************************************************************
Willow looked from Spike to Xander. "Absolutely not.
Don't even think about it."
"Willow," Xander cajoled. "it is just for one night.
One measly night. Look, he can stay tied up. You can even
gag him."
Spike glared at Xander and muttered an expletive
under his breath. Xander shot him a warning look. "Anya and
I want to have a romantic evening together. Look, I have
been the undead babysitter for over a week. We really need
some alone time. Besides,you owe me one."
Willow read this as we would really like to have sex.
Oh, gross. "For what?," she snapped. Ever since Oz had
left, hermoods had been erratic. From tears to anger to
laughter
in seconds.
"I saved you from that big ugly vampire in the
graveyard last week." Xander said with pride.
"That was Buffy. He threw you on the ground and was
about to. . ."
"Well, I distracted him after he grabbed you so that
Buffy could stake him."
Willow looked at her best friend with irritation. That
was Xander, everything was me me me! Never mind that her
boyfriend had just left, or that she had been attacked
by Spike. She got closer to him to whisper in his ear so
Spike wouldn't hear her. "I don't want to be alone with
him. I know he can't bite but I'm still a little scared. He
almost sired me, remember?"
Xander expelled a breath and said quietly. "He's
fangless, remember? He can only irritate you to death now."
He gave her his deadly lost puppy-dog look. " I'll even
deliver him to your parent's house."
Spike finally had enough of this. "Hey, wait a
bleedin' minute here. I didn't agree! I just got moved over
to this dump. And now you expect me to. . ." Spike thought
about this a moment. *Hmm. . .an evening with the little
red-haired witch or another spent with the idiot and his
girlfriend.* "Fine with me." *Willow was much better to
look at than that blighter. *
Willow sighed in defeat. She was too tired to fight. "Fine,
bring him over tomorrow."
*********
The next evening, Willow watched Spike warily. He was bound
by heavy rope to the chair at her desk. Her parents had
gone
to a party earlier that evening and they had informed her
that she shouldn't wait up for them. "Willow, could you
please untie me? It hurts."
Spike looked like he was in pain. "It does?" Willow's eyes
instantly welled with sympathy. "Oh, I'm sorry. " She bit
her lip. couldn't stand the thought of anyone being hurt.
She looked behind him and noticed that his wrists showed
the imprint of the ropes. "If I let you go, you wouldn't. .
.um. . .do anything. . .bad?"
Spike raised an eyebrow and gave her an unholy grin. "Like
what, pet?" Willow's hand went to her throat automatically,
which was hidden from his view by her thick turtleneck
sweater.
"I knew this was a bad idea." she said and turned away from
him, ready to flee to the relative safety of the living
room.
"Wait! I'm all bark and no bite, remember? Besides, luv,
seems to me you could use a spot of company. I know your
boyfriend left." Willow glared at him. "I know how it
feels. . . to be left." He nearly choked on those words.
"You? You've moved on. What about Harmony?"
Spike rolled his eyes, insolent once more."She was a phase,
luv. The sex wasn't even that great. Rebounding, y'know?"
Willow blushed but nodded. She was lonely and Spike was at
least someone to talk to. He understood, she remembered the
anguish she had seen in his eyes when he had told her about
Drusilla. Besides, everyone else was sick of hearing about
how much she missed Oz.
She kneeled behind him and began pulling at the heavy
knots. Soon, he was free. "Thanks, luv," he drawled. Spike
stood up to his full height and rubbed his wrists. His
black leather duster spread around him like the wings of a
fallen angel.
Released from his bonds, he looked more intimidating. She
took a step back. Willow was suddenly reminded of the lions
she has seen at the zoo. They had been rendered helpless,
temporarily, but they were still virulent, mesmerizing in
their deadly grace. She shuddered but tried to appear calm
He titled his head and looked at her. "I'm thirsty."
"W-w-we have iced tea, some sodas, and milk, I think." He
stepped forward, she stepped back.
"Something wrong, pet?" She shook her head. He stepped
forward, she stepped back. Until she was against the wall.
