Spike looked at his clock, wondering what had Buffy taking so long.  She had
been in the shower for quite some time, and he just wanted to get her out of
his crypt.  After a few more minutes passed, he decided to go down there and
make her hurry up.  When he climbed down the last step, he rolled his eyes as
he heard her singing in a high pitched voice.  "Singing in the shower...  How
clique."

When he saw his prized duster lying on a heap on the floor, his eyes narrowed
and his eyes grew ablaze.  "How dare that little chit throw my coat, MY COAT,
on the floor!  That's it.  I've had it.  'll get her out of the shower real
quick!"  Grinning at himself, he stepped over to the sink that was outside
the bathroom and turned it on.  Then he waited to hear the water stop.  
Instead, he heard a high pitched scream and a loud burst of some sort.  It
didn't take long for him to figure out what happened as water started seeping
under the door, wetting his feet.

Swearing to himself, Spike ran behind the steps to grab a pair of shorts from
his basket of clothes.  A second later, Buffy came bombarding out of the
bathroom, completely naked, and ran to the stairs screaming Spike's name.  He
hadn't heard her approach the stairs because he was too concentrated on his
thoughts of how to repay her for any damage she had caused.  He jumped a mile
at the sound of her voice and swung around, his towel dropping to the floor.  
The two just stood there, facing each other completely naked, and both dove
to either side of the steps.  

"Spike, the water!  I think I broke the nozzle!"
"Oh, you think you did?  Why the bloody hell else would there be puddles
forming on my floor!"
"Spikkeee!!!  Do something!"
"I'm naked, you do something!"
"So am I!  You go!"
"Slayeeerrrr!!!!"
"Spikkkeeee!!!!"
"GO," they both yelled in unison.

The water had risen up to their ankles at that point, but both stayed hidden
in the shadows, not wanting to expose their naked bodies to each other.  The
water rose to their knees, and eventually to their hips.  Finally, Spike let
out a chain of swears, and waded to the bathroom to stop the flooding.  Buffy
peered out from the side of the steps and watched in fascination as his shaft
started floating to the top of the water.  "Well that's new," she thought to
herself with a grin.

A few minutes later, Spike swam back to her and growled.  "My whole crypt is
flooded.  Any other ways for you to torment me tonight?"  He looked down in
the water and noticed his floating body part for the first time.  Still
glaring at her, he grabbed it and pushed it back down into the water, only to
watch it rise back to the top again.  With another curse or ten, he climbed
up the steps and went back to the top part of his crypt with the Slayer
trailing behind him.

"Spike, I don't know what happened.  Just let me know what I can do."
"Give me my bag right next to you."
"Here.  What can I do to help?"
"Hand me my clothes from the other side of you."
"Here.  Now tell me what I can do."
"Put these on.  We're going."
"What do you mean we're going?  Where are we gonna go?"
"We're going to your place for a few days.  Let's go."
"WHAT?!?  Have you lost your mind?!?"
"Well, Slayer, I can't very well stay here and swim around my crypt until it
dries out.  You caused it, so good ol' Spike's moving in for now."

With a sigh, Buffy handed him his things and put on the clothes he offered
her.  As much as she didn't want him to stay with her, there wasn't really
much of a choice.  He was right.  She had caused that mess, so she did owe it
to him.  She took a quick walk around the crypt, gathering anything else she
thought he might need, and discovered something odd.

"Spike?"
"What now?"
"When did you get a computer?"
"That doesn't matter.  Just grab it, and let's go."
"You think I'm going to carry your damn computer around with me?"
"Christ, Slayer.  Give me the damn thing, and move your ass!"

Buffy unplugged the computer and handed Spike the monitor.  He went out to
the DeSoto and put it in the back-seat, and then came back in for the rest of
it.  He went back into the crypt one last time and disappeared down the
stairs for a second.  When he came back up completely drenched, he flashed
his duster in front of her face, and let her watch the water drip off of it.  
Then with a snarl, he walked back out the door.

Wordlessly, the Slayer followed him to his car and got in the passenger seat.
 Most of the ride to her house was made in silence and she racked her mind
for something to say.  "I never knew a dick could float.  You should
manufacture those for, like, those swim floaties or something."  At first he
gave her an annoyed look, but eventually a smile took its place.  "I noticed
your flotation devices too, luv."  Buffy joined him in the laughter, feeling
completely relieved that there was no more silence.

She turned her body so she was facing him, and took a good look at the way
his eyes twinkled when he was happy.  "You know, Spike, you're really not
that bad."  A grin passed over his face.  "I know."  A smile lit up her face
as she brushed his wet hair off of his forehead.  His grin widened, and he
lowered his hand to hers, interweaving their fingers together.

"Spike?"
"Yeah luv?"
"I still hate you, you know."
"Wouldn't have it any other way, pet."

She leaned her head against his shoulder as they drove the rest of the way to
her house.  The remainder of the ride was made in silence, but it was
different from what it had been earlier.  This time, it was comfortable.  



~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~


Chapter 7: Touch Down


"Spiiiikkkeeeee!!!!!"

When he heard the tone of Buffy's voice, the vampire got up from his chair
and tried to weigh his options.  He could either stay where he was and deal
with the wrath of Buffy, hide in the closet and deal with an even more pissed
off slayer when she found him, or he could jump headfirst out of the window
and into the sunlight.

"Get your ass over here, so I can stake you!"

The third option was definitely sounding the best at that point.  He really
hadn't meant to upset her.  It was a harmless, really.  A joke, as in ha-ha
for him.  Too bad she didn't see it that way.

