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SPOILER: Season 6, before OMWF. Buffy and Spike are closer but not lovers.

DISCLAIMER: It all belongs to Joss. Lyrics at the beginning of the chapter are from Roads to Mandalay, by Robbie Williams


ALOHA MY LOVE

CHAPTER 1: Welcome to paradise

Buffy watched silently as the sun went down, spellbound by the breathtaking sight. Different shades of vivid orange and purple mixed together, some dark clouds contrasting artfully with the bright colors. It was unlike anything she had ever seen. Sure, California sunsets were nice, but nothing compared to this. She couldn't believe she'd have the chance to admire this amazing display every night for the next two weeks. Thankfully though, next time she’d be sitting by a pool with a margarita in her hand instead of standing behind the airport window.

Buffy turned around and looked at her travel companion who was currently sitting on an uncomfortable looking modern plastic bench next to the baggage carousel, well away from the late evening sun rays. He looked bored as Hell and was busying himself making a little wind mill with the straw in his empty can of Coke.

She frowned lightly and shook her head in disbelief, a small smile playing on her lips.
**If someone had told me less than a year ago that someday, I’d go on a dream vacation in Hawaii with the bleached wonder, I would have choked laughing. How did things get so weird? Maybe it’s a good thing nobody else could come with me after all...**

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

Three weeks earlier

In super slow motion, Buffy glided in the air for what seemed like forever before landing face first in the dirt of a freshly dug grave. She looked up and spat out a mouthful of a mixture of dirt and vampire dust. She had grass stains on her face, and dead leaves in her messed up hair. Buffy growled menacingly at Spike.

“Couldn’t you help me instead of just sitting there like a useless undead moron?”

They might have grown closer since Buffy’s little escapade in the land of clouds and harps, but it didn’t mean they couldn’t enjoy some good old fashion bickering once in a while. They had always enjoyed pissing each other off. It was an art, and they were both extremely good at it. So why give it up?

“Bloody Hell, woman. You just told me to get out of your way. Suss out what you want already!” He slowly got up from the headstone where he was sitting. Taking his sweet time, he crushed his cigarette under his combat boot.


Buffy tried to turn on her back to face her attacker, but wasn’t fast enough. The vampire took hold of her foot while she was still on her stomach, lifted it straight up, and used the momentum to smash her knee on the ground. There was a nasty cracking noise and Buffy howled in pain.

That prompted Spike to move faster. He charged the vamp and the two supernatural beings landed hard on the ground.

“You stupid git!” He pulled out a stake from his sleeve. “Lesson number one in survival, mate: Don’t hurt the Slayer.”

Spike staked the surprised vamp before he could do anything to defend himself. He didn’t wait for the dust to settle before turning to where Buffy was prostrated on the ground, holding her knee. He crouched next to her.

“You all right, pet?”

“Fine.” she snapped angrily.

He offered her his hand to help her up. She hesitated for a moment before stepping on her pride and accepting it. He pulled her up, but her knee gave way under her weight.

“Shit! That hurts!”

“All right, Slayer, up you go.” Without asking for permission, he picked her up.

Buffy protested, but her complaining soon turned into light mumbling, then faded to silence. They made their way to her house without a word. Dawn answered the door after Spike banged on it with his foot.

“Oh my God! What happened?” The teenager shrieked, her face suddenly paling at the sight of her hurt sister.

Spike walked past her and carefully put Buffy down on the couch. “I’ll go get you some ice, pet. I’ll be right back.”

She watched him go, then looked at Dawn who was still waiting for an answer.

“So?”

“Just a little accident, Dawnie. Nothing too serious.”

“Nothing too serious? Spike had to carrying you home!”

“Yes…” She drawled “but I’m alive and well. That counts for something, right?”

“It’s my fault for being a stupid wanker.” Spike said as he walked back into the living room, carrying an ice pack. “If I hadn’t been such a jerk…”
“Would you stop it. You were right, I’m the one who told you to get out of my way. Know what they say, right? Careful what you wish for.”

