Part 1

Willow pulled Spike aside. “Spike, will you please try to get along with
Buffy?” she pleaded.

He looked down at the little witch. “What do you want from me, Pet? I’m
evil.” He stared into her kicked puppy eyes. With a roll of his blue eyes,
he gave a relenting sigh. “I’ll try,” he muttered.

With a delighted squeal, Willow planted a kiss on his cheek. “That’s all I
ask.” She hurried over to help the others finish packing the van.

“Is that everything?” Riley asked.

Buffy looked around for any missed luggage. “I think so. You know this
would be easier if we left in the day time.”

“I think Spike might have some issues with that plan,” Riley reminded his
girlfriend.

“Who said he had to come?” Buffy asked. Riley gave her a disappointed look.
She lowered her eyes; she knew Willow and Spike were a couple and it was
Willow’s idea to spend Spring Break at her aunt’s cabin in the mountains.
“Sorry, Will,” she apologized to her best friend.

Willow nodded and pulled the backdoor closed. It hurt that her best friend
and her boyfriend were enemies. At least, Spike tried for her sake to get
along with the Slayer. She walked around the van to the side door. Anya
and Xander were settled into the middle seat. She spotted Spike lounging on
the far back seat. Climbing into the vehicle, she slide the door shut
behind her.

Riley climbed behind the wheel as Buffy settled in the passenger seat.
“Everyone ready?” he asked as he snapped the seat belt in place.

“Let’s go already,” Xander said. Riley started the van and pulled away from
the curb. “Are we there yet?”

Willow reached across the seat back and smacked Xander.

Turning around he grinned at his friend. “Hey, stay on your side,” he said
sternly, pointing his finger at her.

Willow waved her hands in front of the invisible barrier between them.

Riley looked at the joking friends in the review mirror. “I can turn around
right now, people.”

Willow and Xander sat back with their hands primly folded in their laps.
“Yes, Dad,” they said in unison.
****
3 hours later...
Buffy looked at her boyfriend in the dim light of the instrument panel.
“How are you doing?” she asked. “Do you want me to drive?”

“NO!” four voices came from the back of the van.

The blonde Slayer turned to look at the two couples in the back. Xander
played a portable video game while Anya read a magazine. Willow and Spike
played cards in the back. “I’m not that bad,” she pouted.

“Yes, you are,” Anya said as she turned a page.

Buffy turned to stare out the window.

“I’m fine, Buffy. Willow, which exit did you say?” he called to the back.

“35B,” she called back. “Go fish,” Willow said to Spike.

“I hate this game,” he grumbled.

“That cuz you’re losing,” Willow said as she arranged her cards again. She
knew it annoyed Spike so she did it often.

“Yes. Are we going to stop soon? I want a fag.”

Xander looked over his shoulder at the vampire.

“You wish. I want a cigarette.”

“We stopped an hour ago,” Buffy reminded him.

“I have to go to the bathroom,” Anya said.

Buffy turned in her seat and looked at the ex-demon. “You should have went
last time we stopped,” she reprimanded.

“I didn’t have to go then.”

Riley glanced down to check the gas gauge. “We need gas anyway. Buffy,
look for a gas station.”

Buffy leaned over to check the gauge.

“You don’t believe me?” Riley asked.

“If you stop every time they ask, we’ll never get there,” she whined.

“You’re worse than the military, Buff,” Riley laughed.
*****
The side door opened before Riley came to a full stop beside the gas pump.
Anya and Xander raced for the convenience store, Anya for the bathroom and
Xander for the food. Willow hopped out followed by Spike who had a
cigarette in his mouth since Buffy spotted the gas station.

Riley opened his door. “If that lips gets any lower, you’re going to trip
over it, Buffy,” he said as he slipped outside.

Buffy glared at him from the corner of her eye. With a sigh she opened her
door and got out. She reluctantly admitted it felt good to stretch her
legs. She watched as Willow followed Spike to the sidewalk so he could
smoke his cigarette.

“How much longer til we get there, pet?” Spike asked as he took a deep drag.

“I’m not sure. An hour I think.”

“You’ve been there before, right?”

“Well, I haven’t been there since I was ten. Aunt Ruth always left really
early so I slept most of the way,” she explained as she stretched her legs.

Spike leaned against the street light as he watched her walk the curb like a
tight rope.

“I used to love it up there. It’s right on the lake and there’s woods all
around the cabin. Aunt Ruth used to take me on walks in the woods. We’d
take a picnic and spend the entire day wandering around. We even found an
old bear cave,” she said in a far away voice.

“It’s probably all paved over with condos,” he laughed.

“It better not be or someone’s going to be slapped with a big law suit,” she
said. “Aunt Ruth left the cabin and 100 acres surrounding it to me when she
died.”

“When did she die?” he asked. Willow had told him a lot of stories about
Aunt Ruth.

“When I was twelve.”

“And you haven’t been up there since you were ten?”

“Let’s just say my parents aren’t the outdoorsy type.”

“Spike. Willow,” Xander called from the van. “Ready?”

Spike tossed his cigarette butt into the street and he tossed Willow over
his shoulder. “Time to go,” he said as he playfully slapped her butt.

“Hey! Put me down,” she giggled.

Part 2

“Watch out for that pothole,” Spike said as he peered through the
windshield.

“What pothole?” Willow asked as she tried to steer the van down the windy
drive to the cabin. The van took a big dip as the left front wheel hit said
pothole. “Oh, that one.”

“And you people talk about my driving skills,” Buffy muttered.

“Well, it was either the pothole or the tree,” Spike said.

The headlights cut through the dark wood area. Willow guided the vehicle
carefully trying to avoid any more craters in the ground and the trees that
lined drive. She breathed a sigh of relief as the cabin finally came into
view. She hated driving, but Riley got confused over the directions and
insisted Willow drive the rest of the way.

Willow parked the van and opened the door. She turned to the group in back.
“I’ll go get the electricity turned on while you guys unload the van,” she
said.