"If you don't open up this door right now, I'm tearing it down and I'm gonna
stake you twice for making me damage my own house!"

Looking back and forth from the window to he door, Spike finally decided to
let her in.  He walked slower than a person on death row, and winced as he
heard her pounding on the other end.  When he finally got there, he saw the
look on Buffy's face and wondered if it was too late to jump.

"Now listen up, Slayer.  Before you get your knickers in a twist, at least
hear me out.  I was only protecting you, best intentions, really."  

She gave him a look of death, and practically hissed, "Spike, you were
protecting me from the cute pizza boy?  What was he going to do, suffocate me
to death with pepperoni?"  He looked at her sheepishly when he replied.  
"Well he looked dangerous."  She glared daggers at him when she responded.  
"So you protected me from the dangerous pizza boy who asked me out on a date
by telling him I was a lesbian?!?"  

Spike opened his mouth to respond and quickly shut it again.  When he finally
figured out what he was going to say, he looked at the ground with a pout and
spoke.  "Listen, luv.  Whatever I did, it's only because I love...   making
you miserable."  With that said, he quickly swatted her on the ass and made a
run for it.  He'd be damned if he was going to let the Slayer make a pin
cushion out of him!

Ignoring the tingling sensation she got whenever he touched her in any way,
Buffy let out a low growl and started to chase him around the house.  When
she caught up to him in Dawn's room, she threw him on the bed and tackled
him.  Twisting his arm behind his back, Buffy yelled, "Say you're sorry!"  
Gritting his teeth in pain, he spat out, "Never!"  She pulled harder, yet
still he refused.  Deciding to take a different route, Buffy let go of his
arm and dug her elbow into his ass.  She calmly asked him again, "Spike, what
do you have to say?"  "Bite me."  Grinning like a maniac, she obliged him,
and pulled his pants down, sinking her teeth into his succulent ass.  He
began to shout, and the louder he yelled, the harder she bit.  

Unable to handle it any longer, Spike went to apologize, but was interrupted
by another shriek in the room.  "Oh, gross!  Buffy, Spike, what the hell are
you two doing!  In my room!  On my bed!  With your butt and her mouth!  
Ewww!!!"  

The vampire and the Slayer jumped off the bed in embarrassment as Dawn
continued to make disgusted faces.  Buffy turned to her, and said, "Dawn,
this isn't how it looks.  Really."  Her sister looked at her and shook her
head in denial.  "Out.  Just get out.  I don't even want to know."

Completely humiliated, Buffy hung her head down and walked out of the room
with Spike just a few steps behind her.  Once she was out of earshot, Dawn
grabbed Spike's arm and stared at him with narrowed eyes.  He gulped, not
wanting the nibblet to be mad at him.  "Nice ass, Spike," she said with a
grin.  "Now get out."  Before he could say a word, he had the door slammed
shut in his face, and heard her mumble something about whacked out foreplay.

Meanwhile, Buffy was sitting in her room with the door locked.  She was
determined to keep Spike away from her for as long as possible.  She had a
room made up for him and she told him that he could use the phone line that
had been installed for Dawn while he was there.  With a television, a
computer, a phone line, and a bed, there was no  reason for him to try to
talk to her again.  Ever.

With that thought in mind, Buffy decided to use her own computer to try to
get her mind off of the evilness that was Spike.  A smile spread across her
face when she signed on and found Will there.  At least there was one guy out
there who was still getting it right.  Still grinning, Buffy clicked on his
name and got ready for a good conversation.  

OneOfAKind:  hi Will  how's it going?
DeadSexy127:  Hi Anne!  It's been better, it's been worse.  
DeadSexy127:  How about you?  Everything good?
OneOfAKind:  I've definitely had better days...
DeadSexy127:  Awww, anything I can do to help?
OneOfAKind:  Unless you want to kill my annoying new neighbor and give me a
full body massage after, no, there's nothing you can do.  <g>
DeadSexy127:  lol
DeadSexy127:  I think I could arrange that.  :-D
OneOfAKind:  Promise?  lol
DeadSexy127:  I don't know if I have it in me to kill a human, but I could
definitely do a full body massage...  ;)
OneOfAKind:  Please do!  I'll be your slave for life!  
OneOfAKind:  <~~~  Will's slave
DeadSexy127:  Hey, I like that.  Sounds catchy.  lol
DeadSexy127:  So, Slave.  What are you gonna do for me?  lol
OneOfAKind:  I think you're the one who's supposed to be commanding me,
"Master Will."  lol
DeadSexy127:  lol!
DeadSexy127:  I'll keep that in mind for the future.  ;)
OneOfAKind:  So, wanna cyber?  

In the next room, Buffy could hear Spike choking.  "Will you shut up!  I'm
busy over here and I can't think through your coughing!"  A thump on the wall
was her response.

DeadSexy127:  Well, you just get straight to the point, huh?  <g>
DeadSexy127:  Not that I'm complaining!  :-D
DeadSexy127:  Though I'd rather be with you in person...  ;)
OneOfAKind:  someday.  for now, I'm grumpy, tired and sexually frustrated
though.  and you DID ask what you could do to help my mood earlier.  <g>  lol
DeadSexy127:  Well you have me there.  :)
OneOfAKind:  mind if I ask you a question?  and be honest
DeadSexy127:  8 inches  :-D

This time it was Spike yelling for Buffy to shut up.  "Damn it, Slayer!  
Would you shut up!  I'm trying to concentrate in here!"  A thump on the wall
was his response.

