~Part 1~

She snuggled down into the duvet the red of her hair in stark contrast with the snow-white cover.  Spike watched her as he watched her every night.
Asking himself how this thing could have happened to him and telling himself that it would never end.

They were in her bedroom in her parent's house where they spent most of their time together.  When they both realized that there was something between them [see 'The Bargain'], they decided to go slow.  They wanted to get to know one another with no outside pressures; so they promised not to tell any of the group about their new relationship.

Willow reached over with her right hand and felt along the bed.  When she found nothing, her eyes opened and she sat up.

"Spike, I miss you when you get up like this.  Why won't you stay in bed," she looked at him searchingly.

"Sleeping at night is not something I'm used to; anyway luv, I like to watch you when you sleep.  I had forgotten such a sweet and innocent face could still exist in this bleeding world."

She blushed but continued," it's not because we haven't … yet?"

"Pet, we both agreed to go slow, if you want to wait it's OK, at my age you can take the long view."

"I just want the first time to be special, to be exactly the right thing at the right time."

"You mean our first time, right?"

Willow didn't speak, she looked away with a serious expression.

"Bloody hell," Spike exclaimed.

"I thought you and wolf boy or maybe even that wanker Harris, I didn't think you were….."

The sound of her tears stopped him.

"Come on luv, cut off the water works, it's not that important.  I mean it's just a bit of a shock. It's even kind of funny," Spike said chuckling.

Instantly, Willow's tears became tears of anger, her face colored and froze.

"Funny?   You think this is amusing?  Well if it's so damn amusing, let's just get it over with, it should only take a few seconds I'm sure."

Willow lay back on the bed and pulled up the oversized tee shirt she was wearing revealing simple cotton underpants.  She squeezed her eyes shut and,
her body tensed, waited.

She felt his weight on the bed next to her.  Then she felt his cool lips brush her forehead.

"Willow, you are the most important thing in the world to me, never forget that, no matter what.   I want you, but only when it's right for you and for us."

He gently pulled her shirt back down and put his arms around her.  "Sleep luv, I'm here with you."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Willow was zapping some blood for Spike later that morning.

"How are you feeling sweetie," she asked.

He just stretched and smiled.

"I didn't say Oz and I didn't do anything, I just said we didn't make love."

"That wasn't just anything, that was something, " Spike said with a grin.

"Are you ready for your gift?" he added.

"A gift for me?  What is it flowers, candy, a smoochies gift certificate?"

He made her close her eyes and led her to the garage.

"OK, you can look, " he said.

She opened her eyes, there on the seat of the sleek black motorcycle was a complete black leather outfit, from gloves to boots and it looked like her size.

She hugged him, "this is the best present ever, I can't wait to try it on."

He slid a hand down and patted her rear," neither can I, neither can I."

Later that night, Spike was admiring how the leather outfit clung to every curve of her slim figure.

"What say we go for a little spin and see how much trouble we can find?
 

~Part 2~

They went for a ride nearly every night now. It was time they could share, time when Spike was keyed up and ready for anything. Willow quickly learned to share his love of the night. She snatched sleep whenever she could and wasn't her usual perky self in the morning. Something Buffy had begun to notice.

"Will, Will, " Buffy said shaking her friend.

"The investiture crisis was predicated on the ."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Oh sorry, I studied for a history exam this morning and I guess I'm leaking answers."

"Whatever, you've got to get more sleep. Where is the perky little pain in the ass that used to wake me up. You're as bad as I was when I was seeing Angel, all night life and no sleep."

Buffy's comment shocked Willow completely awake.

"Funny, me and Angel, that'd be the day. A vampire and Willow Rosenberg, out all night running around, taking chances and "

Babbling, Willow thought, Rosenberg get hold of your self before you spill everything!

"Pretty funny Will, you and a vamp. You handling some undead stud, it is to laugh."

Willow's thoughts turned from relief to anger.

"If I wanted to, I could handle anyone I wanted to handle!"

"OK Will, calm down, I'm sure you could make any guy beg for mercy, " Buffy said with a smile.

Still angry, Willow jumped up to leave. Nights of riding the motorcycle, however, had put new strains on her hip and thigh muscles. Jumping up made her wince, grab her thigh and sit back down.

"I'll be OK, I just kinda strained myself," she said by way of explanation.

"Buffy's eyes lit up, wait a minute, no sleep, studying in the mornings and strained muscles. What, or should I say who, have you been doing?"

