the hell was going on. "What happened in Sunnyhell, pet?" he finally asked.

Again, he noted that look of defeat overwhelm her, she looked so fragile. He stood at the foot of the bed, just looking at her. She didn't seem inclined to answer him, and he gently climbed on the bed so that he was laying on his side next to her, on top of the covers.

"Buffy, what happened?" he asked again, in a sincere tone.

She flicked a glance over his face and replied, "Since when in the freakin hell do you call me Buffy?"

"Since you're sleeping in my bed, wearing my t-shirt," was the only reply he was going to give her. Having it stated so clearly, she again asked him "And why am I sleeping in your bed, wearing your t-shirt?"

He shrugged. "You asked me to help you." he told her.

"But why did you?"

"Hell if I know. Why'd you ask me, and not that other bint, the vampire groupie?" Spike countered with.

"Hell if I know." Came the reply. There was silence between the two for a few minutes, as they got lost in their thoughts.

"Tell me what happened." Spike commanded her again, in a soft tone.

She started shaking her head violently. "Don't wanna talk about it."

"Well, obviously you killed Angelus, or we wouldn't all be here." He said.

Another moment of silence. "It wasn't Angelus I killed." She said softly.

"Huh?"

"Somehow, Angel got his soul back right in front of me. I think Willow must have done the soul restoration spell, or something. But it was too late, he'd already awakened Acathla. He didn't remember anything he'd done as Angelus. He looked so confused. And I killed him. I sent Angel to hell." She admitted, tears falling down her face.

Spike was stunned. No wonder she looked so shattered. "And you ran?" he asked.

She nodded her head. "I ran."

"Does anyone know you're here?" he asked.

Buffy shook her head. "No. I don't want to see any of them."

"Why not?"

"I just don't."

"Afraid they'll make you remember what Angelus did? And you'll feel like they blame you?" He asked.

Buffy glared at him. He always right. "Maybe." came her mature reply.

"Bloody stupid."

"What happened with Dru?" She countered with.

"I don't wanna talk about it."

"Gee, I could have sworn that is what I just said before you forced a confession out of me." Buffy replied.

"Fine. She left because of you. Said I'd gone soft, helping the slayer. Killing precious Daddy." he told her.

That wasn't the answer she'd been expecting. "Oh." "Yeah." he said. "You should go back, it's killing you here." he told her.

"Since when are you my guidance counselor? I don't want to go back. I'm going to sleep," she said in a way to dismiss him, knowing he was getting too close to the truth and not liking it. She turned her head away from him and closed her eyes. "If you're going to kill me, will you wake me up first?"

No answer. She felt him move, then realized he was sliding under the sheets. next to her. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"Going to sleep. It's my hotel room, my bed." he told her.

Chapter 2

Buffy could feel his nearness, even though he was very careful not to touch her. He had shut out the light, and the room was bathed in darkness. He had taken care of the windows so no light penetrated through, and it unnerved Buffy a little that she couldn't hear him. Like having a dead guy in bed with her, which is exactly what it was.

Suddenly, the silence was too much for her. "Spike?"

"What?"

"Thank you." She said quietly.

"You're welcome. Now, quit your yammerin and let me get some shut eye, will ya?" he muttered, trying to sound churlish but not quite pulling it off.

Buffy felt the deep ache that was her heart these days, lift just a smidgen. For reasons she didn't want to identify, she liked being here with him. Spike had always fascinated her, not that she would admit it to anyone, of course. His utter to devotion to his psycho girlfriend had brought him to a new light in her eyes. Anyone with that capacity for that much love couldn't be ALL bad, could they? That is why she had asked him for help, and not Lily. She knew deep down, he had a big ole nurturing side to him. And when she had seen the concern in his eyes for her welfare after she was hit, she knew she was seeing the real Spike. That he had hidden a side of himself from the world behind a tough exterior. As he had crouched by her side, he had dropped the facade, and Buffy really saw him, and she knew he would take care of her.

And she had secretly always loved their fights. Nothing gave her as much of a thrill as trading blows with Spike. She figured that's why she never staked him, she didn't want to lose that thrill if he was a pile of dust.

Now here she was. In the hotel room of her mortal enemy, having been completely at his mercy and living to tell the tale. And he was lying in bed next to her. Life sure took some interesting twists.

She gave a small sigh and snuggled deeper into the pillow trying to get comfortable. She still felt like one big bruise, but slayer healing was rapidly kicking in, much to her delight.

Spike heard her little sigh, and wondered what was going on in that tortured noggin of hers. He actually felt sorry for her, and was cursing himself for being so soft. Yeah, soft. Just like Dru accused you of, mate. You're a regular cotton ball, you are.

What happened to hating her? Spike was convinced that had been the feeling rushing through him before he saw her in the diner. He hated her. Didn't he? That all seemed to fly out the window as soon as he saw her bouncing off that windshield and flying through the air like a rag doll. No, you didn't hate her as soon as you laid your eyes on her again tonight, be honest, mate.

So what the hell did he feel? She was the Slayer, for Christ's sake. I'm such a pathetic git. Good thing Dru did leave you or she would have staked your ass but good if she saw what you've allowed the slayer to do to you.

So for now, he was taking care of her. And he wouldn't admit to liking the feeling it gave him, taking care of someone again. Sleep finally overcame him, and he drifted off.

He was awakened a few hours later by Buffy thrashing in the bed. Afraid she was going to injure herself further with her violent movements, he turned on his side and gathered her close, taking care not to jostle her fractured arm.

"luv, wake up." He whispered to her.

She just whimpered, and continued to fight him. Spike realized it probably hadn't been the best thing to take her in his arms, she was likely to be scared shitless when she finally woke up.

