Sleepwalking

E-mail: spikedluv@midtel.net

Rating: NC17 (to be safe)

 ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

~Part: 11~

When they arrived at Giles' apartment that Saturday evening, Willow advised the Watcher that Tara wouldn't be able to make it until the next evening to perform the spell. After everyone else had arrived and they were all settled around the table, Giles filled them in on the current status of Willow's sleepwalking problem.

"Willow has informed me that her sleepwalking is getting worse," he told the group gathered around the table.

"What do you mean, it's getting worse?" Buffy cried. "I *knew* she shouldn't have moved in with Spike!" Willow opened her mouth to say something, but Giles beat her to it.

"Let me finish, Buffy," he held up one hand. "And it has nothing to do with Spike. It seems that a traumatic event is no longer necessary as a trigger. Willow had begun sleepwalking without experiencing the usual nightmare," Giles explained.

Willow kept her eyes on the table as Giles gave the explanation. She was afraid that if she looked at Buffy or Xander, they'd realize that she was hiding something. And there was no *way* she was looking at Spike! She felt herself blushing just thinking about him.

Spike could tell that Willow was uncomfortable. He saw her blush when Giles told the rest of the bloody scoobies that she was sleepwalking without the nightmares, and he knew she was thinking about the dreams that weren't just dreams. Spike slid his boot across the floor and nudged her sneaker.

Willow jumped when she felt Spike poke her foot. She didn't move for a moment, then lifted her head and looked at him through her lashes. Spike winked at her and she felt the corners of her lips twitch in response. She looked away and pressed her lips firmly together. She wasn't sure if she could explain smiling while they discussed her sleepwalking predicament.

"I've exhausted all of the conventional sources I could find on sleepwalking," Giles was saying, "so we're going to start looking into the unconventional."

"Meaning?" Buffy asked.

"Paranormal," Giles replied.

"Ghosts?" Xander yelped.

"Spells," Giles shook his head at Xander.

"I told you!" Anya said.

"You said it was a vengeance wish," Xander argued.

"Same diff...,"

"May I finish?"

"Yes, of course."

"Sure, G-man."

Giles gave Xander a look at the hated nickname, and then continued. "A friend of Willow's, Tara, will be coming over tomorrow evening to see if Willow has had a spell put on her."

"How does that work?" Buffy asked.

"She'll do a spell to, uh, reveal, the existence of any other spells. There will be a, er, magical signature around Willow if she has been spelled," Giles explained.

"Will...?" Buffy asked.

"What, Buff?" Willow looked up from the table.

"Did you, maybe...?"

"What?" Willow asked. Buffy made a face.

"No! Buffy! I didn't do any spells!" Willow denied hotly.

"If she did, this time it really backfired!" Xander joked.

"I didn't!"

"Sod off, moron," Spike muttered without much heat as he kept a watchful eye on Willow.

"And besides, why do you think that if I did a spell it backfired?" she asked.

"Well, in this case, 'cause you're sleepwalking to Spike."

"Maybe that's what she wanted to happen."

"An!"

"I didn't do a spell!" Willow huffed.

"Sorry, Will. It's just...that 'my will' spell is still very much on my mind," Buffy grimaced.

"One little spell goes awry and you're labeled for life...,"

"Wasn't so little, luv," Spike shuddered in distaste.

"...besides, I've done more spells that worked than that didn't. Nobody remembers *those*!" she complained.

"What about that delusting spell?" Xander pointed at her.

"I never *did* the spell! We got kidnapped!" she reminded him.

"Yeah, well, he wouldn't have kidnapped us if he hadn't seen you in the magic shop," Xander said.

"That's ridiculous. I restored Angel's soul!" she hit the table with her tiny fist.

"Yeah, and then the Slayer sent him to hell," Spike drawled.

"Shut up, Spike," everyone said.

"Well, then, what about vamp Willow?" Buffy asked.

Vamp Willow? What in bloody hell was the Slayer talking about now?

"Hey! *So* not my fault! A certain ex-vengeance demon, who shall remain nameless, *Anya*, screwed that one up!"

"You know, maybe we don't need to rehash all that old stuff that's in the past and doesn't mean anything anyway," Anya said nervously.

"Oh, sure, 'cause now we're talking about *your* screw up," Willow grumbled.

"I didn't screw the spell up...just, sort of, brought the wrong thing back," Anya defended herself.

"'Cause you sprinkled the dust on *me*!" Willow yelled.

"What were you trying to bring back?" Spike asked, curious.

"My amulet, so I could regain my powers and be a vengeance demon again," Anya told him.

"Perhaps we should...," Giles tried to interrupt them.

"And what *did* you bring back?" he asked, intrigued. He'd heard Willow's heart rate speed up when Anya mentioned bringing back the wrong thing.

"Nothing!" Willow said.

"Vamp Willow!" Xander said.

"Xa-an!"

"Vamp Willow?" Spike asked. He remembered that Buffy had mentioned that same thing. "What was...?"

"We are *so* not going to discuss her!" Willow stated emphatically.

"Willow's double from another universe. She was a vampire. And scary!" Xander continued.

"Scary, huh? How so?"

"Shut up, Spike!" Willow turned on the blond vampire, who just smirked at her.

"Well, she was all...," Xander indicated his chest, "leather and...,"

"Xander!" Willow groaned.

"...she had a puppy and she was all with the licking people...,"

Leather, huh? He looked at Willow and tried to imagine her in leather. It worked. And she had a puppy and licked people? Well, the licking could be fun, Spike thought.

"But that wasn't the scary part," Buffy said. "The really scary part was when we all thought Willow had died."

"Thanks, Buffy," Willow said, slightly mollified.

"Welcome. Besides, vamp you was a real bitch!"

"And a 'ho," Xander said.

"And kinda gay," Willow added, smiling at her friends.

"What kind of puppy?" Spike asked.

***

When they got home, Willow decided to take a bath. She was so tense. First, learning that she had not only kissed Spike, but begged him to...to touch her during her 'dreams'. Then discussing her problems with the gang while trying to keep that part of it secret. And then the whole thing with them thinking that all of her spells went wrong and reliving her double's visit to this dimension. She just really needed a nice, relaxing bath right now.

Spike plopped down on the couch with the remote and a mug of blood and Willow went upstairs. She began running the hot water into the tub, adding some of her vanilla bath oil, then went to her bedroom. She took her clothes off and wrapped her robe around her, then scurried back to the bathroom.

Spike dipped chips in his blood as he flipped through the stations. He couldn't find anything that he wanted to watch. Then again, his mind really wasn't on the television. He was thinking about the spell that Willow's friend Tara was going to perform the next night.

What if it turned out that Willow *was* under a spell? Did the spell cause her to sleepwalk? Was it causing her to dream about him? He got hard thinking about her dream last night and how she'd begged him to touch her. He wanted her to do that when she was awake.

But, what if she didn't want to, once the spell was removed? Bleeding ponce! He forced himself to think about something else, and pictured Willow in the bath, surrounded by bubbles and candlelight.

Willow put her hair up in a scrunchie, then lowered herself into the steaming tub. She leaned back and tried to relax, let the hot water loosen her muscles, tight with tension. She closed her eyes...and thought about Spike. Her eyes shot open. Oh, that was so not of the good.

Why was she suddenly thinking about Spike? Well, alright, not all that sudden, since she'd been noticing him since, well, her junior year of high school if she was completely honest. She knew he was evil...didn't make her blind! And then the kidnapping thing when he'd been *this* close to her neck. Okay, the broken bottle threat, not so cute. And then the trying to bite her, not so cute either.

But she couldn't deny he was nice to look at. Better, she thought as she remembered the view she had of his naked body as he stood under the spray in this very tub. She blushed a deep crimson as she remembered more of her 'dream' from last night. When Spike had come to her room he'd been naked!

She'd wantonly pressed herself against his naked body as she kissed him and begged him to touch her. Oh, goddess! One part of her wondered if she could just melt into the hot water and disappear as another lamented the fact that it had been dark in her room and she hadn't gotten a good look at him.

Willow closed her eyes, laughing at her own thoughts. This was ridiculous! Her life had turned into the worst kind of farce. She was lusting after Spike, and obviously doing something about it in her dreams! She took a deep breath and felt her body relaxing as she drifted off.

When Willow opened her eyes, the water had cooled and she felt goosebumps rise on her arms. She stood and reached for the towel, drying herself off. Her breasts were tender, her nipples hard. She moaned as the soft cotton touched her swollen sex. She looked at herself in the mirror.

She cupped her small breasts, swollen and firm. Closing her eyes, she imagined that it was Spike who touched her. She opened her eyes and pulled the scrunchie out of her hair and shook her head. She ran her hands through her hair, mussing it up. She pulled her robe on and belted it loosely, then went looking for Spike.

He'd disobeyed her earlier. Bad puppy.

***

She found him in his bedroom. He must have just come upstairs...maybe that's what had wakened her. He was sitting on the bed removing his boots. He looked up when he felt her presence.

"What's up, luv?" he asked with an attempt at nonchalant. "Have a nice bath?" He could smell the vanilla scent she'd put in the water. While he was sitting downstairs, purportedly watching the telly, he'd been thinking of her soaking in the tub, imagining her naked, and he was hard.

"Lovely," Willow purred as she leaned against the door jam. He was so...sexy. She felt her sex throb at the sight of him.

"Going to bed, then?" he asked, trying to move her along so he could head to the bathroom for a wank.

"Not yet," she reached up and ran her fingers through her tousled hair. Then she smiled at him.

Spike felt a frisson of fear run up his spine at her predatory smile.

"You, uh, you dreaming, luv?" he asked as he stood.

"Maybe," she smiled at him again. "Is that for me?" she looked pointedly toward his crotch and Spike automatically looked down.

Fuck, he thought. Willow pushed herself away from the door jam and stepped into the room, her body movements languid, sensual.

"Mind if I come in?" she asked as she swung the door shut behind her.

"You really need to go to bed, luv," Spike held his hands out in front of himself, but didn't touch her. He was afraid that if he touched her, he'd rip her robe off and take her on the floor.

"Good idea," she breathed as she pulled one end of the tie.

"You don't really want to do that, luv," Spike warned her, taking a step forward to try and stop her from removing the robe. "You're dreaming and you need to wake up."

Willow smiled suggestively and shrugged her shoulders. The robe slid off of her in slow motion. Spike lunged for it and missed. The robe hit the floor and Spike bent down to retrieve it. Willow grabbed him by the hair and used his unbalanced position against him, forcing him to his knees.

Bloody hell, Spike thought as his face brushed her belly. He could feel the heat of her body, smell her arousal. Willow tipped his head back so that he was looking up at her and he noticed that her nipples were hard little pebbles.

"Hi, puppy," she purred, the tone of her voice sending shivers down his spine once again.

"Willow," Spike began again, "you really need to wake up now, luv. You don't want to do this."

"But I do," she smiled at him, her eyes full of desire. "Why do you think I dream it? Touch me," she begged, trying to force his head closer to her breast.

Spike stared at her breast, full and hard-nippled, and was tempted. He was already hard from thinking about her. Thinking about the way she had touched him last night. Thinking about her naked in her bath. He wanted nothing more than to take her breast in his mouth.

He imagined his mouth opening, could taste her as he sucked on her, as his tongue laved her. But he wanted her awake. Had to remember that, no matter how good she smelled, looked. He finally managed to jerk his head back, to his cock's intense disapproval.

"You don't want this," he said again, as he pulled free of her grip and stood.

"Yes! I do," Willow grabbed his t-shirt and pulled him toward her. She rose up on her tiptoes and placed her mouth against his neck, then licked a path up to his jaw. Spike tried to pull away from her and she used his momentum against him, shoving him backwards.

He landed sprawled on the bed on his back. Before he could recover, Willow climbed onto the bed and was straddling his middle. She leaned down and kissed him as she wrapped her fingers around his erection.

Spike moaned, giving in, and kissed her back. What else was he supposed to do, with her hand on his cock, he reasoned. Willow shifted so that his erection pressed against her center, and ran her hands over his chest as she kissed him. She moaned into his mouth as she rubbed herself against him.

She was so hot and achy...she needed release...she needed Spike to give her release.

"Spike, please," she reached between them for his zipper.

Spike froze. He was so hard. He wanted her so badly. But he wanted her awake. Needed her to be awake. Not only because she might, would, regret this in the morning when she remembered it, and probably stake him if he took advantage of her, but because he wanted her to know what she was doing. He wanted her to be fully aware when, if, no, *when*, he took her. Made her his.

And where in bloody hell was that coming from? Make her his? This was nuts, and he had to stop it now. He batted her hand away and rolled them, then grabbed her shoulders and shook her.

"Willow, wake up. Wake up!" he shook her again and saw her eyes go all fuzzy.

"Spike?" she asked in confusion.

"Yeah, luv, you awake now?"

"I...was I dreaming?" she asked drowsily.

"Yeah," he nodded his head.

"Spike?" she asked as she suddenly felt rough cotton against her breasts, stiff denim against her legs, and a hard cock pressed against her thighs.

"Yeah, luv?"

"Am I naked?" her voice squeaked.

"Uh, yeah," he said. "Let me get your robe."

The dream came flooding back. Willow remembered getting out of the tub and coming into Spike's room looking for 'puppy', dropping her robe, forcing him to his knees, straddling him on the bed, kissing him and attempting to unfasten his jeans. She also became aware of the throbbing between her thighs, the tingle in her belly, the pull of her puckered nipples. She felt hyper-sensitive.

"Spike," she stopped him from getting off of her. "I'm awake now," she assured him.

"That's good, luv. Glad ta hear it. Let me just get your robe for you," he started to lift off of her again, desperate to put some space between them, get her covered.

"No!" she pulled him back down. "I mean, I'm awake and I, um, I still need you to...please," she blushed as she practically begged him to touch her.

"Willow," he shook his head, trying to remain strong as temptation opened a deep chasm before him.

"Oh, never mind...sorry, I thought you...I thought you liked it...sorry...my robe?" he watched her eyes fill with tears and smelled her embarrassment mixed with the scent of her arousal.

"I do like it," he brushed a tear away. "You know I like it," he pressed his erection against her. She refused to look at him.

"Then why...?"

"I don't want you to regret anything in the morning," he whispered. "You know, stake me, kick me out...hate me." If she wasn't so achy with need, Willow might have spent some time pondering the fact that Spike didn't want her to hate him. But she was, so she didn't.

"Spike, please," she looked into his eyes and begged, her fingers sliding beneath his t-shirt to skim over the cool flesh of his back.

"Bloody hell, Willow!" he swore as her warm fingers brushed over him. This was too much. He was certainly no saint, and he already wanted her. Wanted to bury himself inside her, feel her heat surround him, hear her moans as her body writhed beneath him. And now she was awake...and naked. How much cold a man, er, vamp, be expected to resist?

With a growl, he lowered his head and claimed her lips, kissing her deeply, roughly, letting out the sexual frustration that had been building in him all night. Willow dug her fingers into his back as she opened her mouth and let him in, kissed him back.

Oh, goddess, he felt so good! She'd never felt a need this strong. She had a sudden desire to feel his bare skin against hers. She tugged on his t-shirt. He lifted and she skimmed it up his torso. He grabbed it and pulled it over his head, then lay back down against her, capturing her lips once again.

"Mmm," she moaned in pleasure as his cool skin pressed against her heated flesh, her soft breasts crushed against his hard chest. Her arms went around his back, her hands running over his shoulder blades and up his neck, into his hair. Fisting her hands in his hair, she tilted her head and deepened the kiss.

"Willow," he groaned as he pulled away so she could breathe. He buried his face in her neck, licking and sucking the salty skin as he rubbed his erection against her.

"Spike," she moaned, wrapping her legs around him and pressing herself into him. The denim over his straining zipper rubbed along her slit and against her clit. She threw her head back, shifting her hips. "Oh, god, Spike!" she cried. "Please!"

Spike lifted up and wrenched the button out of its hole then hurriedly pushed the zipper down, almost jamming it. Willow helped him shove his jeans down, her little hands pushing at them until his cock was free. Willow felt it against her and moaned.

Spike placed his cock head at her entrance with one hand, balancing his weight on his knees and other hand. He looked down at Willow and she was looking back at him.

"Ready, luv?" he asked.

"Yes," she moaned, "yes."

Spike slid into her slowly, then pulled out and pushed in again, holding still to allow her to adjust to him. Willow moaned as he filled her. She was looking into his beautiful blue eyes, dark with passion...desire...for her.

"Spike," she whimpered and he pulled out and drove into her. "Oh, yes!" Willow cried.

"Cor, Willow," Spike groaned. She was so tight around him, so bleedin' hot. He had been right...he'd never get his cock out of there...he wanted to stay inside her forever. Until Willow whimpered his name, sending shivers up and down his spine. He drove into her...and drove her over the edge.