OneOfAKind:  well that's not what I was gonna ask, but that's good to know!  <
vbg>
DeadSexy127:  oops.  <crawls under desk and hides>
OneOfAKind:  lmao
OneOfAKind:  like I said, that's very good to know though!
DeadSexy127:  :-D
OneOfAKind:  I was gonna ask if you have a girlfriend.
DeadSexy127:  nope
DeadSexy127:  The only girl that I was interested considers me pretty much
dead in her mind.
DeadSexy127:  So I'm all alone.
DeadSexy127:  You don't have a boyfriend, right?
OneOfAKind:  I've been single for a long time
OneOfAKind:  I admit that I had a huge crush, but we were just too different
OneOfAKind:  not that he would have given me the light of day though
DeadSexy127:  I think he's be crazy not to want you
DeadSexy127:  From what I've seen, everything about you seems perfect.  :)
OneOfAKind:  Will, what are you doing on Friday?
DeadSexy127:  Are you asking me out?
DeadSexy127:  Slave.  lol  j/k
OneOfAKind:  Would you say yes?

A moment of silence passed.  The only thing that Buffy could hear was Spike's
tv going in the next room.  It sounded like a game of some sort.  She really
wished that he would turn it off.  It was very annoying.

DeadSexy127:  I'd do anything you asked me for.
OneOfAKind:  in that case, do you want to go to a movie or something on
Friday night?

In the next room, Buffy heard Spike yell out, "Yes!  Touchdown!"  She rolled
her eyes, and pounded on the wall again.  *Stupid vampires.*



~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~


Chapter 8: A Penny for Your Thoughts


With a permanent smile plastered to his face, Spike got up from his chair and
shouted out, "Yes!  Touchdown!"  When he heard the Slayer thumping on the
wall for him to shut up, he sat back down and invented the vampiric sitting
down snoopy dance.  Then he realized that he hadn't even said yes to Anne
yet, so he started typing furiously.

DeadSexy127:  Friday night sounds great.  <vbg>
DeadSexy127:  Do you want me to pick you up?
OneOfAKind:  I don't want you to have to go through 20 questions from
everyone in my house, so how about if we just meet somewhere?
DeadSexy127:  Alright, sounds great.  How 'bout the Bronze?  They have some
great food there, you know.
OneOfAKind:  yeah, I go there a lot  I tried their blooming onion for the
first time a couple days ago.  very yummy  :)
DeadSexy127:  The blooming onion, huh?  
DeadSexy127:  I think I'm in love!
DeadSexy127:  lol  That's my favorite
OneOfAKind:  lmao
OneOfAKind:  so, wanna meet at 9?  at the bar?
DeadSexy127:  That sounds good.  
DeadSexy127:  But I have to be going for now.  Duty calls...  :(
OneOfAKind:  yeah, I should be going too.
OneOfAKind:  so, I'll talk to ya later, and I can't wait til Friday!
DeadSexy127:  I'm counting down the hours.  <g>
OneOfAKind:  so, talk to you later and bye for now!
DeadSexy127:  Okay.  Bye Anne!  :)


When Spike signed off, he was still in a state of pure happiness.  He sat
there and tried to think of something to do while he waited for Buffy, but he
couldn't bare to sit still.  Jumping to his feet, he knocked on her door and
waited for her to let him in.  When she opened the door, he noticed that her
smile was almost as big as his, so he decided to make the most of it.  He
pulled her into his arms and gave her a quick kiss on the lips.  When he
pulled back, she was still standing there completely confused, and for the
first time ever, she was speechless.  Upon seeing her face, he let out a
jolly laugh, and took off down the hall doing a one person tango.  

He practically skipped through the kitchen as he put a cup of blood in the
microwave for his dinner.  Looking around, he decided to make Buffy's life a
little easier and started pulling out random things to cook for her and Dawn.
 It had been many years since he had cooked anything, but he was in such a
good mood that he had full confidence in himself, and in his cooking
abilities.  

The newly domestic vampire pulled out two pots and got started.  *This is
pretty easy.  Nothin' to it.  I should be a bloody chef!*  Whistling a merry
tune, he started setting the table as dinner finished cooking.  A few minutes
later, he yelled up the stairs, "Slayer, Nibblet!  Dinner's ready!"

The second that the two girls realized that Spike had been using any type of
kitchen appliances, they both ran down the stairs as fast as their legs could
carry them.  When they didn't see smoke or flames, they relaxed a bit, but
were still a bit concerned over seeing Spike in an apron.  Buffy's eyes lit
up when she saw that the covered plates of food on the table, and she gave
him a thankful grin.  The two of them held eye contact for a moment, and
their silence spoke a million words.  Dawn looked back and forth between the
oblivious pair, and smiled at how obvious it was that they had feelings for
each other.  She cleared her throat to catch their attention, and asked, "So,
Spike.  What are we having?"

A proud smile covered his face as he looked back and forth between the
sisters.  "Well, it's been a while since I last cooked, but I figured it all
out with no problem.  So, sit down, enjoy it, and savor the taste, because
it's gonna be good."  

Spike walked around the table and pulled out their chairs for them before he
took off the lid to his creation.  Once Buffy saw what he worked so hard for,
her smile widened.  "Spike, it looks delicious."  Dawn stared at the plates
for a moment, and then she mirrored Buffy's smile.  "Looks great!  Let's eat!"

Buffy could swear that Spike had tears of happiness in his eyes when he saw
the smiles aimed at his cooking.  He picked up the bowl of macaroni and
cheese and scooped some into their dishes, followed two hot dogs for each of
them.  His choice of dinner was probably the most simple thing to make, but
she wasn't about to burst his bubble.  The thought content behind it made it
better than a gourmet meal in her eyes, anyway.