"No," she groaned, still deep in the throes of her nightmare. "Angel no. I'm so sorry. Please don't kill me."

"BUFFY" Spike said loudly in her ear. He watched as her eyes sprang open, horror filled and completely devastated.

"You're ok, you had a nightmare." He whispered soothingly to her, stroking her hair.

Buffy became aware of being pressed against a cool chest, with strong arms wrapped around her. A denim clad leg were thrown on top of hers, pinning them down. She immediately tensed. "Oh god, my nightmare, it's true." She thought frantically to herself.

"It's ok. you had a nightmare. It's me, Spike? Remember?" he said soothingly to her.

Spike. She crashed back to the present, and relief flooded her to find that it was Spike she was pressed against and not Angel back from hell bent on revenge. Embarrassment took over, and she tried to ease her way out his arms.

"Sorry. Sorry I woke you up." She told him, wiggling towards her side of the bed.

Spike gave a silent groan, her wiggling was causing certain parts of him that were pressed up against her hip to come to life. He hardened quickly beneath his jeans, and lifted his leg off of hers to reduce the friction.

"It's ok, luv. Are you ok?" he managed to say.

She nodded, still trying desperately to remove herself from his arms.

"Stop wiggling. I'm not going to bite you, I just want to hold you." he said quietly.

At his quiet admission, she felt her body grow limp, and she allowed herself to be comforted by her mortal enemy. It did feel good to just be held, with his gentle stroking of her hair. She felt herself relax, and for the first time since Angel had become Angelus, she found herself not sinking to new levels of despair after a nightmare.

For how long they laid like that, Buffy didn't know. They didn't speak again, talking would have ruined the moment. It wasn't long that they allowed themselves to fall back asleep, still wrapped in each other's arms.

Spike was the first one to waken. He could tell by Buffy's slow even heart rate that she was still asleep. He allowed himself to gaze at her, and noticed that most of her wounds seemed to be healed for the most part. Her lips were parted slightly, and he could feel the warm breath of air on his chest as she exhaled. She looked so young and fragile lying in his arms like this. He realized she really was young, 17 or so. Funny how he never gave it much thought.

A wave of protectiveness rushed through him, surprising him. He was the Big Bad, he wasn't supposed to take care of lost little girl slayers. But he realized he did want to. He wanted to be the one who put the fire and light back in those beautiful hazel green eyes. It bothered him that it was missing. First thing, he knew he had to get her back to Sunnyhell. She was hiding, running from the memories and she was never going to get over it until she faced her demons. Well, some more demonic than others.

That decided, he felt much better. None of the agitation that had been plaguing him had returned. Suddenly he saw the agitation for what it had really been, and he was dumbstruck. It had been about Buffy. Well, that much he had already known. But it wasn't about hating her like he'd been telling himself, it was about being apart from her. ~You wanker. What the hell are you about, getting feelings for the bleedin' slayer????~ he scolded himself. But he looked down at her again, feeling her warmness seep into him, and he knew it was true. Finding himself content with this, he quickly made up a battle plan.

He eased out of the bed, and took the phone in the bathroom, along with the battered phone book. Spike looked up the number for her hole in the wall diner, and placed the call.

He asked to speak to her manager, and when he was connected with her, Spike informed the lady that "Anne" had suffered a car accident and would not be returning to work.

Surprisingly, the woman already had the news. A friend of Anne's had been calling all morning, desperate for some news of her "condition."

"She left a number here, maybe you could call her back and let her know Anne will be ok?" Buffy's manager asked.

Spike gave a sigh, but took down the number, wondering why he cared. He dialed the number that he had been given and it had hardly rang once before it was snatched up. "Buffy?"

"No, it's Spike."

In a horror tinged voiced, Lily said "Oh my god, you killed her, didn't you?"

"No I didn't bloody kill her. I told you I wasn't going to." He snapped, lighting up a cigarette.

"Then where is she?" came the frantic question.

"She's still asleep." he answered, again wondering why he was bothering with this.

"Why didn't you kill her?"

"You know, you're not too bright are you? I don't even know why I called." Spike ground out, angry with himself for caring.

"I don't either, to be honest. So she's OK?" Lily asked hesitantly.

"Yeah. Fixed her up. Gonna take her home to Sunnyhell." Spike told her, his voice slightly less hostile.

"Can I ask you something, without you know, you like getting totally mad?" Lily asked, again hesitation present in her voice.

"Depends on what it is." Came the reply.

Spike could hear the girl take a deep breath. "You're not what she's running from, are you?"

He gave a short laugh. "No pet, I'm not."

Relief filled her voice. "Ok, thanks for answering. It was like totally haunting me. It was tearing me up that I thought I just let you take her."

Again he gave a harsh laugh. "You didn't 'let' me do anything, pet. I do what I want."

"I know." Came the quiet reply. "If uh, you're not going to kill her... take care of her ok? She looked pretty lost."

"I had already planned on it." Spike replied. At the small gasp, he added "Taking care of her, not killing her."

"Ok, good. Thank you, I guess." Lily said. She heard a click on the other end and knew Spike had hung up the phone. That was weird, she thought. Not at all like the Spike she had met in Sunnydale. He actually seemed to care what happened to Buffy.

His next call was to the diner next door, and he arranged to have some food delivered for Buffy, then he took a shower. When he got out, he realized he hadn't brought any clean clothes in, so he put his jeans back on. He rubbed one of the rough dingy towels through his hair, and walked out into the room.

The heavy curtains blocked the sunlight, but the room was lit with a faint glow. With his sensitive eyesight, he saw that Buffy was awake, her back against the head board. Her knees were drawn up and her arms were wrapped around them. She looked vulnerable and confused.

