The alarm of her clock blared suddenly and she sat up in bed. Bending over and turning off the insistently annoying buzz of the alarm, Buffy Summers thought, Seven O’clock, right on time. She knew she should get up and start the day’s chores, which involved getting Dawn—Buffy’s little sister—out of bed and making her breakfast. She pushed the covers off her and dangled her legs over the edge of her bed, sighing desperately. She was already in the mood for a good killing, but she knew she had to wait until night.

All of a sudden, she felt a now-familiar presence in the room. She sighed again; she didn’t want to deal with him right now. Wait, how could he be here? It’s day.

The sun suddenly disappeared—it was a just a dream—and he was beside her, sitting on her bed, breathing unnecessarily. She felt it on her neck, and the sensation was all too tempting. It was night, and he was with her.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, her voice trembling, and she knew he noticed it. He probably reveled in it—seeing her so helpless around him.

"Just came to see you, luv," he told her, pushing aside her blonde hair so he could look into her eyes. "Thought maybe you’d want to go patrol."

She looked at him, saw the glint in his eyes that suggested much more that a simple patrol, and melted. "I can always tell when you’re lying." Buffy told herself she would not give in to temptation, but he was quickly wearing her down. Just the knowing smirk on his pale face made her weak and powerless and vulnerable. His hand went from her hair to her shoulder, and he began to slide his fingers down her arm. Buffy closed her eyes and shuddered despite herself. He knew she couldn’t resist his touch.

"Don’t," she warned, but her voice had no authority in it, and Spike kept going. Down her arm and then to her thigh, gently—teasingly—running his hands along her curves. She gave a small noise of pleasure, then looked at him. She no longer protested, cupping her hand around the back of his neck and pulling him toward her. He obeyed, laying her down on the bed. He ran his hand up her back, pushing her silk pajamas along with them. She moaned into his ear, quietly murmuring his name, and he knew what she wanted. He unbuttoned her shirt, gazing at her as he did so. She was gorgeous. Her eyes were closed in pleasure, and a faint smile of expectancy occupied her mouth. That beautiful mouth…

With the shirt off and thrown onto the floor, he bent down and kissed her neck and chest, taking off his duster and shirt as well.

No longer able to control herself, the Slayer brought her mouth to the vampire’s, enjoying his taste. She knew she couldn’t stop, and the longer they were apart, the more Buffy needed to be with him.

She stopped for a second, saying, "You know what I want to hear."

He kissed her again, harder and full of need. "I love you, Buffy." His kisses came faster and faster, and she fought to keep up with his speed. "Oh God, I need you so much."

"Me, too, Spike," Buffy said before she could realize what she was doing. He stopped and looked up at her green eyes, apparently surprised. Buffy did not look away. Instead, she dug deep into herself and found that she needed him. "I need you, Spike. I just need to be with you; touching you, kissing you, feeling your body against mine." She stared into his eyes, and she saw happiness. The surprise was gone and he looked happy beyond words. Then a thoughtful _expression clouded his happiness.

He looked troubled, as if she might attack him. "But do you love?"

She hesitated, wondering what he would do if she told him the truth. Would he hit her? Would he yell? "No."

Spike sighed, "Not yet." He ran his fingers through her golden hair, examining every inch of her face. "But soon."

She brought her lips to his forehead and placed a gentle kiss. "Spike?"

"Hmm-mmm?" he mumbled.

She pressed herself against him. "Stop talking." They kissed passionately, and the rest of their clothes were gone in an instant.

She moaned and gasped from the pleasure he gave her, just by being close to her. Sweat beaded down their foreheads from the exertion, and she had to keep from screaming his name—she didn’t want to wake the others. Her fingernails clawed at his back, digging into his flesh. His hands traveled to her hips and they moved as one.

"Oh God, I’m so—" Buffy started to say, but was cut short by Spike’s orgasm. She could feel him filling her, he was inside every inch of her. Their lips met and he managed to push her over the edge in what seemed like no time at all. She was panting and whispering his name, rolling her head in all directions and grasping his back with both hands. She finally relaxed, and he lay beside her.

"You’re so what, luv?" Spike asked, climbing under the covers of her bed and resting his cheek and her stomach.

Buffy fought to catch her breath, running her fingers through his bleach-blonde hair. "I’m so happy," she replied. He looked up at her. "With you, everything is just… You make me feel so alive and needed." She closed her eyes, letting Spike deal with her words.

