"Well, I don’t see what the hell the big deal is!"

"The deal is, pet, you reek. You stink of sweaty, dumb Farmboy and I won’t have it!"

"You have no right to tell me whom I can fuck, Spike," Buffy said, trying to force some conviction into her voice. In truth, her dalliance with Riley was hardly worth fighting over, and if Spike hadn’t been a vampire with extra enhanced senses, he’d never have known about it. I knew I should have showered before I patrolled with him, she thought.

"The bloody hell I don’t! Look, Slayer, I have no interest in playing second fiddle to anyone, man or demon, again! If he’s your new squeeze, then I’ll sod off. Otherwise, ditch him now. I know he can’t hold a candle to me, luv," he purred seductively. When she didn’t answer, he began pacing back and forth rapidly, hotboxing his cigarette a few times before flicking it impatiently and raking his hands through his hair.

Buffy opened her mouth to speak, then quickly shut it. She had no idea what to say to him. Of course he was right about Riley paling in comparison…no man could ever compare to the endurance, the smooth alabaster, the cold perfection of a demon like Angel or Spike. Not to mention their years of experience nearly centupled his, making his clumsy machinations seem like a schoolboy’s. It suddenly occurred to her that Spike wasn’t mad because he didn’t want to share. He was jealous. And for that, she had no answer, either. They weren’t supposed to have feelings like that about one another…jealousy meant he cared about her. It was just sex…wasn’t it? Alright, bloody sodding marvelous sex but not a relationship, right?

A smile came to her lips when she realized she was talking in Spike speak in her head. Funny how little things like that can happen when you spend most of your time together, whether in bed or patrolling or just lying around talking about any and everything. They practically lived together since Willow had moved in with Tara. It still confounded her that Spike had just known, simply known, it was Buffy in Faith’s body a few weeks back. Even Giles hadn’t been able to tell as easily as Spike. She didn’t even want analyze what that meant yet. Spike was lighting another cigarette, she noticed. He must be really upset. Sometimes it was surprising how well they read each others’ moods lately.

Shifting back into ponder mode, Buffy thought about how Spike had comforted her when he’d found her in Giles’ bathroom, sobbing over the body switch Faith had pulled. He had made her feel so special…she’d have never thought that level of compassion even existed in Spike. Though he had kept his mouth shut about them when they’d seen Angel and Cordelia in LA a month ago. She knew that meant he cared for her a little; he’d’ve liked nothing better then to rub Angel’s nose in it if it weren’t for Buffy loving him. Perhaps all his kindness wasn’t a coincidence. Is it possible Spike and I are falling for each other? At one time, the thought would have been laughable, but now she wasn’t so sure.

Slowly, Buffy turned to face Spike, finding him watching her intently, as he often did, gauging her reaction from her facial expression. She quickly strode toward him, and would her arms around him in a fierce, tight hug. She buried her face in his neck, breathing his tobacco and liquor scent mixed with the leather of his duster. Can I love this man?

His arms enfolded her tiny frame, the coldness of his body immediately drawing in the warmth of hers. Slowly, he breathed in her scent, willing himself to only inhale her trademark vanilla perfume and not the tangy, woodsy scent of Soldier Boy. A look of pure, undiluted joy crossed his face, as her hand came up to the hard plains of his cheekbones, gently caressing as she snuggled her head into his shoulder further. To his horror, a small blood tear trickled out of his eye and hit her hand, which stilled its movement as the hot tear hit it.

Sodding hell, he thought. He quickly pushed her away, his rage at showing such vulnerability causing his vamp face to emerge. He whirled around, giving her his back, furious at how her sweetness had made him feel. My Sire was right to fall for this girl; even bloody Angelus loved her in his own perverse way. But to make me, William the fucking Bloody, cry? He didn’t even remember crying when he was alive, for Chrissakes.

Buffy pulled him back into reality by turning his body and wrapping herself around him again. Her eyes looked up at him quietly, without fear, and her hands traveled to his face, gently smoothing out the vampiric ridges. When his own face returned, she buried her face in his neck again, pecking small kisses where his pulse should have been. A turmoil was roiling inside under her calm exterior, though. She was not afraid of Spike due to the chip, but his bite wasn’t what worried her. How many times did I console Angel in exactly this way? Am I making the same mistake again? Did Jenny’s death teach me nothing? But Spike couldn’t lose his soul, and God knows when they’d get that chip out. So for now, she felt safe indulging in this forbidden new territory. And I trust him…I really do.