“Still. I was a right wanker. Since when do I listen to anything you say? I had to choose tonight of all times.”

He delicately pulled the leg of her pants up to reveal her very swollen knee, and applied the ice. Buffy winced in pain.

“Damn! That stupid jerk did get a good shot in. It’s always the most harmless, dumbest looking fledglings who manage to get lucky. That’s not fair." She pouted. "That's probably another thing they explain in that Slayer handbook I never got: beware of the dumb vampires. The lower the IQ, they most likely they are to get you.”

Dawn frowned. “Should we get you to the hospital to check if anything is broken?”

“Nah.” Buffy dismissed the idea. “Some rest, a couple of days off from slaying, and I’ll be right as rain.”

“Right then. If you ladies don’t need me anymore, I’ll be on my way.” Spike got up.

“Huh. Spike?” Buffy blushed a little, not liking to have to ask for help. “Could you--maybe take me upstairs to my room?”

Spike leered at her and gave her his sexiest smirk. “Really, pet? Isn’t it a little fast? We haven’t been even been on a date yet…”

She glared at him. “Fine. Don’t help me.”

“Don‘t get your knickers in a twist, Slayer. Come on, I’ll take you upstairs.”

He picked her up and took her to her bedroom.

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

The hotel’s shuttle bus drove for about half an hour before reaching their final destination. From what she could see, Maui was beautiful. They drove along the coast and the view was nothing if not breathtaking. The full moon was reflecting on the bay and the dark mountains in the background were peppered with the lights of villages. Everything was perfect. Even Spike seemed mesmerized by the display. He was silently looking out the window at the landscape, and had stopped complaining about not being allowed to smoke in the shuttle bus.

The bus stopped in front of a gate and the driver spoke to the night guard who let them in.

“Oh my God, Spike. This is amazing!”

The long private driveway that led to the hotel's main building had gigantic palm trees and bushes covered in tropical flowers on either side. Spotlights had been installed on each side of the road to highlight the bushes and illuminate the road.

The long driveway ended in a roundabout right in front of the hotel, a beautiful fountain in the middle. The hotel was all white and pink marble, the façade illuminated by more spotlights. People were leisurely walking around, holding hands, talking, laughing, and just generally having a good time. Buffy thought the grin that was currently splitting her face probably wouldn’t fade for the next two weeks.

She suddenly realized Spike was talking to her. He was standing outside the mini bus, holding the sliding door open for her.

“Huh?”

“I said, are you coming or what?”

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

Two weeks earlier

“Hey Buffster. We‘re bringing offerings. Cosmo, In Style, Vogue, and the ever popular National Enquirer.”

Xander walked into the Summers’ living room, followed by Spike and Tara. Buffy was laying on the couch. She was covered by the old ratty blanket that her mom used to tuck her into when she was sick, and surrounded by everything a girl could need: Ben&Jerry’s ice cream, chips, magazines, and the sacrosanct remote control. Being stuck at home because of her knee automatically made her master of the remote. Or at least, that’s what she told Dawn.

“Hey Dawnie, what’s up?” Xander asked. He waved at Willow who was sitting on the floor by Dawn’s feet.

The tall girl was curled up in the armchair, sulking. “What’s up?! I haven’t been allowed to sit on the couch for a week. How can a 5ft midget take so much room? And now, I’m forced to watch Dark Angel reruns. That show sucks some major ass the first time you watch it, imagine the second time!”

“Dawn, your sister went through knee surgery only a week ago.” Tara said while sitting next to Willow on the floor and kissing her hello. “Give her a break.”

“Yeah, listen to the wise witch and be nicer to me. She knows better.” Buffy stuck her tongue out at her sister.

Xander rolled his eyes at them. “Come on girls, play nice. Dawn is right, Buffy. No one should be forced to watch Dark Angel. That’s just mean. Unless you’re a guy and find Jessica Alba sexy, there is no reason to watch that show.”

Dawn let out a triumphant “Ha Ha!”, and Buffy pouted.