After they finished eating, Buffy and Spike left to go patrol.  In the few
days that he had been staying with her, their relationship had changed, but
neither was willing to admit it.  As far as they were concerned, it was a lot
easier to pretend to hate each other than to face their true feelings.  That,
and they both had upcoming dates.

From Spike's point of view, no matter how much he wished he could be with
Buffy, it could never work.  Anne had a lot more in common with him, so it
just made sense that he should give her a chance instead of having a short
relationship with the Slayer.  Too bad he couldn't have both.

The vampire looked over at who should have been his enemy and said, "A penny
for your thoughts."  She turned to him and held out her hand, silently
requesting the penny.  Smiling at what a pain in his ass she was, he reached
into his pocket and handed her a worn out penny.  Their hands briefly brushed
against each other as she took the penny from him and she took a deep breath.

Twiddling the coin between her fingers, she began to speak.  "I was just
thinking about how weird life is.  You're born, you laugh, you cry, you
smile, and then you die.  And if you're lucky you find someone to share the
laughter and tears with you.  If you're not lucky, you either don't have
anyone or you have too many people.  Isn't it weird the way that works out?"

Spike gave her a thoughtful look.  "I know exactly what you mean, luv.  And
if you're really lucky, you can have a sexy vampire sidekick who would do
anything to make you miserable but would kill anyone who even touched you.  
Ain't life grand?"

Buffy smiled over at him and lightly punched him in the arm.  "And if you're
really lucky, I won't kick your sexy ass back to England.  C'mon.  Let's go
now.  There's no vamps out tonight.  No threatening ones anyway."

He went to respond, but settled for sticking his tongue out at her as they
walked back to her place.  She gave him a devious grin and said, "Put your
tongue back in you mouth unless you're gonna use it."  His jaw almost dropped
to the ground after hearing her words.  "Well, Slayer.  It looks like you do
have some stones.  I bet you wouldn't be saying that if we were back at your
house with pint size all tucked away in her bed though."  

Buffy stopped dead in her tracks and spun around to face Spike.  "Is that a
challenge or an invitation?"  He took a step closer to her so there noses
were almost touching.  "I would never ask you for something you didn't want,
pet.  So take it whichever way you want."  Staring deep into his eyes,
Buffy's heartbeat grew quicker by the second.  "And I would never take
anything that you didn't want to give."  His trembling hand reached up to
brush a strand of hair behind her ear.  "Well then, where does that leave
us?"  

Neither of them broke the intense gaze as they tried to decide what to do.  
Buffy's tongue darted out to lick her lip, and she made her decision.  
"Spike, I need you to know that- WATCH OUT!"  He jumped back from the Slayer
and whipped his head around just in time to avoid having it beat in with a
railroad spike.  When he saw his signature weapon being held by a younger
look alike vampire, he wasn't sure whether he should laugh or beat him.  

Spike jumped up and kicked the intruding vampire in the jaw, sending him to
the ground.  He angrily grabbed the offending weapon and yelled in the
vampire's face, "Who the bloody hell are you?!"  The younger one laughed and
shifted into vamp mode.  "I am Spike, William the Bloody, and a vampire!  You
will cower in fear at my dominance in species, you insolent fool!"  

The real Spike looked at him in confusion and turned to the Slayer for help.  
Buffy started to laugh.  "You've got groupies!"  He rolled his eyes and
turned back to his impersonator.  "Bloody pillock!  I'm Spike!  And you were
holding that thing all wrong.  Here, you do it like this."  He held the spike
up almost like a baseball bat and asked the impersonator if he understood.  
When he nodded his reply, Spike smiled and sent the weapon through his heart
and walked back towards Buffy through the ashes.

When he reached her, she was looking back and forth between him and the
ground.  As amusing as it was to see a Spike impersonator, seeing the real
Spike holding his signature weapon made Buffy once again remember his true
nature.  A large part of her told her that he was different from other
vampires, but there was a lot that she had to think about.  The look in her
eyes told Spike everything he needed to know, but he understood completely.  
He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, and they made the rest of their walk
home in a contemplative silence.

Once they walked through the door, they both made their way into their rooms
without saying a word.  The low hum of two computers booting up was the only
sound in the house, but neither noticed.  Their own thoughts were much louder
than the light buzzing sound.  Spike was the first one to have Internet
access granted to him, so a moment later when he saw Anne sign on, he im'ed
her.

DeadSexy127:  Hi Anne  :)
DeadSexy127:  How are you?
OneOfAKind:  It's been a long night.  how are you doing?
DeadSexy127:  I've been better.  
OneOfAKind:  It can't be that bad, right?
DeadSexy127:  Well I'd rather have syphilis than go through a night like this
again.
OneOfAKind:  thanks for the imagery  <g>
OneOfAKind:  I'm sorry that you're having a bad night.  :(
DeadSexy127:  Don't be.  It's not your fault.
OneOfAKind:  it still sucks though
DeadSexy127:  Well, on the plus side, it's a few hours closer to Friday.  :)
OneOfAKind:  yup  :-D
OneOfAKind:  only four more days now.  
DeadSexy127:  yup, I can't wait  :-D
OneOfAKind:  same here
DeadSexy127:  brb in one second
OneOfAKind:  yup

Spike jumped a mile when he heard a knock on his door.  He looked up at his
clock and saw that it was a little after midnight.  Hoping that it was Buffy
at the door, Spike quickly stripped down to his boxers to hopefully sway the
direction their conversation was going to go in.  The knocking grew a bit
louder, and he quickly minimized the IM screen so that nobody could find out
Anne's screen name and harass her with the truth about him.  