“This would be much easier if we arrived in the day time,” Buffy mumbled as
she pulled open the side door.

Riley followed his girlfriend out the door. “Buffy,” he warned.

“Yeah, I know. Spike blah blah blah. Whatever.” She walked to the back of
the van to open the hatch.

Willow unlocked the door and reached for the flashlight right inside the
door. Spike followed her in the cabin. It definitely needed to be aired
out. “When’s the last time this place had been aired out?” he asked.

Willow clicked the flashlight on and made her way to the fuse box. “Nancy
and George try to air it out every couple of months. They live across the
lake. Aunt Ruth left them a key so they could take care of the place when
she was gone. I called them when I knew we were coming up here. They got
most of the stuff hooked up for me so I just need to flip a couple of
switches,” she said as she tried to read the labels next to the black
plastic switches.

Spike leaned up against her and read over her shoulder. He reached around
her and flicked a switch. A soft glow lit the porch as the power flowed to
the light bulb. Spike wrapped an arm around Willow’s waist and nuzzled her
neck.

“Hey, if you two could stop necking, we could use some help here,” Xander
said as he carried Anya’s suitcases into the cabin.

Spike growled against her neck as he reluctantly took step back. He went
outside to help the others.

Xander dropped the heavy bag on the floor as Willow moved around the small
room and turned on lights. Riley and Spike carried the other suitcases
while Buffy and Anya brought in the groceries. Willow turned the knob on
the kitchen sink. Nothing came out.

“Okay, guys, no water until the morning,” she said.

“What do you mean no water?” Buffy asked.

Willow took the cooler from Anya and set it on the counter. “I’ll have to
wait to hook up the water when I can see what I’m doing. The main valve is
outside. You’ll survive without water for one night,” Willow said.

Buffy yawned. “Okay. I’m beat. Where’s the bedroom?” she asked.

“The two bedrooms are upstairs.” Willow pointed to the stairs.

“What do you mean two?” Anya asked.

Willow looked at Spike. “I am speaking English, aren’t I?”

“Well, not the Queen’s English, but I can still understand you, pet,” he
said.

The red head looked at the rest of the group. “The cabin had two bedrooms.
I figured the girls could sleep in one room and the guys in the other,” she
said.

“I’m not sleeping in the same room with Junior ,” Xander exclaimed.

“I want to sleep with Xander,” Anya whined.

“Bloody well not sharing a room with Captain America and Boy Blunder,” Spike
protested.

Everyone was protesting at once. Willow held up her hands. “God, take a
joke. There’s a spare bed out on the porch. You four can fight over the
rooms. Spike and I will sleep on the porch,” she said. She picked up her
suitcase and went onto the enclosed porch.

Spike followed her. He glanced nervously at the shuttered windows. “Uhm,
pet? Maybe we should re-think sleeping on the porch,” he said.

Willow knocked on the wall that divided the room in two. “Did I mention
that Aunt Ruth was a photographer?”

“No.”

“She was. She built this dark room.” She waited for him to pick up on it.

“So?”

She rolled her green eyes. “A dark room so she could develop her light
sensitive film?”

“Oh. I get it. Vampire proof,” he said as he nodded.

She opened the door and with a sweep of her arm invited him in. “She
converted it into a bedroom a few years before she died. Don’t know why,
but here it is. Besides I really didn’t want to sleep in the room next to
those guys. They’ll be humping like bunnies for two weeks.” She shoved her
suitcase into a corner.

Spike grabbed her from behind and tossed her on the bed. With a flying leap
he bounced on the bare mattress beside her. “Like we’re not?” he asked,
wiggling his eyebrows.

She giggled as he slid his hand along her side. He lowered his head closer
to hers. “Yeah,” she whispered. “But I hate being thrown off rhythm.”

He chuckled before covering her mouth with his lips.

“Willow!” Buffy called from upstairs.

“Bloody hell. Are you sure I have to be nice to her?” he asked as he
flopped onto his back.

She crawled on top of him. Sitting up she rubbed her hands long his lean
chest. His fingers curled around the back of her denim clad thighs. “I’ll
make it worth your while,” she said seductively.

Spike slid his hands higher until they curved around her firm butt. “Like
the sound of that, pet.”

“Willow!” Buffy called again.

“What!” Willow yelled back in frustration.

Part 3
10 AM
Spike slid his arm over the empty spot where Willow was supposed to be
sleeping. He pried open one blue eye. She was definitely not in the room.
He could hear the others rattling around the cabin. With a stretch and a
yawn he slid out of bed and pulled on his jeans. He opened the door and
immediately slammed it shut as a ray of sunlight burned his chest.

“Would someone close the bloody shutters?” he yelled from the safety of the
dark bedroom.

Buffy glanced over her shoulder briefly before she turned her attention back
to her scrambled eggs. Xander looked up from his bowl of Fruit Loops. He
realized she wasn’t going to close the shutters she opened, so he pushed
back his chair and stepped onto the porch. “Just a second, Spike,” he said
as he moved around the room and unhooked the boards that covered the
screened windows. He didn’t fasten them down so the place could still air
out, but no direct sunlight entered the room. “Okay, you can come out now.”

Spike opened the door cautiously and peaked out. He glared at Xander, who
just nodded his head towards the kitchen. Spike saw the Slayer dishing her
eggs on to a plate and knew she had propped open all the windows. “Where’s
Willow?” he asked.

“She and Riley are outside hooking up the water,” Xander said as he returned
to his cereal.

Spike pulled open the refrigerator and searched for his breakfast. He found
the containers of pigs’ blood in the back. Pulling one out, he searched for
a mug.

Willow and Riley entered through the backdoor. She spotted Spike tapping
impatiently at the old microwave. “Spike, I thought you’d still be asleep,”
she said as she kissed him good morning.

“I probably would be if you were still next to me,” he replied softly.

Buffy made a few gagging noises before stuffing a forkful of eggs into her
mouth.

“Water’s hooked up,” Riley said as he scooped some eggs on to a plate.