“… and Dawn, midget or not, Buffy gets the couch. You have your health, be happy. Besides, our favorite tiny little Slayer got hurt protecting the good citizens of Sunnydale against the forces of darkness…”

Spike snickered. “Forces of darkness? Try skinny geek with fangs.”

Both Buffy and Xander glared at the vamp. Xander kept talking. “Therefore, she deserves love and pampering.”

Buffy nodded vigorously to show her agreement. “Yes I do!”

“Which brings me to this. I had an idea…”

Spike cleared his throat, staring menacingly at Xander.

“I mean--we had an idea.”

Spike kept staring until Xander amended his statement again.

“Fine, fine. The bleached wonder over there kinda made a suggestion that we turned into an idea.”

“Not to be rude or anything, Xander. But would you get to the point please?” Buffy sighed.

“Huh--right. So we decided that you needed a vacation. Except for that one time a few years ago when you went to spend the summer with your dad, I don’t remember you ever taking a vacation. So, we all contributed to the ‘send the Slayer to some place nice’ fund, and--Tada!”

Xander pulled out a card from behind his back and handed it to Buffy.

Buffy took it, looking more than a little surprised. She tried to joke. “Wow. You guys aren’t trying to get rid of me, are you? Sending me some place cold and deserted like, I don’t know, Canada?”

Xander opened wide eyes. “What? We thought you’d love survival camping in Yukon! Damn… And it’s non refundable.”

She opened the card and it said: “For the Slayer who has everything but wants only one thing: a break from saving the world. Hope this will be a couple of demon free, apocalypse free, weeks in paradise. Love,” and it was signed by everybody.

“Giles and Anya chipped in too.” Tara said, breaking the heavy silence. “They’re not here because they had to stay at the Magic Box.”

“You guys, I don’t know what to say… Thank you.”

“You don’t even know where you’re going yet!” Dawn said, excitedly bouncing on the armchair. “Open the envelope!”

Buffy opened the envelope containing the tickets and looked at them with her mouth open. In it were two tickets for an American Airlines flight to Maui.

Willow couldn’t stop smiling. “It’s an all inclusive. Free booze, free food. All you have to do is sit your little Slayer behind on the beach, soak up the sun, and check out the hot Hawaiian guys.”

Buffy’s eyes watered as emotions flooded her. “This is--I can’t believe you guys. It’s amazing. I can’t believe you did this for me.”

They all went to hug Buffy, except Spike who looked somewhat uncomfortable.

Buffy noticed and smiled at him. “Thank you Spike.”

“Hey, don’t mention it. Just bring me back one of those little fridge magnets, and we’ll call it even.”

She smiled. “I’ll do that.”

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

“You have got to be kidding me. Check this out, Slayer!”

Buffy stopped and looked around. “What? What are we looking at?”

Spike was staring at something in awe. Buffy waved a hand in front of his eyes.

“Hello? Am I supposed to be looking at something specific?”

“The bar. There’s a bar IN the pool!”

Buffy couldn’t help chuckling at the statement. “Do you swim?”

“Not really. But still--Bloody brilliant, that’s what it is!”

She laughed at how excited he seemed. “Come on Bleach Boy. Lets got to our room and change so we can try the ‘bar in the bloody pool’ wonder. I wouldn’t say no to a pina colada.”

That got Spike walking again.

Torches were lighting the path that led to the rooms. When they got there, their suitcases were already inside. They looked around the room, amazed at how luxurious it all was.

The patio door was covered by long flowing royal blue curtains that were currently open to reveal a balcony. They had the ocean view room. It had probably cost extra money, but it was so worth it. Buffy promised herself to take her breakfast on the balcony the next morning. They had made sure to ask for a room that faced the side of the sunrise so the balcony would be in the shadow after noon and Spike could enjoy it for the rest of the day if he felt like it.

The room’s floor was white tiles. There were two king size beds covered with fluffy looking baby blue comforters and lots of pillows. A complimentary bottle of champagne had been placed on ice next to the bed.