With a cocky grin, Spike opened the door, but it was only to find Dawn there
staring at his heavenly body in admiration.  "Oh, Nibblet.  Sorry.  Want me
to throw a shirt on?"  She shook her head and stepped into his room.  "Spike,
I just wanted to thank you for dinner.  I'm really glad that you're staying
with us right now.  It's fun having you around, and Buffy's a lot happier
with you here too.  She may not show it, but I can see it."  

She stepped further into the room and sat down in the chair by his computer.  
"So, I just wanted to let you know that.  Great screen name, by the way.  A
little obvious if you live in Sunnydale, but cute.  So, I'm glad you're here
and I hope you stay for a long time.  I have to go try to borrow a sweater
from Buffy now to wear to school.  So, goodnight!"

Leaving Spike mystified, Dawn walked out of the room.  He shook his head in
confusion and sat back down at his computer.  *Well that was odd.  And my
name isn't that obvious!  I kinda like it.*

DeadSexy127:  Sorry, Anne!  I'm back now.
OneOfAKind:  it's alright.  :)
OneOfAKind:  so, what are you doing?
DeadSexy127:  Oh, nothing exciting.  How about you?
OneOfAKind:  Just looking forward to Friday.  :)
OneOfAKind:  but I do have to be going soon.  So, will you be on tomorrow?
DeadSexy127:  Yup!  Of course  :)
OneOfAKind:  Alright, Will.  so I'll talk to you then, k?
DeadSexy127:  okay.
OneOfAKind:  Goodnight!  Don't miss me too much.  <g>
DeadSexy127:  I can't promise that.  lol
DeadSexy127:  A thousand times goodnight, Anne.


With a dreamy look on his face once again, Spike signed off and crawled into
his bed.  He could hear the nibblet in Buffy's room with her, but he couldn't
make out what they were saying through the sound of Buffy's stereo.  *I can't
believe she's listening to Savage Garden.  Truly, Madly, Deeply.  What the
bloody hell is that all about?*  With a shrug, he rolled on his side and let
his thoughts overcome him.  It would still be quite a while before he would
sleep, but at least he could be sure everyone was safe if he stayed up.

Though he couldn't hear it, in the next room, Dawn was prodding her sister
for information on Spike.  To her disappointment, Buffy denied everything.  
With a pout, Dawn sat on her bed and watched her fiddle with her computer
preferences before she shut down.  Her eyes nearly bulged out of her head
when she saw who Buffy had been planning to meet.  She opened her mouth to
warn her, and then thought better of it.  Buffy was a big girl and she could
take care of herself.  No need for her to interfere!

The Slayer gave her younger sister a stern look and pointed to the door.  
Dawn gave her a cheerful grin as she walked out with the borrowed sweater.  
When Buffy sat on her bed, she reached underneath and pulled out a box of
things that meant more to her than anything.  She smiled as she looked at the
items and thought of how far she had come.  Then she turned off her stereo,
and there was nothing but silence.

In the next room, Spike lay quietly and listened to Buffy rummage through her
box.  Though he couldn't see her, now that there was no sound in the house at
all, he could hear every movement.  The last thing he heard was the sound of
a penny being flipped and a box being pushed back under the bed.  A smile
spread over his face, and he softly finished singing the song that she had
shut off.  "Oh can't you see it baby?  You don't have to close your eyes' cos
it's standing right before you.  All that you need will surely come."  He
heard a soft thump on the other side of the wall and his smile grew.  He
returned the thump, and nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard a soft
knock on his door a moment later.  That time it was definitely Buffy.



~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~


Chapter 9: Say My Name


Knock knock knock.

Buffy stood at Spike's door, knocking as quietly as she could.  Half of her
mind told her to just ravage him, but the other half told her to run while
she still could.  Actually it was more like 99.4 percent wanted to go and
trample him, but there was still that small part of her that was terrified. 
*Oh, God, what am I doing!  There's still time for me to go.  Maybe he didn't
even hear me.*

As she started to tiptoe away, Spike opened the door, looking more sexy than
ever with his tousled hair and desire filled eyes.  All it took was a mere
glimpse of him, and she abandoned all doubt about what she wanted.  He
stepped to the side, silently ushering her in, and she wordlessly followed
with a glimpse over her shoulder to make sure that Dawn wasn't watching.

Once inside the room, they both sat on the bed, unsure of what to say to each
other.  He knew why she was there just as much as she did, but they were both
too scared to make the first move.  The two just stared at each other in
silence, silently urging the other to do something, anything. 

Finally Buffy had enough.  She looked deep into Spike's eyes and pulled his
face towards hers for a kiss.  Their lips met, gently at first, with warm
pressing against cold.  Her tongue darted out to lick his lip, and he slowly
opened his mouth, deepening the kiss.  With one arm running through his hair
and the other lightly running her nails down his back, she let her tongue
slide into his mouth, tangling with his own.  While their tongues battled
more intensely than their fists ever had, Spike brought up a hand to gently
caress her breast through her flimsy silk camisole.  Buffy shuddered as her
rosy nipple hardened to a peak and pushed herself further into his hand as
his fingers continued to work their magic on her.

Spike briefly broke apart from their kiss to slip her top over her head.  For
a moment he marveled at the sight before him, whispering, "Cor, luv.  So
beautiful."  Keeping eye contact with her, he moved his head down to her
chest, kissing a path to her ripe breast.  He pulled her nipple into his
mouth, swirling his tongue around it in hypnotizing patterns while he caressed
her other round globe with his hand.