Willow tightened her legs around his waist as he thrust into her, her arms around his back, her hands running over the cool skin of his back and shoulders, down his arms, as her head tossed on the pillow.

"Spike," she moaned his name. "Oh, yes...Spi-ike!" she screamed as she came.

"Bloody...Willow!" he roared her name as her muscles clamped around him and he pumped his seed into her. Spent, he lay on top of her as they both recovered from their orgasms. When he could move again, Spike rolled off of Willow and onto his back, pulling her to him.

Willow was too exhausted to protest. Not that she would have anyway. She loved the way he felt against her. She lifted a rubbery arm and draped it across Spike's waist, her head nestled on his shoulder.

Spike rubbed her arm as he lay awake, thinking.

"Why'd you call me 'puppy'?" he finally asked.

The even sound of Willow's breathing was his only reply.

~Part: 12~

Willow felt herself waking up, but it was too early. She snuggled into her pillow and tried to fall back under. It was no use, sleep receded and Willow slowly opened her eyes. She found herself staring at a chest. She rolled her eyes up and saw lips and cheekbones.

Spike chest. Naked Spike chest. Well, she thought, that was...actually, quite nice. Her fingers traced the line of his pectoral muscle, then along his ribs and his abdominal muscles. She moved her hand back up and followed the line between his pecs, then gave in to temptation and brushed her fingers over his nipple.

She felt tingles in her belly as she watched it harden. She looked down at the nipple just inches away from her mouth. After a brief hesitation, she slid her cheek off of his shoulder, then flicked her tongue out, the tip grazing his nipple. She did it again, this time with the flat of her tongue, and felt it harden.

Spike had been awake for hours, enjoying the feel of Willow's soft, warm body cuddled up next to him. He felt her try to hold on to sleep, before giving in to waking. He almost jumped when her warm fingers began to explore his chest and stomach, tracing his muscles, his ribs.

He almost moaned when she touched his nipple. He felt it harden as her touch sent waves of desire straight to his cock. Silly chit didn't know she was playing with fire. He barely held back a groan when she moved her face closer to his other nipple. He felt her warm breath on him, then the tip of her tongue, then the flat of it, pressing against him.

Then Willow sucked his nipple into her mouth. Spike couldn't hold back the groan this time.

"Cor, Willow," he grabbed her hair and pressed her face against his chest. Willow froze and slowly tilted her head up to look at him.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, "that was rude and...and...,"

"Don't stop," Spike managed to grind out, barely stopping himself from rolling onto her and taking her now.

"What?" she tilted her head to the side in surprise and confusion.

"Don't...bloody...stop."

"Oh!" she glanced down at his hard nipple, her warm breath fanning his chest. "You want me to...,"

"Yes," he sounded like he was in pain.

Willow looked back down at his nipple, then slowly lowered her mouth, taking him in, sucking as her tongue stroked him, her tiny fingers rubbing his other nipple. Spike moaned, his hands running through her hair and over her back, fingers pressing into her. Willow sucked harder, pinching his other nipple, then rolling it between her fingers.

Spike groaned and his hips bucked. Willow smiled to herself. She'd never done this before and gotten this kind of response. She couldn't believe that she was turning Spike on. And herself. With each groan, she felt the heat between her thighs grow.

She ran her fingers down his chest to his belly, slowly, torturously, then lower. She felt his muscles tense and heard his indrawn breath. She let her hand move lower still, and brushed his hard cock with the back of her fingers.

"Bloody hell!" Spike cried out. Willow closed her fingers around him, then lifted her head and looked at his face.

"Touch me, Spike," she whispered, and then he was. He rolled Willow to her back and claimed her lips, one hand on her breast, the other beneath her head as he rested his weight on that elbow. As Willow stroked his hard length, his tongue invaded her mouth and he kneaded the full mound of her breast, then pinched and pulled at the nipple.

Willow moaned into his mouth. The vocal sounds of her pleasure and her hand on him finally became too much. He raised his head and let go of her breast to grab her hand. "Stop," he said hoarsely.

"Am I hurting you?" she asked worriedly. "I'm not doing it right, am I?"

"No, too right," he managed to get out. "I'm too close...,"

"It felt good?" she asked. He nodded wordlessly and she closed her fingers back around him.

"Cor, Willow!" he cried. He wrapped his larger hand around hers and guided her hand over his cock. He buried his face in her neck and sucked on her skin as he pumped into her hand.
 

"Willow!" he screamed her name as he came, his cock spurting his release over their joined hands and bellies. When he was done and could move again he pulled back and looked down at their cum slicked bellies. Willow followed his gaze.

"We made a mess," she said.

"Yeah, sorry 'bout...,"

"Spike," she interrupted him as she pressed her thighs together.

"Yeah?" he looked up at her and the scent of her arousal filled his nostrils. "Sorry, baby," he ran his fingers through the cum on her belly and made a trail down her stomach and through her curls, "you still need something?"

"Ye-es!" she cried as his fingers found her clit. "Spike," her body was on fire, "oh, god, Spike!"

Willow moaned and bucked, her hands grabbing at his shoulders, the sheets, her head rolling back, and Spike felt his cock harden again. She began to mewl as he brought her to the edge.

"Spi-ike!" she screamed as she fell over, her muscles tensing as her orgasm ripped through her body. Her body still shuddering, Spike climbed between her legs, positioned his cock head at her entrance, and thrust inside her.

"Oh, yes!" she cried out as he filled her, her hands gripping his shoulders as shaking legs wrapped around his waist.

"Oh, bloody...hell," he groaned as her heat surrounded him, her still spasming muscles clutching at him. He'd never get tired of that.

Then he was pumping into her, his forearms resting on the bed next to her head, his hands in her hair. He lowered his lips to hers and kissed her. His tongue thrusting into her mouth in time with his cock as he thrust into her tight heat.

And then they were falling. Foreheads touching, lips moaning and begging, right there, you feel so good, don't stop, never stopping, they brought each other to the edge and fell over.

"Spi-ike," her voice hitched as she came, her body bowing as already weary muscles clenched again.

"Willow!" his cock spasmed as he spurt his seed inside her. Spent, they curled together and fell back to sleep.

***

Willow woke several hours later and just lay there, enjoying the feel of Spike's body next to her. She wanted nothing more than to just stay there, but she had homework and...her stomach growled...she should get something to eat. Besides, she had no idea what time it was, the blanket over the window effectively keeping out almost all of the sunlight.

She ran her fingers through Spike's surprisingly wavy hair, then reluctantly squirmed out of his arms. She took one last look at his nakedness before pulling the sheets over him and turning away. She grabbed her robe off of the floor, then quietly opened the door and slipped down the hall to the bathroom.

Spike opened his eyes and watched Willow leave, trying to be quiet so she didn't wake him. He listened to the shower turn on and imagined the spray cascading over her naked body. His cock responded and he considered joining her, then remembered that she was only human. And she *had* been walking a bit gingerly, he smiled to himself.

He waited for the shower to turn off, then crawled out of bed. He heard the door to Willow's bedroom close, then padded naked down the hall to the bathroom.

Willow dressed in a pair of sweat pants and an old t-shirt. She was just going to be sitting around the house doing homework and she wanted to be comfortable. She noticed a small bruise on her neck when she combed her hair and realized she'd have to wear a turtleneck to Giles' that evening to cover it.

She heard the shower turn on and shivers ran up and down her spine at the thought of Spike, naked in the shower. The memory of him she had from the other night surfaced and she felt tingles in her belly. Okay, she mentally chastised herself, enough is enough.

She straightened her shoulders, marched over to her bedroom door, opened it, then ran like a rabbit down the stairs, not stopping until she stood in the kitchen. There, she thought, okay. Now, she caught her breath, what to eat?

Spike showered then dried off, toweled his hair, then wrapped the towel around his waist and went back to his room to get dressed. He noticed that the door to Willow's bedroom was open and heard her puttering around downstairs. He pulled on the sweat pants and tank that Willow had given him to wear. They were comfortable for lounging around the house watching the telly, and saved his other clothes from getting too dirty.

Willow turned on the radio, fiddled with the station, then perused the groceries she'd bought yesterday. She settled on something light, since thoughts of Spike had her stomach doing cartwheels, and grabbed a grapefruit. She got out a bowl, knife and spoon, then set to work, halving the grapefruit, removing the sections and squeezing out all of the juice.

Spike wandered down the stairs and found Willow fixing breakfast in the kitchen. The radio was on some soft rock station and she was humming along with the music, sometimes singing the words softly, as she squeezed the last bit of juice out of a grapefruit half into a bowl. He watched her tiny hands, remembering where they'd been just hours ago, and felt himself respond.

Willow looked up to throw the rinds into the garbage and saw Spike lounging in the doorway, watching her.

"S-Spike!" she felt her heart start to hammer. "Y-you startled me," she continued to the garbage and tossed the grapefruit remains in. "Did you, um, did you want something to eat?" she asked as she walked over to the sink and rinsed her hands.

"Mmm," he smirked and looked her over suggestively, "but I'll settle for a mug of blood just now." Willow blushed.

"You, um, you know where everything is, right?" she asked nervously.

"The important stuff," he said, his eyes on her heaving chest, watching with interest as her nipples puckered beneath the cotton. Willow self-consciously wrapped her arms round herself, covering her breasts.

"Spoilsport," he muttered as he pushed away from the wall and walked over to the refrigerator. He heated up a mug of blood, watching Willow as it heated, and then joined her at the island. It was silent as Willow ate her grapefruit and Spike drank his blood.

"What you gonna do today?" Spike asked.

"Homework," Willow responded quickly, glad to have the silence ended.

"What classes you taking?" Spike asked, surprised that he really wanted to know.

"Uh, well, psychology, computer programming...,"

"'Course," Spike commented with a roll of his eyes. Willow wrinkled up her nose at him.

"...English literature, logic and chemistry," she finished.

Willow rinsed her bowl and Spike's mug out, then led the way to the living room, grabbing her book bag on the way. She knelt on the floor next to the coffee table and emptied the book bag. Grabbing the highlighter and her computer programming text, she walked over to one of the chairs and settled herself in, her legs curled under her, the book resting on her knees, and began to read, the highlighter making little squeaky noises.

After a couple of minutes, Willow looked up to see Spike staring at her. "You, um, you can watch the TV if you want to."

"Not gonna bother you?" he asked.

"No. I used to study while Xander was talking," she smiled as Spike reached for the remote.

After about half an hour, Willow sat Indian-style by the coffee table and pulled her laptop around. With the text open at her feet, she started typing.

Spike found himself paying more attention to Willow than the telly. He watched her scrunch her face up in concentration, purse her lips, and his mind wandered. He remembered how she had touched him that morning, exploring his chest, jerking him off. He felt his cock respond.

Desperate for a distraction from the witch, he leaned forward and grabbed a book off of the coffee table. It was her English lit text. He opened it and thumbed through it, then began to read.

Willow clicked the save button to save her program, then rolled her head and shoulders. She looked over at the couch, saw Spike reading one of her texts, and smiled at the picture he made, then shook herself. She rose to her feet and shook her legs as the blood rushed back into them.

"I'm going to get some water. You need anything?" she asked.

"Uh, no, I'm all set," he looked at her over the top of the book.

"Okay," Willow went to the kitchen and returned with a bottle of water. She took a swig from the already half-empty bottle, then replaced the cap and set it on one of the coasters adorning the coffee table. She sorted through the books and picked up her psychology text, checked her dayminder for the homework assignment, then settled back into the chair. With one last surreptitious look at Spike, goddess, he was so cute, she opened the book.

She couldn't concentrate on the text. The words all flowed together. She'd had sex with Spike. Amazing sex with Spike. And wanted to do it again. But they still didn't know what was happening, with the dreams, and the sleepwalking. What if it *was* a spell? What if they removed the spell and she didn't want him any more. Yeah, right! What if he didn't want her?

She stole another glance at him. He was so...sexy. She remembered the way he'd touched her last night, and then again this morning. How he'd made her ache with need, made her beg him to touch her, made her scream her release.

Spike looked up when he scented Willow's arousal. He lowered the book he was holding and looked over at her. She held a book in her hands, but he could tell by the glazed look in her eyes that she wasn't reading it. And he could tell by her scent that she was thinking about him. Well, better be thinking about him.

His cock got hard and he stood, walked over to stand before her, then dropped to his knees in front of her.

"Spike, what, um, what are you doing?" she asked, the sight of him on his knees in front of her making her insides flutter.

"Changed my mind. I am a bit peckish," he told her as he grabbed her ankles and pulled her legs out from under her, then lowered her feet to the floor.

"Y-you want me to make you something?" Willow asked as moisture seeped from her core.

"Got everything I need right here," Spike told her as his hands slipped beneath her ass and pulled her to the edge of the chair. He lifted her legs, spreading them, and buried his face between her thighs.

"Oh, goddess, Spike," Willow moaned. The book she was holding hit the floor with a 'thud' and her fingers buried themselves in his hair.

He licked and sucked her through her sweats until they were soaking wet with a mixture of his saliva and her juices, as Willow moaned and called out his name. He lowered her legs and reached beneath her again, grabbing her sweats and panties and pulling them off of her.

"Open up for me," he looked into glazed green eyes. Willow spread her thighs. Spike lifted her legs and looked at her.

"Spike," Willow began to fidget in embarrassment.

"You're beautiful," he said and Willow started to shake her head. "Good enough to eat," he smirked, lifting her legs over his shoulders and burying his face once more in her wet heat.

"Aahh, Spike!" Willow cried as his tongue touched her for the first time, lapping up her spilt juices, then dipping inside her and laving her clit until she couldn't think. Her hands in his hair urged him closer and her legs tightened around his head and against his back, pressing herself against him.

And then she was cuming, panting and mewling as her body tensed and found its release. Spike lowered her legs and raised his head, watching her come down. As soon as she could move, Willow slid to her knees in front of Spike, her body brushing against his, her clit rubbing over his erection, making her moan.

She licked her juices off of his chin and pulled his bottom lip into her mouth while her hands roamed over his chest and down to his waist. She pushed his sweats down over his hips and pushed him onto his back, then crawled up his body until she was positioned over his erection. Reaching between them she placed him at her entrance, then slowly slid down on him until he was completely sheathed in her heat.

"Willow," he moaned as his hands cupped her breasts through her top.

She pressed herself into his hands as she moved deliberately up and down on him. She wanted this to last forever. She lifted, squeezing her vaginal muscles as she did so, then lowered herself. Her hands slipped beneath the tank to knead his chest as she moved, until her fingers were pulling at his nipples, pinching them. He growled and his eyes turned amber.

She just smiled at him and kept up her deliberate pace. He lifted her shirt over her head, then pulled her bra down to release her breasts into his waiting hands. He kneaded them, then pulled on her nipples until she leaned down so he could take them in his mouth. As he suckled on her breasts he moved his hands down to cup her ass, trying to speed up her movements.

Her clit rubbed against his pelvic bone in this position and she was soon ready to orgasm. Pulling her breast out of Spike's mouth she shoved his shirt up, then leaned down and sucked on his nipple as her hips began to move faster. Suddenly she bit him. Spike yelled and slammed into her and they both climaxed.

"Cor, Willow, that was bleedin' amazing," Spike said as he dropped his head to the floor and pulled Willow down onto him. She rested her head on his chest, her hands on his shoulders, and he rubbed her back. They lay like that until Willow noticed the shadows getting longer.

~Part: 13~

"We have to go to Giles' and meet with Tara for the spell," Willow said and, just like that, the spell around them was broken, and the real world rushed back in. "And I really think I need to take a shower before we leave," she spoke against Spike's chest, where she was hiding her face, a little bit embarrassed over her wanton behavior.

"Don't wanna go," Spike ran his hands possessively over her back. He really didn't want to find out that Willow was under a spell. She felt so...right.

"Why not?" she asked sleepily as her fingers moved over his shoulders. Spike was silent for so long that Willow finally lifted her head to look at him. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"What if it is a spell?" he asked, staring into her eyes.

"Then we fix it!" Willow said. "That's a good thing, right?"

"What about this?" he asked, his fingers pressing into her back.

"You mean, uh, this, this?" she asked, indicating their current position with a tilt of her head.

"Yeah," he said, his hands drifting down to cup her buttocks.

"You, uh, you worried it'll end or, or that it won't?" she asked hesitantly.

"That it will," he admitted as he lifted his head off of the floor and kissed her.

"Oh!" Willow said. "Good! I mean, I was hoping that's what you meant," she put her head back down on his chest so she didn't have to look at him. "I don't want it to end either," she said shyly. "Do you *really* think it could be a spell?" she asked.

"Don't know, luv," Spike hated to admit it.