He caged her in with his hands and inhaled deeply. "Yes,
I'm very thirsty." Willow slid a hand behind her back, into
her jeans pocket. She uncorked the small, perfume-sized
bottle easily and was about to throw it on his face when he
seized her wrist and pulled it from her grasp. In the
process, his hand was splashed with the holy water.
"Ouch. Bloody hell, Red. That hurt! I was only playing with
you. I can't really bite, just wanted to tease you a
little." He poured the liquid into a nearby household plant
and put the offending bottle into his coat pocket for
safekeeping. He glanced around the room uneasily. "Got any
other weapons? Stakes, swords, a slayer in the closet?"
"Serves you right!" She said. Her lips compressed into a
tight line and she stalked to the kitchen downstairs. Spike
followed her,penitent now.
He hoisted himself onto the breakfast bar beside her as she
went to the fridge and pulled out a half-eaten cheesecake.
"What's that, luv?"
"Therapy." she mumbled as she put a generous slice on her
plate.
"I want some, too." She frowned up at him but took down
another plate and put a slice on it for him. If his mouth
was full, at least he couldn't talk.
She took out two forks and they ate in silence. Spike
groaned in pleasure as he ate the last bite. Her lips
twitched as she hid her amusement. She put both of their
plates in the sink and opened the fridge to put the
remnants of the cheesecake away. She indicated the blood
packets in the crisper section. "Want some blood?"
"Cow blood is disgusting." He made a face. "Unless you'd
like to give me a donation, Red?"
"Let's watch some videos." She suggested cooly. Ten minutes
later, Spike had sorted through her collection of videos
with apparent disdain.
"No action movies, at all? Look at this drivel. " he
indicated the large stack of romantic comedies she owned.
Spike picked up a copy of Interview With The Vampire.It was
given to her by Xander as a gag gift. "Heard about this
one, never saw it though.
"Let's watch it. Least it isn't about the Dracula
blighter." He slid the video into the machine and tossed
his duster over the arm of the couch before he settled down
uncomfortably close to her. She moved down a little, he
moved a little closer. She grimaced,he gave her an innocent
expression. She pulled an accent pillow from the end of the
couch and shoved it in between them. He smirked.
After they had been watching a few moments, Spike gestured
to the chain-smoking, wise-cracking Christian Slater
character and asked hopefully. "Is that bloke the vampire?"
"Aren't you paying attention? He's the interviewer. Louis
is the vampire."
"The one who's whining? And why doesn't he cut his bloody
fingernails? We don't have claws, we're not cats. Bloody
poof!"
Willow gave him a quelling look. "Do you always talk
through movies?"
Spike crossed his arms and sat back further on the couch to
watch the rest of the movie unfold. When it was over, Spike
sat with a stunned expression on his face. "I liked that
blond one. Had style, y'know. Kind of like me. But, that
other one!" He rolled his eyes. "Just like Angel." He made
his voice deeper and melodramatic. "Woe is me, I have a
soul. I am a bad, bad vampire. I am so wretched, somebody
should stake me."
Willow laughed, his disregard for the other vampire was
evident. She had to admit that even she found the
tormented,
guilt-ridden Angel aggravating at times. On more than one
occasion she had wanted to scream when he would launch into
a detailed account of his unlife as Angelus.
"I mean, pet, if he hates himself so much why doesn't he do
us all a bloody favor and end it. Save us from hearing him
bitch all the time." He was warming to his topic. "Bloody
sod. At least when he's got a soul he's not so nasty. Just
sulks a bit and reads bloody poetry. " Willow's eyes
widened. "He's just like that sniveling fool, Louis."
"Did you completely miss the point of this movie?" She
said, tiredly.
"No! But it is misrepresentation. I mean, We don't sit
around graveyards moping. I have never eaten a rat. We
don't make children into vampires. I also bloody well enjoy
being a vampire! It's a lot of fun." He gave her a
meaningful look, " Didn't The
Witches of Eastwick piss you off, Red? Gave you a bad name,
didn't it?"
"You actually watched that?"
"Had Jack in it, right?" She nodded, he gave her a shining
grin. "Huge Nicholson fan."
"Yes, that movie irritated me. Witches are not servants of
the Devil." She thought a moment, " I guess I can see where
it would get on your nerves."