A low, heavenly moan escaped her mouth, and at that moment, he completely
lost himself in her.  Her touch, her feel, her scent, her sound....  It was
absolutely intoxicating.  Already in love with the feeling, Spike took his
other hand and began to pull her shorts off her hips.  She let out a low
whimper, and slightly thrust her hips up towards his hand.  A husky chuckle
emanated from the back of his throat as he completely removed her shorts and
dropped his hand to her dark nest of curls.  He massaged her clit before
moving a finger into her hot passage, loving the feeling of her juices
flowing freely over his hand.

With one hand raking over his chest, Buffy took the other and lowered it into
his silk boxers.  Her hand firmly grasped his ass while his fingers thrust
into her in long, hard strokes.  Somewhere in the back of her mind she knew
that she had to be quiet because they were not alone, but at that moment she
couldn't have cared less.  She was in ecstasy, and there was no one else that
she would have wanted to share it with.

Moving her hand around to grasp his shaft, Buffy began to lightly pump it in
rhythm to his thrusting fingers.  A moan caught low in his throat, and she
stroked faster, loving the sounds he made when he was in pleasure. 

Once again his mouth found hers, and their tongues tangled together while
their hands urgently fondled each other.  Wanting to experience every part of
her that she had to offer, Spike gave Buffy a kiss on the nose, and licked a
path from the nape of her neck, all the way down to her toes.  From there, he
kissed his way up to her thighs, gently nipping the inside of them.  She
jumped a bit from the sensation, and he took that moment to raise his mouth
to her clit.  He suckled on it, marveling in the sweet sapidity of her, and
brought a finger to her passage.  Moving in sync with his fingers, his tongue
lapped away at all of her juices, wanting to get drunk off of them.

Before she could climax, the Slayer whispered his name and pulled him back up
the length of her quivering body.  "I want you inside of me.  Now."  Staring
deep into her eyes, Spike positioned himself at her opening, and brushed his
thumb across her lip as he entered her in a gentle thrust.  He slowly began
pumping into her, pulling his shaft almost completely out before entering her
again.  Her nails tore into his flesh as she scraped them down his back, and
he began to thrust more forcefully. 

The bed pounded into the wall, making the house sound like it was about to
collapse around them.  It's unlikely that they would have noticed if the
whole world caved in on them at that point, so neither noticed the pounding
coming from Dawn's room, as she knowingly thumped on the wall to get them to
keep it down. 

The Slayer clamped her muscles around him harder, and his eyes nearly rolled
into the back of his head from the sheer pleasure of it all.  "Oh, God,
Buffy!  So good!"  Still moving in rhythm with him, she pressed a finger to
his lips to silence him.  "Spike, don't say my name.  Dawn will hear you,"
she murmured with difficulty.  He smiled as he pumped harder.  "Whereas she
won't hear me if I call you Slayer, right?"  Digging her nails into his ass,
Buffy rolled him onto his back and straddled him.  "Don't call me that
either." 

While she rode him into an oblivion, Spike did his best to respond to her. 
"Mmmm...  What do you want me to call you then, pet?"  His hand reached up to
start stroking her clit as she rotated her hips and caressed his balls with
her hand behind her back.  "Oh God, Spike!  Oohhh...  I don't know.   Call...
<grunt>  me...  <moan>  by my...  <sigh>  middle...  <groan>  name!"  He
eagerly thrust into her, still intensely rubbing her nubbin.  "And what's
that, luv?"  She sped up her rhythm as she moaned out her answer.  "Oh,
Spike!  It's Anne.  Call me Anne!"

For a brief moment, Spike ceased all movement.  It all suddenly made sense to
him.  OneOfAKind....  Boyfriend that left her....  Annoying neighbor.  *Hey!*
The kid sister that had to get up for school...  Works the night shift...  
Tried her first blooming onion a couple of days ago...   *Oh, God, it's her! 
It's been Buffy all along!*

Suddenly Spike sat up and pounded himself into Buffy even harder than before.
Through his thrusts, he let out every emotion that he felt towards her.  He
felt her walls start quivering around him, and he pulled her closer to him. 
She started to quiver, and he pulled her lips to his, adding to the mind
blowing intensity of her orgasm.  A moment after, he followed, still kissing
her all the while. 

Both feeling completely satiated, they brought their heads down to the pillow
to reflect on their actions.  Spike curled his arm around her waist, and she
cuddled up closer to him so that he was spooning her.  He lowered his head to
her neck and began to kiss it, trying to make her understand that he wasn't
going anywhere.  If it was up to him, he would stay there with her forever.

She turned to face him and he rained kisses all over her face.  "Spike?"  He
sensed the seriousness in her voice and pulled back to hear what she had to
say.  *Please don't leave, luv.*  She brought her hand up to stroke his cheek
as she spoke.  "Will you stay with me for the night?"  He smiled as he
nuzzled his cheek into her hair.  With a kiss on the forehead, he leaned over
and turned on his stereo softly, because he knew she liked the noise while
she slept.

Feeling better than she ever remembered being, Buffy curled up on her side,
still being held by Spike.  As her eyes dropped shut, he softly began to sing
to her along with the radio.  "From this moment, life has begun.  From this
moment, you are the one.  Right beside you is where I belong, from this
moment on."  When he felt her breathing drop to sleeping form, he gave her a
final kiss before he whispered into her ear, "Buffy Anne, I'm in love with
you."