Spike sighed. What in the name of Satan have I gotten myself into? A dark look crossed his face when he remembered the last woman he’d loved , what she had done to him, and who he’d had to fight for her love. Like his Black Queen, he knew he’d lose Buffy to Angel if it came down to it. With a deep growl, he extracted himself from her embrace, muttered something about being hungry and strode off. He needed some space. A little snack wouldn’t hurt either…

Buffy stood in place, watching Spike incredulously, then turned on her heel and headed towards the cemetery. She needed to kill something to get her mind off how much that shouldn’t’ve hurt her feelings.

From the window of Giles’ apartment, Xander peeped out the curtains furtively. "Something’s going on guys. Something big and Spike is knee deep in it."

"Xander, I’m sure our pizza being late has nothing to do with Spike," Giles said tiredly.

"No, he’s not looking for that. He’s spying on Buffy. He doesn’t like her hanging around with vampires, especially Spike, though he’s not very fond of Riley either," Anya piped up. Xander shot her a withering look, which she, as usual, missed.

"Spying on—what on Earth could you be spying on Buffy about that would have do with Spike?" Giles asked in confusion. "I mean, I think we safely rule out any… anything to do with… after Angel…"

"Honestly, I don’t know yet. But I’m gonna figure it out; just give me some time. Xander Harris is a super sleuth, let me tell you," he said, turning back to the window in time to see Buffy turn away from Spike. Xander watched Spike light another cigarette then shook his head, puzzling as he left he window and made his way to the couch.

"What’s your deduction Inch High Private Eye?" Anya asked, looking up from her dictionary of shape-shifting demons.

Everyone chuckled, and Xander shrugged, "We get Cartoon Network now," he said by way of explanation. "And," he glared at Anya, "there is something going on, I know it."

"S’true. I rarely ever see Buffy beat on Spike for fun anymore. And-and she wore his duster for a couple of days after our trip to LA," Willow commented form behind her laptop.

"Well there was that time in the bathroom," Giles began, finally distracted from his translations.

"Okay," said Xander, holding up his hands. "Did I hear ‘that time in the bathroom’?"

"Well, yes, I suppose. I mean, Spike said she was using him as a punching bag over the body switch fiasco with Faith. It seems he’d asked to taste Faith’s blood, you see…"

"He what?" Willow asked. "How could he even think Buffy would let a vampire drink form her…even if she was Faith…sort of." Her sentence halted abruptly as they all remembered Buffy’s hospital stint last year after letting Angel drink from her to cure his poisoning.

"Will, Buff doesn’t exactly have a sterling rep where that’s concerned," Xander retorted.

"Excuse me, but does anyone think Spike is dumb enough to believe he’s even in Angel’s league with Buffy? I mean, he’s not as good looking, and he didn’t take her virginity either," Anya said, snapping her book shut. Once again, everyone simply stared at her. "God, I hate when you do that; it’s creepy. Can someone just call the pizza place and find our food? It’s not like we’re going to solve this puzzle if we die of hunger," she complained.

Giles took his glasses off, pinching the bridge of his nose in exasperation. Where in the Watcher’s Diaries is it written that I must deal with her friends as well? he thought.

Tara intervened quietly, getting up to find the phone and call the pizzeria. Willow watched her go fondly, then went back to puzzling what Xander was saying. Unlike the others, Willow and Xander had known Buffy best throughout the years, and something was niggling at her brain, desperately trying to get out.

Tara returned smiling. "The slices are on their way. We get a d-discount because they’re late," she paused. "Um, I hate to br-bring it up, but wasn’t Buffy, um, supposed to come tell us about p-patrol or something?"

"Why, yes, she was. I rather suppose she’s still outside with Spike. Although doing what, I can’t imagine," Giles muttered absently.

"A-ha! See I told you! I don’t know what she’s doing, but I bet Spike is nefariously involved." Xander ran over to the window, tripping over his feet in excitement. Looking out the window, he frowned. "Okay, a big double ‘Huh?’ on this one."