"It would have to be a pretty extensive spell, or not very well thought out," Willow commented, her brow furrowing. "I mean," she put her elbow on his chest and placed her chin in her hand, "first I have nightmares that lead to my sleepwalking to you, then I start having dreams that are, uh, well..."

"Erotic?" Spike suggested with a trace of his usual leer.

"Uh, yeah," Willow agreed, "erotic dreams a-about you that lead to my sleepwalking to you and, uh, playing them out," she watched the finger of her other hand trace patterns on his chest. "But do you think it could affect the things I feel when I'm not sleeping?" she asked.

"That would be strange, right? Same spell that makes you dream and sleepwalk also affecting you awake," Spike agreed, not completely sure what he was talking about, but wanting desperately for it to be true.

"Besides, it'd also have to have affected the past," Willow mused.

"How so?" Spike asked, curious.

"Ah, well," Willow hedged. "I kinda thought you were pretty, um, sexy back when you first came to town, you know, back in my junior year," she finally admitted.

"You think I'm sexy?" Spike momentarily forgot about the spell.

"Oh, please," she scoffed, still not looking at him, "like you don't know you're sexy!"

"Well, sure, *I* know I'm sexy," he teased, "but, uh, you think I'm sexy?"

"I might," she said with a little roll of her eyes and Spike dug his fingers into her side. "Stop!" she squealed as he tickled her. "Aahh! Spike, please!" she cried.

"Admit it," he demanded, his fingers still tickling her.

"Alright! Alright," she breathed heavily as he stopped tickling her. "I think you're...okay!" she rolled off of him, clambered to her feet and raced for the stairs.

Spike smirked to himself as he watched Willow's sweet little butt as she ran out of the living room, then listened to her footfalls as she sprinted up the stairs. He took a deep breath, breathing in the heady scent of her arousal, mixed with the slight fear of anticipation.

He climbed to his feet slowly and pulled his sweats up, snapping the waistband with his thumbs before stalking after her. The sound of her heartbeat filled his ears as he mounted the stairs. Cor, he loved the chase.

He followed her scent, her heartbeat, to the bathroom. He pushed the door open slowly, then stepped inside and pushed the door shut behind him. He turned to look at Willow, who was flattened against the wall behind the door.

"Hi, Spike!" she gave a nervous laugh as tingles shot through her body. She'd almost screamed out loud when the bathroom door was pushed open, her nerves taut with anticipation. And the sight of him, all predatory...oh, goddess, he was gorgeous. Her eyes drank in the sight of his muscular arms and shoulders, left bare by the tank, and his muscular chest, enhanced by the stretch of the tank across it.

"Red," Spike drawled, his eyes roaming over her body, covered only in her bra. He took in her firm breasts with their pebbled nipples poking at the material, her red curls, her round hips and her shapely legs.

He took another deep breath, inhaling the strong scent of her arousal, then fell at her, stopping himself from crashing into her by placing his hands against the wall. Willow made a little noise and Spike heard her heart rate speed up. She tilted her head and Spike claimed her lips.

Willow's hands went around Spike's waist, then slipped down to cup his butt. Spike put his hands on Willow's shoulders and pulled her against him, his hands moving over her back. Willow moaned into his mouth as her hands slipped beneath his tank top to run over his back, then beneath the waistband of his sweats.

She needed him so much. She didn't know when, or why, or how this had all started, she just wanted him to finish it...now.

Spike groaned as her warm hands glided over his cool flesh. He ran his hands down her back and over her butt, cupping and kneading the round globes, then slipping lower, letting his fingers slip between her thighs to tease her slit.

She felt so bloody good. He wanted to bury himself inside her and never leave.

"Spike," Willow moaned as he lifted his head.

"Want me?" he softly bit her ear.

"Aaahh, yes," she moaned as he found the soft spot on her neck and sucked on it.

"Want you, too," he breathed as he worked a finger inside her. "Help me with the sweats," he said.

Willow shoved his sweats down and Spike pulled his finger out of her, then lifted her. He pressed her against the wall and positioned his cock head against her entrance.

"Ready, baby?" he asked.

"Yes!" she grabbed his shoulders and wrapped her legs around his waist.

His eyes on hers, Spike drove into her. Willow moaned as he filled her and tightened her grip on him. Spike groaned as her heat surrounded him.

"Cor, Red, you feel so good," he thrust into her.

"Spike," she breathed, closing her lips over his. "Spike, please!" She was so hot for him.

"Willow," he slammed into her, burying himself deep, his pelvic bone stimulating her clit.

"Spike," her breath tickled his ear before she sucked it into her mouth. "So close, Spike."

"Tell me," he said as he pumped into her, the sound of her voice bringing him to the edge.

"Please, Spike," she purred into his ear, "please, make me cum. Spike, make me cum, hard."

"Bloody hell," he groaned, increasing the speed of his hips as he thrust into her. He heard her begin to mewl and knew she was close. Soon her body was tensing, her thighs tightening around him as she came.

"Spi-ike!" she cried his name.

"Willow!" he growled as her muscles clenched around him, milking his own release.

***

Willow and Spike had showered, separately, at Willow's insistence and to Spike's intense displeasure, and they were now on their way over to Giles' apartment.

"Spike, put me down," Willow said.

"You walk too slow," he replied, glad he'd decided to carry her when he noticed her slight limp. She felt so good in his arms, all soft and warm.

"And whose fault is that?" she asked. "I'm probably lucky I can walk at all!"

Spike just smirked at her as he walked down the steps to the courtyard.

"Okay, put me down now, before anybody sees," she said, wriggling in his arms.

"Nope," he said. "Don't worry. Got a plan."

"Oh, great," she groaned as Spike turned the knob and pushed the door open. The gang was already seated at the table, but Spike walked past them, ignoring their stares, and deposited Willow on the couch.

"Wh-wh...," Xander said.

"Why are you carrying her?" Buffy demanded.

"What happened?" Giles asked, standing.

"What they said," Xander added.

"Chit got a cramp in her leg," Spike said. Willow glared daggers at him as she gripped her book bag in her lap. "Give me your jacket," he told her.

Willow put her bag on the couch and removed her jacket, then threw it at Spike. He just smirked at her again and hung both of their jackets on the hooks.

"Will, you alright?" Buffy asked as she came over to stand near her friend.

"You never carry me," Anya pouted.

"Yeah," Willow said, rubbing her calf, "it's not cramping anymore just, you know, the residual pain in the...muscle," she scowled at Spike, who ignored her.

"Got anything to eat, Watcher?" Spike disappeared into the kitchen and returned with a bag of FritosT.

"Hey! Those're mine!" Xander yelped.

"These'd be real good dipped in blood," Spike said as he dropped onto the couch next to Willow.

"And you have just ensured that I will never eat them again," Xander said.

Spike smirked and held the bag out to Willow.

"That was mean," she said as she took one.

The doorbell rang and Giles jumped.

"Good lord! I wasn't sure that thing even worked!" he said as he went to answer the door. He opened it to reveal a young, blonde woman.

"Hello," she said. "I'm Tara Maclay. I'm looking for Willow."

"Ah, Tara," Giles held out this hand. "Rupert Giles. It's a pleasure to meet you." Tara took the proffered hand and they shook. "Won't you please come in?"

"Hi, Tara," Willow said as she stood and pushed awkwardly past Spike. She hobbled stiffly over to the other girl and Spike watched her move with a slight smile. "Thanks for coming," Willow said and Spike's smile faded as he remembered what Tara was here for.

"Let me introduce you to everyone," Willow said. "You've already met Giles, this is Xander, and Anya," she indicated the two still sitting at the table.

"Hello," Tara said.

"Hi," Xander raised his hand in a little wave.

"Hello," Anya said.

"This is Buffy," Willow continued, and the two girls shook hands.

"Hello, Tara. I think I've seen you around campus," Buffy said.

"It's nice to meet you, Willow's told me so much about you," Tara said.

"And this is Spike," Willow turned toward the blond vampire, who was now standing in front of the couch.

Tara extended her hand, then froze. "He's a demon," she said.

"Uh, yeah," Willow said. "He's a vampire. How'd you know?"

"I can tell, sense it. Uh, why are you hanging out with a vampire?" Tara pulled her hand back.

"Long story," Willow said. "Don't worry, he won't bite you," she assured the girl.

"Are you sure? I'm getting some weird vibes here."

Spike, who wanted nothing more than to bite her, or throw her out, fought to reign in the growl scratching at his throat to get out. He turned his back on the rest of the room and returned to his seat on the couch.

"Yeah, I'm sure," Willow said, wondering what was going on. "Well, maybe we should get started," she rubbed her hands together with fake enthusiasm. "What do you need us to do?"

"Well, first of all, I need to know what's going on," Tara said as she set her bag on the table and began to unload her supplies. "Helps me feel...connected."

"Giles?" Willow said. She could explain it herself, but she felt more distance if he did it. Giles explained Willow's sleepwalking and the efforts he'd taken to determine what was going on.

"We want to see if perhaps a spell has been cast on Willow. To either make her dream or to make her sleepwalk," he concluded.

"And find out why she's going to Spike," Buffy muttered.

"Okay," Tara said, looking around. "We just need to clear a space for me to set up the circle."

They moved the coffee table and pushed the chairs back, clearing a space in the middle of the living room. Tara set out a circle with the candles she'd brought, then she and Willow stepped inside it. Tara had Willow sit, then lit the candles, and drew a circle with salt. She invoked the goddess, chanted a few words in Latin, then sprinkled a mixture of herbs over Willow.

Tara nodded her head in satisfaction, then froze, looking more closely at Willow's seated form.

Spike watched from his position on the couch, trying to keep his face impassive. Inside he was a mess as he talked to himself, she'll find nothing, there's no spell, good, she's, wait, what's going on?

"Willow, do this," Tara held her hands out, palms facing outward, fingers splayed. Willow did as she asked and Tara studied her some more.

"Alright," Tara said, chanted a closing spell, then stepped over the salt, breaking the circle. She knelt and gathered the candles together, blowing them out and setting them aside for the wax to harden before putting them back in her bag.

"We're going to need to vacuum this up, or something," Tara said, indicating the salt and herbs.

Spike was ready to strangle the witch and she glanced over at him nervously, as if she could sense it. He smiled ferally at her and let his eyes glow amber.

"That can wait," Giles said. "Tell us what you found."

"Well," Tara began, "I didn't see any magical signatures around Willow."

Spike breathed a sigh of relief.

"What does that mean, then?"

"What's causing her to go to Spike?"

"Then we still don't know what's causing the sleepwalking," Giles took his glasses off and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"However," she interrupted, "I did see a faint, very faint, magical residue around the ring she's wearing."

Fuck, Spike thought.

"My ring?"

~Part: 14~

"My ring?" Willow repeated, looking at the silver band on her thumb.

"Yes," Tara said, taking Willow's hand in hers and examining the ring more closely.

Bloody fucking hell, Spike thought, then growled when he saw the blonde witch touch his Red.

"It's very weak," Tara continued. "I almost missed it."

"May I see the ring?" Giles asked.

"Sure," Willow said, as she tried to take the ring off. "Uh, I can't get it off," she said.

"Perhaps some soap?" Giles asked.

"I don't think that's going to help," she said as she twirled the ring around her thumb. "It's not tight, it just won't come off."

"That's strange," Giles said. "The magic, do you think?" he asked Tara as he took Willow's hand.

"Could be," she agreed.

"What's this design?" he asked as he peered at the ring through the glasses perched on his nose.

"I've never seen it before," Tara said.

"Perhaps if we had some more light," he suggested as he headed for the table, pulling Willow along after him.

"Giles!" Willow complained, pulling her hand out of his grasp.

"Oh, sorry, Willow," he said. "This is just so...,"

"Fascinating!" Buffy, Xander and Anya chimed.

"Er, yes," Giles agreed. "Would you be so kind as to join us at the table?" he asked Willow.

"I guess," Willow said as she walked around the table and sat down. Giles pulled a gooseneck lamp over and pulled her hand beneath it. He and Tara both leaned over her hand and studied the ring, twirling it around her thumb to get a look at the entire band.

"Where did you get this ring?" Giles asked, his brow furrowed in concentration.

"At the festival," she said. "The Harvest Festival last September. You remember, Buffy?"

"Yeah," Buffy shuddered, "I remember. I told you that old lady was weird."

"Well, she was, a little, but the ring was really pretty. It kind of reminded me of the Celtic knot and, well, it was *pretty*," she finished with a pout.

It was still pretty, she looked at the silver band, but she didn't want it to be a spell. She wanted her...weird attraction...to Spike to be real. Assuming he was attracted back. Which he seemed to be. She chanced a look over at Spike through her lashes.

He had turned sideways on the couch and was watching her closely. Willow tried to smile, but her lips felt frozen. It didn't matter if there was a spell. Like she told Spike that afternoon, or earlier that evening, her attraction to him had started long before she started sleepwalking.

"September?" Giles asked.

"Yeah," Willow turned away from Spike and answered him.

"But you just started sleepwalking about four weeks ago, now," he said, his brow furrowed in concentration. "I wonder why the lapse in time, if the spell on the ring is what was causing you to sleepwalk."

"I don't know," Willow said.

"Maybe some sort of time-release spell," Xander offered. Giles looked at him. "Or not."

"No, that's actually a very good idea. That can be done, right?" he asked Tara.

"I haven't come across one, but I don't see why not. Base the spell on the happening of a future event. Kind of like, if 'a', then 'b'," Tara said. Giles nodded, then turned back to the ring.

"It could be a Celtic design," he mused. "But it's nothing I recognize."

"I'm not that familiar with Celtic designs," Tara said apologetically.

"Give me just another minute, Willow," Giles said as he stood. "I'm just going to get some paper and copy that pattern so I can look it up."

Giles brought a pad of paper and a pencil over to the table and drew the design that adorned Willow's ring.

"Alright," he said, "I suggest we see if we can find this pattern anywhere. Let me see what I have in my collection," Giles muttered to himself as he walked over to his bookshelves. "I don't think I have anything on Celtic designs."

Willow watched Giles walk away, then looked over at Spike, who was still staring at her. He gave her an encouraging wink and she felt the corners of her lips turn up.

"I'll see what I can find on the Internet," she said as she stood and walked over to the couch where her book bag still lay. Spike picked up the bag and walked around the couch to hand it to her.

"Thanks," she said softly, as she took the bag from him and went back to the table.

Spike followed and took a seat next to her, watching as she pulled out her laptop and set it up, careful not to touch her with the others in the room. But he wanted to. He wanted to pull her into his arms and hold her, comfort her. Bleedin' ponce! He shook his head in disgust.

Willow looked over at him, and saw that he was deep in thought. He looked up and saw her watching him, and Willow felt her stomach flutter. She looked back down at the laptop.

Giles returned to the table with a frown.

"As I suspected, I don't have anything in my collection regarding Celtic designs. I was hoping that the books I purchased from that last estate sale would have something. Well," he drew himself up, "it looks like Willow's research on the Internet is the only research we're going to get done tonight. Tomorrow I'll have to go to the library. Buffy," he turned to the Slayer, "why don't you go ahead and patrol?"

"Can we leave, too?" Anya asked.

"Yes, there's nothing for any of you to do...unless," Giles looked at Anya speculatively. "Anya, why don't you take a look at this design," he slid the paper over to her. "You've been around for a thou...,er, a long time," he caught himself, "perhaps you've seen it in your, uh, travels."

Anya picked up the paper and studied the drawing. "No," she shook her head, "I don't recognize it. Can we go have orgasms now?" she dropped the paper back on the table.

"Er, yes, why don't you go do that?" Giles replied, exasperated.

Buffy, Xander and Anya walked out of the apartment together. Tara watched them leave.

"Well," she looked back at the other three, "she's...refreshing."

"You're very kind," Giles said. "Uh, any luck, Willow?" he asked the redhead.

"Not yet, Giles," Willow tried to smile at him.

"Why don't we clean up the salt and herbs while Willow's doing that?" Tara asked.

"Certainly, good idea," Giles agreed. "Let me just get the Hoover."

"So, she's a demon, too?" Tara asked as she followed Giles.

"Actually, a thousand year old ex-vengeance demon," Giles said. "You could tell?"

"Not at first," Tara admitted. "It was very...muted, for some reason. Probably because of the ex. How do you become an ex-vengeance demon?"

Spike watched Willow's face as she scrolled through her search results. He leaned forward, folded his arms on the table, and looked into her eyes.

"You okay?" he asked.

"I guess," she said, staring at the screen. "Nothing that we weren't expecting, right? I just...I hate feeling like I'm being played." As one hand scrolled down the screen, she absently rubbed his upper arm with the other.

Spike placed his hand over hers and squeezed.

"Let's hurry up and find that design," he picked Willow's hand up and studied the ring.

"Why?" she asked.

"Wanna go home and shag," Spike smirked at her.