“Good. Now I can take a shower,” Buffy said.

“Sure, but it will be a cold one,” Willow warned as she grabbed an orange
off the counter. She leaned back against the counter. “Hot water heater is
empty so it will take most of the day to get it filled and heated.” Buffy
wrinkled up her nose in displeasure.

Spike grinned as he opened the microwave and removed his breakfast. *Serves
you right, Slayer,* he thought as he took a drink.

“Anya up yet?” Willow asked.

“No, she wanted to sleep in,” Xander said as he stood and walked over to the
sink. He rinsed out bowl and set it on the drain board. “So what are we
going to do today?”

“I want to go exploring,” Buffy said. Riley nodded as he swallowed his
bite of toast.

“You guys can do what ever you want. I’m going to stay here and read,”
Willow said as she finished peeling her orange. She pulled off a juicy
section and bit into it. “Oh, you gotta be careful of ticks when you’re out
in the woods. Wear long sleeves and pants,” she warned.

“At least I’m not the only blood sucker around here,” Spike said as he stole
one of Willow’s orange sections.

“Yeah, but you’re the sexiest.”

“You two are just sickeningly sweet,” Buffy moaned.

The red head glared at her best friend. “Oh, and you and Riley never put
anyone in a diabetic coma.”

Riley tugged on one of his girlfriend’s pigtails. “Finish eating and we can
go,” he prompted. He would be the first to admit Spike and Willow’s
relationship was strange to say the least, but somehow they worked together.

“What about the lake? Is it safe for swimming?” Xander asked.

“If you can avoid the Lake Monster, sure.” She noted everyone’s stunned
expression. “You people have been living on the Hellmouth too long.
Actually, there’s a float anchored towards the middle of the lake. I think
Aunt Ruth has a canoe in the shed.”
****
One hour later...
Willow settled against Spike’s chest and opened her book. “It is a truth
universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune
must be in want of a wife,” she read aloud.

“What are you reading?” Anya asked as she skipped down the stairs.

“Pride and Prejudice,” Willow said.

“That sounds interesting. Can I read it after your done?” Anya asked as she
wrapped her beach towel around her waist.

“Sure.”

Xander came down the stairs in his swim trunks and a towel draped around his
neck. “Come on, Anya, let’s go find that canoe. See ya later, Wills.”

The ex-demon trailed after her boyfriend. “How come we never read to each
other?” she asked as the screen door shut behind them.

“Probably too busy having sex,” Spike chuckled.

Willow giggled as she opened the book again. “Think Anya knows what Pride
and Prejudice is about?”

“Doubt it.”
*****
Four hours later....
“You’re in the military. How could you not know?” Buffy demanded as she
stormed into the cabin.

Willow and Spike looked up from their book. Buffy and Riley didn’t look
quite as neat as when they set off for their adventure. The Slayer’s blonde
pigtails tilted in odd directions and Riley had a few leaves attached to his
mussy hair.

“I never had much call to know what poison ivy looks like,” Riley grumbled
as he scratched at his neck.

Willow climbed off the couch. “It’s probably poison oak, not poison ivy,”
she said.

Buffy scratched her arm. “Like it makes a difference when you fell into a
patch of it.”

Spike’s laughter brought a round of glares.

“Damn it, Anya. It said it was waterproof,” Xander yelled as he followed
his girlfriend inside, his very sunburnt girlfriend.

Spike laughed until his gut ached and tears streamed down his face.

“Spike, you’re not helping,” his girlfriend reprimanded. She fought to
contain her own fit of giggles. *Stop it. Your friends are miserable and
in pain. Okay, help mode,* she ordered herself. “Go in my suitcase and
bring me the Calamine lotion and the tub of Noxema.”

Spike wiped the tears from his face and laughed his way to their bedroom.
*Wish I had a bloody camera,* he thought as another round of belly laughs
overtook him.

Willow turned to the itching couple. “Stop that.”

Buffy and Riley both looked miserable. “It itches,” Riley whined.

“Yeah, I know. Had a case of it when I was six. Okay. You two strip down
to your skivvies and put your clothes on the back porch. We’ll have to wash
them in super hot water to clean them.” She moved to the kitchen sink and
pulled a plastic grocery bag from the cupboard.

“This is my favorite shirt,” Buffy protested.

“Fine, don’t wash it, but you’ll just get another round of poison oak.”

Buffy pulled her shirt off and tossed on the back porch. Riley unbuckled
his belt and let his jeans fall to his feet. He pulled off his running
shoes and set everything out the door. Once they were down to their
underwear, Willow handed them the bag.

“Go take a shower, as hot as you can stand it. Wash well, but try not to
scrub too hard. Put the rest in here,” Willow ordered. As they started
towards the bathroom, they started scratching at the exposed skin. “Don’t
scratch! It makes it worse.”

Spike entered the room with a pink bottle and blue plastic tub. He set them
on the kitchen table. He finally got his laughter under control, but still
had a wide grin on his face.

Xander was too miserable to care. His skin felt like it shrank two sizes.
“When it says waterproof it should be waterproof,” he mumbled.

Willow smiled at the lobster boy and his girlfriend. “How bad is it?”

He tugged down the waist band of his shorts enough to show the glaring white
skin. Anya moved the strap of her bikini top. She wasn’t as burnt, but was
still very uncomfortable.

Willow took the economy size Noxema from the table and unscrewed the lid.
She held it out. “Take some and start smearing,” she said.

They both scooped out a handful and began spreading the cool white cream
against their skin. Willow grabbed some and started on Xander’s back.
Spike was feeling generous and assisted Anya with hers.

Half a tub later, Buffy and Riley returned with towels wrapped loosely
around them. Buffy started scratching her thigh.

“Stop that,” Willow ordered. “Go get some underwear on and we’ll put
Calamine lotion on you.” She cracked open the pink bottle. “Buffy, bring
down some cotton balls,” she yelled up the stairs.

“Being human sucks,” Anya muttered as she tried to find a comfortable
position to sit.