**They were probably expecting a couple** Buffy thought with a pang of regret. **Oh well, we can still drink it, right? Just with less romantic intentions**

Spike was looking at everything. Turning the TV on, then turning it off, opening the mini fridge to check the contents, reading the room service menu.

“Since you’re busy playing with everything, I’m gonna go change into something more appropriate.” Buffy said while opening her suitcase.

She pulled out her black and pink bikini, as well as a skirt and halter top to put over it, then went to change in the bathroom.

The bathroom was the size of her bedroom back in Sunnydale. It was huge, and very obviously romance oriented. It had an oversized Jacuzzi, another bottle of champagne in an ice bucket sitting on the edge of the tub, fresh exotic flowers all over the place, and an assortment of expensive looking bath products on the counter. It was beautiful. The white floor and white bath tub contrasted nicely with the deep plum of the walls and the large mirror had lights all around it. Like in the movie stars dressing rooms. The light had been dimmed to set the mood.

**This would be so romantic if… Nope. Not going there** She thought, trying her best not to picture Spike and her in any kind of situation involving nakedness, water and bubbles.

Buffy sighed and changed into her bikini, putting all thoughts of Spike and her soaking in the Jacuzzi out of her head. She pulled her skirt and top over her bathing suit and went back to the room.

Spike looked at her, a grin on his face, eyes sparkling with amusement.

“What?” She asked defensively.

“Nothing.”

“Spike..”

“I was just thinking. Did you ever think that some day, you’d go on vacation with me of all people?”

Buffy couldn’t help the smile that tugged at her lips as his thoughts mirrored the ones she’d had earlier at the airport . “Hell no!”

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

Three days earlier

“So, basically,” Buffy started angrily, “you’re telling me that you gave me two tickets for a fabulous trip to Hawaii, but I’ll have to go alone like a big loser because nobody can come with me? Is that it?”

“Buffy…”

“Don’t Buffy me, Xander. That’s really not cool. I can’t believe I’ll be stuck on my own for two weeks! What am I gonna do?”

Willow gave her an apologetic look, while Xander started nervously playing with a piece of paper and Anya went back to her cash register.

“Well, I sure won’t go with you because I can’t leave my shop for two long weeks. Especially now that Giles has gone to England for the summer. But I know this cute guy…”

“No way! I’m not gonna spend two weeks with a guy I don’t know! What are you, crazy?! Blind dates are painful enough when they last two hours, I don’t even want to imagine what two weeks would be like.” She turned pleading eyes to Willow. “Are you sure you can’t come with me? Willow? Tara? Anybody? Please?”
“Sorry, Buffy. But Tara and I paid for those summer classes already. We wanted to take some advance on our fall courses.”

“I’m being ditched for school. I can’t believe this. Xander… Are you sure, SURE, you can’t take two weeks off?”

“I’m sure, SURE, Buffster. We’re starting the new contract Monday. I’m in charge of this. It’s a huge step up for me. I’m sorry. Ask Dawn to cancel her trip with her friend. I’m sure if she knows you’re going to be all alone in Hawaii, she’ll go with you.”

Buffy’s shoulder slumped. “I can’t do that. Dawn has been looking forward to this trip in the Caribbean for months. Her friend’s parents have this huge boat and they’re going to cruise around the islands. I don’t want her to cancel because she feels sorry for me.”

Buffy got up. “I’ll see you guys later.” She walked out of the shop, still limping slightly.

Spike, who had been uncharacteristically silent during the entire exchange, got up to follow her.

Once in the alley, he stopped her.

“Don’t laugh in my face, but if you don’t find anybody--I could go with you.”

Buffy slowly turned around to face him. She stared at the vampire, not sure she heard him right.

Feeling uncomfortable under her silent scrutiny, Spike shoved his hands in his jacket pockets and looked away. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m just offering because you have no one else. I’m sure you don’t really fancy being stuck with me for two weeks. But if you don’t want to go alone… Just know that I wouldn’t mind.”