~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~


Chapter 10: Friday


With a long yawn, Buffy stretched out her arms and went to assume her
sleeping position for a little while longer.  When her arm went out though,
it collided into something.  Even though she was very groggy, she distinctly
remembered there not being a wall there.  Her eyes jolted open, and she
realized that she wasn't in her bed.  That and she found herself staring at a
very naked Spike.  

A smile lit up her features when she saw him lying there.  She thought that
he looked like a child, so completely innocent.  Remembering the night
before, her smile grew and she decided that he definitely wasn't as innocent
as he looked.  That, and it was hard to picture him being so innocent when he
was so very naked...

Buffy planted a kiss on his forehead and crawled out of the bed.   Looking
for something to wear, she finally settled on one of Spike's shirts.  She
stepped into the hallway, quietly shutting the door behind her, and bumped
head on into Dawn.

"Oh, um, Dawn.  What are you doing here?"
"I live here, remember?  And I'm getting ready to go to school."
"Oh, I didn't know you were up yet.  I was just in Spike's room, um,
borrowing a shirt."
"Yeah, I figured that.  Cuz, ya know, you have no shirts, right?  And you
probably had to go into his room naked to find one.  But I'm sure he didn't
mind after the night the two of you had."

Buffy stared at Dawn with her mouth agape.  She could have sworn that they
were quiet!  Well, as quiet as could be with the night they had, anyway.  She
tried to think of something to say in response, but Dawn had walked into the
bathroom and shut the door with a smirk.

Not knowing what else to do, Buffy ran back to Spike's room and started
nudging him to wake him up.  He moaned and rolled over, but didn't wake up.  
She pushed him harder, but still he slept.  Finally, she looked at him and
whispered in his ear, "Spike, I'm pregnant."  

For that, he jumped a mile and looked like he watched his cat get run over by
a spaceship.  "Pregbernoster!"  She stiffled a grin as he tried to wake up
enough to speak in languages that she understood.  When he was capable of
speech and thought again, she said, "I lied, but I need to talk to you."

His eyes narrowed and he grumbled something unintelligible before rolling
back over.  She made a whining sound, and he reluctantly turned back around
to hear what she had to tell him.   Buffy told him that Dawn knew about their
night together, and waited to see what he had to say, expecting him to react
much the same way that she had.  His eyes widened and his mouth dropped open.
 "That's what you woke me up for!"  With that, he rolled his eyes and turned
over again, wanting to sleep.  It was, afterall, early in the morning.

The Slayer stared at him and grumbled about how much she hated vampires as
she walked out of his room, and into her own.  She sat down in front of her
computer and logged on to the Internet.  *I can't even believe how much I
hate Spike sometimes.  Maybe last night was just a moment of insanity or
something*  While she kept thinking, she wrote out an email to Will to talk
about their date.  When she was finished, she logged off and went down to
make some breakfast.

Meanwhile, Spike was still awake, lying in his bed.  He had tried to sleep,
but it just wasn't working.  Every time he closed his eyes, all he could see
was an image of Buffy sans clothes.  It was driving him completely wild, and
he didn't think he could bare it for much longer.  *Keep it together, mate!  
You know why you have to control yourself now.  Just a little while longer
and then you'll know what to do.  If she leaves to go on her date with
'Will', then you'll know that last night didn't mean as much to her as it did
to you.  Just a little while longer now...*

Finally giving up on all chances of sleeping, he shimmied out of his bed and
threw on a pair of shorts to wear downstairs into the kitchen.  He needed
blood, he needed coffee, and he needed to feel Buffy's hot body wiggling
beneath him.  *Well two out of three ain't bad.*

Once he was in the kitchen, he ignored Buffy and Dawn sitting at the table
smirking at his appearance.  He looked like he hadn't slept for a month, and
his hair was standing straight up on end, but through it all he still
appeared to be glowing from the night before.  

Sending a quick glare in the direction of the girls, he walked over to the
fridge and pulled out a bag of blood, some cream, and a jar of instant
coffee.  He placed the blood in the microwave and once it was warm, he
started scooping in the coffee.  The Summers' stared at him in disgusted awe
as he added cream and sugar to his blood coffee and had to hold in their
stomachs when he took a sip.  Letting out a satisfied sigh, he looked at them
like they were the sick ones and shrugged his shoulders as he sat down to
have his breakfast.

Completely grossed out, Dawn excused herself and left to go to school.  Once
they were alone, Buffy and Spike just stared at each other in silence.  After
a few moments of not speaking, she put her empty dish in the sink.  "I'm
going back to bed.  It's too early to be awake, and I have a busy night ahead
of me."  

Spike's heart dropped into his stomach at that.  "Why, what's tonight?"  She
gave him an indifferent look, and replied, "Friday."  He tried not to show
any sign of disappointment, gave her the finger and went up to his room.  He
may as well sleep too, since he could sense the outcome of their future
together.  It didn't look good for him, either.

Hours later when he woke up, Spike sat down in front of his computer.  He
would normally go online, but he just wasn't in the mood.  Now that he knew
the truth, he couldn't bring himself to see what else 'Anne' had to say to
him.  It just hurt way too much.

In the next room over, Buffy was coming out of a deep sleep.  She looked at
her clock and smiled.  It was already 4:00 and there was a lot to be done
that night.  She had waited so long for the coming night that she didn't even
know what to do with herself.  Giggling like a schoolgirl, she got up to go
make dinner.