When Buffy and Riley returned, Willow opened the bag of cotton balls and
soaked one with lotion. They started dabbing the red itchy spots and
continued until the pair were covered in pink polka dots.

Buffy looked at the almost empty bottle in despair. “It’s almost gone.”

“Yeah, well I didn’t expect you to fall into a field of poison oak. I only
brought it for bug bites,” the red head said as she turned on the kitchen
sink. She and Spike washed their hands. “We’ll have to go into town
tonight and get some more.”

“So far this vacation sucks,” Buffy whined as she slipped into her tank top
and shorts.

“I’m having fun,” Spike laughed. Willow jabbed him with her elbow.

Buffy chose to scratch her nose with her middle finger.

Riley sighed as he tried to resist scratching. He found a comfortable spot
on the couch next to Xander. “So what are we going to do tonight?”

“Same thing we do every night, Pinky. Try and take over the world,” Xander
said in his best Brain voice.

Riley reached out and poked him in the shoulder.

“Ow!”

“The miserable shouldn’t make fun of the miserable,” Riley said with a grin.

Part 4

Buffy practically attacked Willow when she entered the cabin. “Did you get
some more?” she asked.

Willow held the plastic bag behind her back. “Down, Buffy. Yes, I got some
more. Settle down.”

The Slayer danced around trying not to scratch her blotchy skin. “Please,
Will. I need it. God, I itch everywhere,” she whined.

Spike pulled the pink bottle of Calamine lotion from the bag and tossed it
to Riley. Buffy quickly turned on her boyfriend. “Give it to me,” she
demanded.

Riley held the bottle over his head. “Hey, I itch, too,” he said. Actually
he didn’t have quite as bad a reaction to the poison oak as she did, but he
loved to see her beg.

“Please?”

“Just give it to her so she’ll stop begging,” Xander said as he tried to
find a comfortable position on the kitchen chair.

Riley finally relented and handed the bottle to Buffy. She twisted the top
off and poured some onto a cotton ball. Blissfully she sighed as she
applied the soothing lotion.

Willow set the tub of Noxema on the kitchen table. “Here you go, Xander,”
she said. “Where’s Anya?” she asked.

“She upstairs reading,” he said as he scooped out the cream and rubbed into
the tight skin of his shoulders. “God, that feels good,” he sighed. He
wiped his hands on his shorts and picked up his video game.

“What do you guys want for dinner?” Willow asked as she peeked into the
fridge.

“I don’t care,” Xander said distractedly. He was already absorbed in
defeating the alien invaders.

She was amazed at how fast he would zone out into his game, almost as bad as
a television. “Okay, liver and onions it is,” she said.

“Sure.”

Willow counted to five as the words penetrated his alien induced mind.

His head popped up. “Wait! No! Yuck!” Xander protested.

Everyone laughed at him. “How about those steaks we brought?” Riley
suggested. The room agreed to that dinner. “Did we bring any corn on the
cob?”

Willow pulled open the vegetable bin. Pulling out six ears of corn, she
kicked the drawer shut. “Corn on the cob!” Riley took the plastic bag from
her and carried it over to the sink.

“Spike, why don’t you go start the grill,” the red head suggested as she
poked around the fridge some more. She removed the packages of meat and set
them on the table. Grabbing the salad fixings, she shut the door with her
hip. “Buffy, can you make a salad?”

The Slayer looked up from dabbing Calamine lotion on her legs. “I itch.”

Riley ripped the husk from one ear. “And that means you can’t cut lettuce
because...” He left the sentence dangling.

Pouting Buffy washed her hands and grabbed a knife from its wooden block.

“Wills, where’s the aluminum foil?” Riley asked.

Willow found some in a drawer and handed it to him. Buffy whacked at the
head of lettuce. “Buff, if you’re going to kill it just go back to
pouting,” she said as she reached for the knife.

Buffy knew she was being childish, but she was itchy. “Sorry. I’ll do it,”
she said as she started chopping the lettuce correctly. “Hey, Xander! Get
off your lazy butt and help. Get your girlfriend down here too.” If she
had to help then so did they.

Xander turned off his video game and slowly got to his feet. “Anya! Come
help with dinner!” he yelled up the stairs.

“Get out some dishes and a platter for these steaks,” Willow said. She
stood beside Riley at the sink and unwrapped the meat.

Riley pulled a length of foil off the roll and set it on the counter. After
rinsing the corn under cold water, he broke the cobs in two. “Does Spike
like corn on the cob?” he asked the red head beside him.

She reached into a cupboard for seasoning salt. “Don’t know. Ask him,”
she said gesturing towards the kitchen window.

Riley spotted the blonde vampire beside the grill smoking a cigarette.
Occationally he poked at the coals with a stick. Pushing the window open,
Riley stuck his head outside. “Hey, Spike, do you like corn on the cob?”

He glanced at the commando hanging out the window. “If you don’t have
enough, I live for the stuff,” he said as he took another jab at the coals.

Riley pulled his head back inside. “What the hell does that mean?” he
asked.

“It means he’s being a pill and wants to sleep in the van tonight,” Willow
said loud enough for her boyfriend to hear.

“No, I don’t like it. Gets stuck in my teeth,” Spike called back. “Not
sleeping in a bloody van,” he grumbled to himself.

“Well, a steak and a salad doesn’t seem like a well balanced meal,” Riley
said.

Willow paused in mid-shake of the seasoning salt. Buffy glanced up from her
chopping. Xander held a stack of plates he just retrieved from the top
shelf over his head.

Riley realized who he was talking about. “Forget I said anything,” he
muttered as he picked silk from one ear of corn. The others returned to
their activities.

Anya finally came down stairs with Willow’s book in hand. “This is a dumb
book,” she said tossing it on the couch.

“Pride and Prejudice is a classic. One of my favorites,” Willow said as she
put the last steak on the platter. “Could you get the potatoes and carrots
out of the fridge?” she asked.