"Oh," Willow blushed as her stomach fluttered again.

***

Willow was practically running to keep up with Spike as he dragged her along behind him.

"Spike!" she cried.

"Walk faster," he said.

"I have little legs!" she complained. "And I'm still a little sore," she added softly.

"Then let me carry you," he turned toward her.

"Spike! Stop it!" she slapped his hand and took a quick step back. "Why are you in such a hurry?"

"Because," he backed her against a tree and looked down at her, "when this spell, or whatever it is, ends, want you to wanna stay anyway. With me." And if she didn't, he wanted as many memories of her soft, warm body writhing beneath him, begging him, screaming his name, as he could make in the time they had left.

"And you think shagging me to death is gonna do that?" Willow asked.

Spike froze, then shrugged. "All I got."

"That's not true," she said with a tilt of her head. "That's just not true. You have so much more to offer. Not that the shagging's not good, too," she smiled. "Besides, I thought we already discussed this. Even if, or when, this spell ends, the other one's not likely to."

"What other one?" Spike asked worriedly, grabbing her arms.

"The one you put on me," she dropped her bag gently to the ground and wrapped her arms around his waist, laying her head against his chest.

Spike let go of her arms and wrapped his arms around her. "Red," he whispered as he placed his lips against the top of her head. "I don't know what's happening with us, but I don't want it to end."

"Me neither," she said against his chest. "It feels good. Not the sex!" she cried. "Well, I mean, that *does* feel good, too, but I don't mean *just* the sex," she clarified. "It feels good being with you."

"It does feel good," Spike agreed. He'd never been in a relationship that felt this good. This...right. Although, he wondered, could you even count spending over one hundred years with an insane vampire as a relationship?

"Come on," Willow pulled away enough to pick up her book bag, keeping one arm around Spike's waist, "let's go home."

Spike put his arm around Willow's shoulders and kissed the top of her head before turning and walking her down the sidewalk.

"We can still shag, though, right?" he asked.

"Spike!"

***

Willow sat her bag down, took her jacket off, and hung it up.

"You want some hot cocoa?" she asked Spike as he hung his duster next to her jacket.

"Nope," he said as he bent, grabbed her around the legs and stood, throwing her over his shoulder.

"Spike! What are you doing?" she squealed.

"Wanna shag," Spike said as he carried her up the stairs.

"Spi-ike!" she laughed again. "Is that all you think about?"

"Lately," he said as he ran a hand over her butt.

"Ohhh, me too!" she moaned as his fingers kneaded the round globe. "Hurry, Spike," she urged.

"Be patient, luv," he teased.

"Oh, please, look who's talking! You've heard about the pot and the kettle, right?"

"Right," he said as he tossed her on the bed and watched her bounce.

"Aaahh!" Willow cried as she flew through the air and landed on the bed. "That's not funny," she said as he laughed down at her.

"Yeah, it is!" he crawled on the bed and lay next to her on his side, resting his weight on his elbow.

"You're beautiful," he ran his fingers over her flushed face.

"I thought vamps had great eyesight," she teased.

"They do," he replied seriously, leaning over and kissing her, then pulling back. He ran his thumb over her lips.

"Spike, what...?"

He kissed her again, his palm resting against her neck, his fingers digging into her. Willow leaned into him and placed her hand on his arm. His lips pressed against hers gently. Willow parted her lips and slipped her tongue out to tease his.

His tongue followed hers back into her mouth and explored, passing over her teeth and the roof of her mouth before tangling gently with her own. He pulled back to look at her.

"Spike," she whispered.

He slipped his hand into her hair and his lips were on hers again, a little harder, more insistent. Willow's arm slipped around his back and pulled him closer as she kissed him back.

"You taste so good," Spike groaned.

"So do you," Willow said. She pushed him onto his back and crawled onto him as his hands moved to her hips. With her elbows on either side of his face, she leaned down and kissed him. She nibbled on his lips and ran her tongue over them. Spike let his tongue out to meet hers and she sucked it into her mouth.

Spike groaned and his hands tightened on her hips. His response sent a tingle to Willow's center and she sucked harder. Spike broke her hold on his tongue and explored her mouth, stroked her tongue.

Willow threaded her fingers through his hair, enjoying the softness against her skin as they kissed. She lifted her head and looked down at him. Deep blue eyes stared back. He was so...gorgeous...sweet...obnoxious, she felt her lips twitch.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing," her smile grew.

"What?!" he demanded.

"Nothing!" she insisted. "I just...Spi-ike!" she squealed as he rolled them, his body pinning hers to the bed, her hands pinned above her head.

"What were you thinking?" he asked again.

"Just that you were gorgeous," she said as she twined her fingers with his.

"Gorgeous, eh?" he said as he kissed her neck.

"Mmm," she moaned. "And sweet."

"Sweet?" he looked down at her in distaste.

"Uh huh," she smiled again.

"I'm a vampire, luv. I'm not sweet," he informed her.

"You're sweet to me."

"You tell anyone, I'll have to kill you," he stated.

"I won't," she said, "but that reminds me of the other thing."

"What's that?"

"Obnoxious," she smiled.

"Which do you like better?" he asked.

"I like all of it," she said, slipping her hands out of his grasp and pulling him down for another kiss.

~Part: 15~

Willow's eyes opened before her alarm went off. She felt a disorienting coolness at her back and froze as she tried to wake up and figure out what it was. A hard band of cool lay over her waist, and something hard poked her in the butt. Oh! Spike! Willow felt herself blush as she realized what the hard thing poking her in the butt was.

She relaxed and let herself rest against him until she knew her alarm would go off and wake him. Just before the radio came on, Willow managed to slip out of his grasp and hit the 'off' button. She shifted on the side of the bed where she sat and looked at her vampire.

Her vampire? Where had that thought come from? Well, probably from the fact that they'd had sex, mind-blowing sex, four times in the last two days. And from the fact that she didn't want it to end. And not just the sex, but just being with him. He made her laugh, he made her scream...and sometimes he annoyed the heck out of her!

But he was hers. Willow ran her hand through his sleep-tousled hair, then leaned down and kissed him lightly before slipping off of the bed. She covered him with the sheets, grabbed her robe, and headed for the bathroom.

Spike opened his eyes as Willow grabbed her robe, and watched her walk across the room and out the door, trying to be careful not to wake him. He rolled onto his stomach and stretched, pressing his erection into the mattress. Red had no idea what she was in for.

He crawled out of bed when he heard the shower turn on, and made his way to the bathroom. He opened the door and peeked in to make sure Willow was in the shower before he entered. He stood for a moment, watching the water sluice off of her body as she stood under the spray.

She lifted her arms as she made sure the water had soaked her hair, which caused her breasts to lift temptingly. And Spike was nothing, if not willing to be tempted. He slid the curtain back and stepped over the side of the tub. Willow's eyes shot open in surprise and he smirked at her.

"Spike!" she lowered her arms automatically in an attempt to cover herself and Spike smirked again. She had neither seen Spike enter the bathroom, nor the shower, nor heard him over the sound of the shower, just felt a cool draft on her heated flesh when he opened the curtain.

"Already seen it all, luv," he teased.

"Wh-what are you doing?" Willow asked nervously. She'd never taken a shower with anyone before.

"What's it look like?" he asked as he reached for her strawberry scented shampoo. He opened the cap and sniffed it before squeezing some into his hand. "Turn around," he said as he lathered the shampoo between his palms.

Willow did as he asked and Spike took a step forward, rubbing the shampoo into her hair, massaging her scalp and pulling her back against him as he did so. Willow relaxed against him and gave a small moan of pleasure as he washed her hair.

"Like?" he whispered in her ear.

"Mmm," Willow shuddered as his breath tickled her. Spike turned her around to rinse out her hair, stepping up to her so that his erection pressed against her belly. "Spike," she whimpered, her hands going to his hips to support herself.

"Hold on, luv," he whispered seductively, "I'll take care of you. Just let me get your conditioner," he reached for the bottle as Willow watched with half-lidded eyes. Spike squeezed a small amount of conditioner into his hand and rubbed both hands together. Willow let her head fall forward and rest against his chest as he worked the conditioner into her hair.

Spike tipped her head back under the spray and ran his fingers through her hair as the conditioner was rinsed out. He straightened her back up and found her washcloth. He picked up the cucumber/melon shower gel and examined it with a raised eyebrow before squirting some onto the cloth. He sniffed it experimentally, then rubbed his hand over the cloth to suds the gel.

Willow moaned as Spike ran the washcloth over her shoulder. She felt so relaxed. She'd never had anyone wash her hair like *that* before! It didn't hurt that he was naked, either, Willow thought as she ran her eyes over his hard, muscled chest, arms and abs. The man was certainly *built*!

Willow lifted her eyes to his, and Spike smirked at her, as if he knew exactly what she was thinking. Probably did, stupid vampire! With her eyes on his, Willow reached out and closed her fingers around his erection. Spike sucked in an unnecessary breath and it was Willow's turn to smirk.

"Keep your hands to yourself, Red," Spike said as he pushed her hand away and turned her around so he could wash her back.

"You weren't saying that last night," Willow retorted languidly.

"Mmm," Spike kissed her neck as he moved the washcloth over her butt and Willow shivered, "I remember."

He knelt and washed the back of her legs, picked her feet up to wash them, then turned her around and washed the front. He stood and ran the soapy cloth over her breasts before sliding it lower.

Willow grabbed his arms and spread her legs to give him better access.

"Spike," she moaned in protest when he withdrew his hand after moving the cloth over her briefly.

"Rinse," he pushed her backward under the spray and Willow sputtered as the water ran over her face and into her mouth.

"That wasn't funny!" she said when she emerged from the water.

"Yeah, it was!" Spike laughed as Willow traded places with him and shoved him under the spray. "Hey!" Spike sputtered.

"You're right," Willow said with a big grin, "it *is* funny. My turn," she squeezed shampoo into her palm and rubbed her hands together, then lathered up Spike's hair. "Ooh, this is fun," she said as she made soapy spikes in his hair.

"Hey, don't get that in my eyes!" Spike complained.

"Oh, be quiet, you big baby," Willow pressed her body against him and stretched up to give him a kiss as her fingers worked the hair at the back of his neck.

"Rinse," she tilted his head back and rinsed his hair.

"I don't need that frou-frou stuff," Spike complained as Willow reached for the conditioner.

"Quiet," she said as she squeezed some into her hand and applied it to his hair. She ran her fingers through his slicked hair, watching it curl, then rinsed it out.

Willow squirted a generous amount of gel onto the washcloth, wet it under the spray, then rubbed it with her other hand to make it suds up. She started with Spike's shoulder, drawing the cloth over his shoulder and down his arm. When she was finished with his shoulders and arms she moved onto his chest, running the washcloth over his pectorals, watching the nipples pebble as she blew on them, then down over his stomach.

"Think my chest is clean," Spike smirked at her when Willow spent an inordinate amount of time on his chest.

"Really?" Willow said as she moved the cloth down his belly and into his dark curls. She wrapped her finger around his erection and stroked it a few times before slipping her hand between his legs to run the cloth over his balls. Spike moaned and Willow smirked at him.

Willow dropped to her knees and washed his legs, then stood and turned him around. She washed his back and butt thoroughly, careful not to miss any spots, and hitting some two, or even three, times. When she was sure his back was clean, she pushed him forward to rinse, then knelt to wash the back of his legs and feet.

"Okay, turn around and rinse," she said when she was done. Spike turned around and leaned back into the spray. Willow dropped the washcloth and leaned forward, licking a line up the underside of Spike's erection.

"Bloody...!" Spike swore as his eyes popped open and he looked down at Willow kneeling at his feet. "Willow...," he reached for her.

Willow batted his hands away and wrapped her fingers around his erection. Spike groaned as he watched her lean forward, her little tongue sticking out of her mouth, and run the tip of it over his balls as her thumb rubbed the tip of his cock.

"Willow," he groaned again, his hands going to her hair. Willow ignored him as she gently licked and sucked his balls, then tilted her head and moved her mouth up to lick and suck the length of his shaft.

"Willow...," his voice was husky.

Willow pulled his cock down and licked the tip, then closed her mouth over his cock head. Spike reached out for the wall with one hand to help support himself as he was enveloped in Willow's warm, wet mouth.

Willow sucked on him as if she had a lollipop in her mouth, her tongue running over the tip as she sucked. Then she opened her mouth wide and took more of him in, her tongue stroking the underside of his cock.

"Bloody...Willow," Spike couldn't believe the sensation of her soft, warm mouth surrounding his hard, cool cock. He'd been hard since he woke up that morning, and showering with Willow had only made him want her more. Now that she was sucking him off, he didn't know how long he could hold back.

Willow relaxed her throat and took him in until his cock head hit the back of her throat.

"Oh, fuck!" Spike cried out.

"Nnn," Willow moaned around his cock and the vibration was more than he could take.

"Willow! I'm cuming!" Spike grabbed her hair with both hands and tried to pull her off of him. "Willow...oh, hell, Willow," he groaned as his cock contracted in her mouth, spurting his release down her throat.

Willow swallowed as quickly as she could with a cock in her mouth, trying not to choke or spill any. She had never swallowed before. In fact, had rarely been willing to do this for Oz. But she wanted to do it for Spike, and she found herself enjoying the salty taste of him in her mouth. Her vampire, she thought.

Then Spike was pulling her to her feet and crushing her against him. With one hand on her back and the other in her hair, he kissed her. He tasted himself in her mouth as his tongue plundered, exploring her mouth, then mating with her own.

Willow wrapped her arms around him, pressed her body against his, and kissed him back. She couldn't get close enough to him to satisfy her need for him. Spike ran his hand down her back to her butt, then back up, as he kissed her. He pulled back so she could breathe, then just looked down at her face, flushed with desire.

"Spike," she whimpered. The scent of her arousal hit him and he was instantly hard again. He lifted her and placed her back against the cool tile. She didn't even flinch. Her legs and arms went around him and Spike felt his cock head brushing her curls. He reached between them and positioned his head at her entrance. He covered her lips with his own, then thrust into her.

Willow moaned into his mouth as he filled her, his pelvic bone crushing her clit. Spike groaned as he felt her warmth surrounding him again. She was so wet, and warm, and tight. He pulled away and buried his face in her neck, sucking on her soft skin, wishing he could bite her, claim her, as he drove into her, again and again, until he felt her body tense, heard the keening deep in her throat.

Willow could do nothing but hold onto him as he slammed into her, hitting her clit with every thrust. She felt the muscles in her belly, her butt, begin to tense, and knew that she was going to cum soon. The muscles in her legs stiffened, her toes curled, and Willow was moaning.

"Ahrr, Spike!" she cried as her orgasm hit her.

Spike felt her muscles clenching around him. The scent, and smell, and taste, and sound of her was too much.

"Wil-low!" he roared as he shot his seed into her body for the second time that morning.

***

Willow got home from school just before the sun set that Monday. She closed the door and leaned against it with a deep sigh. With her eyes closed, she slowly dropped her bag to the floor. Spike walked out of the kitchen sipping a mug of blood and looked at her curiously.

"What's wrong?" he finally asked. Willow slowly opened her eyes and stared at him.

"I need to get more sleep," she said. Spike smirked.

"It's not funny," she continued. "I almost fell asleep in one class and I did fall asleep in the library and I almost missed my last class!"

"Oh, horrors!" Spike mocked.

"It is! I never miss class," Willow pouted.

"Come on," Spike grabbed her arm and pulled her down the hallway. "Get something to eat so we can go over to the Watcher's and see what he found today. Then we'll come home early so you can get to bed."

"To sleep?" Willow asked as she preceded him into the kitchen.

"We'll see," Spike said distractedly as he stared at her butt.

***

By the time Willow and Spike arrived at Giles' apartment, Xander and Anya were already there. Spike and Willow hung up their jackets and joined the other three at the table.

"Buffy should be here any moment," Giles said. "But I really don't have that much to report aside from a complete lack of success," he took his glasses off and leaned back in his chair.

"Nothing on the design, huh?" Willow asked, absently twirling the ring as she looked at the pile of books in the middle of the table.

"No," Giles pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to stem the headache he felt coming on. "I got about a dozen books from the library," he indicated the pile with his glasses, "but haven't been able to find this particular design in any of them, so far," he pointed at the piece of paper by his elbow on which he'd drawn the pattern from Willow's ring.

"What I propose we do," he slipped his glasses back on and sat up, "is this. You three," he indicated Xander, Anya and Spike, "each take one of the books that I've already looked through and make sure I didn't miss it. I'll keep going with this book," he indicated the one in front of him, "and the others that I haven't yet looked at. When Buffy gets here she can help."

"Yeah," Spike agreed as he pulled a book over, "she shouldn't have too much trouble looking at the pretty pictures."

"Spike," Willow hissed under her breath.