Willow stammered, " me? I .. I.. haven't been doing anyone, I mean anything."

"Will, come on you can tell me. You've been a little too happy lately, and you never did explain the break up with Tara. Where were you last month, did you really go to see your folks or was it a little weekend fun and games?"

Willow was thinking furiously, what do I say now, she thought? She decided a part of the truth was better than a whole lie.

"OK, I've been dating this guy for a month or so. We've been taking it slow, I just broke up with Tara and he was kinda involved with someone else too."

"You little witch, you stole someone's guy. I'll bet she's really pissed. Does she know it was you?"

"I don't think so, in fact I'm sure that she doesn't," Willow said hoping it would stay that way.

"OK hussy, when do we meet this guy you bewitched?"

"We're still taking things easy, I don't think we want to go public just now."

"OK if you say so, but you're making me jealous. How long has Riley been gone, and the closest I've come to a new guy is Spike. Last week, he bent over to pick up a stake and just for a minute ."

Hell Rosenberg you really did it this time didn't you, she thought.

Buffy closed her eyes and smiled.
 

~Part 3~

They were always careful to stick to deserted country roads for their nightly rides. Tonight, however, Spike had convinced her to stay in town and try some of the biker spots he had been telling her about.

They slowed and turned right into a narrow alley.

Spike turned his head, " it used to be right down here, if the bloody place is still open."

The scream came from the middle of the alley on the right. They could see two women surrounded by a half dozen men.

"What the hell?" Spike said accelerating toward the small group.

Now they both recognized it as a vampire attack.

Spike closed on them sideswiping two of the vampires and knocking them into the wall. He stopped pulling a makeshift stake from the side of a discarded
packing crate and circled back.

In the second pass through the crowd, he quickly dusted four of the vampires. As he turned toward the two women, he failed to see the two he had originally stunned spring out from the wall.

Willow caught the motion out of the corner of her eye and in one smooth movement grabbed the stake from Spike's hand and staked them both.

Spike turned just in time to see the two dust clouds begin to settle.

"I owe you one luv, good moves," he said.

"It looks like you owe me two, but who's counting, " she replied.

Before they could approach the women huddled against the wall, they heard familiar voices approaching from the other end of the alley.

"I think it's Buffy and Xander, " Willow whispered, " they'll be OK, let's get out of here."

Spike nodded and gunned the engine speeding up the alley and screeching around the corner.