“Thanks.” She said truthfully. “But you do remember you’re a vampire, right? Hawaii has beaches and sun. Lots of it.”

“So does California. Doesn’t stop me from living in Sunnyhell, now does it?”

“You got a point. But, wouldn’t it be boring to be stuck in a hotel room for two weeks?”

“Cable TV, comfortable bed, room service. It’s already a huge step up from my crypt. Plus, all you can drink booze and food. How can a bloke not have a good time? I can enjoy the beach at night, and it said in the brochure that they have three different clubs on the resort. Again--can't be worse than The Bronze.”

Buffy frowned, looking like she was seriously considering it. “Color me shocked, but you kinda make sense.”
“So?”

“So. Would you--make an effort to not be a pain in the ass?”

“Being a pain in the ass does come naturally to me." He winked at her. "But I s’pose I could make an effort--just this once.”

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

“Hell no." She repeated. "Not even in my wildest, most disturbing dream did I ever imagine going on a vacation in Hawaii with you.”

Spike took his leather jacket off and dropped it on one of the beds. He took his cigarettes and put them in the back pocket of his jeans then turned to face Buffy.

“Can’t say our lives are predictable or boring, right pet?”

“Nope. Really, really, can’t say that.”

“All right, Blondie. Still fancy that pina colada in the pool? I’m dying to see what sexy tiny little bathing suit you’ve got underneath those clothes.”

Buffy hit him on the shoulder.

“Pig.”

**Yeah,** She thought **the two following weeks will be--interesting. To say the least.**

"So," She asked, following him out of the room. "is this what you're gonna wear for the duration of our stay?"

Spike looked down at his black jeans and black t-shirt.

"What? What's wrong with my clothes?"

"Let's just say you won't win a 'Aloha Spirit' contest anytime soon."

Spike stopped walking and turned to face Buffy.

"Have you seen me the day I was forced to wear one of Xander's Hawaiian shirt?"

Buffy's eyes danced with amusement, and she bit her lower lip to stop herself from laughing out loud at the memory.

Spike snorted. "I rest my case."

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

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


CHAPTER 2: The Longest Night


They came back to the room in the early hours of morning, exotic birds noisily waking up around them, making the dark night come alive with unfamiliar sounds.

“D’ja hear that bird, Spikey? Sounds weird.”

“S’not a bird, Slayer. I think it’s a bug. Thing must be bloody huge to make that sound.”

She stopped and took a quick look around, not sure if she should believe him or not, then snorted. “Yeah right.”

Spike sneaked his arm behind her back and ghosted a finger along her bare arm, making her gasp and jump in fright.

“Hey! That was sooooo not funny!” She yelled indignantly.

“Wot? The mighty Slayer’s afraid of a little bug?”

“Am so not!” She started singing again and Spike rolled his eyes.

The hotel had a main lobby with the main restaurant and bar, and the rooms were in five smaller three story buildings with paths leading to them. Just reaching the right one had been an adventure in itself, and stopping Buffy from jumping in the pool with all her clothes on and possibly drowning… a tour de force. The Slayer had broken her ‘alcohol equals badness’ rule and was more than a little tipsy. She was singing so loudly that Spike had to walk with his hand covering her mouth after the second person yelled at her to shut the hell up and she had threatened to use her Slayer strength on them. Not that he cared personally--he was always up for a bit of entertainment--but he was sure she would care in the morning after she sobered up to find out that they were being kicked out of the hotel. Spike wouldn’t allow anything to ruin her well deserved vacation, even if it meant risking a finger.

With a yelp, he quickly removed his hand from her mouth as she attempted to bite him.

“A Slayer biting a vampire. How beautifully ironic.” Spike snickered.

He stopped in front of the door and fumbled with the key card for a few seconds, swearing under his breath. Buffy was leaning against the door frame, batting her eyelashes innocently at him, a Cheshire cat grin on her lips. Seeing that Spike was a second away from losing patience and breaking the door down, she finally spoke.