He had left the bathroom light on, which allowed more light to pour into the room. He glanced at the clock and noticed it was almost noon. They had slept for a while.

She looked up at him with sad eyes as he came towards the bed. "Morning, luv." He greeted her with, finding himself strangely disconcerted by her presence.

"Morning." She mumbled.

"How do you feel?" he asked.

"Like I got hit by a car." was the reply. "But better than I did last night. Thanks."

"You look better." He told her, sitting on the edge of the bed. "I uh, ordered you some food from the place next door, it should be here soon."

She looked at him in surprise. That gesture seemed out of character for him. Come to think of it, all of this was out of character for him.

"Why did you do that?" she couldn't help but ask.

He wouldn't meet her eye. "Because I figured you'd be hungry." he answered.

"I am. Thank you," she told him gratefully. She looked around for the phone. "I need to call work, I don't think I'll be able to work today."

"Already taken care of." He told her. She turned those stunning eyes back to him, searching his face.

"What the hell is this?" she asked, getting the feeling her decisions were being taken away from her.

Spike was reprieved from answering by a knock on the door. He strode to open it, pulling some bills out of his back pocket. Buffy didn't see who was at the door, Spike's muscular back blocked the way, and she found her eyes wandering over his form. Nice shoulders, tight muscles, ooh, washboard abs, as he turned slightly sideways. Now that's an ass that looks good in jeans. I don't think I've ever really got to check it out before, he's always covering it with his duster. Her eyes widened slightly as she realized where her thoughts had taken her. Holy crap!

Spike shut the door and turned around, with a bag in his hand. He noted the slightly shocked look on her face, and wondered what had put it there. He held up the bag, and announced unnecessarily. "Food. Why don't you use the bathroom first, and I'll get this ready for you."

She stared at him again. Who was this? Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, she nodded and threw back the covers, finding that her strength was considerably better than the previous night. Her arm felt better, and just gave her a nudge of pain when she put a little weight on it to prop herself up.

Spike tried not to stare at the expanse of leg that had just been revealed. God, she was a sexy little thing. He found himself hardening again just watching her retreat into the bathroom. He mentally shook himself, best not to think thoughts like that. His body didn't seem to want to listen, however.

He heard the water running as he set out the food items on the chipped table that occupied a corner of the dingy room. Not knowing what she liked, he got a variety of things.

Buffy looked at herself in the mirror, and was pleased to note that she was healing up quickly. She used Spike's tooth brush, and found his hair brush. For some reason, it seemed odd to associate these items with him. It was soo.. normal. When her hair was looking a sight better, she quickly used the toilet and went back out into the room.

Spike was sitting on one of the chairs, feet bare and propped up on the table, reading the paper. She noticed the large amount of food he had laid out and told him, "I sure hope you're going to help me eat all this."

He looked up at her as if he just realized she was there. She looked better. "I see you found my hair brush." He announced.

She nodded shyly, "And your toothbrush. Hope you don' t mind.

"It's fine," he told her, glancing back down to the paper. "Eat."

She sat down across from him and picked up a bagel and spread cream cheese on it. "So, why did you call my work?"

"Had to tell 'em you weren't coming back," he replied, not lifting his eyes up although he was not reading a word.

"WHAT???" she cried.

"You're not going back." he announced simply, bracing himself for the argument. He looked up and was pleased to note a sliver of her usual fire had made its way back into her eyes.

"Who the hell gives you the right to do something like that?" she demanded, setting her bagel down and pinning an icy glare at him.

"You asked me to help you. I'm helping you." He told her simply.

"I asked you to keep me out of the hospital, not run my life." She snapped.

He shrugged, turning the page of the paper he held in front of him. He knew it would drive her nuts if she thought she didn't have his full attention, and as usual, he was right on the money.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked again.

He flicked his glance away from the paper, looking her dead in the eye and said ""Because somebody sure as hell needs to."

"And that someone just happens to be you?" she replied.

"Well, yah. See anyone else around, pet?"

She couldn't answer that question because she knew he was right. She had kept herself isolated.

"Oh, when I called your work, they told me that vampire groupie had been calling to check up on you. I called her and told her you were ok." He announced to her nonchalantly.

"Oh, and I'm sure she so believed you. You realize you tried to kill her, right? In another one of your lame attempts to kill me?"

Again, another shrug. "I'm a vampire. Supposed to kill people. Her number is over there on that pad of paper if you want to call her and assure her you are alive and well."

Buffy just shook her head at him, not knowing what to say. This was just too bizarre. She knew he was trying to maneuver her, she just didn't know why.

"Maybe she picked up my purse last night. I'll give her a call and see." Buffy muttered. "So, now what?" She knew he was leading up to something, telling her work she wasn't coming back, reassuring Lily she was ok.

"I'm taking you home." He told her simply.

"And again with the HUH?"

"I'm taking you home." he repeated slower, like she was a dense child that needed things spoken slowly for her to understand.

"Got that part. Why?"

"You need to go home. You've got no business being here." Spike told her, grabbing at the bagel she wasn't eating and taking a bite.

"And please tell me where that is any of your business?" she huffed at him, anxiety rushing through her at the thoughts of returning home.

"I was there, luv. You know your mom didn't mean what she said when you left the house that night." Spike told her.

"How the hell do you know what she said? I thought you left."

He smirked at her. "Wanted to hear what your mum had to say about you being the slayer and all. I stayed to listen outside in the bushes."

"God, stalker much?" she replied. That made him smirk bigger.

"Yeah, I am. Creature of the night here. Anyway, your mum was just feeling overwhelmed, and you know it. Made a handy excuse though, didn't it?" Spike taunted.

"What did?"