"While we're doing that," Giles continued, ignoring Spike's comment, "Willow can continue her search on that...machine," he indicated the laptop in her bag. "Any questions?" Everyone shook their head 'no'. "Well, then, happy hunting," Giles picked up his book and turned the page.

Willow took her laptop out of the bag and set it on the table in front of her. She opened it and turned it on, then leaned over to look at the book Spike was flipping through as it went through its start-up process.

"Ooh, that's pretty," she pointed to a vase.

"It's a fertility symbol," Spike whispered back.

"Oh," Willow blushed and sat up straight in her chair.

About half an hour later, Buffy arrived. She took a seat at the table and Giles repeated what he had already told the rest of them. She pulled a book over and began looking through it. A couple of minutes later, there was a knock at the door.

Buffy looked up, her eyes landing on everyone at the table as if she was doing a head count.

"We are all here, right?" she asked.

"Be careful," Anya said to Giles, who had stood to answer the door. "Last time anyone knocked on the door it was...,"

"Hello, Oz," Giles greeted the young man at the door.

"...a werewolf," Anya concluded.

~Part: 16~

"Oz, do come in," Giles invited Oz into the apartment.

"Hey, Oz!" Xander greeted him. "Where ya been, buddy?"

"Hi," Oz replied, taking in the whole room with his glance. "Devon's band was playing in L.A."

"Hi, Oz," Willow stood from the table and walked over to the young man. She gave him a hug, which Oz returned, then stood back. Willow heard Spike growl behind her, but ignored him. She looked into Oz's face, her smile fading when she saw that he was looking at her strangely.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"I think we need to talk," he said, his usually calm voice almost flat, his face blank.

"Oh, okay!" Willow smiled. "Here, sit," she pulled out a chair next to hers.

"Not here," Oz replied tersely. "Outside."

"No," Spike growled and Willow turned to look at him in confusion. He looked angry. What was going on?

"Shut up, blondie," Buffy smacked his head.

"Sod off, Slayer!" Spike turned on her, then turned his angry gaze back on Oz. "She's not going anywhere with you."

"We can do it outside," Oz told Willow, ignoring Spike, "or we can do it in here."

"Is there a reason we can't do it in here?" Willow asked, still confused.

"Stay in here," Spike said. "I don't trust him."

"He's not going to hurt her!" Buffy scoffed.

"What about last time?" Spike retorted without looking at her, his eyes locked on Willow and Oz.

"That's because he thought Willow was sleeping with you, but we've explained all that," Xander said condescendingly.

Anya looked thoughtfully between Willow and Spike.

Oh! Willow's eyes got big as Xander's words registered. Oz smelled Spike on her again, and this time she *was* sleeping with the blond vampire.

"Oh, Oz, I...," she swallowed hard as she placed her hand on his arm, wondering how she was going to explain this. I wasn't sleeping with Spike four nights ago, but I am now? Isn't that funny?

"Outside?" Oz asked again.

"Yes, I think...outside...,"

"No," Spike stood, knocking the chair over.

"Spike," Willow turned to him. "This is a private matter that should probably stay private," she tried to warn him.

"No!" he said again. He wasn't sure exactly what he was afraid of. Willow's safety? The wolf seemed calm, not as out of control as last time, so Willow would probably be safe. And she could call for help if he started to change. Maybe he was more afraid that the wolf would convince her to leave him if he wasn't there to stop it.

"Sit down, Spike," Buffy stood and put her hand on his arm.

"Sod off!" he shook her hand off of his arm furiously, accidentally hitting her in the face in the process. The chip went off. Excruciating pain flared in his skull and Spike fell to the floor clutching his head.

"Spike!" Willow pulled away from Oz, ran over to the blond vampire and knelt in front of him. She pushed his face into her neck and cradled his head, gently rubbing it as she murmured soothing words in his ear. "It's alright...I've got you...shh...,"

"Willow, what are you doing?" Buffy asked in shocked surprise.

"Helping Spike," Willow replied absently as she rocked him.

"Why?"

"Because he's hurt, Buffy," Willow had no time for this now.

"So?"

"Buffy!"

"Get away from her," Buffy stepped up behind Spike, grabbed the back of his neck, and attempted to lift him to his feet.

"Buffy! Stop it!" Willow hissed, trying not to yell so close to Spike's ear, as she slapped Buffy's hands away.

"Get up!" Buffy ignored Willow and smacked the back of Spike's head. The vampire growled into Willow's neck and grabbed his head as new pain shot through his already aching skull. Willow stood swiftly, pressing Spike's face into her belly, cradling his head protectively with one hand.

"Knock it off, Buffy!" she pointed angrily at her.

"Willow! It's just Spike," Buffy said.

"It is Spike," Willow replied, her body humming with anger that Buffy had hurt Spike...and didn't care. "But it's not *just* Spike."

"What is going on here?" Buffy asked the room in general.

"Spike is giving Willow orgasms," Anya announced calmly. "Are we going to get any more research done or can we go home? 'Cause, speaking of orgasms, Xander owes me...,"

"What?" Buffy said. "There is no way...!"

"What?!" Xander yelped.

"Never mind, Anya!" Giles held up his hand. "Willow?" he took his glasses off and rubbed them clean. "Is this true?" And for god's sake, why, he thought.

Willow looked at Giles over her shoulder, then Oz, who hadn't moved. This certainly wasn't the way she wanted everyone finding out about her and Spike.

"I'm sorry you had to find out like this, Oz," she said softly, then looked back at the Watcher. "We're going home, now," she said. "Will you please keep looking for the design?" she held up her hand, indicating the ring on her thumb.
 

"Of course," Giles said, as he replaced his glasses on his nose.

"Wills?" Xander asked.

Willow helped Spike to his feet and sat him in a chair. Pain filled eyes met hers.

"Sorry," he whispered. Without thinking, Willow leaned forward and kissed him on the forehead.

"Eww," Buffy muttered.

"Better not be," Willow tried to smile at him.

"I meant...,"

"I know," she smiled again, ignoring the others. "Nothing for you to be sorry about," she ran her fingers through his hair, then stood and pulled her laptop over, shutting it down.

"Wills?" Xander asked again.

"What Xander?" Willow replied distractedly.

"You...," he pointed between her and Spike, who now sat in the chair with his head back and his eyes closed. "You're...?"

Spike's head was killing him. He wished he could kill the moron. Demon girl. The Slayer. The Wolf. The Watcher. All of them. They didn't deserve her. Though to be honest, neither did he.

"That's none of your business, Xander," Willow said as she shoved the laptop into her bag. "It's nobodies business," she continued as she walked over to the rack and grabbed their jackets. She put hers on, pulled Spike to his feet, and helped him with his. "But since my life is an open book and I have no privacy, yes, I am sleeping with Spike. Let's go," she spoke more gently as she looked up at the blond vampire standing before her.

Spike couldn't believe that she had actually just admitted to her friends that they were sleeping together. He gave her as much of a smile as he could muster, with the banging in his head, then leaned down and kissed her lightly on the lips. Willow wrapped her arms around his waist and kissed him back.

"That's just...disgusting," Buffy commented.

"Very disturbing," Xander agreed.

"I think it's hot," Anya added.

"You okay?" Willow asked as she pulled back, ignoring her friends' comments.

"Be fine," he said with only a trace of his usual bravado. Willow wasn't fooled, but she could pretend, too.

"Come on," she took his hand. "A nice bath, some hot cocoa, and you'll be good as new." Spike closed his fingers around her hand, wishing he could believe her. He'd never be good as new. Not as long as he had that sodding chip in his head.

"I'll drive you," Oz said.

"No bleedin' way!" Spike yelled, aggravating his head as he tightened his grip on Willow's hand.

"You're in no shape to protect her," Oz pointed out.

Fuck! As much as he hated to admit it, the wolf was right. He couldn't protect Willow right now. He wasn't even sure if he could walk all the way to her house, though he was willing to give it a try. But not at the expense of her safety.

"Fine," he growled, pulling Willow toward the door. Willow grabbed her bag off of the table and stumbled after him.

"Bye!" she called back.

Oz looked at the speechless group left sitting around the table, then turned and followed Spike and Willow out the door. When he reached the top of the steps, they were standing beside his van, waiting for him. He unlocked the door and Willow pushed Spike inside, then climbed onto his lap. Oz shut the door and walked around the van.

Willow curled up around Spike, holding her bag on her lap. Spike wrapped his arms around her, leaning his head on hers, staring out the window, trying to pretend they weren't in a van with her ex. The ride to Willow's house was made in complete silence.

"Thank you, Oz," Willow said after he pulled into her driveway and parked. "We'll talk later, okay?"

"You're welcome," Oz replied and watched as Willow opened the door and slid off of Spike's lap. "That chip," Oz commented casually, "it keeps you from hurting humans?"

"Yeah," Spike growled, "but you're not human."

"You hurt her,"Oz said, "we'll test that theory."

Spike stared at him, then jumped out of the van, reluctant to let the wolf see that he was still in a great deal of pain.

"Ditto," he smirked as he slammed the door shut, then ushered Willow around the van and up the porch steps.

***

"What was that all about?" she asked, only having heard Spike's last comment.

"Nothing," he said. "Didn't you offer me some hot cocoa?"

"And a bath," Willow smiled at him as she unlocked the door.

Fifteen minutes later, Spike was ensconced in a tub of steaming water, surrounded by flickering candles, with a mug of hot cocoa in his hand. Willow knelt by the side of the tub, running her fingers through his hair.

"Join me?" Spike asked softly.

"There's not enough room," Willow blushed.

"There's plenty of room," Spike said. "Please?"

The 'please' undid her. She'd never heard Spike say 'please' before. She stood and quickly removed her clothes, blushing as she watched Spike watching her.

"Slide up," she said when she was finished. Spike leaned up and slid forward, careful not to spill his cocoa. Willow stepped into the tub and carefully lowered herself behind him, her legs on either side of him.

"Ooh!" she shivered as the hot water covered her skin. She leaned back against the cool porcelain and pulled Spike back against her. She wrapped her arms around him, one hand rubbing over his chest, the other massaging his head.

Spike sighed deeply and allowed himself to relax against her.

When the water started to cool off, Willow woke Spike, who had fallen asleep as she rubbed his head. She climbed out of the tub and dried off, then helped Spike out and dried him off. Willow led him to bed and tucked him in. She ran her fingers lightly through his damp, wavy hair, then leaned down and kissed him.

"Aren't you coming to bed?" he asked as she straightened.

"In a couple of minutes," she said. "I just need to drain the tub and clean up the kitchen."

"I'll do it tomorrow," he said. "Come to bed?"

He was looking at her with bright blue eyes, dulled only a little by the pain in his head. Willow felt tears prick her eyes as she climbed in beside him. She wrapped her arms around him and held him close, her hands trailing over his back and in his hair as she wondered what was wrong with her. She just felt so...emotionally...full. Like she had so much inside and it was escaping out of her.

She was leaking! She was full of...love...for Spike. Oh, goddess! She was in love with Spike! How could that be? I mean, sure, the sex was great, but...and okay, she liked spending time with him, he was funny, in an acerbic way, and he was smart, and strong, and sexy...

But what if he didn't feel the same way? That would really suck. Nothing like falling in love and having it be one sided. Although, he *had* tried to protect her from Oz when he was afraid Oz was going to go all wolf-y on her. And maybe he'd been a little jealous.

And, he'd kissed her at Giles' apartment after she admitted they were sleeping together...and he hadn't looked upset that she'd said anything. In fact, he almost looked surprised that she'd admitted it. And maybe a little pleased. Maybe he did love her, too. A little bit. She could work with that.

She kissed his forehead as she held him, thinking about the chip in his head. She wondered if Giles had looked into getting it removed. He hadn't actually promised Spike that he would, though she knew that's what Spike expected in return for his help. She suspected that Giles had done nothing yet, because he hadn't asked for her help with any research.

Could a doctor take the chip out without hurting him or causing brain damage? Although, being a vampire, would the brain regenerate if it was damaged? And speaking of regeneration and vampire healing, why hadn't his body rejected the chip?

If a doctor couldn't do it, could she? She'd been working on that teleportation spell with Tara. Could they do something similar with the chip? She'd have to talk to Tara about it tomorrow. That settled, Willow relaxed and prepared to fall asleep.

"I love you, Spike," she whispered as she placed one last kiss on his forehead.

"Love you, too, Red," Spike mumbled. Willow froze.

"I, um, I thought you were sleeping," she squeaked.

"Nah, couldn't sleep. You were thinking too loud," he said.

"I was?" she smiled against his head.

"Mmm hmm."

"Sorry."

"'S okay," he said.

"I do love you," she repeated. Spike tilted his head back and looked into her eyes.

"I love you, too," he said. He hadn't realized what it was he was feeling ever since the witch had started sleepwalking to him, but when Willow had said it, everything had clicked. Love. He was feeling love. It was sickening, how good it made him feel. A bloody demon, in love with a human. It was...unnatural.

Willow smiled at him and Spike felt his heart melt. How in hell could he resist Willow?

"How's your head?" she asked breathlessly. The way he was looking at her made her all tingly inside.

"Which one?" Spike asked with a hint of a smirk as he pressed his erection against her leg.

"Mmm," Willow moaned. "Can we...?"

Spike's only reply was to slide down her body and take her breast in his mouth.

"Oh...yeah," Willow groaned as she tangled her fingers in his hair, "that's...that's good."

~Part: 17~

Willow forgot to set her alarm, so she missed her first class the next morning. She was running from class, to computer lab, to the library, and back to class, so she managed to avoid Buffy all day. She did make time to stop by their dorm room to switch books and call Tara's room. She had to leave a message, asking the blonde witch if she'd have time in the next couple of days to discuss something with her.

She got home well before dark and when she opened the door, found Spike sitting on the stairs with a mug of blood in his hand, waiting for her.

"What are you doing?" she smiled at him. He looked so cute, sitting there, his hair still mussed from sleep.

"Waiting for you," he said as he put the mug down, stood, and pulled her into his arms. The days were too bloody long when she was gone.

"Miss me?" she waggled her eyebrows in imitation of his trademark move and he smirked at her.

"Mmm hmm," he leaned down and kissed her. She tasted like chocolate. He swept his tongue into her mouth, wanting more.

"Mmm," Willow moaned as she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him back. He tasted like blood, but she didn't care.

Spike placed one arm behind her back, the other behind her thighs, and scooped her up. Willow held his face between her hands and kissed him as he carried her up the stairs. "I love coming home," she whispered against his lips.

"Let's keep it that way," Spike said before he was lost again in her kiss.

Before Willow realized they'd reached her room, Spike was leaning over the bed to lay her on it. Willow refused to let him go and pulled him down on top of her.

"Red," Spike tried to push himself up, but Willow ran her fingers over the front of his jeans and he groaned as he pressed his hard cock into her hand. "Red," he groaned again.

"You weren't going anywhere, were you, Spike?" she asked innocently as she stroked him through his jeans. She couldn't believe how quickly he was ready for her.

"Bloody...hell...no," he ground out, pulling her against him and kissing her as she worked the button and zipper of his jeans, until his hard, cool cock was in her soft, warm hand. She stroked his length, running her thumb over his weeping tip as he kissed her, his tongue sweeping into her mouth.

"Willow, please!" Spike pushed her hand away from him. "Wanna be inside you," he tugged at her clothes. He wanted to feel her heat.

Willow frantically pulled her clothes off, then helped Spike with his. Spike tipped her back on the bed and slipped his hand between her thighs, his finger between her slick folds to make sure she was ready for him.

"You ready for me, baby?" he teased, whispering in her ear as he slid his finger in and out of her, then rubbed her clit.

"Yes, Spike, yes!" she cried, her hips bucking as he stroked her swollen nub. "Spike, please!" The sight of him sitting on the stairs, then his kisses, had made her core weep long before they'd even reached the bedroom. She wanted him inside her.

Spike climbed between her legs, positioned his head at her entrance and thrust into her. He leaned down and sucked her breast into his mouth as he pumped into her. Willow wrapped her legs around his waist and lifted her hips, her hands pressing his head to her breast.

"Cum for me, baby," Spike looked up at her. Willow was close, but he was closer. He lifted himself and reached between them, stroking her clit with his thumb as he drove into her.

"Spike!" Willow cried out as he touched her, the feel of him stimulating her inside and out, too much for her to bear. "Oh, yes! Oh, Spike!" she cried. "Aarrnnnn, oh, goddess, Spike!" she came, her body tensing.

"Willow!" he groaned her name as her muscles closed around him and he pumped his seed inside her.

***

Spike growled as they crossed the courtyard to Giles' apartment, the scent of the wolf already assailing his nostrils.

"What's wrong?" Willow asked.

"Wolf's here," Spike said shortly, stopping to light a cigarette.