When they slowed, Willow sighed, " that was close, almost busted."

~~~~~~~~~~

Willow was in the cafeteria working on her second cup of black coffee when Buffy approached her table.

"Move over Will, can I get this stuff on an IV?" she asked holding up her own cup.

"I know what you mean, I can hardly keep my eyes open," Willow yawned.

Buffy rolled her eyes, " you don't have to do it all night every night, you know."

Willow blushed and sipped some coffee.

"Me, I spent half the night trying to get a couple of scared women calmed down. They were jumped by some vampires over on the East Side."

"Was the fight tough?" Willow asked.

"That's the funny part, a couple of people on a motorcycle dusted all six of them and then rode off into the sunset."

"Kinda like vamp vigilantes?"

"Yeah, I'm not sure I like the idea of a couple of black leather avengers prowling around Sunnydale. I'd like to know who they are and what they're up to."

"I bet there just a couple of good citizens passing through and you won't ever see them again," Willow said rapidly.

Buffy smiled, " maybe you're right, but by the description they gave, I wouldn't mind interrogating the driver. They said he was all in black leather and he looked hot."

"What did they say about the other one, " Willow asked.

"Not much, probably just some skanky ho biker chick."

Only Buffy's slayer agility let her avoid the mouth full of coffee Willow sprayed across the table.
 

~Part 4~

They cruised the city almost every night.  Willow picked routes outside of Buffy's patrol area to minimize any contact with her friends.  It wasn't long until the pair on the black motorcycle became an underground legend, the nightriders.

Spike felt more like his old self, he was a nocturnal hunter again.  He preyed on fellow demons and vampires, but the excitement was still there.

Willow, on the other hand, felt completely unlike her old self.  She loved the physical part and the being with Spike.  What she liked best though was that Willow Rosenberg the computer geek was secretly a mysterious hero.

Buffy, however, wasn't taking things so well. She was suspicious and more than a little jealous.

"Another boring night, " she complained to no one in particular at the Magic Box.

Giles looked up, "Pardon, did you say something Buffy?  I was catching up on my reading and.."

"That's OK, why should anybody listen to me, a slayer in a town where the vampires are so scared they're staking themselves."

"Now now Buffy, I would think you'd be glad for a little respite from the constant battling, " Giles responded.

They turned as the bell over the door rang.

"Ta Da!  What do you think, how do I look?" Xander called out.

He turned slowly modeling the black leather jacket and skintight black leather pants.

"It's the latest thing.  I am Xander the nightrider striking fear into the hearts of evil doers everywhere.  My secret identity known only to my sexy side kick Ms Nightrider," Xander said gesturing toward the door.

The knob turned and door opened slowly, revealing a slim figure dressed all in black leather wearing a black full facemask.

"Who the hell is that," Buffy said walking toward the figure.

"Don't have a cow sis, it's only me," Dawn said removing the helmet.

"All the kids in school are wearing …"

Buffy interrupted her, " all the kids, don't give me that.  If all the kids were jumping off the school roof, would you do that too!"

"Hello, what's up guys?" Willow asked as she walked in.

She looked at Xander with a puzzled look then noticed Dawn.

"Dawney, if you want to jump off the school roof into the stuntman foam block, you better get going.  I think all the other kids have already jumped."

Dawn and Xander began to laugh.  Dawn handed the helmet to Xander and still laughing too hard to talk waved goodbye and left.

Buffy turned on Willow, " thanks a bunch, do you know how long it's gonna take before Dawn takes me seriously again?"

Willow smiled, "again?"

"Good one Will, " Xander applauded.

"I'm sorry Buffy. I'll talk to Dawn and tell her how serious and unfun you can be if you put your mind to it," Willow promised."

Buffy sighed and sat down, "it's not you Will, it's those damn motorcycle creeps.  I know they're up to no good and I know I can prove it if I can only catch them.  Every time I look for them somewhere they pop up on the opposite side of town, I don't understand it."

Just then, Spike rushed in with his coat over his head.

"Bloody hell, doesn't it ever rain in this sodding place," he complained.

Buffy continued, " if I had those two amateur slayers right here I'd kick their black leather asses back where they came from."

Willow looked at Spike and winked, Spike had to turn away to hide his grin.
 

~Part 5~

"You're not going out after dinner and you're so not going to that party on Friday, " Buffy glared at her sister. "I don't want to hear another word
from you about it."

Dawn's face was scarlet and tears of anger ran down her cheeks, "you , you ." She ran up the stairs completing her thought under her breath, "
bitch."

Who does she think she is, Dawn thought to herself? Just because some high school boys might be at the party, poor little Dawn can't go. She 's just jealous. Her boyfriend leaves town and now she's running a convent.

When she calmed down, she decided she wasn't going to let Buffy stand in her way. She had to figure out a way to get to that party Friday. She needed an ally, someone Buffy would listen to and who would agree with Dawn about the party.

She thought of Anya, she would agree about the party all right, but Buffy would never listen to her, not after she surprised her and Xander in the
training room at the Magic Box. She wasn't sure what they were actually doing, but she knew Buffy spent three hours washing down the equipment
afterwards.

The same would go for Xander as an ally.

That meant Willow was her only chance. It would take some talking to convince Willow, but if she could, Buffy would listen to her.

Now that she had decided, Dawn was anxious to try her scheme.

She grabbed a cross and a bottle of holy water and was down the rose trellis outside her window and on her way to Willow's house.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Willow didn't answer the doorbell, but Dawn decided to wait, she wanted to get her plan rolling. She took the extra key from its hiding place and let
herself in.

She sat in the living room; and as time passed, she drifted off to sleep.

A sound awakened her, it took a moment for her to remember she was at Willow's, a glance at her watch told her it was 2:00 AM. She heard voices
now, coming from the kitchen. She thought she recognized Willow's.

She gasped when she opened the door to the kitchen, there at the table were Willow and Spike both dressed in black leather their helmets in front of them.

Dawn smiled; maybe convincing Willow wouldn't be so hard after all.

~~~~~~~~~~

At least they didn't try to convince her that they weren't the nightriders. They just asked her to keep their secret. She agreed, after Willow agreed to talk to Buffy about the party. There was also on e other condition for her silence.

Climbing the trellis back to her room, she stopped halfway to watch Spike ride away. She knew he had gone slowly for her benefit, but it was still a
thrill. Holding on to Spike wasn't so bad either. Maybe there was more to this nightrider stuff than meets the eye.

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