"All this because of me?" he finally asked. He brought his hand to her face and felt the warmth of her skin. "You really need me?"

"Yes. I need you. I’ll always need you. I want you so bad," she admitted. She couldn’t believe what she was saying. She hadn’t even admitted it to herself, it was just a feeling deep inside her gut; she wanted Spike.

He broke into a grin, and stood up. He found his pants near Buffy’s dresser and started to slip them on.

Buffy sat up in her bed, frowning. "Where are you going?"

"I have to get back to my crypt before the sun rises." Buffy looked at the clock. 6:10. "And I don’t really fancy all the explaining we’ll have to do if Red or Nibblet finds me here when they wake up."

"Yeah," Buffy said. "That would be a lot of explaining."

As he finished getting dressed, Spike walked over to his Slayer. He put her face in his hands and stared into her bright eyes. "I love you, Buffy. If you want, stop by my crypt after sunset and we’ll see what we can do to pass the time." He kissed her forehead and climbed out her window.

Buffy smiled knowingly, letting herself drift into sleep.

The day passed without excitement, and Buffy found herself wishing that the sun would set sooner. She finished her shift at DoubleMeat Palace at three o’clock that day and took a very long shower to rid her body of the smell of burgers.

As the sun finally set, she grabbed her coat and told Willow she was going out for patrol.

"Okay!" her friend yelled from her room.

She walked to the cemetery and decided to take a quick look around for any vampires. After all, she was the Slayer and it was her job. Finding nothing, she quietly opened the door to Spike’s crypt. She saw him sitting on his couch, watching an old horror movie from the sixties. He looked up at her, then back at the TV.

She came to stand beside the couch, then sat next to the vampire. She curled up beside him, resting her head on his shoulder. If he was surprised by her tender actions, he didn’t show it. Instead, he put his left arm around her waist and, together, they watched the rest of the movie.

When it was done and the credits rolled down the screen, Spike looked at the Slayer, still curled up and clinging to his arm. She looked up at him and smiled sweetly, if not shyly. She then kissed his shoulder and his neck, licking his pale and cold skin, trying to bring him warmth. He closed his eyes as he felt her tongue run up his neck then stop at his jaw. He opened his eyes to find Buffy staring at him with lust. She bent over and placed a soft kiss on his lips, then let him pull her up and onto his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he began to unbutton her jacket.

She did the same with his shirt and ran her hands along his bare chest. When he threw the jacket off her body, he gave her a comical look.

"You came," he said.

She smiled seductively and said, "I had an itch I couldn’t scratch." She kissed him hard on the lips, slipping her tongue in his mouth and letting him do the rest. She unzipped his pants, revealing his boxers underneath. He laid her down on the couch, kissing her and removing her jeans. His hands then went up her shirt and he unhooked her bra with skill. She threw off her shirt and bra and he bent down to kiss her chest. She grated her nails along his back, enjoying every second. His hands went down to her stomach, making her shiver and ask for more. He took of his pants and she slipped her left hand into his boxers, feeling him as he became erect. She too could feel her body give in to temptation, and he took pleasure in watching her lust for him.

But he couldn’t wait any longer, and he slowly pulled her panties down to her ankles, letting her kick them off herself. His boxers were off in a flash, and he could smell her. Her sweet smell filled the air around him and he felt himself grow more erect and excited. She pleaded with him, telling him not to hold back, just give her what he had. Which of course, he knew, was what she needed.

She moaned and twisted on the couch, thoroughly enjoying it. Her hands ran all over his body, unable to hold still. She could feel him on top of her, underneath her, all around her. He filled her vision, and he was all she could see, all she could feel. She screamed his name as the orgasm hit, and he pushed harder, wondering how far she could go. He watched her face as it twisted into different emotions: pleasure, pain, comfort, and then pleasure again. He moved up and down her, knowing that all this was because of him. She was screaming his name and begging for more, all because he knew what she wanted, what she craved. When he finally slowed, she gave a deep sigh and opened her eyes, smiling at him. His tongue found the inside of her mouth and he kissed her savagely and tenderly all at the same time.

For the longest time, they lay beside each other on the couch, sleeping and watching television, kissing and exploring their bodies.

When Buffy finally woke up, she thought it must be four in the morning. But she didn’t want to leave Spike’s embrace.

Just a few more hours, she told herself, leaning against his chest and smiling.