"Why don't you like him?" Willow asked. Spike looked at her as if she were nuts.

"First," he held up the hand holding the cigarette, "he left you, second, he could have hurt you, and third," he took a drag off of the cigarette before continuing, "he wants you back."

Willow just stared at him, surprised, as tears of happiness gathering behind her eyes. That was almost the nicest thing anyone had said to her. Spike didn't want her hurt, emotionally or physically, and he didn't want her to leave him. He'd said it before, but Willow needed to hear it again.

"What?" he looked at her, horrified. "You're not going to cry, are you?" She shook her head 'no' as she crashed into him, her arms going around him, her face buried in his chest.

"Aw, Red, don't cry, luv," Spike hated it when women cried. Well, when he wasn't trying to kill them. Tears of fear and desperation made the blood taste better.

"I'm not," she sniffled. Spike rolled his eyes, eyed his cigarette longingly, then tossed it into the fountain behind him. He wrapped both arms around Willow's back and held her tight.

"Say it," she whispered.

Spike froze in concentration, then leaned down and whispered in her ear, "I love you."

Willow looked up at him with a smile, "I love you, too. Ready to go in?" she wiped her eyes.

"Thought you weren't crying," Spike said as he wiped a stray tear off of her face.

"Wasn't," Willow said, "not really. This was nothing."

"Oh, great," Spike shook his head, "something to look forward to, eh?"

Willow gave him a little smile, then stood on her tiptoes and gave him a light kiss. She looked into his eyes, then grabbed his shoulders and kissed him harder, dragging her tongue over his lips. Spike opened his mouth and let her in, his hands on her butt, holding her against him.

Willow pulled back. Her face was flushed, her breathing erratic.

"Okay, ready to go in now?" she asked breathlessly.

"No, ready to shag, now," Spike said, licking her neck as he squeezed her buttocks.

"Mmm, that feels good," Willow moaned. "Maybe...No, no, we have to go in!" Spike groaned as she pulled away from him. She straightened her clothing, then Spike's, and declared them ready to go in.

When they entered the apartment, the rest of the scooby gang was already gathered around the table. Giles at one end, with Xander and Anya on one side and Buffy and Oz across from them.

"Hi!" Willow greeted everyone as she set her book bag on the end of the table opposite Giles. Spike didn't say anything. He took his duster off and hung it up, then helped Willow with her jacket.

"Hello, Willow, Spike," Giles said.

"Watcher," Spike reluctantly responded.

"Willow," Oz greeted her.

"Wills," Xander said.

"Hello! Did you have good orgasms last night?" Anya asked.

"An," Xander groaned.

"What? We all want to know!"

"I'd rather not," Giles said.

"And I really *don't*," Buffy spoke for the first time.

Spike sat in the last chair and possessively pulled Willow down on his lap. He didn't like the way the wolf was looking at her. Plus, it annoyed the Slayer. She blushed, but didn't resist. She leaned her back against his chest and made herself comfortable.

"Is that necessary?" Buffy asked in disgust.

"Would you like another chair?" Giles asked politely.

"We're fine," Willow said. "Thanks. Did you find anything?"

"Ah, no," Giles sat back in his chair, shoulders slumped in defeat. He took his glasses off and cleaned them, partly to keep his hands busy, and partly so he didn't have to see the look of disappointment in Willow's eyes. "I went through all of the books. Twice. No designs like the one on your ring."

"What were you looking up?" Oz asked. Giles explained that Tara had done a spell to see if Willow was under some sort of spell and had found a faint magical residue on the ring Willow was wearing. Willow held her hand up.

"Why don't you just take it off?" Oz asked.

"It won't come off," Willow said.

"We think it's the magic," Giles continued. "We've been trying to find the design on the ring. We *had* thought it might be Celtic. But no luck so far."

"May I see the design?" Oz asked. Before Spike could growl at him, Giles slid the drawing he had made over to the young man. Oz looked at it, then pushed it back. "So, this spell, it's making her sleepwalk?"

"We're not sure exactly *what* the spell is doing. Willow bought the ring back in September, but she didn't start sleepwalking until just four weeks ago, almost three months after she bought the ring, so there's some question as to why so much time passed. We hoped that finding the design might tell us something," Giles explained.

"Willow," Giles slipped his glasses back on, "can you remember anything else, anything at all, about the woman you bought the ring from?"

Willow closed her eyes and tried to think back to the old woman, the booth, the festival...she opened her eyes and stared directly at Oz.

"Remember that crazy old lady at the Harvest Festival?" she asked him.

"That's the ring?" he asked and Willow nodded. "Yeah, I remember her. She was a little odd. Dressed up liked some gypsy fortune-teller. Said something about 'destiny'," Oz said.

"Oh! Yeah! I forgot about that," Willow leaned forward, her brow furrowed in concentration. "She did say something about seeking my destiny, or something like that, but I just figured she wanted to tell my fortune, or sell me a charm, so I told her I already knew my destiny," she glanced quickly at Oz, then away. She felt Spike stiffen beneath her and rubbed her hand over his arm. "That's all I can remember, Giles. At least for now," Willow looked at him apologetically.

"That's alright, Willow," he said. "I don't know if that will help. I'm not exactly sure how a ring that might help you find your destiny is going to make you sleepwalk. However, I'll keep it in mind," Giles paused. "Now, I wanted to let you all know that I've asked someone else to look at the design," he finally said.

"Who?" Willow asked.

"Angel," Giles said, preparing himself for the explosion.

"You went to Angel?" Buffy asked, at the same time Spike said, "Bloody poof!"

They looked at each other, then looked quickly away, horrified that they agreed on anything, even a little bit.

"Shut up, Spike!"

"Sod off, Slayer!"

"Angel is Irish," Giles reminded them, "and he lived in Ireland almost 250 years ago. I thought he might recognize the design."

"Did he?" Willow asked.

"No," Giles shook his head. "In fact, he said it wasn't Celtic."

"Oh," Willow said, disappointed.

"However," Giles continued, "Wesley thought that perhaps he had seen it before, sounded very excited, actually. He's looking into it for us."

"Oh, okay. That's good, right?" Willow asked.

"Yes," Giles agreed, "very good."

***

The next day at school, Tara found Willow in the library between classes. Willow told Tara about the chip. She explained that the Initiative, a secret government organization, was experimenting on vampires and other demons, that they had put a chip in Spike's head so that he couldn't hurt humans, and the result of the chip was massive headaches if he even hurt a human accidentally. Then she told Tara that she wanted to try to take the chip out of Spike's head.

She went on to explain that vampires normally heal very quickly, but since his body didn't heal after the chip was implanted, i.e., reject it, she was afraid of the damage a medical doctor might do to Spike's brain. What if he wasn't able to heal?

She then informed Tara that she wanted to try to remove the chip magically, either with a variation of the teleportation spell, or some other, as of yet unknown, spell.

"Maybe we could even, I don't know," Willow thought out loud, "dissolve it, or something."

"I know this all sounds kind of weird and freaky," Willow watched Tara as she tried to assimilate all of the information Willow had just given her. "And I will totally understand if you don't want to help Spike. I mean, you don't even know him," Willow looked down at her hands as tears came to her eyes, the image of him in pain on the floor at Giles' apartment filling her mind.

"What is he to you?" Tara asked softly.

"I love him," Willow looked up at her new friend. Tara smiled.

"He's a real jerk," she said.

"I know," Willow smiled. "But he loves me. He can be a little possessive, but it actually feels kind of nice. Two nights ago," she told the blonde girl, "he was being all jealous and overprotective, 'cause Oz was there, at Giles', and Buffy got on his case. She grabbed his arm, and he shook her off, and accidentally hit her, and the chip went off. He was in so much pain," Willow said.

"What are you going to do if he wants to feed again?" Tara asked. "Kill humans."

Willow frowned. "I've thought about that," she said sadly. "I'd ask him to leave Sunnydale if he were going to do that."

"Would you go with him?" Tara asked.

"No," Willow shook her head as tears filled her eyes. "I couldn't be with him if he was going to kill people."

Tara nodded her head.

"Before we can even think about altering the teleportation spell, or utilizing another, I need to take a look at the chip," she said.

"Oh, but it's...," Willow pointed to her head.

"Magically," Tara said.

"Oh," Willow nodded, "right. You're not going to have to see it go off, are you?" she asked worriedly.

"No," Tara shook her head.

"Oh, good," Willow sighed in relief. "Thanks."

Since Willow wanted to tell Spike what she had done, and they needed to go to Giles' that evening to see if Wesley found out anything about the design on the ring, the two girls decided that Tara would come by Willow's house after her last class the next day.

Tara left the library and Willow tried to concentrate on the essay she was writing for one of her classes. Instead, her mind drifted to what she was going to tell Spike, then to the more pleasant memory of saying goodbye to Spike that morning.

He had still been in bed when she got out of the shower. Willow had packed her book bag the night before, so she just needed to get dressed. She walked back into the bedroom to see Spike sprawled across the bed, his hands under the pillows, the sheet down to his waist.

She'd climbed onto the bed and straddled his thighs, then leaned down and kissed his shoulder blades, first one, then the other. She kissed every vertebrae along his spine, from his neck to his lower back, her hand kneading his butt cheek as she did.

"Mmm, Red?" Spike moaned. Willow swatted his butt.

"Who else were you expecting?" she asked as she climbed back on him and leaned forward to kiss and lick his neck.

"No one," he twisted beneath her so that he was lying on his back, his erection pressing between her legs, only the thin cotton sheet separating them.

"Is that for me?" she asked with a waggle of her eyebrow.

"Who else?" he ran his hands up her bare thighs, over her hips and stomach until his fingers closed over her breasts. Willow leaned into his hands.

"Is that for me?" he asked as he tweaked a puckered nipple.

"No one else, baby," she purred as she moved against him.

"Ohh, Willow," he groaned as his cock slid along her slit. Willow lifted her legs one at a time and pulled the sheet away from him, then sat back down, the length of his cool cock nesting along her wet, hot slit.

"Oh, bloody hell!" he cried, as his cool flesh came in contact with her heat. "Willow!"

She placed her hands on his chest and lifted, tilting her hips and catching his cock in her opening. Slowly, torturously, she lowered herself on him, watching his face as she did so.

Spike couldn't take it anymore. He grabbed her hips and slammed himself the rest of the way into her. Willow threw her head back and moaned as he filled her, then began riding him, her fingers kneading his chest as his fingers dug into her hips.

"You feel so good, Spike," she moaned, teasing him with her voice. "Always wanna be right here, with you inside me."

"Willow," he groaned, "not gonna last, you keep talking like that, baby." He pulled her down for a kiss, and the new position caused her clit to slam against his pelvic bone with each thrust.

"Oh, Spike!" she cried into his mouth. "Don't stop, please, that feels so good, right there, yes, yes!"

With one hand on her back and the other on her hip, he continued to drive into her. The sounds she was making were playing havoc with his cock and he could barely hold himself back. He wanted to cum inside her so badly.

"Willow, cor, Willow, I'm so close, need you to cum, need you to...ooohhh!" he groaned as Willow's body tensed, her muscles clenching around his aching cock.

"Spi-ike!" she cried as her body jerked against him. He felt his balls tighten and his cock contracted, pumping his release inside her.

"Oh, Spike," Willow moaned, when she could talk again. "Love you."

"Love you, too," Spike held her tight.

~Part: 18~

Willow left school right after her last class that afternoon, wanting to have plenty of time to tell Spike about Tara's impending visit before they had to leave for Giles'. She got home close to five thirty, a couple of hours before sundown, and opened the door quietly. She listened, but there was no sound of Spike moving around.

She set her book bag on the floor and removed her jacket, hanging it on the coat rack. She carefully made her way to the kitchen and heated up a mug of blood for Spike, adding a spoon of chocolate mix, telling herself that this was not a bribe, she was just doing something nice for the vamp she loved.

She tiptoed up the stairs with the chocolate-flavored blood, and peeked into her bedroom. Spike, who hadn't expected her home for at least another hour, was still sleeping, the pose almost identical to the one that had gotten him jumped that morning. He was on his stomach, his hands and most of his head buried beneath the pillow, the sheet lying tangled around his legs, leaving his firm buttocks and muscled thighs exposed to her voracious eyes.

Willow snuck across the room, set the mug on the bedside table, then slipped her shoes off. She leaned over Spike's bare ass, careful not to jostle the bed, and kissed his butt cheek. She ran her tongue over him, then sucked on his skin.

"Mmm," Spike moaned, lifting his butt against her mouth.

"I'm home," Willow whispered, before kneeling on the bed and placing her hands on Spike's back and leg so he wouldn't move, then resuming her torment. She continued to place feather-light kisses over his ass, then moved down the back of his leg, spending extra time on the sensitive skin at the back of his knee, swirling her tongue around it.

"Willow," Spike groaned as she tickled him.

"Yes, Spike?" Willow asked innocently as she continued down his calf, to his ankle and the bottom of his foot, running her tongue over his instep and giggling as he jumped, almost kicking her in the face.

"Hold still, baby," she licked his other instep, then moved her way up his other leg to the opposite butt cheek. He was cool and smooth against her tongue. She wondered what he'd say if she told him he smelled like the cucumber and melon?

"Bloody hell," Spike moaned. She was killing him. Her warm hands, her hot, wet tongue on his body, the scent of her arousal in his nostrils.

"Spread your legs," she instructed, then resumed sucking on the skin of his butt cheek as he did so. She let her fingers trail up his inner thigh until they reached his perineum.

"Willow, luv," Spike's voice was breathless, despite the fact that he didn't need to breathe. Willow didn't respond, just pressed her fingers gently against him, rubbing in a circular motion.

"Cor, Willow," Spike, whose body had already started responding to her teasing touch, felt himself harden as she massaged his sensitive perineum. Willow cupped his scrotum in her hand, gently squeezing it. Spike's hips bucked into the bed.

"Red," he moaned. "Luv...,"

"Like that, Spike?" Willow lifted her head and teased.

"Yes," Spike looked back at her over his shoulder with amber eyes. Willow just smiled at him.

"Get on your knees, Spike," she said as she positioned herself between his legs.

"What...?"

"On your knees," Willow repeated firmly, one hand moving back to his perineum as the other continued to knead his scrotum. Spike lifted himself onto his knees and forearms, resting his forehead in his hands, watching Willow between his legs.

He didn't know what the witch had in mind, but he'd let her play for now...bugger! Spike groaned as she reached between his legs and wrapped her fingers around the root of his hard cock, stroking them down his shaft and over the head, pulling on the sensitive flesh, running her thumb over the weeping hole at the tip.

He watched as Willow lay down, then rolled to her back and moved her head between his legs. She stuck her tongue out and licked the tip of his hard cock as it jutted above her face.

"Cor, Willow!" Spike jumped at the feel of her warm tongue on him.

Willow opened her mouth and took his cock head into the warm, wet cavern, sucking on it like a lollipop, as her fingers continued to gently touch his perineum, knead his scrotum. She relaxed her throat and lifted her head, taking him more deeply into her mouth.

"Bloody...fuck! Willow," Spike cried out as his cock head touched the back of her throat. Willow pulled off of him until just his head was in her mouth, resting her head back on the bed. Moving her hands to his hips, she pulled on him, urging him to push his cock into her mouth.

"Willow, luv," he protested.

"Mmm hmm," she said around him.

"Willow!" Spike called her name as the vibration of her voice sent shockwaves through his cock. He moved his hips, slowly thrusting his cock more deeply into her mouth, until he once again felt the back of her throat against his head.

Willow's hands moved around to cup his butt cheeks, kneading them, as Spike pulled out, then thrust back in.

"Mmm," Willow moaned in approval, her tongue pressing against the underside of his cock as he pumped it slowly in and out of her mouth. Willow felt his body tensing and knew he was close to cuming, but he refused to speed up his thrusts, afraid of hurting her.

Willow lifted her head again, forcing his cock to the back of her throat. She moaned around his cock, the thought that she was going to make him cum turning her on.

"Fuck, Willow!" Spike cried out, the feel of her warm, wet mouth and the vibration from her moans combined with the heady scent of her arousal, more than he could take. He reached down and gently grabbed her hair, forcing her head back on the bed, then began to thrust into her mouth a little more forcefully. Willow let her teeth touch him and he began to pump harder, letting the head of his cock bang into the back of her throat as her tongue continued to work him, until he felt his testicles tightened and he was shooting his cum into her mouth.

Willow felt the warm, thick, salty cum flood her mouth and throat. She swallowed as well as she could with Spike's cock in her mouth, though some of the fluid dribbled out from between her lips. When Spike stopped cuming, Willow continued to lick and suck him clean, then pushed against his hips.

Spike pulled out of her mouth and flopped over onto his back, looking down at Willow. Willow licked her lips as she looked up at Spike's face. Suddenly he reached down, grabbed her by the upper arms, and dragged her up the bed, pulling her against him. His tongue darted out and cleaned his cum off of her lips and chin.