"You could haul your cute little ass to LA, and didn't have to blame yourself. It made it easier, didn't it? You could tell yourself that you weren't running from your problems. Oh no, you had been forced to leave." Spike explained.

"You don't know anything," Buffy exclaimed.

"Oh really? Then why doesn't anyone know you are here if it was just your mom telling you not to come back? If you weren't running away from your problems, why haven't you let the rest of your little friends and the Watcher know where you are? They weren't the ones who told you if you left not to bother coming home. " He was taking a stab in the dark, but figured he had a good chance of striking with that one.

"Dammit! Get the fuck out of my head!" she yelled at him, tears threatening to fall down her face.

"I'm right, aren't I? And that is why you have to go back. You are not going to be happy until you face them again." Was his reply.

"Maybe I don't deserve to be happy." She revealed sadly.

Spike looked at her like she was an idiot. "What kind of rot is that? Sitting here feeling sorry for ourselves, are we, luv?"

The tears that were threatening finally fell, and Spike had to steel himself not to go to her side and draw her in his arms.

"I don't deserve to be happy, I killed the man I loved." She bit out tearfully.

Oh Christ, this was pathetic. He couldn't help himself, he walked over to her and picked her up. He sat in her chair and settled her on his lap, stroking her hair again. She didn't fight his gestures, instead turning her face into his bare chest. He could feel the hot tears dripping down his stomach.

"Now you listen to me. You didn't kill Angel. Angelus killed Angel. You did what you had to do. Don't go all blubbering about killing an innocent man. As much as he tried to deny it, Angelus WAS a part of Angel. He was a sick fuck. If he was truly worthy, a bleedin' soul should not have made any difference to him where you were concerned. Do you hear me?" He told her fiercely. "He should have wanted you even without a soul."

She looked up at him through tear filled eyes. Spike could see when his words were finally getting through to her, and acknowledgment filled them. She nodded slowly, then tucked her head back against Spike's chest. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. They stayed that way for a while.

Chapter 3

Buffy finally became aware of something hard pressing against her thigh, and she gasped as she realized what it was, leaping off of Spike's lap. She turned to face him warily.

He had a teasing glint in his eye. "There's my shy little virgin," he said.

That brought a flicker of pain into her eyes. "Shut up." She ground out through clenched teeth, as memories of the shy little virgin she had been flashed through her head.

For some reason, that made Spike feel like an ass. "Just teasin' ya luv. Didn't mean anything by it." he told her. She continued to look at him warily, pain still present in her eyes. Spike didn't like seeing it there, knowing he was responsible for it.

"Look, I'm sorry." he began in a sincere tone that he rarely used, "I didn't mean to spook ya. It's a normal reaction from having a cute little slayer all cozied up in my lap, ok?"

If anything that made her look at him more warily. "What kind of a game are you playing here? Why are you making with the Mr. Nice Guy? At least I could always count on you to be upfront about your wanting to kill me, you didn't play games with me. So what the hell are you doing now?" She demanded to know.

Spike's eyes narrowed at that. "Not playing a game here, slayer. I told you I wasn't going to kill you. Christ, don't you bloody think I already would have, if that was my intention? It's not like you weren't bleeding all over my bed unconscious last night, or anything." he told her.

"Why?"

"Why what?" he asked.

"Why DON'T you want to kill me anymore? What's changed, Spike?" she asked firmly. Her mind had already been so messed with, she couldn't stand to find out that Spike was playing with her also.

Spike threw himself out of the chair, finding his agitation returning and paced the room. He ran his hands nervously through the ungelled curls on top of his head. Buffy noticed that he still had an impressive bulge inside of his jeans, and she was hard pressed to tear her eyes away from it.

"What.. has.. changed... Spike..??" she asked again, slowly drawing out the words, putting her hands on her hips.

"I don't know." he mumbled. But he did know, and that accounted for the return of his agitation. He was fighting his feelings, he was trying to tell himself that he didn't have feelings for her, and his subconscious was protesting.

She kept her stare pinned on him, as he continued to pace the room. "Spike," she began to say when she was interrupted.

"Bloody hell slayer, what do you want me to say? Do you want me to tell you that Dru left me because of you? Because she did. She said she could see you swimming in my head. Do you want me to tell you that I haven't had a moment's peace since I left Sunnyhell? Because I haven't, not until last night. Do you think I LIKE this?? Not being able to get you out of my brain??" he finally stopped and shouted at her. "Because I can tell you, this is not a good idea. I'm a bloody vampire, shouldn't be taking care of the damn slayer" he continued to rant, resuming his pacing.

He was so caught up in his tirade that the feel of a warm hand on his cool arm took him by surprise, cutting him off midsentence. He looked down at her, and found her peering intently into his eyes.

"Thank you." She whispered, wrapping her arms around his waist and pressing herself against his cool body.

Without conscious thought, his arms snaked around her bringing her tighter against him. There was no way she could ignore his erection pressing in to her lower abdomen, but she didn't move away.

"Why are you thanking me, luv?" he softly asked, resting his cheek on the top of her head. He inhaled her scent deeply, and it caused him to become harder.

"For being there," she finally answered. "It's been a long time since I've felt safe. Last night when you held me was the first time I've felt even a glimmer of hope since Angelus returned. Thank you for giving me that. And for taking care of me when I got hit last night."

She lifted her head up from his bare chest and looked him in the eye. Buffy hesitantly reached up and touched her lips to his firm cool ones. He jerked his head back in surprise.

"Buffy, what are you doing?" he asked, not daring to think it meant what he wanted it to.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that." she mumbled, embarrassment coloring her voice as she tried to free herself from his embrace.