Anya found the vegetables and set them on the table. “I don’t care if it is
a classic. If I had my powers I would have given Wickham a good case of
syphilis,” she said as she pulled a knife from the block.

“Ew!” Xander exclaimed. “Okay, first of all, having once had it, I wouldn’t
wish it on anyone.”

Riley looked at him. “You had syphilis?”

Buffy just shook her head. “Don’t ask.”

“Second of all,” Xander continued. “We’re going to eat soon. I’d rather
not have that memory in my head.”

Willow took the platter to the window. “Spike!” she called. She handed him
the steaks and stole a kiss. Pulling back into the kitchen, she turned to
the others. “Okay, usually I don’t agree with Anya, but in this case I do.
Wickham was a total ho.”

“Can a guy be a ho?” Riley asked.

“Yes,” the girls said in unison.

“I mean, he totally went after Georgiana, then he tried to snag Lizzy,”
Willow continued.

“Then he found that cash cow, what’s her name,” Anya said pointing her knife
at Willow.

“When that deal fell through he shagged the fifteen year old sister, Lydia,”
Spike said from the window.

“See. Syphilis,” Anya said as she cleaved a potato in two.

“Okay, he was a ho. Spike, go fix the steaks. People, this isn’t American
Lit,” Buffy said.

Riley picked up the foil wrapped corn and leaned down to his girlfriend’s
ear. “Jane Austin was British,” he whispered.

“Whatever,” she sighed.

“Wrap those potatoes and carrots in foil, sprinkle on some herbs and butter
and bring it outside,” Riley told Anya. “Xander, let’s go help Spike.”

Buffy grabbed a large bowl out of the cupboard and scooped the lettuce into
it. She started slicing the red cabbage to add some color. “I can’t
believe I fell into poison oak,” she muttered as the small of her back
started to irritate her.

Willow and Anya glanced at each other. The ex-demon grabbed three beers out
of the fridge. “Are you sure you ‘fell’?” she asked.

“What do you mean? Of course I fell.”

Willow took on of the bottles and twisted off the cap. “Buffy, you got
poison oak on your butt,” she laughed.

The blonde could feel the blush coloring her cheeks. She grabbed a carrot
and started cutting it into the salad.

Willow started to giggle. Anya looked at the red head and started her own
giggle fit.

“What’s so funny?” Buffy asked as she took a sip of her beer.

The red head tried to keep a straight face. “Nothing. Just a mental
picture.”

Anya laughed all the harder. “Do you think?” she asked.

“Oh, my god. I hope not,” Willow laughed.

The Slayer slammed the knife down on the table. “What!?”

“It’s just...Riley...I was just... thinking...” she tried to say between
giggles.

Anya wiped tears from her cheeks. “What stage where you at when you rolled
into the it?” she asked.

Buffy tried to think why that would be important. “I don’t get it.”

“Poison oak did come in contact with Riley’s...” Anya couldn’t finish
because of her laugher.

“Oh, my God,” Buffy said as she finally understood what caused the giggle
fits. She started laughing at the thought. “I hope not.”

“What’s so funny?” Riley asked from the window.

The three girls nearly fell to the floor in giggles. Anya grabbed three
more beers from the fridge and handed the glass bottles to him. “Here,
Riley,” she said as straight faced as she could. When the beers left her
hand she slid down the wall to the floor clutching her stomach.

Riley shook his head in wonder as he took the beer back to Spike and Xander.
He handed them out.

“What’s wrong with them?” Xander asked, twisting the top off.

“I have no idea,” Riley said.

Spike hid his smile with a tilt of the bottle. With his vampiric hearing,
he could eavesdrop on the entire conversation.

Part 5

“This is so gross,” Anya said as she picked another piece of dead skin from
her arm.

“Would you rather be burnt or peeling?” Xander asked, picking at his own
arm.

“Peeling. We may look gross, but at least we can have sex now,” she
replied.

“Got to have your priorities,” Buffy muttered. Her bout with poison oak was
almost over. While her skin was still patchy and red in spots at least she
didn’t itch _all_ the time.

Riley poked his head through the kitchen window. “Hey, Willow, do you have
a knife I can clean these with?” he asked holding up a string of fish.

The red head dug through the utensil drawer to find a sharp knife for him.
She found one and gave it to the commando. “You know how to cook those?
Cuz the only fish I know how to cook comes frozen in a box.”

“Sure do. Used to go camping with my dad back in Iowa. And that was real
camping. Tents, no electricity and no bathrooms,” he said with a grin.

“Well, lucky you,” she replied. “I’m going to see what Spike’s up to,”
Willow said stepping onto the enclosed porch. She opened the bedroom door
and peeked inside.

Spike was asleep on his stomach. Closing the door behind her quietly,
Willow leaned against it. She stood admiring his lean form while he slept.
She enjoyed these rare moments when she could drink her fill of him without
his notice.

She started at his feet dangling off the end of the mattress. Occasionally
one would twitch as he dreamed. Her gaze traveled up his long legs. She
smiled as she remembered how his coarse leg hair felt against her smooth
skin. She studied the spot behind his right knee where he was ticklish. He
had a slight dimple right there.

She continued up his strong thighs to his green silk boxer covered butt.
And he only wore those because Buffy had walked in on him sleeping a few
days before. It wasn’t that he was modest. Hell, he would walk around
naked if Willow let him, but the Slayer had teased Willow about it for the
entire day. It wasn’t his fault that dreaming about Willow caused his body
to react accordingly.

She moved on the smooth expanse of his back. It still bore the welts from
her nails that morning. Willow loved the small dip in his lower back. That
area contained thousands of nerve just waiting to be stimulated. Her eyes
moved up the length of his back and she had to stifle a giggle when she
spotted her mark on his left shoulder.

She’d gotten bored one night while he slept and Willow pulled out her Sharpe
marker. She wrote: “Property of Willow Rosenberg. If found please return
immediately.” Most of it had been scrubbed away, but a few letters still
remained.