"What’s wrong sweetie? No more mysteries to solve?" Anya asked, coming over to peek out.

"Nope, my little ex-demon. As you can see, we missed the second act. They’re both gone."

"Oh, really now, I have asked Buffy time and again not to just run when that silly beeper goes off," Giles said indignantly.

"Do you really think that’s where she went?" Willow asked.

"I don’t know, Witch. Why don’t you ask her your bloody self?" Spike said non-chalantly as he strolled in the door. Flopping down in an armchair, he pulled out three hospital bags of blood and rubbed his temples. He really hated dealing with these people without Buffy around; in fact, lately, he hated anything without Buffy around. Snarling, he picked up one of the blood bags, trying to push away the soft feelings forming inside him for the Slayer.

"Gross,: whispered Tara when he vamped out and got ready to feed. Willow nodded at her and Spike sighed heavily.

"Oh, come now. You two cannot possibly comment on my eating habits, now can you?" He picked up his blood bags indignantly and huffed into the kitchen, leaving everyone gaping at the bright red Willow and Tara.

Grinning to himself, Spike heated a mug of AB+, his favorite. Well after Slayer’s blood…which Buffy had been awfully damn stingy with so far if you asked him. Not that he could actually take any due to this damn chip, but it was the thought that counted, and Buffy had yet to offer him once. He knew she’d let the great nonce drink from her last year, and it stung just a bit that Angel had beat him to the punch with yet another woman. His sensitive ears picked Red doing some stammering in the living room and he felt better once again. Being mean always made his undead heart sing. Shaking his head in amusement ,he stirred up his blood before it congealed, then sauntered into the other room, sucking his meal through a straw.

"Spike, what did you mean their eating-" Xander clamped his hand over Anya’s mouth and smiled sheepishly as Willow turned bright red once more.

"Obviously, we don’t watch Lifetime, though." He lifted his hand after giving Anya a stern glare and headed for the couch. Just as he sat down, the doorbell peeled. "Never thought this phrase would apply to me…but …saved by the bell."

The others rolled their eyes as he paid for the pizzas and dumped them on Giles’ counter. Around a mouthful of pepperoni he’d grabbed (without a plate, to Giles’ chagrin), Xander turned to speak to Spike. "So like where did the Buffster go? Since she was last seen slinging insults with you, I figure you know."

Spike grabbed a slice of pizza, dribbled some blood on it, and began to eat, much to all their disgusts. "Exactly how does the make me in the know of where the silly bint goes? Maybe Red was right; she got a booty call from Captain Cardboard. Or ask him; he’s her Watcher," Spike spat testily, pointing at Giles. The idea of Buffy running from him to Riley’s arms almost made him puke up his half-consumed pizza on Giles’ priceless Aubusson rug.

"I’m sensing anger, Spike. Careful or your electric dog collar will go off any second," Xander retorted.

"Is it just me, or do you save all your little nasties for me, Harris? You’d think you would hold your tongue, considering the last vampire you insulted this much stole Buffy from you right under your nose, you pillock," Spike muttered the last part under his breath, although Willow and Tara caught as he walked past them back into the kitchen to retrieve a refill.

"Did I miss something?" Tara asked in a whisper. "Did Xander have a thing for Buffy?"

Her words echoed loudly in the now silent room and she blushed, mumbling ‘sorry’ under her breath. Anya beamed widely. "See? For once, it wasn’t me!"

Xander huffed off, saying he had to go to the bathroom and Willow stifled a giggle. "Ask me some other time about the whole Xander/Buffy saga," she replied quietly.

"Why later? I want to hear how Xander made a fool of himself now," Anya protested loudly.

Xander, who was just returning, simply glared at her accusingly. "Okay, this time it was you."

Giles was busily ignoring their bickering; instead, he was watching Spike intently as the vampire leaned against the bar and rubbed his temples. Something was certainly bothering the vampire, but what on Earth could it have to do with Buffy? Buffy had barely even spoken to Spike since the spell, which couldn’t have reverted because Giles could see quite clearly that the vampire was troubled. He noted Spike raising his head slowly and sniffing the air, as if sensing something like an animal. Which I suppose he technically is, Giles thought.