Spike smirked at her, "Now where do you think you are headin off to, luv? You're not going anywhere. Just needed to make sure you didn't do that out of any misplaced sense of gratitude."

When she turned her confused eyes back to his, he reached down and captured her lips hungrily, sliding his tongue out to outline her mouth. When she parted her mouth, he snaked his tongue inside and their tongues prodded and plunged against the other. Buffy moaned softly, and Spike slid his hands to her hips to bring her closer to him, grinding himself against her. He wasn't giving her a chance to second guess herself or him, as he unconsciously moved his hips in small circles against the apex of her thighs. The smell of her arousal perfumed the air, bringing a blaze of desire though him.

God, who would have known that this girl could make him feel like this? This wasn't supposed to be happening, it was crazy. But happen it was, as he felt her hesitant hands kneading the muscles in his shoulders.

For Buffy, it felt like her lights had finally been turned on. Desire raced through her as she felt his cool hand stroke its way under his T-shirt that she was wearing, lightly caressing her skin as it came to her breast.

She moaned softly against the side of his mouth, arching her shoulders back to push her aching breast harder into his hand. She felt him kissing a wet trail down the side of her neck, and she shivered, jumping slightly when he nipped at her jugular with his blunt teeth.

"Not gonna hurt you," he whispered into her skin. She nodded her understanding helplessly, unable to process any rational thought.

He was surprised to feel her hand reach the front of his pants and undo the buttons, before reaching inside and pulling out his erection. The feeling of her warm hand on his member was almost too much for Spike to handle. He groaned into the curve of her neck, before attacking it with his tongue.

The feel of Spike mouth at her neck made another delicious shiver go through her. She knew how dangerous it was, giving a vampire access to her neck, especially one who had tried to kill her multiple times. But another part of her trusted him, and these conflicting feelings were adding to the wicked desire he was making her feel.

"Oh god, Spike," she groaned, as he flicked a finger over her nipple. She was grinding her pelvis against him at a rapid rate, but it just wasn't enough.

Spike backed her up to the bed, and lowered her down to it, covering her body with his own. She allowed him to remove the T-shirt she wore, as his gaze flew hungrily over her panty clad body.

"Christ luv, you're going to kill me," he moaned, crushing his lips against hers again. Spike had to reach deep into himself to exert some self control before he drew back slightly and looked into her passion filled hazel orbs and asked, "Do you want me?"

She was helpless to do anything but nod, lifting her hips up to keep the intimate contact.

Spike gave a satisfied low growl, allowing himself to give her the friction she desired. "Tell me who it is you are here with." he demanded of her, his voice husky with passion. He didn't want to be a substitute for Angel, he had to hear her say it.

"Spike," she whispered grabbing the sides of his face and looking deep into his darkening eyes. He gave her a sexy smirk and allowed himself to kiss her again. He wasn't done yet.

Pulling back again, using every bit of control he possessed, he told her "We are going to make love here. I need to know that you aren't using this as a way to help you forget Angel" deliberately saying his name to gauge her reaction. She flinched slightly at his name, but her gaze stayed locked with his. "I won't be anyone's substitute. We do this, there won't be any going back. This isn't a one night stand here, do you understand, Buffy?" he asked her intensely.

Looking into his beautiful eyes, Buffy nodded. "Say it" Spike growled, lowering his head to nibble at her neck again.

Buffy closed her eyes at the desire throbbing between her legs at Spike's nibbling. "I understand. No one night stand." she whispered hoarsely, fully understanding the implications of this, but finding herself unable to stop the words from leaving her mouth..

Spike gave another low growl and reached his hand down and tossed her panties off of her before sliding his jeans down and kicking them off.

Oh my god, he feels so good, Buffy thought. All hard and lean, and the things he was doing with his tongue were threatening to drive her insane, as his mouth moved downward and latched itself onto her nipple. His hand was kneading the other one, gently running his finger over the tip. His other hand was everywhere, caressing, touching. It found its way below her nest of curls and he flicked his finger over her clit, eliciting a loud moan from Buffy.

"Oh god Spike, that feels so good," she panted. She had never felt like this before, certainly not with Angel. She felt as if every nerve ending in her body was on fire.

Buffy's little moans were all Spike could take, as he pressed the tip of his erection to her moist opening. "Christ Buffy, I can't wait." he groaned.

In reply, Buffy arched her hips, bringing him hard inside her. She gasped at the first sensation of that intimate contact, willing her muscles to relax to accommodate his huge size. Spike kept himself still, waiting for her muscles relax. She was so hot, so wet, so tight. Finally, he started thrusting in and out of her slowly, then speeding up as they both were carried closer to their release.

Buffy felt a feeling build up inside of her, and she bucked harder against Spike, her clit rubbing against his pelvic bone. Finally, just when she thought she couldn't' stand it anymore, something broke loose inside of her and wave after wave of sensation burst through her and she screamed, clenching her vaginal muscles over Spike's shaft. That sudden gripping with her muscles sent Spike over the edge and he came with a roar, switching into demon face and before he could help himself, he had sunk his canines in her jugular.

Buffy tensed up for just a second at the sudden prick of his teeth, then was launched into a second orgasm. The intimate feel of him pulling her blood seemed to have a direct connection between her legs. She heard him whisper "Mine." as he removed his fangs from her throat, licking it to close the wounds, then collapsing on top of her.

Buffy just lay there under him, not able to move. That had been the most incredible thing she had ever felt.

Spike could hear her racing heart settle into a slower rhythm as her breathing became more regular. He turned them over so that she was lying half on top of him, and she felt him kiss the top of her head.

"I'm sorry," he whispered huskily into her ear. Buffy jerked her head up. He was what? He was responsible for the most amazing thing that had ever happened to her, and he was SORRY? Surely life wouldn't be so cruel, would it?