She traveled from his shoulder down his left arm stretched out on her side
of the bed. She noticed he did that a lot in his sleep. He would always
reach out to hold her or at least stretch out were she was supposed to be.
His fingers curled under softly as he slept. Spike’s right hand was buried
under his pillow.

When she got to her face his blue eyes were staring right at her. “Are you
going to stand there staring all day or are you going to join me?” he asked.

She blushed slightly at getting caught. “I thought you were sleeping,” she
said.

“I was until I felt this pair of intense green eyes ravishing my body,” he
replied as he turned over onto his back.

She watched his hand slide along his bare chest and stop just at the
waistband of his boxers. His fingertips danced lightly over his pale skin.
She glanced down for a second. “Good dream?” she asked with a knowing
smile.

He gave her one of his crooked smiles. “Not bad, but reality will be
better.”

“You think so, huh?”

He sat up, grabbed her hand and pulled her onto the bed. He flipped them
over so she was beneath him. “I know so.” Spike lowered his head and
kissed her nose.

“What is with this nose fetish you have?” she asked

He ran his finger along the length of her nose. “What can I say, pet? You
have a cute nose.”

Willow arched her hips against his. “I could think of a few other fetishes
you could pursue,” she said in a husky voice.

“Really? Maybe we had better explore those options.” He lowered his head
again and traced his tongue along the seem of her lips.

Willow opened her mouth to allow him entrance, but he moved on to her chin.
Playfully he nipped at the skin with his dull teeth. Slowly he nipped and
licked his way down her throat to the first button on her cotton shirt. He
wanted to bite the buttons off one by one, but the last time he did that she
made him sew them back on. He unbuttoned the shirt one by one, kissing at
each inch of exposed skin.

He pushed the shirt open and slid his hands from her stomach to the clasp at
the front of her bra. He loved those bras. With a flick he separated the
satin material. Staring into her eyes he dragged his tongue along her
breast bone. Willow arched up at the seductive lick. Spike certainly had a
way with his tongue and hands.

Pushing aside the shirt and bra he pulled back to admire her pert breasts.
He could spend hours just staring at them. His fingers curved around the
soft globe. He brushed his thumb over her budding nipple. He watched in
fascination as the aureole tightened and her nipple hardened. With a flick
of his tongue he tightened the other one.

Willow moaned as her entire body responded to his light touches. She ran
her fingers through his hair. Gripping the short strands, she forced him to
look at her. “Don’t be a tease,” she growled.

Spike cocked his eyebrow. “Tease? I’ll show you tease,” he warned. With a
wicked gleam in his eye he lowered his head and pulled her nipple into his
mouth. He nipped at the bud as his hands skimmed lightly over her body.

Willow arched against him as a jolt of electricity shot through her. His
fingers danced lightly over her. Slowly he kissed his way down her stomach
pausing long enough to dip into her navel with his talented tongue.

With his teeth, Spike tugged the drawstring of her shorts. His hands slid
along her legs. Sitting up, he pulled her shorts over her hips. He slid
the shorts down her long legs. Tossing them over his shoulder, he picked up
her right foot and began nibbling on her toes.

Willow stared at him and with a wicked grin began her own plan of attack.
She pulled her arms free of her top and bra. Sliding her hands over her
small breasts she began playing with her nipples. She knew it drove Spike
crazy to watch her play with herself. Bending her left leg she brushed the
sole of her foot against the distended front of his silk boxers. She
dragged her big toe from the base to tip of his throbbing cock. She watched
though heavily lidded eyes as the blonde vampire growled and threw his head
back when she applied a bit more pressure.

With a little more dexterity than she thought she had, Willow slipped her
toes into the fly of his shorts. Her bare toes curled around his cool hard
flesh. Feeling herself juices start to gather between her legs she released
one breast and moved her hand between her legs. Just as her finger tips
danced over her damp slit, Spike grabbed her wrist.

He shook his head as he removed her foot from his lap. he slid off the bed
and knelt on the floor. Turning her sideways, Spike draped her legs over
his shoulders as he lowered his face to her hot pussy. He lapped at the
juiced her body produced. Her musky scent caused his cock to twitch in
anticipation. His tongue found her core and pulled more ambrosia into his
mouth.

Willow groaned and clutched the bed sheets as Spike’s mouth devoured her.
he purposely avoided her aching clit, teasing her like he always did,
building the pressure inside her. After what seemed an eternity, his mouth
closed over the small bundle of nerves. She arched off the bed as he
alternated between bites and sucks.

Something in the back of her mind warned her that the others were in the
other room. She reached blindly for one of the pillows and pulled it over
her face so she could muffle her moans and groans.

Sucking hard on her clit he slipped a finger into her dripping passage. As
he moved the digit in and out, he could feel her muscles clasping at it and
her thighs begin to tremble on his shoulders. Doubling his efforts he
nipped harder and added a second and third finger to fill her.

Willow bit into the pillow as her body began to shake. “Oh, Spike!
Goddess! Don’t stop!” she screamed into the pillow. She exploded into a
billion pieces as she hit her peak.

Spike eased up on his task, but didn’t stop completely. He continued to
work her through her orgasm. When her body finally relaxed, he climbed onto
the bed beside her.

Spike knew her orgasm had hit her hard so he brushed his callused fingertips
over her soft tummy. She still had the pillow over her face. “You okay,
pet?” he asked. She mumbled something he couldn’t quite make out. “What?”
he asked, lifting the pillow off her face.

“If I could move, I’d hit you,” she whispered. “I hate when you do that.”

He grinned down at her. “‘Oh, Spike! Goddess! Don’t stop!’” he quoted in
a falsetto voice. “Did those words not come out of your mouth?” he asked in
his normal voice.

Willow kept her eyes closed as her body continued to hum. “I have no idea.
My higher brain function were turned off,” she sighed. She opened her eyes
and looked at the blonde leaning over her. “But I really do hate it when
you make me cum that hard.”

Concerned he brushed a lock of hair from her face. “Why?”