While she cooked, her happiness grew until she thought she would burst.  *I
can't believe the time is finally here!  I thought this day would never come.
 Oh God, look at me.  I'm getting all giddy over here.  Not that I can blame
myself though!*

The night went on, and the more time that passed, the slower it seemed to go
by.  Finally at 8:00, Spike watched Buffy come down the stairs, looking
absolutely radiant.  Her hair was swept up with little tendrils cascading
around her neck, and she wore a simple, yet beautiful white slip dress that
showed off her tan.  In his opinion, she looked more beautiful than he had
ever seen her.

"So, where ya goin' luv?"
"Out.  I have some stuff I have to do."
"Should I wait up for you?"
"Spike, you're a vampire.  I'm sure you'll be up when I get back.  Dawn's
sleeping at a friend's house, so you don't have to worry about her.  I'll see
you later.  Bye!"
"Bye Buffy.  Have fun tonight."

He watched her, completely heartbroken, as she ran out the door with a smile.
 Her happiness meant the world to him, and if she wanted a date, she was
going to have one.  As much as it hurt him to do it, Spike had asked an old
friend to meet Buffy, and told him to be at the Bronze bar at 9:00.  He just
hoped that the bloke would treat her the way she deserved.  *With the first
class railroad spike treatment, for choosing him over me!  Actually me over
me, but still...*

On the other side of town, Buffy tried to balance everything in her arms as
she walked to her destination.  It was a little after 8:30, and she really
had to walk faster if she wanted to make it.  *Note to self:  Get a damn ride
next time!*

Spike crawled up to his room, completely miserable, and sat on his bed with
his radio on.  He still couldn't believe that she had gone and left him.  He
let out an angry shout and turned the stereo up as high as it would go.  It
was up so loud that he didn't notice when someone came home.     

A few songs and many swears later, Spike decided to go down and get some more
blood.  *Maybe they have some Wheat-a-bix here.  At least that would be one
thing to be happy about.*  When he got off his bed, he immediately knew that
something wasn't right.  Someone was in the house, and that just couldn't be
good.  

He grabbed a candle from his bureau and stepped out into the hallway, ready
for some action.  Seeing something on the floor, he bent down to pick it up.  
*A rose?  What the bleedin' hell is going on?*  He walked further into the
hallway, and found a path of rose petals leading down the stairs.  Following
them, he found himself standing in the living room with the radio on softly.

All my life,
I prayed for someone like you.
And I thank God that,
that I finally found you.

Spike felt a warm hand rest on his shoulder.  He turned around and found
himself staring deep into Buffy's eyes.  She gave him a shy smile and pulled
him closer to her to dance.  Their bodies melted into each other, fire
against ice, as they swayed to the beat of the song.  She placed her head
against his chest and let out a sigh of contentment.

All my life,
I prayed for someone like you.
And I hope that you feel the same way too.
Yes, I pray that you do love me too.

He looked at her with questioning in his eyes.  "Spike, there's something
that I want to let you know..  For the longest time you've been the first
thing I think about when I wake up in the morning and the last thing I see
when I fall asleep at night.  I love the way that you make me so happy, and
always know how to pick me up when I feel down.  I love the way that you
always have a smart ass reply for everything that I say to you.  I love how
you are always there to help me, even if I'm being a bitch to you to begin
with.  I love...  you, Spike.  I'm totally, completely in love with you."

Spike listened to her with the biggest smile he ever had before and wiped
away at a tear.  He cupped her chin in his hand and softly brushed his lips
across hers.  When they pulled apart, he sat her down on the couch with her
hand in his.  "Buffy, I love you with every shred of my being.  Without you
I'm lost.  You make me whole."

She looked at him with a delighted smile and kissed him again.  "Why, Spike,
is that a tear I see?"  He rubbed away at his eye again and sniffed.  "A
tear?  Nah.  I just got something in my eye is all."  Her smile broadened as
she snuggled up next to him, wanting nothing more than to be in his arms.  A
while later, she tilted her head up and said, "I'm gonna go take a shower for
a minute.  Meet you in my room after?"  He nodded at her and gave her another
kiss before she left.  There was something he had to do anyway.

Once he heard the water running, Spike ran to his room and signed on to the
Internet.  He checked his mailbox to see if 'Anne' had written to 'Will'
earlier, and thanked whatever God that would listen to him that he had.

Dearest Will,
Well, now it's Friday.  I've had a wonderful time talking to you all this
time, but there's something I need to say.  I'm so very sorry to do this to
you, but I won't be meeting you tonight, or ever.  My heart belongs to
someone else, and truth be told, I love him more than I ever thought it was
possible to love anyone.  I don't even know if he feels the same way.  I do
know that I have a chance though, and that's something that I can't risk
losing.  I'm so sorry if I've hurt you, Will.  This is just the way it has to
be.  Take care of yourself, and stay sweet.  I'm sure that you'll find
someone who loves you like you deserve to be loved.
Love always,
Anne

After Spike read that, he wiped at his eyes again.  *Must be another eyelash.
 Bleedin' things are falling out everywhere!*  He turned off his computer and
sat back thinking about how everything had turned out.  *I wonder if any of
this ever would have happened if I hadn't emailed her that day.  I guess I
should thank the penis pump people or something."  He sat there contemplating
that for a moment before he shook his head.  It's not like he needed one of
those anyway...

From the next room over, he heard Buffy thump on the wall.  Another smile lit
up his face as he thumped back to let her know he heard her.  With one last
glance at his computer, he walked out of his room and into Buffy's.  She lay
on her bed with scented candles lit everywhere,  wearing a black lace teddie.
 On her bureau lay some lotion, a feather, and handcuffs.  Spike's smile
broadened as she patted the bed for him to sit, and as she ravaged every part
of his body, there was only one thing he could think.  *God bless the bloody
Internet!*



The End