He smiled, she understood. Unusual for a human.
She sighed and stood up to stretch. "I'm going to take a
shower and change." Willow handed him the remote control
started toward the stairs.
"Don't suppose you want some company? I'm good with the
whole bathtub thing. Been spending a lot of time in them
lately."
She glared back at him. "Guess not." He grinned
sardonically at her retreating form.
*******
Willow arranged everything on the small bench in the
bathroom. She had purchased green apple shower gel and
lotion earlier in the week. She had run across it while at
the mall and couldn't resist the sale. She stepped in the
shower. Spending an evening with Spike hadn't been so bad
after all, the "thirsty incident" aside. It felt good to
not be alone. He distracted her from thinking about Oz and
lightened her mood. She had to admit that the blond vampire
was an enigma.* Demon? Yes. Evil? Not entirely. Immoral?
Definitely. Desirable? Woah, where did that come from?*
Willow ceased thinking in that particular direction. She
stepped out of the shower and toweled off. She put on her
flannel pajamas with the little kittens on them and
grimaced as she observed her reflection in the mirror. She
mentally shook herself, did she want to dress up for him?*
Of course not! He's just a handsome man. . .well, vampire.
. .and I'm lonely. . .nothing wrong with just thinking. .
.it's just some weird rebound thing.*
*******
She found him in her bedroom. Spike sat on her bed with a
bottle of her father's brandy and an empty pie plate. A
cigarette dangled from his lips. He was surrounded by her
collection of sweaters. He tossed the purple one he had
been examining over his shoulder.
"What are you doing?" She shouted.He took a long drag of
his cigarette and examined her pajamas before he deigned to
reply. *No satin, no lace, no ribbons, just fuzzy animals
which regarded him with sleepy faces. . .how
disappointing.*
He quirked an eyebrow at her. "Luv, that outfit
is more appalling than all of these little girl sweaters
combined. Don't you have anything a little sexier?"
Willow's temper flared. She was stung by his comment. Her
fists were clenched at her sides as she walked to the side
of the bed to scowl at him. "Put my clothes back, give me
that bottle, take the dish downstairs, don't ever smoke in
my room, and who made you a damn fashion critic!"
Spike's eyes widened. The little witch knew how to swear?
He set the brandy bottle down on her night stand and set
his
half-smoked cigarette in the ashtray he had found. He
wasn't even fazed by her anger. *Actually, he was
fascinated. . .her skin had taken on a rosy blush, her
green eyes were bright, and her chest was heaving from her
long-winded outburst.*His eyes assessed her, he knew what
had gotten her knickers in a bunch. "Red, I didn't say you
weren't sexy, I just said your clothes weren't."
With an inarticulate cry of rage, Willow jumped on him.
Spike was unprepared for the attack and she managed to
punch him in the chest. But this wasn't Xander she was
tackling. And he wasn't all that interested in a playful
fight.
"Bloody hell!" He grabbed her wrists and rolled her over
until she was underneath him. He placed his legs on either
side of her twisting frame and leaned over to peer into her
face. She was still seething. "I expect this from the
slayer but not you , pet. What's wrong?"
"Nothing," she ground out at as she tried to fight her way
loose. "Why isn't your damn chip going off?" She thought of
something awful to call him. "$%$# leech!"
Spike blinked. "When did you starting swearing, Red? Been
hanging out with sailors by the docks , have we? And my
bloody chip is not going off because I don't intend to hurt
you, pet." He rested more of his weight against her and put
his face close to hers. *This was definitely better than
staying with the idiot. After all, the idiot didn't smell
likes roses, didn't blush this delightful shade of crimson,
his skin wasn't soft. . .well, at least he imagined
Willow's skin was softer, not like he'd felt up the idiot.*
Willow suddenly realized that Spike was enjoying her
struggles. The situation quickly took on a different sort
of tension. "Let me up!"
"But you were so eager to jump on me. " He let go of her
wrists and propped himself up on his elbows.
"Spike, this isn't funny anymore."
"I'll agree with that. I don't feel like laughing at
all."He pressed his hips against her and rotated. "In fact,
I'm taking this very seriously."