He looked into her eyes and noted the fearful look in their green depths. He kissed her mouth, then told her "No, I am most definitely not sorry for this. I'm sorry for biting you."

Buffy gave him a relieved smile. "It's ok. Didn't hurt. I kinda liked it." she admitted. He returned her smile with a wide one of his own, and bent his head to kiss the puncture marks on her neck. She could feel a thrill shoot through her when he initiated contact with the marks he left, then she remembered the word he spoke.

"Spike?" she whispered.

"Hmmm?" he answered back, flicking his tongue across the bite.

"Did you try to claim me?" she asked.

He ceased his ministrations, and pulled her closer. "Yeah, my demon tried to claim you. It's ok, it isn't valid unless you claim me back."

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Dense much? Why did your demon try to claim me?" Buffy further probed.

"You know why. If you know enough to know I claimed you, you know what it means." he told her, trying to get her to drop it.

"Yeah, but WHY do you want me to belong to you?" she insisted on knowing.

When Spike heard her say those words, he knew it wasn't just his demon involved, all of him wanted her. He wanted her to be his. "Because I want you, ok, slayer? Can we just leave it at that?"

She sighed against his chest, as Spike brought the covers up over their naked bodies. "What are you thinking?" he asked.

"I'm thinking it's nice to still be wanted after I have sex with someone, " was her answer. He immediately growled softly. "What?" she asked him in confusion.

"It's my demon. Doesn't like you talking about other men." he replied, half lying. It wasn't just his demon involved here.

"Geez, possessive much?" she said, snuggling closer. The feeling of contentment and safety was strong, snug in this killer's arms. This was the closest she had felt to normal in ages.

"Very. Warned ya it wasn't gonna be a one night stand, remember?"

She smiled. "yeah, I remember." She yawned, and fell back asleep. Spike just sat and watched her sleep, perfectly content also. He wasn't meant to be alone, it wasn't in his nature and he didn't mean just his vampiric nature. Buffy wasn't meant to be alone either. He was tempted to forget his plan to take her back to Sunnyhell and keep her safely at his side, but he knew he couldn't really do that. It wasn't fair to her, she needed to face those demons waiting for her. Again, Spike was amazed that he even cared, but he did. He wanted her whole, not shattered.

Chapter 4

Spike must have fallen asleep, because when he woke up he was alone. He heard the shower running, and decided to let her have a bit of privacy instead of joining her. Inhaling deeply, he was rewarded by lingering scent of her mixed with sex. It was a heady smell, and immediately caused him to harden.

Not wanting to have to jump her the second she came out of the bathroom, he heaved himself out of the bed. Had to get away from that tantalizing scent. His mood was light, and he got a clean pair of jeans out of his drawer and slid them on. He sat down at the table and waited for her.

Ten minutes later, the bathroom door opened and Buffy stood there. Her hair was wet, brushed straight back, and her face was unadorned with cosmetics, standing there again clad in his T-shirt. And she was absolutely the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

"Hi," she greeted him with shyly. This felt awkward to her, not having a "morning after" to compare it to. He was only the second man she had slept with, and well, they weren't just men, now were they? Vampires. And I'm the slayer, she thought. What the hell does that say about me??

He gave her a wolfish smile and opened his arms up, patting his lap. "Come here." he commanded.

Relieved, she rushed over to throw herself in his lap, and he wrapped his arms around her. She sighed contentedly. This felt really good. Spike was pleased to note that some of her spark was returning. She again felt him kissing the top of her head, as she laid her cheek against his cool bare chest. She found herself tracing patterns over it with her finger, relishing the feel of the sleek hard body under her.

Spike also felt himself contented, and that was something hard to do. Just being near her, holding her in his arms was enough. He just wanted to have contact with her, he craved it. He knew part of it was the partial claim, but this feeling had been in place long before he bit her. He could finally admit that to himself.

"So, what's the plan?" she asked.

"We're going back to Sunnyhell as soon as it gets dark," he informed her, bracing himself for the argument he was sure was going to follow.

Instead, she surprised him. She sighed deeply and said "OK."

"You know you have to do this, don't you? I'm sure your mum is worried sick about you," he chastised her lightly.

"I know. I.. I miss her. I'm just so scared." She admitted.

"It'll be all right. I'll be there with you, you know that, right? I'm not leaving," he announced to her, making sure she understood.

"I'd kinda hoped you wouldn't," she told him. "It'll probably make things easier, they'll be so bent out of shape about me showing up with you, they'll forget all about me bailing on them."

He grinned at her, "Yeah guess it will shake 'em up a little. Gotta promise to protect me from 'em, ok? Don't fancy get staked on sight." he told her.

She returned his smile and informed him, "Don't worry, I won't let anyone lay a finger on my guy."

Her guy. He liked the sound of that. His demon did too, he could feel the feelings of possessiveness coming from it. Yes, it wanted her, no doubt about it.

She lifted herself off of his lap and told him that she was going to go call Lily, and see if she had her purse. Maybe she could even bring some clothes over for her.

Spike told her where to find the number and she took herself over to the bed and sat down on the side of it, and punched the number into the phone.

This time it rang twice before it was answered. "Hello?"

"Lily?" Buffy asked.

"Buffy? Is that you?" she asked frantically.

"Yes, it's me. I was wondering if you picked up my purse last night, I kinda dropped everything to go play superhero." Buffy questioned her.

"I do have it. Listen, are you ok?" Lily insisted on knowing.

"I'm fine, pretty much all healed. Being the slayer comes in handy when you get hit by a car," she replied.

"He didn't uh, turn you, did he?" she asked hesitantly.