“might be drunk ’n loud, but even I know thish’s not our broom…. I mean room!” She giggled happily at Spike’s angry snarl and pointed at the door on the other side. “Thish is where we live, doofus.”

Spike went to the other door and opened it with one sweep of the card. Buffy walked in and dropped on her bed like a rag doll. She giggled madly, obviously still amused by the wrong door incident.

Spike took off his shirt and tossed it on the bed. He rolled his eyes at Buffy’s antics. “You’re a riot, Summers. I thought you were knackered. Why don’t you go to sleep?”

She pouted, still sprawled on the bed, staring at the ceiling fan. “That was earlier. This is now. Not tired. More volcano coconut drinks thingy with the tiny umbrella… Please.”

The blonde vampire tried his best to look stern, but he couldn’t help the smile tugging at his lips. “You know I hate to say no to you, pet…”

She sat up quickly, hope written plainly in her eyes. “So we can go back then?”

“… but as much as it pains me to disappoint you, NO.”

She braced herself on her elbows and did her best attempt at giving him a murderous glare… which turned out to be more comical than threatening, but she got an A for effort.

“And no amount of evil looks or pouting will make me change my mind about this one so don’t waste your time. Besides, the bartender cut you off when you started singing that horrible Copacabana song. God bless that poor sod for stopping you before my ears started to bleed.”

“I’ll have you know that I’m a very good singer. I’ll prove it to you. We’ll go to Karaoke tomorrow night and I’ll sing Wind Beneath my Wings. You’ll have no choice but to admit that I’m the bestest singer EVER.”

Spike, who was balancing on one foot to take off his boot, almost fell on his ass. “Karaoke?” He said, a touch of panic in his voice. “Huh… I have previous engagement… with the telly. I think they’re showing reruns of Baywatch. Bloody brilliant show. Can’t miss it.”

Buffy let herself drop back on the bed, arms and legs spread out comfortably. She yawned loudly. “You’re just a big undead meanie.”

He smiled affectionately at her. Sure, he was teasing her, but he loved seeing her like this. He’d endure hours of Karaoke if it would get her to smile. The last couple of months had been tough on her and hearing her laugh again was heaven to him. He wanted her to enjoy herself the way a twenty year old was supposed to.

“Did you have fun, pet?” He finally asked, all teasing gone from his voice.

Buffy smiled, her heavy eyelids fluttering shut. “So much fun.” She mumbled, already half asleep.

“Glad to hear it.”

He turned to go to the bathroom thinking she’d already fallen asleep, when she spoke again.

“Spike?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks.”

“For what, luv?”

“Yah know… All of this. I know it was your idea, no matter what Xander said. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome Buffy. But the fact that you’re enjoying yourself is enough of a thank you for me. That‘s all I wanted.” He smiled at her almost shyly and shifted on his feet, looking somewhat uncomfortable. “I’ll… go take a shower. Get some sleep, pet.”

She opened her eyes again after he shut the bathroom door and sighed. She listened intently to the sounds coming from the bathroom, trying to imagine what he was doing in there. Silence, things being moved around, more silence, then the shower being turned on. It automatically conjured images of wet naked Spike and she shut her eyes, trying to make the thoughts go away. She knew sleep was not in her near future.

Buffy was drunk, but not nearly as much as she looked--just enough to have a bit of fun and not care about anything. For the first time in forever, she was truly enjoying herself. Tonight, she’d been free to just be a girl on vacation without worrying about what anyone thought. No responsibilities, no world saving obligations, no need to be all grown up for Dawn’s sake, no friends looking up to her and expecting her to be perfect. It felt so amazing to just be Buffy for once. And Spike had been great company. She smiled to herself while remembering how much he’d made her laugh, images of the blonde man with a tiny pink paper umbrella behind his ear flashing through her mind. They’d even shared a pina colada with two straws, racing to see how fast they could get to the bottom of it. She’d never seen Spike shed his Big Bad image so completely before, and she knew he’d done it for her.