"Let me up!" She tried to sound authoritative.
"Kiss me and I'll let you go. . .for now."
"What?! All I have to do is pick up that phone and call
Buffy and she'd -"
"But we both know you won't, don't we? How would you
explain how I got untied?" He traced her lips with his
thumb. "
Anyway, I don't think that STAKING is on your mind when you
look at me like that. I think you would enjoy my kisses."
Willow tried to hide her face in the pillow. He held her
head still and pressed his lips to hers. His mouth was
greedy, stealing the air from her lungs and the jumbled
thoughts from her mind. There was nothing left but Spike.
He lifted his mouth from her and put his head on her chest
and with a contented smile. She didn't know it yet but she
was going to be his. This is who he had been searching for.
Ever since he had captured the little red-head his life had
not been right. This wasn't a rebound thing. He wanted no
one else. . .not Harmony, not even Dru.
He smiled down at her. "My kisses are better than that
flea-bitten mongrel you dated. . .what's his name? Oz."
Willow's brow furrowed in concentration.* Oz? Who was that
again? The Wizard of Oz?* Sanity returned. "Uh, well. . .it
was certainly different." No sense in inflating his already
enormous ego further.
"Different?" he asked imperiously. He made as if to kiss
her again and Willow instantly closed her eyes and held her
mouth up. Spike chuckled, he just had his answer.
He slid off her and her eyes opened in confusion. She
quickly recovered and glowered at him before getting up and
stomping downstairs. "Damn vampires." he heard her mumble.
Spike's laughter followed her downstairs.
*******
Xander looked at Willow. Xander glared at Spike. "What did
you do to her, you bloodsucker?"
Spike was once again bound to the Willow's small desk
chair. Spike had allowed her to tie him to the chair if she
would start talking to him again. Xander had come for Spike
just before dawn. "Not my fault if Red is sensitive about
her jammies."
"You saw her pajamas?!" Xander wasn't sure what horrified
him more, Willow's little fashion show for the undead or
the fact that Spike had just said "jammies." "Which ones?"
he said, curious.
"With the fuzzy little buggers on them. Uh, kittens I
think." Willow's face was rapidly reddening.
"Oh, the sleepy ones? She has bunny ones too. "
Willow interrupted this little discussion of her
nightclothes. "Xander, I can see dawn's early light."
"Christ!" Spike said as he tipped his chair back and fell
to the floor.
"What do we do?" Xander asked. "I could throw a blanket
over him." he said thoughtfully.
"And what if it happens to slip off when you are carting me
out to the car? I get to spend the rest of my days as
fertilizer in your mum's pot of daisies? I don't think so,
wanker. It's not like you can do two things at once. The
last time you tried to chew gum and walk, you tripped! I'm
staying with Red here. " Spike said.
Willow groaned as Xander said. "Sorry, Willow. It looks
like Spike has to stay here for the day."
"Xander, my parents are here! Do you know how hard it was
to explain the blood in the fridge? Do you think they'll
buy that I have a 6 foot tall science project in the
basement?"
Spike grinned. "You can always hide me in your bedroom.
After all, I've already been in your bed, luv."
"WHAT?!" Xander cried.
Willow threw Spike a murderous glare. "He was nodding off
in the chair and I took pity on him. I let him sleep on the
bed." She lied quickly.
"He's a vampire Willow. Nocturnal, remember?" Xander said
dryly.
"Doesn't matter, mate. She's lying anyway." Spike gave him
a smug grin. "She let me on the bed, but I wasn't
sleeping."
"In your dreams, Fang Boy." Xander didn't give it a second
thought. He knew Willow and how she felt about vampires.
Especially this smart-ass, bleach-blond vampire.
When his comment failed to provoke another rise out of th
eidiot, Spike started getting annoyed. "Isn't it time you
were going? Shag your girlfriend, deliver pizzas, or
whatever it is that you do?"
Willow watched Xander pull out of the driveway. She let the
shade fall back into place and turned to stare at Spike.
Willow grimaced, it was going to be a very long day. He had
twisted out of her half-hearted knots already and
waslounging on her bed. His hands were pulled behind his
head and he winked. "What will we do to occupy ourselves?"