"Lily, if he had turned me, do you really think I'd be giving a shit about my purse?" Buffy retorted.

Silence followed that comment, and Buffy could almost hear the wheels turning in the girl's head. "No, I uh, guess not."

"Thanks for trying to help me out last night, I appreciate it. How are you doing?"

"I've been kind of frantic, actually. It really scared me last night, seeing Spike. Then I felt so guilty for letting him take you. I kept thinking I could have stopped him somehow. I must have imagined him sinking his teeth into you a million times," she admitted. At her last comment, Buffy's mind wandered back to when he did bite her. It gave her a shiver just thinking about it.

"Hey, can I ask you for a favor?" she asked Lily.

"Sure, anything. I mean, I owe you my life." she gushed.

"Do you think you can bring me my purse? And maybe a pair of pants? My uniform was trashed, I'm sitting here wearing one of Spike's shirts."

Silence met that last comment, and Buffy glanced over to Spike, who raised a scarred eyebrow in her direction. He got a wicked look on his face, and made a big show about letting his eyes travel up and down her body. She rolled her eyes at him, and turned back to the phone.

"Lily? You there?" she asked.

"Think you shocked the girl, luv." Spike said loudly in the background.

"I'm uh here. Yeah, sure, I can bring your stuff to you. We're still looking for jobs, so we need to get out there anyway." Lily told her.

"Oh, stop by the diner, they should have an opening. Tell the manager you're a friend of mine. Hold on a sec ok?" Buffy informed her.

She turned to Spike, and without holding her hand over the phone, asked him "Where the hell are we?"

"Palms Hotel." he replied.

"Huh?" Buffy said.

"Oh bloody hell, give me the phone." he griped, getting up out of the chair and throwing himself, face down, on the bed next to Buffy. "Give me the phone." he growled as Buffy held it out of his reach.

"No, you scare her, you jackass," she informed him smugly.

"Slayer, give me the phone NOW." he growled louder.

"Fine, fine " she conceded, putting the phone back to her ear. "Spike wants to talk to you for a sec." Buffy warned Lily.

Without saying hello, he asked her if she knew where the Palms Hotel was. She had a vague idea, and he helped her pinpoint it. Buffy was running her fingers through Spike's hair. It was so soft, even with all the harsh chemicals he used on it.

"Goddammit Slayer, leave my bleedin' hair alone, would ya?" Spike threatened, holding the phone slightly away from him.

"Fine, fine," she told him again, taking her fingers out of his hair.

He held the phone out to her, "she wants to talk to you again."

Buffy took the phone back, and put it to her ear. "Hey." she said into the receiver.

"Hey. Um, Rickie uh, wants to make sure I'll be ok if I come over there," she said meekly. "He's kinda afraid this is a set up."

Buffy smiled. "Yeah, it'll be fine. If Spike tries anything, I'll kick his ass. Tell him to come with you, that should make you feel better." Buffy realized how that could sound to her, if Lily was really afraid that Buffy had been turned. She couldn't blame her for being skittish, she'd had a bad experience at the hands of vampires.

"Do you have a cross with you?" Buffy asked. Lily told her she did. "Ok, tell you what. Leave it in front of the door, and back away. I'll open the door and pick it up, so you'll know I'm not one of the recently turned undead. How does that sound? Oh and bring some stakes too, if that'll make you feel better."

Lily seemed happy with that plan. She told her she'd be there within the hour.

Buffy hung up and flung herself backwards on the bed. "Oh thank GOD, clean clothes."

"I kinda like seein you like this, luv," Spike whispered, trailing his hand over her thighs and up her torso.

She batted his hand away, telling him "we so don't have time for this, Lily is going to be here."

"Oh I can make it quick, luv," he purred, moving to cover her with his body, pressing his erection into her.

"No fair!" she whined, as a burst of desire shot through her, making her instantly wet. She grabbed his head and brought it down to hers, kissing him hungrily.

"There's my girl," he said into her mouth, returning her kiss with rising passion. He quickly removed her t-shirt and panties, and guided her hand to assist him with his jeans. He groaned when she took him into her small hand, rubbing the scant amount of precum over the tip of his penis.

"Oh yeah, I can do quick, all right," he repeated, as he thrust into her. She was ready for him, slick and moist, and just as hungry for him. Their pelvises ground together at an intensity that would have shattered a normal person, but they found themselves perfectly matched. He pounded into her again and again until he felt him reach his release, again driving his fangs into her throat as he came.

That was what she needed to drive her just over the edge, and she came with a cry, gripping his hips tightly with her thighs. Buffy could feel him taking long pulls of her blood, and she knew she shouldn't be allowing this but god it felt so good. It made her feel so close to him. He finally pulled his fangs out, licking softly, before she even felt the affects of blood loss. He seemed to know just how much he could take without harming her. Well duh, Buffy. He's a vampire, he's only been doing this for over a century. She so did NOT want her thoughts to go there, so she turned them over and kissed him softly before laying her head on his chest.

Spike couldn't believe that Buffy was letting him bite her. And not just that, but trusting him enough to allow him to take blood from her. God, her blood was beyond description. He could feel it saturating his entire body, warming him, connecting him to her.

"I didn't take too much, did I?" he asked, pulling her closer in his arms.

Buffy shook her head, she was too relaxed to do anything else. "Thank you," were his next words.

"For what?" she lifted her head up in confusion.

He kissed her again gently. "For trusting me." he told her. She just nodded and laid her head back down. Her relaxation was ruined by a knock on the door. Grumbling, she scrambled off Spike, locating her scant clothes and slipped them on. Spike didn't want to tell her she looked good and fucked, with her hair all mussed, lips swollen. Not to mention his nice array of bites marking her neck. He smirked, and got his jeans on, not attempting to straighten the bed. He was, after all, still the Big Bad.