"You alright, luv?" he asked.

"Very alright," Willow smiled at him, then leaned in to kiss him, her tongue running teasingly over his lips before slipping between them. Neither spoke as Spike kissed her back, his hands running over her body, quickly divesting her of her clothes until they were both naked.

Her soft breasts pressed against his hard chest. He felt her pebbled nipples and slid down her body to taste them. He loved the way she tasted.

Willow arched into his mouth, her hands on the back of his head, her fingers running through his soft hair. He was doing wonderful things with his lips, his tongue, his teeth, and her whole body tingled.

He ran his hands down her sides to her hips, and around to cup her ass, kneading the soft, round globes as he sucked on her breasts, laved her nipples. Willow moaned, his fingers so close to her center making her ache for his touch.

She began to move her hips, trying to get some relief for the heat building between her thighs...and then his fingers were nearly there, pushing between her thighs from behind. Willow gasped in surprised delight, trying to spread her legs, but he was lying on them.

She felt him smile around her breast and smacked him lightly on the back of the head, then quickly rubbed the spot she'd hit. He moved his attentions to her other breast, in no hurry to relieve Willow's nearly desperate need for him.

He could smell her arousal as the scent perfumed the air. He was already hard...but he wanted to drive her as crazy as she'd driven him, both earlier that morning and this afternoon. He pressed his finger between her closed thighs and ran his fingertips along her slit.

She was soaking wet, her juices quickly coating his fingers, but still he refused to rush. Willow's hands were now alternately kneading his shoulders and back and running through his hair, as if she wanted to touch him everywhere and couldn't decide where to start.

"Spike, please!" she finally broke the silence and felt Spike's grin. Darn vampire knew she'd break first! He pulled his fingers away from her and Willow groaned in protest. With his mouth still on her breast, he again cupped one butt cheek with his hand, slipping the other around to her front.

He rested his fingers in her curls at the apex of her thighs, then lifted is body so Willow could spread her legs, which she did eagerly. He ran his fingers over her teasingly. Willow tried to grab his arm and force his fingers inside her, but Spike just laughed at her impatience and moved even more slowly.

"Oh, goddess, Spike, please!" she finally begged and his finger immediately slipped between her slick folds and entered her. "Oh, yes," she lifted her hips as much as she could with him lying on her. "Oh, Spike," she moaned as he bent his finger against her.

She was so wet, Spike placed a second finger against her entrance and easily slid it inside her.

"Mmnngh," Willow moaned wordlessly deep in her throat, the noises she was making made Spike even harder and he began to rub himself against the mattress as his fingers pumped in and out of her weeping hole.

He released her breast and slid down her body until his face was above her center. He flicked his tongue against her clit as he kept the steady rhythm with his fingers, his other hand continuing to knead her ass. Willow spread her legs and bent her knees, opening herself to him.

"Spike, please," she pleaded and he could wait no longer. He furiously attacked her clit, licking it, sucking on it, nibbling it with blunt teeth as his fingers found her pleasure spot and rubbed it, until Willow was bucking against his face.

He felt her body tense, heard the mewling from deep in her throat, and drank her sweet release as she came. He licked and sucked until she was clean and once more writhing beneath him. Moving up her body he placed his cock head at her entrance, waited for her whine of impatience, then thrust into her.

Her tight, wet heat surrounded him and Spike cried out her name. Willow moaned as he filled her, his cock nudging the spot she needed him to. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him down to her as her legs went around his waist.

Spike buried his face in her neck and grabbed her shoulders, smelling the wonderfully intoxicating scent of Willow as he drove into her. He could tell that he was hitting her clit, and possibly that elusive spot within her, with each thrust by the sounds of approval Willow was making.

He loved listening to her moans and lust-crazed babbling, but now he wanted to hear her scream. He quickened his pace, his cock slamming into her.

"Spike! Oh, goddess, Spike, yes, right there, don't stop, oh, yes! Spi-ike," she screamed his name as her muscles tensed, in her ass, her stomach, her thighs, her calves, until her toes curled and she exploded into orgasm.

Spike felt her muscles tense, felt the muscles of her pussy contract around him, milk him, heard her cry out his name. He licked her neck and slid his fangs into her soft skin as he shot his seed deep inside her.

Willow felt his fangs enter her as if in a dream. There was a slight amount of pain, as if she'd pricked her finger with a needle, but she could barely feel it, her orgasm having left her shattered, and then only pleasure as he drew her blood from her. She felt a pull on her already throbbing center as her blood left her body. With another scream, she dug her fingernails into his back and came again.

Willow opened her eyes slowly. She didn't know how long they had lain there, spent. She remembered nothing after her last orgasm, when Spike had bit her. As she gradually became aware, she realized that he was licking her neck.

"Spike?" she moaned his name, too exhausted to move, talk.

"Mmm," he breathed against her as he continued his ministrations. "You alright?" he asked, lifting his head slightly.

"Y-you bit me," she finally managed to get out, her mouth barely working.

"Yeah," he said, lowering his head to resume licking at the bite mark.

"Wh-why?" she asked.

"'Cause you're mine," he growled. Willow shivered. "Didn't you like it?" he teased, knowing she'd cum from the bite.

"It was...hardest...ever," she just wanted to fall asleep. "Thought...gonna die...from it."

"The bite?" he asked, worriedly. He hadn't meant to scare her. She shook her head 'no', her eyes nearly closed.

"Orgasm," she smiled tiredly, then fell asleep.

Spike looked down on her. She was the most beautiful thing in the world. And she was his. He rolled off of her and pulled her to him, holding her close as she slept, listening to her breathing as it evened out, to her heartbeat as it slowed down.

***

Willow had been asleep for an hour when Spike took notice of the sun setting. Careful not to wake her, he reached back over his shoulder and grabbed the telephone. Willow had moved it into her room from her parents' room soon after the morning they'd run into each other in the hallway when Willow had raced to answer it wearing just a towel. Spike smirked to himself, remembering her reaction that morning, as he let his eyes run over her naked body beside him.

He dialed the number and held the phone to his ear, listening to it ring.

"Hello," Giles answered on the third ring.

"Watcher," Spike said.

"Spike, what's wrong?" the Watcher's voice held surprise. Spike had never called him before.

"Nothing. We're gonna be a little late. Willow's sleeping. She was exhausted when she, uh, got home from school. Laid down to take a little nap. I'll wake her soon." Spike ran his hand over the silky smooth skin of her back, then up her neck and into her hair.

"Don't wake her," Giles said. "This whole ordeal has probably been emotionally, not to mention physically, draining. I'm sure she needs her rest." Spike smirked into the receiver. She was drained, alright!

"Right," he said. "So, find anything out yet?"

"Well, uh, yes, actually. Wesley found the reference to the design on Willow's ring that he thought he remembered seeing. I believe we might be very close to solving this whole thing. What, er, what are you going to do when we have?" he asked.

"Rupert," Spike actually grinned, "are you asking me my intentions?"

"Yes, I believe I am," Giles grimly replied.

"Nothing changes," Spike possessively tightened his grip on the girl sleeping in his arms. "She's mine."

"She's not a possession," Giles argued.

"I don't own her," Spike said, "but she belongs to me. And I belong to her." There was silence on the line.

"If you hurt her," Giles said, "crosses, and holy water, and stakes will be too good for you."

"Not gonna hurt her. Pillock!" Spike said.

"Just so you know," Giles said. "That girl means the world to me."

"Me, too," Spike said after a slight hesitation. "Me, too, Watcher."

"Right, then," Giles got back to business, "we'll see you both later."

Spike ended the call without responding and tossed the phone on the bed.

"Who was that?" Willow asked sleepily.

"Watcher," Spike said. "Told him we'd be a little late."

"What did you tell him?" she asked worriedly.

"Just that you took a nap after school," Spike assured her.

"Oh. Not about...?"

"Bloody hell, no!" Spike yelled.

"Oh," she said again. "You don't want him to know?" she asked softly.

"Want everyone to know," Spike said, placing a kiss on the top of Willow's head, "just don't want him to stake me. 'Sides, got enough problems with the bloody wanker wanting to know my intentions," he scoffed.

"Really?" Willow smiled.

"Mmm hmm," Spike let both hands run over her back.

"Wh-what did you say?" she asked.

"Told him nothing was gonna change. You belong to me. And I belong to you," he wrapped both arms around her and held her tightly to him.

"Oh," Willow snuggled deeper into his arms and wrapped her arm around his back.

Giles hung up the phone and just stared at it, then picked up the notepad he'd written his notes of Wesley's call on. He re-read it, then dropped it on the table. Nothing had changed since the last time he'd read it, unfortunately. With a deep sigh, he removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. What a mess, he thought. How bloody unlikely was this?

~Part: 19~

"We should get going," Willow said, as she tried to rouse herself.

"Need to take a shower before we leave," Spike replied, not moving.

"Why?" Willow complained with a pout. "Too tired."

"Wolf'll probably be there. Unless you *wanna* advertise," Spike smirked.

"No," Willow frowned. "Probably best not to rub his nose in it," she started giggling hysterically. "Get it? Nose!" she giggled again.

"Yeah," Spike rolled his eyes, "I get it." He pulled away from her and rolled out of bed, then reached for her.

"Oh, come on! You'd have thought it was funny if *you'd* thought of it," she groused, letting him lift her out of bed, wrapping her arms around his neck as he carried her to the bathroom.

"*Would've* been funny if I'd thought of it," Spike said.

"Okay, put me down," Willow said when they got to the bathroom. Spike lowered her to her feet and turned the shower on. Willow brushed her teeth, then examined the bite on her neck, carefully running her fingers over it.

"Hurt?" Spike asked. Willow jumped. Although she knew Spike was still in the bathroom, she been concentrating so hard on the bite, she didn't realize he had moved to stand right behind her, his reflection not visible in the mirror.

"No," she raised her eyes to a spot over her right shoulder where she thought his eyes would be. Spike placed his hands on Willow's shoulders and she shivered.

"Cold?" he asked in concern.

"No," she shook her head. "Freakily turned on, not being able to see you," she admitted.

"Really?" he asked, and she could picture the raised eyebrow in her mind.

"Yes, but we don't have time for that," she turned to face him, "and I probably wouldn't live through it anyway. I can barely walk as it is." She stood on her tiptoes and kissed his lips, then turned away and stepped into the tub.

She stood under the warm spray, letting it run over her aching body. She turned around to wash her hair and jumped when she saw Spike standing there.

"Goddess! Spike!" she yelled at him, grabbing her heart. "Don't *do* that! And what do you think you *are* doing?" she asked suspiciously, remembering the last time they'd showered together.

"Nothing," Spike held his hands out to his sides and tried to look innocent. "I need a shower, too."

"Alright," she reluctantly agreed, "but no hanky panky!"

"Right," he said as he reached for the shampoo.

"I mean it," she closed her eyes and relaxed as he lathered the shampoo in her hair.

"Sure thing, pet," he smiled at her.

"I can hear that!" she said, and he burst out laughing.

"Cor, Willow, I love you," he kissed her lightly on the lips, then tilted her head back and rinsed the shampoo out.

"I love you, too, Spike," she said, careful to keep her eyes closed, though she wanted desperately to open them and look at him.

When he removed his hands to get the conditioner, Willow opened her eyes and looked her fill. Her eyes locked on his as he worked the conditioner into her hair.

"Don't look at me like that," he groaned, as he felt his cock respond to her.

"Like what?" she teased.

"You're killing me, luv," he said as he rinsed the conditioner out of her hair.

"Any hanky panky and you'd probably kill *me*! I'm serious, Spike, I'm only human," she smiled at him.

"That you are, luv," he said as he soaped up his hands and ran them over her shoulders and down to her breasts. He cupped her, gently squeezed the fleshy mounds, then pulled on her nipples, which puckered at his touch.

"Spike," she moaned as his gentle touch stimulated her. "I can't," she told him, "but maybe I can do this," she wrapped her fingers around his hard cock and gently pulled.

"Bloody hell, Red!" he cried at her unexpected touch on his aching cock; soft, warm fingers wrapped around hard, cool flesh.

Willow kept her eyes on his as she stroked him. She wanted to watch him. She turned and leaned her back against the wall. Spike turned with her, spread his feet to brace himself, one hand on the wall beside her head for support, as the other continued to knead her breast.

"Cor, Willow," he groaned as her small hand worked him. Her thumb smeared the precum over his tip and down his shaft. His hand moved down to her stomach, his fingers kneading, slipping into her belly button.

"Spike," she moaned at his touch, "help me."

Spike put his hand over hers and stared into her big, green eyes as together they brought him off. He felt his balls tighten, and closed his eyes as he came. Willow watched his face as he shot his cum over their hands, her stomach and breasts, the force of his ejaculation even shooting it up as far as her face.

Spike opened his eyes to see Willow wipe the back of her hand over her nose. He groaned as she stuck her tongue out and licked his essence off of her hand, then closed his eyes as he worked the last bit of cum from his body.

"Willow," he leaned against her, his head resting atop the hand on the wall.

"Stop that," she wrapped her arms around him and slapped his butt before cupping both cheeks in her hands and pulling him against her.

"Stop what?" he moaned.

"You're looking at the bite."

"So?"

"Looking like you're thinking of touching," she accused.

"How can you tell?" he asked.

"Don't know," she shivered as he lowered his head and flicked the tip of his tongue against the twin puncture marks. "Just made me all tingly. Oh, goddess, Spike!" she tilted her head to give him better access. "Spike, I can't," she gripped his hips. "Please, Spike," she pleaded.

The thought of biting her had him hard again. He slipped his hand between her thighs, his fingers inside her to make sure she was ready to receive him. Willow spread her legs, allowing him entry to her body.

She was so wet, a combination of the sight of his naked body; his touch on her breasts, her belly; the feel of him in her hand; the look on his face as he came, then again when she licked his release off of her hand; the feel of his eyes, his tongue, on the bite mark; and the feel of his fingers against her, inside her.

He lifted her and entered her. Willow wrapped her arms and legs around him. Spike buried his face in her neck as he thrust into her. He morphed, then sank his fangs into her. He drew her blood out of her, slowly, savoring the taste of her. Sweet and spice, innocence and power.

Willow groaned as she felt the pull on her already aching center. She pressed against him, trying to pull him more deeply into her. Spike sped up his thrusts as he drank and Willow was soon writhing against him.

"Spike," she said breathlessly. "Oh, goddess, Spike! Oh, Spike, yes, Spike, oh, aaahhh!" she tensed and came, triggering Spike's own orgasm.

***

After they recovered, they cleaned up and got dressed. Willow was sitting on the bed putting her boots on when she noticed the congealing chocolate blood in the mug on her bedside table.

"Oh, crap!" she said. "You're blood's all cold and icky. Something," she grinned at him saucily, "made me forget all about it."

"What was that?" Spike smirked as he pulled her to her feet and placed a kiss on her lips.

"I fell asleep," she said, as she kissed him back.

"Hey!" he lightly smacked her butt. Willow just wrapped her arms around him and hugged him.

"I love you, Spike," she said, then pulled back and looked into his eyes. "We need to talk."

"Okay, that can't be good," Spike said, worriedly.

"Oh, no!" Willow reassured him as she took his hand and squeezed it. "Nothing bad. Good, really. I hope. I just need to tell you something that I've done. Or, will do," she sat back down on the bed and tugged on his hand. "Sit?"

Spike tilted his head and looked at her, then sat down beside her.

"What is it, Red?" he asked, looking at their joined hands. He heard her heart rate speed up and scented...apprehension? Nerves? He wondered what she had to tell him.

"Spike," she said softly, "I...I don't want to get your hopes up, but I...," he tilted his head to the side and looked at her. "IwannaseeifIcangetthechipout!" she said quickly.

"Huh?" he asked, shaking his head. He couldn't have heard her right.

"I want to see if I can get the chip out. Magically," she said more slowly.

"You'd do that for me?" he asked, surprised. Willow nodded. "Why?" he asked. He'd tried to kill her and her friends before he got this bloody chip. Several times. He couldn't believe that she would try to have it removed for him.

"Because I love you. And it hurts you. And it makes you vulnerable," she answered, looking at his hand as her thumb caressed it, afraid to look at his face.

"Not afraid I'll kill all your friends?" he asked, mockingly, afraid to really think about getting the chip out.

"No," she said, looking up at him sideways. "I don't think you'd do anything that would hurt me." He was silent for a moment.

"What if I start feeding again?" he asked. Willow looked away from him as tears filled her eyes. Goddess, just moments ago she was so happy. What if he did want to start killing again? Losing him would hurt. A lot.

"If you start killing people again, to feed, or...whatever reason," she said, "I'd want you to leave Sunnydale."