When the bathroom door opened, Buffy blinked several times to adjust her eyes to the sudden brightness. Spike stood in the doorway, framed by the light coming from the steamy bathroom. He was barefoot, wearing only a white towel around his lean hips and was rubbing his wet hair with another towel. He turned to throw it on the counter and turn the light off. Buffy listened to the sound of his bare feet slapping lightly on the white ceramic tiles as he made his way to his bed. He pulled the covers back and the mattress creaked lightly as he climbed into the bed. Towel still covering him, he slipped under the sheet and after a quick struggle, he pulled it out from under the covers and let it drop to the floor.

Buffy bit her lower lip and shut her eyes tighter, trying to forget the fact that Spike was now naked underneath that thin cotton sheet.

“’night, Slayer.”

“Good night, Spike.”

Buffy tossed and turned for a while, before finally settling on her back with a sigh. Spike was trying to imagine what kind of thoughts could keep her awake and make her fidget like that, but soon, his own treacherous mind drifted to forbidden territories. Places he didn’t want to go. The entire year that just went by, for one thing. How he’d completely lost control over his own life since the fateful night he’d told the Slayer he loved her, a little over a year ago.

He hadn’t told her since that night. And he would never say the words ‘I love you’ to her again, unless he knew for a fact that his feelings would be welcomed. It had hurt too much. This kind of rejection was something he wouldn’t be able to deal with again. Not after his summer in Hell mourning the woman whose memory had branded his heart so painfully. The torment had lasted three months. 147 days. Unable to wash her off his skin, refusing to ever move on, not seeing a possible ending to his pain. All this time, he had been living in the shadow of a woman who was no more, clinging to a ghost and refusing to ever let go of her because then she’d really be gone. It had been the worst and longest 147 days of his unlife.

There was something to remind him of her around every corner. A sidewalk where she’d stood while telling him to get lost, the coffee shop where she’d sipped on her double mocha with whipped cream, the cemetery where she’d fought with him, the Bronze where she’d danced so many times, everything in Sunnydale was about Buffy Summers. He couldn’t stay, but he couldn’t leave either. Besides the obvious reason that was Dawn, and the promise he’d made to protect the girl with his unlife, leaving Sunnydale would have been like leaving Buffy behind. That would never be an option. So he had stayed.

And 147 days later, the unthinkable had happened. Buffy. Breathing and living. As beautiful as ever, maybe even more beautiful if possible. She’d been standing on the stairs at the Summers’ house, the exact same place she’d been standing so many months before when they talked for the last time. She was a vision. An angel. He hadn’t known what to say then, choked as he was by his overflowing emotions. He had promised himself that he would talk to her next time they were alone. Tell her all these things he had regretted not telling her before it was too late. And that included ‘I love you’. But when she’d shown up at his crypt the night after, the way she came to him for comfort, opened her heart to him… that was more than he’d ever expected from her and he wouldn’t ruin it. He had made a decision: he would not tell her again. He’d be grateful for her friendship, keep it precious, and do everything he could to be deserving of it. God help him, he still loved her--possibly even more than he did before--but he’d keep it to himself instead of showering her with unwanted love words that could possibly ruin what they had now.

She would probably never let herself love him, but at least they had grown closer. Her friendship was the crumb he had begged for what seemed like a lifetime ago, and now, he was trying not to be greedy by asking for more. He’d asked for a crumb, not a slice of bread. And definitely not the whole bloody loaf. So friendship was good. Didn’t mean he couldn’t dream though.

Spike turned on his back, his arms crossed under his head, and waited for the elusive sleep to wash over him while listening to the breathing of the woman he loved laying in the bed next to him. She wasn’t asleep either, but he would have never guessed that her thoughts mirrored his own.

Buffy was laying on her side, clutching her pillow in her arms, and wishing that the vampire--no, man--laying in the bed next to hers would join her and wrap his arms around her. Not that she would ever say that out loud.

Insecurity had crept into her heart over the past few months when it came to the vampire’s feelings for her and her own feelings for him. The relationship between them had gone from one-way love to two-way friendship… which should have been a good thing. But it did raise questions in Buffy’s mind, and she was too scared of the answers to chance asking herself the questions.