"Time for a smoke, mate," Spike said, catching Giles’ eye. "Be back in a few minutes if I don’t stake myself in boredom."

Giles studied the vampire carefully as Spike tried to appear as if he were casually sauntering out back. For some reason, he felt his intuition perk up… his ‘Spider Sense’ as Buffy called it. Spike is harmless anyway, he thought. Whatever is going on is something Buffy can handle, I’m sure of that.

Handling it was exactly what Buffy was doing. The minute Spike had ventured into the yard as far as the bushes, Buffy had reached out and dragged behind the hedges, throwing him to the ground. Grinning, he stared up at her expectantly. When she didn’t answer, he said, "I thought I smelled you lurking about, pet. Why don’t you go inside and check in with your mates?"

"Because," Buffy said, straddling his waist, "I wanted to drag you out here first." Her eyes sparkled mischievously as she bounced her hips on his.

The blond vampire groaned loudly in pleasure, his cock hardening immediately and his cold hands reached up under her shirt to pinch her nipples. "And you knew we could do it back here in the bushes again, eh?" he said smirking.

A slow, feline smile spread across her face as he slid her skirt up over her hips, his fingers grazing her inner thighs lightly. "MmmmmHmmmm. I thought we could both use a little tension reliever. Besides, slaying always makes me horny."

"You know, ducks, hearing about you killing my kind does nothing for my libido," he said, ripping her tiny thong in an effort to get it off quickly.

"Oh, yeah. I forgot," she breathed heavily when his fingers slipped inside her. Her hips wiggled involuntarily and they both moaned at the friction. Growing restless against the ministrations of his long, pale digits, Buffy lifted up quickly, her hands working his zipper, and impaled herself on his shaft when it popped free.

Spike gritted his teeth as her soft, wet heat engulfed him, his hands sliding up her thighs to her hips to pull her even closer. Her breathy gasps as she rode him enflamed him and his vamp face morphed, his yellow eyes glowering at her, fangs bared as he tried to stave off his orgasm. Suddenly, Buffy came, her famous Slayer muscles squeezing him like a vise, and he let go with a primal howl, biting his hand with his fangs as his cum spurted out inside of her. "Jesus, Slayer," he said, when he’d freed his teeth from his hands. His yellow eyes shined at her from under the ridges and he smiled toothily.

"Yes?" she said, batting her eyelashes coquettishly. Her mind was whirling with the implications of Spike biting his hand, and she had a thousand questions to as him, but she ignored it, sensing instinctively that he didn’t want to talk about it. Instead, she crawled her hands up his body and kissed his lips, which caused his face to immediately slide into his human mask. Her brow furrowed for second at the calming effect she must have on his demon, but she stayed away from the topic also.

"We’d better get up and inside before bloody Colombo in there sends out the National Guard," Spike muttered. Buffy rolled off him, pocketing her torn undergarments with a shy smile, and ran a hand through her hair self-consciously. Spike’s heart softened again, and he looked at her fondly, picking out a few stray pieces of hedges from her golden tresses.

Her hand snaked up the capture his, and she blushed. "Thanks." She brought his hand down to her side and kept holding it, casting her gaze down as a wave of shyness overcame her. They started walking back towards the house, and then ran flat into Xander and Anya on the step.

Xander and Buffy stared at each other, frozen for a second. Only Anya spoke, "Why are you holding Spike’s hand?"

Buffy looked down at the incriminating position. "Why? Uh, because I was going to do this," she said, flipping him off his feet. "He made me mad. He, uh, just needs beating up. Because he’s bad."

Spike groaned from the ground and Anya turned to Xander. "See I told you nothing was up with them. Now let’s go out back before we get called inside…" She tugged on his hand hard, dragging him out towards the very hedges Spike and Buffy had come from.

"You okay? I didn’t mean to have to do that," Buffy whispered.

"Yeah, I’m bloody peachy. Just had the wind knocked out of me," he croaked, struggling to stand up. "Go on inside. I think I need a smoke."

Impulsively, Buffy leaned up and gave him a slow, lingering kiss and his arms curled around her as he listened to her heartbeat, She pulled out of his embrace reluctantly, and he grinned as she skipped inside. That’s my girl, he thought, smirking devilishly.

Continued......