“Cuz it makes me too sore to do anything about this for a while,” she said
as she stroked his aching cock.

Spike closed his eyes as her hand squeezed his aching flesh. He removed her
hand and leaned down to kiss her. “You never have to worry about that,” he
whispered.

“But what if I want to worry about that?” she asked against his lips.

“I guess I really can’t stop you,” he said. Her eyes started to droop. He
knew she would return the favor after she had a chance to regain her
strength. Spike pulled her into his arms and tugged the sheet over them.
****
About five minutes earlier...
Riley stepped into the kitchen with a platter of fish fillets. He washed
his hands in the kitchen sink and started getting ingredients together for
the breading. “Buffy, do you know where the good skillet went to?” he
asked.

The Slayer glanced up from painting her nails. “No. Willow used it last.”

“Where is she?”

“Bedroom,” she said distractedly as she tried to get the polish even.

Riley stepped on to the porch and opened the bedroom door. He stopped
short, turned and left the room, closing the door behind him.

Xander looked up from his comic book when Riley re-entered the kitchen.
“That was fast.”

Anya picked up on the soldier boy’s flushed face. “They were having sex,
weren’t they?” she asked.

“Yes,” he mumbled as he opened a cabinet and began searching for the
skillet.

The ex-demon smiled smugly. “See I told you so,” she said.

Buffy rolled her eyes. “Anya, you think everybody’s having sex.”

“Well, aren’t they?”

Part 6

Willow could feel the tension in the room when she
entered. Spike sat on the couch glaring at Buffy, who
sat at the kitchen table playing solitaire. Xander
and Anya were quietly watching a video on the other
side of the room, trying to stay out of the way.
"All right. What happened?" she asked.

Spike looked up at his girlfriend. "Nothing," he
grumbled. He'd promised to be nice to the Slayer, but
the blonde wasn't making it easy.

Willow noticed the red mark on Spike's bare arm and
knew what had happened. "Buffy," she said trying to
contain her anger.

The Slayer glanced up from her card game. "Yes?"

"You opened the shutters again, didn't you?" Willow
accused.

"It was dark in here."

"God damn it, Buffy!" Willow was beyond pissed. This
was the fourth time her "best friend" had basically
trapped her boyfriend in their room. "Why do you do
it?"

Buffy tried to look innocent. "Do what?"

Willow closed her eyes and try to calm herself. "Why
do you act like a bitch all the time?"

Spike moved over to his girlfriend and rested a hand
on her shoulder. "Don't worry about it, pet. I'm
fine," he said. He didn't like seeing her so upset.
"It's all right."

"No, it's not!" she yelled. "I'm tired of it.
You've been nice to her and she treats you like shit!"
She turned on the stunned blonde. "I'm sick of the
way you're treating Spike. And it's going to stop.
Right now! I invited you up here as a guest! I asked
Spike to try to be nice to you because I wanted
everyone to have fun and get along.! Well, you know
what! If you're going to be a bitch, then Spike can
be himself, too! Spike, go ahead and do what ever
you want! I don't care anymore."

"But, Willow," Buffy started.

"No!" Willow shouted. "No buts! No excuses! I'm
sorry I invited you!" she screamed as she headed for
the door.

"Pet," Spike said softly as he followed her.

Willow turned to her boyfriend. "I'm just going for a
walk. I need to cool off." She leaned up and kissed
his cheek.

"If you're not back by sunset, can I try and find
you?" he asked as he caressed her cheek.

"I'd like that." Willow left the cabin.

Spike watched her walk into the woods and hoped she
would be okay. Once she was out of sight he returned
to the couch and began reading his book. He could
feel the Slayer's eyes on him. There were a lot of
things he'd love to do to her, but he knew it would
just hurt Willow if he acted on his impulse.

Buffy waited for the peroxide vampire to do something.
The anticipation was killing her. "Well," she said.

"Well, what?" he asked as he turned a page.

"Aren't you going to do anything, now that Willow gave
you permission?" she asked.

He looked up at her. "No. Just because she said she
didn't care, doesn't mean it wouldn't hurt her if I
did do something to you." Spike returned to his
reading.

Xander and Anya watched the exchange in fascination.
It was far more interesting than the video they'd been
watching.

Buffy wasn't sure what to do. She knew she'd hurt
Willow by hurting Spike, but she just couldn't seem to
help herself. She didn't know why he irritated her so
much. Other than the fact that he was a vampire and
she was the Slayer. She knew that Spike had purposely
avoided a lot of interaction with her. Maybe it was
that Buffy didn't like to be ignored. She'd acted
like a pouting child who demanded attention by acting
out. She began to regret her actions, but wasn't
sure what to do to get back into Willow's good graces.
She didn't like it when Willow was mad at her.

"Spike," Buffy said quietly.

"What?" he said

"I'm sorry."

He looked at her to see if she really meant it. She
did look apologetic, but the distrust between them
didn't allow for instant forgiveness. "Don't much
care what you do to me. I expect it, but I don't ever
want to see Willow hurt like that again," he said.

"Me, either. Willow deserves to be happy. And
although I don't know why, you make her happy. I
can't promise I won't do or say something to you, but
I'm gonna try to do better.," Buffy said in a small
voice.

Spike nodded. "All I want is for Willow to be happy."

"Truce?"

"Truce."

Buffy returned to her card game and Spike his book.
Xander and Anya smiled and turned back to their movie.
****
Willow looked up through the trees at the dimming sky.
Through the foliage she could see the first stars of
the night appearing. She'd been walking for about an
hour. The exertion had burned off most of her anger.
She was still mad at Buffy for hurting Spike, but she
didn't feel the burning fury she previously had. It
went against her nature to be angry for long. She
stayed close to the cabin so Spike could find her.
She turned at the sound of a twig snapping. “Spike?”
she called.

“Right here, pet,” he answered from behind her.

Startled, she hit him on the shoulder. “Goddess, you
scared me!”

“Sorry. How are you feeling?” he asked.