"What? Why?" he asked. She'd surprised him again.

"Because if you stay here, Buffy will have to kill you," Willow responded.

That wasn't the answer he'd expected. He didn't know what he'd expected.

"Would you go with me?" he asked.

"No," Willow shook her head sadly. "I couldn't be with you if you started killing again," she said.

"You're mine!" he said, angrily. He just bleedin' found her, he wasn't going to lose her now.

"I belong to me, first," Willow dropped his hand and stood up. She wrung her hands as she paced in front of him. "I want to try to remove the chip because I love you, and I want you to be safe, but if you start killing again, I can't be with you. You'd have to leave Sunnydale, so you and Buffy wouldn't try and kill each other."

"What if I didn't agree to that?" he stood and stared at her.

"You'd stay in Sunnydale and kill?" she asked unhappily. He didn't respond. "I don't know," she shrugged. "You'd make me decide whether it would be better to leave you chipped and alive, or remove the chip so Buffy had to kill you?" she asked.

"Anyway," she shook herself. "Tara's supposed to come by tomorrow after classes to look at the chip. Magically," Willow explained. "I know I'm not giving you much time, but maybe you should decide what you want before we waste Tara's time," Willow's voice shook. She turned away from him and started to walk out of the bedroom.

Spike watched her, then took one step and grabbed her arm. He swung her around and pulled her toward him.

"I know what I want," he said. "I want you! I'm not going to lose you now that I've just bloody found you!" he shook her gently before pulling her against him.

"Spike," she whimpered as she wrapped her arms around him, her hands flat against his back as she held him close, her face buried against his chest. "I don't want to lose you, either. But if we can get the chip out, and you decide to start killing again, please...please, promise me you'll leave Sunnydale. Please! I don't want Buffy to have to kill you. And I don't want you to kill her because she comes after you. Just, please, promise me you won't make me watch you die!" she cried, her tears soaking his t-shirt.

Spike couldn't believe this. Having the chip out was all he'd thought about for months. He wanted the chip out so he could feed. Pig's blood was disgusting. He wanted the chip out so he could kill those soddin' soldiers. Give them a little payback. He wanted the chip out so he could be the big bad again. Create a little mayhem.

At least, that's what he had wanted. Now he wanted Willow, too. Which did he want more? Could he be the big bad and not kill? Would he be complete if he left Willow in Sunnydale so he could kill again? He could always turn her, then she wouldn't care if he killed. In fact, she'd kill with him, and she wouldn't care if it was a stranger or her former best friend, the Slayer.

But he loved Willow. Warm, cute, funny, babbling, sweet Willow. Once the demon took over her body, the Willow he loved would be gone. She'd look the same, but she wouldn't feel the same.

"Willow," he groaned. Bloody hell, thinking about this was giving him a headache! "I love you, baby."

"Spike," she said through her sobs. "I love you, too. I shouldn't have brought this up now, we need to get to Giles'," she tried to wipe the tears off of her face.

Spike picked her up without speaking and walked back over to the bed. He sat down with Willow in his lap and picked up the phone he'd thrown there after he spoke with Giles earlier. He dialed the Watcher's phone number, then waited impatiently for him to answer.

"Hel...," Giles began.

"Watcher," Spike interrupted. "Willow's not feeling up to coming over tonight. This information you found...can it wait?"

"Well, er, yes, I suppose it can," Giles said. "It's not...bad...and there's nothing we can do about it now, anyway," he continued. "Is she ill?"

"No, just really tired," Spike said. "Talk to you later," he disconnected, then leaned his back against the headboard, Willow in his arms.

"Spike," she sniffled.

"Shh," he ran his hand over her head. "I'm not leaving you, luv. I just need to do some thinking. You stay right here, where I can hold you," he kissed the top of her head.

"You need to eat," she said, catching sight of the mug again.

"Later," her said. "I just wanna hold you."

Willow tilted her head back and looked up at him. Spike wiped the tears off of her face with his thumb. He leaned down and kissed her, softly, gently. Willow whimpered in pain. It felt so much like goodbye.

She crawled up onto her knees, straddling his lap. She held his face between her hands and kissed him, hard and full of need, as fresh tears streamed down her face. If he was going to leave, she wanted more than gentle kisses. She wanted heat and passion. She wanted something to remember when she closed her eyes at night for the rest of her life.

If she couldn't have the real thing, and memories were all she had, she'd make a memory worth remembering.

~Part: 20~

Willow's urgency conveyed itself to Spike and made him harden in anticipation. His hands on her ass, he rubbed her against him as he kissed her back. She was making little noises of insistent, desperate need in her throat as she kissed him, exploring his mouth with her tongue as she explored his face with her fingers. Imprinting the taste of him, the feel of him, on her mind, her body.

"Willow," Spike pulled away, forcing her to take in some much needed air, "what are you doing, luv?"

"Don't wanna forget," she mumbled as she kissed him again, her hands moving to the hem of his t-shirt, lifting it.

"Forget what?" he asked, as she pulled away from him so she could pull the damp t-shirt over his head.

"You. I don't want to forget you," she was kissing him again, her hands running over his shoulders, his arms, his back, his chest. She moved her lips along his jaw, down his neck, licking, and kissing, and sucking. Tasting him, feeling him, memorizing him.

"Willow," his hands moved up to cup her breasts through her blouse. He ripped her shirt open and lowered his head to suck on the mound of flesh above her bra. He frantically tore at the bra until her breasts spilled out into his waiting mouth and hands.

Willow moaned as he suckled her, his tongue and teeth on her nipple, as he kneaded her, rolling and pinching the nipple, his other hand on her back, pressing her into his mouth. She felt his erection pressing against her and rubbed herself against it until she couldn't stand it. She wanted him inside her.

She pushed his head away from her and unfastened her jeans, climbing off of him only long enough to push them and her boots off. She climbed back on the bed and unbuttoned his jeans. She unzipped them and Spike lifted his hips, helping her pull them down. She straddled his legs and took him in her hands.

He was hard, the precum leaking from the small hole at the tip. She rubbed her thumb over the tip and smeared his release down the shaft. She wrapped her fingers around his shaft and began to slowly pump, running her fisted fingers over the sensitive flesh at his tip, as she leaned forward and kissed him.

Spike groaned at her insistent handling, pushing him away from her so she could remove her jeans, removing his jeans, holding him, kissing him. His hands were on her arms, her back, running over her warm, smooth skin. He held her hips as she rose over him, guiding him to her entrance, then lowering herself, impaling herself on him.

"Willow," he groaned again as she covered him with her heat. He watched her face as she rode him. He realized she was still crying.

"Spike," she moaned as he filled her. She never wanted to forget what it felt like to have him inside her. And she was so afraid she would. She looked into his eyes, his beautiful blue eyes, and swore that she'd never forget them.

"Why are you crying?" he asked, confused. She didn't answer him. She covered his lips with her own, kissing him as she rode him. Hard and fast, hungrily, desperately.

"Willow," he pulled away. She kissed his face. His chin, his cheeks, his forehead.

"I'm afraid I'll forget," she said as she kissed his eyelids. "But I won't ever forget these. Your eyes. Blue, like sky just before a storm."

"Why would you forget?" he asked, barely able to think as her breasts pressed against his chest as she rode him.

"When you leave," her voice broke, "I don't want to forget." She lowered her head to his neck, licking and sucking the sensitive skin over what would have been his pulse point, if he were alive. She pulled the skin into her mouth, sucking hard, then bit down, breaking the skin. The iron tang of blood spilled over her tongue.

"Bloody...fuck!" Spike roared in surprised shock when Willow bit him. He was still trying to figure out what her words meant, and he was having a hard time thinking with his cock buried inside her. The pain of the bite made his cock contract. Bugger, he was gonna cum. She bleedin' *bit* him!

He pushed her onto her back so that he was sprawled between her thighs. He lifted one of her legs and changed his angle of penetration, driving into her, slamming her clit with every thrust.

"Oh, Spike!" she cried out as he stimulated her pleasure spots.

"Willow, baby, cum for me. Bloody hell, Willow, I'm gonna cum. Need you to cum, baby," Spike pleaded.

"Spike," she tilted her head, leaving her neck open. Spike looked down at the bite mark he'd made there and felt his cock contract again at the sight of it, his mark. He'd marked her. He morphed. Willow groaned, her fingers clutching at him. He lowered his head to her neck and licked the bite.

"Spike," Willow groaned again. She could feel the tingles in her core when he touched the bite. Then his fangs were slipping into her and he was sucking her blood out of her. It pulled at her center and her body tensed.

"Spi-ike!" she cried, as her muscles tightened and she came.

The taste of her intoxicating blood, the feel of her heat surrounding him, the sound of her screaming his name, were more than Spike could take. He withdrew his fangs and bellowed her name as he came, pumping his seed inside her. Mine, he thought.

Willow could barely move, but she managed to wrap her arms around him and hold on tight. He felt so good. She'd miss this. She'd been wrong. No matter how many times they did this, it would never be enough. The memories would be cold comfort.

"I love you," she whispered, fresh tears running from her eyes, down her temples and into her hair.

Spike lifted himself up and looked down at her.

"I love you, Willow," he said. The blood had finally drained from his cock and was feeding his head again. "I'm not leaving," he said, wondering why he'd even had to think about it. "You're mine, and I'm never leaving you. Ever," he kissed her.

Willow just stared back at him, not understanding.

"You will," she said. "The chip...,"

"Never," he repeated forcefully, "leaving you. You're mine," he lowered his head and licked the bite on her neck. "I wouldn't be complete without you," he spoke into her neck, feeling like a bloody ponce for even thinking it, much less, saying it.

"Really?" she asked, afraid to believe him.

"Really," he said, pulling out of her and rearranging them so that he was lying beside her, his arms wrapped around her, his head on her chest, listening to her heartbeat, the blood rushing through her body.

Willow clutched his head to her chest as tears of relief spilled from her eyes. He wasn't going to leave her. She didn't have to build a lifetime's worth of memories overnight. Thank the goddess, because she didn't know if she'd be able to do it, much less live through it. As it was, she wasn't going to be able to walk tomorrow.

***

Spike woke in the middle of the night, starving. He pulled away from Willow and looked down at her. She still wore the ripped blouse and bra, and tear tracks stained her face. She was beautiful. He carefully lifted her up and removed the blouse and bra, tossing them on the floor, before laying her back down and covering her with the sheet. He stood and pulled on his jeans.

"Where are you going?" Willow asked sleepily, her eyes little slits where she could barely hold them open.

"Heat up some blood," he said. "Go back to sleep. I'll be right back." Willow just stared at him.

"I'll be right back," he repeated, kneeling on the bed to kiss her. "I'll always be back."

He picked up the mug of congealed blood and left the room. Willow closed her eyes, afraid to fall asleep, but too tired to stay awake.

Spike walked through the dark house to the kitchen. He tossed the blood down the drain and rinsed out the mug, then heated another mug of pig's blood. He leaned against the counter as it heated, thinking about Willow and the chip.

There was no way he was going to leave her. But he wasn't going to pretend he wasn't a vampire. And he definitely wasn't going to live on pig's blood if he didn't have to. No need to get the Slayer all excited, though. He could probably feed without killing...soddin' Slayer would never know the difference. Stupid bint.

Willow would know, but as long as he didn't kill, he didn't think she'd mind. Well, she might *mind*, but she wouldn't tell him not to. A compromise. He couldn't believe that he, William the Bloody, a Master Vampire, was agreeing not to kill, compromising for the sake of a human. Ah, he thought as the microwave dinged, but she was no ordinary human.

He drank the blood down and then grimaced at the taste it left behind on his tongue. After the taste of Willow's blood this was...well, disgusting, was all he could think of. Bottom of the barrel. Dregs. In fact, human blood wasn't even going to taste as good, compared to Willow.

He rinsed the mug and set it in the sink before turning and returning to the bedroom where Willow was waiting for him. He slipped his jeans off and climbed under the sheet. Willow didn't waken, but she moved toward him, her body curling into his. He wrapped his arms around her and watched her, one hand in her hair, listening to the steady sound of her breathing. The sound of her heart beating lulled him to sleep.

***

Willow woke up the next morning and her first thought was, I feel like crap. Her muscles ached from too much sex. Who knew you could have too much sex? Her eyes and head ached from crying, and there were dried tears on her face.

She took a moment to look at Spike before she crawled out of his arms. She didn't want to wake him and have him see her looking like this. Without even pausing to look for her robe, Willow tried to tiptoe as she limped stiffly out of the bedroom and down the hall to the bathroom. She relieved herself, then started the shower before looking at herself in the mirror.

Oh, goddess! She looked just as bad as she felt. She turned on the cold water and rinsed her face, then brushed her teeth. Feeling a little bit more alive, she climbed in the shower and stood under the hot spray, letting it ease her aching muscles, before reaching for the shampoo.

Willow reluctantly stepped out of the shower and dried off, then padded back to the bedroom and got dressed. Spike had moved. He was now stretched out over the entire bed, the sheet once again at his waist. She wondered how he always managed to obtain such a sexy pose in his sleep.

She walked downstairs and poured herself a glass of orange juice, then groaned when she looked at the clock on the microwave. It was already past noon. Well, she didn't really feel like going to class today, anyway. She picked up the portable and dialed Tara's telephone number at the dorms, leaving a message that she wouldn't be at school that day, but they were still on to have Tara come over after her last class.

She sliced a banana and had a bowl of cereal while she pondered what to do. She had brought some of her books home with her. She could study. Or she could work on the teleportation spell. The thought of Spike without his chip scared her. Not because she feared that he would harm her, but because she still feared that he might leave her, despite his adamant assurances to the contrary.

Only one way to find out, she told herself, as she slid off of the stool. She rinsed her bowl, then went into the living room, grabbing her book bag on the way. She pulled out her laptop and the spell book she and Tara had been using, and sat down to think about the best way to revise the spell, to remove the chip without harming Spike.

Willow didn't move from her spot on the couch until she heard the shower running. With a little smile she set the laptop and book aside, then got up and stretched. She went into the kitchen and heated up a mug of blood for Spike, then carried it upstairs. He was still in the shower, so she went into the bathroom and sat on the closed toilet.

"Red?" Spike said.

"Yes," Willow groused. It was just so unfair. You couldn't sneak up on a vampire.

"Gonna join me, luv?" he asked and she could just picture the smirk on his face.

"No, I already had my shower," she smiled to herself.

"What did you want, then?" he asked as he turned off the shower and shoved the curtain back, standing naked and dripping before her.

"I, um, well, I, er, brought you blood," she finally remembered why she'd come upstairs.

"Oh," he smirked at her reaction as he climbed out of the tub and began toweling himself dry.

"Shut up," she said as she watched closely. To make sure he didn't miss a spot, of course.

After he was dry, he tossed the towel over the shower curtain rod and leaned down and kissed Willow.

"What have you been doing?" he asked as he reached for the mug.

"Working on revising the teleportation spell," she said softly.

His hand froze halfway to his mouth, then continued.

"Really?" he asked as he took a sip. "How come you're not at school?"

"It was after noon when I got out of the shower," she said. "Figured, why bother? Besides, I didn't really feel like going in."

Spike put the mug down and licked his lips as he stared at Willow.

"What?" she finally asked.

"Still don't believe me?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Still don't believe I'm not leaving," he clarified.

"Oh. Well...I want to," she said.

"But?"

"Will this be enough?" she asked. "When you're able to kill again, will I be enough for you not to?" tears filled her eyes and she brushed them away angrily with the back of her hand.

"I...love...you," he grabbed her arms and pulled her roughly to her feet, " I want you," he shook her to emphasize his point, "and I need you. I need you more than I need blood," he looked at her intently. She just blinked at him, her green eyes wide.

"I will need you forever, and I will never leave you. Ever."

"Forever?" she asked, her voice small.

"Forever," he agreed.

"Th-that's a long time," Willow said.

"It won't be long enough," he pulled her against him and hugged her close.

"Spike," she whispered as she wrapped her arms around him. It felt good to hold him, to say his name. To know that he wasn't going to leave when the chip was removed.

"Willow," he breathed her name. He did love her. He couldn't believe how much he loved her. What a wanker.

"Show me?" she asked, then flicked the tip of her tongue against his nipple, watching it harden.

"Show you what?" Spike moaned.

"How much you love me," she flicked him again, "want me," she flicked the other nipple, "need me," again.

"What me to read you a poem?" he asked with a smirk.

"Maybe later," she said as she pushed him against the wall, running her hands over his chest, down his stomach and into his curls, until her fingers found his already erect cock and circled it. Spike sucked a deep breath.

"This for me?" she teased as she stroked him.

"Yes," he groaned.

"Just me?"

"Yes!"

"Always?"

"Forever," intense blue eyes stared into green.

"So," she smiled. "You belong to me, huh?"

next