Buffy answered the door, and looked down at the crude cross at the doorway. She glanced up and saw Rickie and Lily huddled down the hallway. She leaned down and picked up the cross and dramatically pressed it to her forehead.

"My child, you have been SAVED," she quipped. She turned to smile at the pair, as they cautiously made their way over to her. Again, she didn't blame their nervousness. "Wanna take my pulse?" she asked, holding her arm out, wrist side up.

Lily came a little closer and gasped, her eyes growing slightly wide. "WHAT?" Buffy asked.

Lily pointed at her neck, at the two separate bite marks that were evident there. Buffy reached her hand up and felt the small puncture wounds, embarrassed.

"You said he didn't turn you," Lily said accusingly. She was very nice, but not huge in the brains department.

Buffy rolled her eyes, realizing how it must look to the girl. "He didn't, I promise. This is not a trap, I swear. Watch." She marched over to the window at the end of the dingy hallway and danced in the sunlight that shone through it. "Look Ma, no flames."

Lily still didn't look convinced, but finally her boyfriend came forward and touched Buffy. "She's warm" he turned back to his girlfriend and announced. A look of relief washed over Lily's face. She ran over and hugged Buffy, shocking her.

"I'm glad you're ok." She cried.

"Thanks. Me too." Buffy responded, touched that this girl cared so much.

"You gonna stand in the hall all day, or what?" a voice from behind them spoke. The couple whipped around to see the blonde haired vampire leaning casually against the doorjam, arms crossed over his chest, looking deceptively relaxed. Buffy knew he was anything but. She could tell by his pose he was looking to intimidate, and was doing a bang up job of it.

Buffy walked past them and over to Spike, "It's ok, if you want to come in. He won't hurt you," she told them, grabbing Spike and dragging him into the room. "Knock it off." Buffy hissed. Spike replied to that with one of his trademark smirks.

They cautiously entered the room. The drapes were still drawn, so the lights were offering illumination through the grim room. Suddenly Buffy noticed the state of the bed and their state of dress, or rather, undress, and realized how it would look to the couple. Like the vampire and slayer had been doing exactly what the couple thought they had been doing.

lily stepped forward and handed the bag she was carrying over to Buffy. "Here, I hope they fit." she told her.

Buffy smiled her gratitude to her. "I'll take anything at this point! Hey, do you guys want something to eat? We have a ton of food here, and it's just going to go bad." she told them, gesturing to the table. Rickie and Lily looked wide eyed at the table, and Buffy made the decision easier for them by going and sitting down in one of the chairs. She knew they didn't have any money, and were probably hungry. Rickie led Lily over to to the table and sat down with her on his lap, reaching over and helping himself to some of the food Spike had provided earlier. Lily soon dived in, and Buffy realized she was hungry too. She ate the other half of the bagel she had started earlier, hoping she wouldn't get food poisoning from the cream cheese being unrefrigerated.

She gave a startled squeak when she felt strong arms pry her out of the chair, as Spike took her spot, plopping her down into his lap. She turned to give him a dirty look, and he gazed at her with false innocence in his eyes. She knew the other couple was freaked about him, and she could tell Spike was thriving on it.

Lily looked at her in confusion. "Uh, Buffy, can I uh, ask you something kinda personal like?" she inquired.

Knowing where this was going, Buffy nodded.

"I thought Spike wanted to kill you, and now uh..." she couldn't finish the statement. Spike looked at the girl with amusement.

"Oh he did want to kill me. But we made a truce not too long ago, and it's, well, it seems to be lasting a little longer than we thought," she answered lamely, feeling Spike's hands lifting her hair back as he propped his chin on her shoulder.

"So. Dude. You're a vampire?" Rickie asked, somewhat fascinated. He hadn't quite believed his love when she told him such things existed.

"Yeah dude," came the reply. Buffy gave him a warning look.

"You don't look like a vampire, dude." Rickie commented.

Spike couldn't help himself, he slid into his demon face and leered at the boy. Just as quickly he changed back. Lily looked terrified. Smelled it too. Spike smirked, he loved messing with people.

"Spike..." Buffy threatened in a low voice.

"What?" he asked again in a voice of false innocence.

"Knock it off. You're scaring her." she told him. Rickie looked at Spike with awe in his face. "Totally cool." he commented.

Buffy suddenly remembered something. "Hey, I don't know where you're staying, but my rent is paid up until the end of the month. That's 3 weeks from now. You're welcome to use my place. I have some things there, but to be honest, I don't want them. Too many memories.

Tears welled up in Lily's eyes. "Buffy, thank you. I stopped by the diner on the way here, I'm pretty sure I got the job. And now offering us a place to crash for a while. You have no idea how much I appreciate it."

Buffy smiled back. "Yeah, I do. It wasn't too long ago that i arrived here broke and jobless. I'm glad to be going home, actually. Not that I have a choice, Spike is pretty much dragging me back."

Lily offered him a tentative smile. "Well, I think we'll be heading off. Got some things to do." She tried not to look on in shock as Buffy let him lick the bite marks on her neck, she almost seemed unaware that he was doing it.

They both stood up, and Spike actually insisted they take the food. "Least I can do for scaring the piss out of you before." He told Lily. Buffy gave her the apartment key and directions.

When they were gone, Buffy turned to him and gave him a hug. "That was nice of you."

"What can I say, I'm a nice guy." he told her with a grin. By the clock, he knew dusk was approaching, which meant they could leave soon. He told her to go get changed, and he packed while she was in the bathroom. Truth be told, he was feeling a bit nervous at the reception they would receive up in good ole Sunnyhell.

CONTINUED...

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