“Well, I’m not as angry as before, but I’m still mad,”
she said.

He pulled her into a hug and kissed the top of her
head. “I’m sorry about all that,” he whispered.

“It’s Buffy’s fault, not yours,” she replied as she
snuggled into his arms. “So what did you do to her
after I left?”

“Nothing.”

Pulling back she stared into his icy blue eyes.
“Nothing? I find that hard to believe. You’ve been
itching to cut into her since we left.”

Spike shrugged. “I figured you being mad at her is
punishment enough for now. Besides even though you
say you don’t care, I know that you do.”

Willow smiled up at him. “Well, if she tries to cut
you down or hurt you again, don’t hesitate to cut into
her,” she said.

“Won’t have to worry about that, pet,” Spike said.

Another twig snapped, breaking the silence. “Who’s
there?” Willow called. They could hear a quiet
rustling in the darkness. They both tried to peer
into the darkness. Spike moved the flashlight to shed
some light on the disturbance.

Spike saw a movement. Fear ran down his spine.
“Willow,” he said softly.

“What is it?” she asked as she tried to see what had
made him stiffen in fear.

“Run,” he yelled as the noise started moving closer.

The red head figured if her vampire boyfriend was
afraid she’d better haul ass out of there. The two of
them ran through the dark woods. Spike tried to
light the path for her, but his running made the small
spotlight bounce around. He glanced over his
shoulder. It was still coming. “Willow, climb up
that tree,” he said as he cupped his hand to boost her
into a tall oak tree.

Willow scrambled up the tree as fast as she could.
The rough bark scraped the skin off her palms. She
glanced down to make sure Spike was close behind her.
About twelve feet off the ground, she found a branch
solid enough to hold them both. Spike joined her in
seconds. He pulled her tight against him.

“Spike?” she asked softly.

His eyes darted around the ground to see if they had
escaped unnoticed. No such luck. It was down there,
sniffing at the base of their tree. *Shit.*

Willow glanced at the ground. Her eyes widened in
surprise. “Spike.”

“Yes, pet.”

“It’s a raccoon.”

“Furry little bastards,” he muttered as he pressed his
back against the tree trunk.

Willow had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. His
grip tightened around her waist. *Should I tell him
that raccoons can climb trees?* she wondered as she
felt tremors course through his strong frame.

Part 7
Spike glanced down at the ground. The furry rodent
seemed to be occupied with something at the base of
the tree. He had to shift his position on the tree
branch without dislodging Willow.

Willow rested her head against Spike’s shoulder.
“Spike?”

“Yes, pet,” he said distractedly.

“You’ve never really spent a lot of time in the
country, have you?” she asked.

“Not much. Always been a city kind of guy,” he
answered.

Willow debated on how to broach the subject of Spike’s
raccoon phobia. She found it endearing that he had a
phobia at all. And although she enjoyed the time in
his arms, her butt was beginning to fall asleep. “I
love you. You know that, don’t you?”

“Of course, I do. I love you, too.”

“Honey, we need to get out of this tree,” Willow said.

“Yeah, I know, but tell that to that furry beast.”

Willow tried to contain her amusement. She knew she
shouldn’t find it so amusing that Spike had a fear of
raccoons. She was afraid of frogs after all. “Um,
Spike?”

“Yes.”

“Raccoons can climb trees,” she said softly.

“What?!”

“It’s true,” she said sadly. “If you like, I’ll go
down there and scare it away for you.”

Spike grumbled. He knew it was a silly fear, but most
fears were. “Kay. But be careful. It could be
rabid.”

“I will,” she said as she kissed his cheek. Slowly
she climbed down the tree and started making shooing
noises to scare the raccoon away. The masked creature
scampered off into the darkness. Willow looked up
into the tree. “It’s okay, Spike. He’s gone,” she
called.

The blonde vampire climbed out of the tree. He looked
at his girlfriend. “You’re not going to tell anyone,
are you?”

Willow reached up and kissed him softly on the lips.
“Now why would I do that?” she asked.

He smiled down at her. “I love you.”

“Love you, too.” She brushed her scraped palms on her
jeans. “Come on. Let’s go back.”
****
Willow and Spike entered the cabin to find the kitchen
table set for two. “What’s going on?” Willow asked.

“No idea. I was with you,” Spike said as he studied
the table setting. While the dishes were mismatched
and there were plastic tumblers set on the table, the
center piece was an array of wild flowers he’d seen
around the cabin.

“Surprise,” a quiet voice came from the living room.

Willow looked at Buffy in shock. “What’s all this?”

“My apology gift. I made dinner for you and Spike.”
The blonde Slayer walked over to her best friend.
“Willow, I am so sorry for the way I acted. There’s
no excuse for what I did. I never meant to hurt you,”
Buffy said as she picked at her cuticles. “I promise
to try to behave better.”

Willow smiled at her friend. “I’m sorry I blew up
like I did. Not that I was wrong to be mad,” Willow
added. “But I should have handled it better.”

“Friends?” Buffy asked hopefully.

“Of course,” Willow replied. The two girls hugged.

“Okay. Sit down,” Buffy ordered. “Both of you.”

Spike and Willow sat at the table and smiled at each
other as Buffy served dinner. Quietly, they ate
dinner and talked. Buffy even poured Spike a tumbler
of blood. He knew how much it took the Slayer to do
that.
****
“Well, is that everything?” Riley asked.

Willow did a quick check. “I think so.” She closed
the door and locked it. She took one last look at the
cabin. “In spite of everything, I had fun.”

Spike hugged her from behind. “Me, too, pet.”

“I think we all had fun,” Buffy said.

“Maybe we could do it again sometime,” Willow
suggested.

“Oh, hell no!” Xander exclaimed.

“Not in this lifetime,” Spike growled.

“I so don’t think so,” Buffy added.

“Are you insane?” Anya asked.

“I’d rather have a lobotomy,” Riley moaned.

Willow laughed. “It was just a joke. Let’s go back
home where everything is normal.”

back