One night a few months ago, soon after she came back from the dead, she’d had the sudden urge to throw him against a wall and take him. All of him. She had been confused--a lot more than she was now--and didn’t know what to make of the new found closeness between them. Of course, there had always been this deeply repressed lust for him, but there was also this new connection and feelings she couldn’t understand. Everything had changed so fast and she was reacting on pure instinct. She was so cold inside and the only thing that made her feel the warmth she craved was being around him. But something had stopped her and she was glad now that she had fought the impulse that might have ruined things between them. It had been too soon, their relationship new and fragile. But was now a better time? Could they work together as a couple or would it destroy everything they tried so hard to build? Would she hurt him?

These were just a few of the questions she didn’t want to ask herself. Fear was stopping her from taking the leap because she couldn’t lose him. Spike had become too important to her over the past five months she’d been back. He had helped her through some truly difficult moments of this third chance at life she hadn’t wanted in the first place. It had been so hard, she had been so angry at her friends for forcing her back. She thought she didn’t have a choice, but he’d shown her she was wrong. She had the choice to feel sorry for herself and ensure that life would be as miserable as she could make it, or start fresh and try to enjoy this borrowed time on earth. He had been the rock in her life. The shoulder she had been leaning on for the past five and a half months until she could do nothing but slowly warm up to him and start to see what had been right under her nose all this time. Spike was worthy. He was what she’d been looking for all along, she was just too blinded by her prejudice and past experience with Angel to see it. Angel couldn’t in any way be compared to Spike. They were like night and day.

Now, she felt like she had reached a point in the road where she could either keep going or take a turn. The problem was she didn‘t know what she‘d find if she decided to take the new direction. It could be perfect and make them both happy, or it could turn ugly and they’d lose everything. It was tempting to just leave things as they were. It was safe and comfortable, but at the same time, her heart was screaming at her to stop being an idiot and tell him how she felt.

Maybe if he‘d take the first step and tell her he loved her, it would be easier. But because of her actions in the not so distant past, he wouldn’t utter the words anymore and she had to rely on what his gorgeous blue eyes were telling her. She couldn’t blame him for being shy with words though, considering the way she’d reacted the first time he’d confessed his feelings to her. And no matter how hard she tried to remember the way her mind worked back then, Buffy couldn’t understand why she’d reacted so violently to his declaration. God knows her reaction would be different now.

Too bad he seemed content enough with the relationship they had now. She wasn’t. So she tossed and turned in the bed, restless and praying that something would happen soon. Or else, the vacation in Hawaii might just be a very long one.

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

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


CHAPTER 3: Slayer, such a lovely word


Buried to her eyes in warm blankets, Buffy blinked groggily, trying to adjust her eyes to the dim light filtering through the curtains. She groaned when the new found awareness also woke the evil headache that seemed to have only been waiting for her to open her eyes before starting to jump up and down in her skull.

She risked a glance to the right to see if Spike was awake. If he was, he’d probably be suffering as much as she was and would be in a foul mood. Or maybe not since he did have that vampire constitution going for him.

He was sprawled on his stomach, the white sheet riding low on his hips. Buffy almost forgot her headache at the sight of him. She sighed and got out of bed, careful not to wake him. It was only eleven o’clock but she didn’t want to waste her entire first day in bed. Especially not to do something as boring as sleeping. Now, if there was another reason for her to stay in bed all day…

She scolded herself for the direction her thoughts were taking and hurried to the bathroom to freshen up. When she walked out half an hour later, she was decked in khaki low-rider cargo pants and a white solid tank covering her candy pink bikini, her hair in a high ponytail, sunglasses on top of her head. She was ready for a long, exhausting day doing absolutely nothing.

Spike was lounging on the bed with his arms crossed casually behind his head, his bluer than blue eyes watching her as she came out of the bathroom.

“Morning, Slayer.” He drawled lazily, his voice thick with sleep.

“Morning, vampire.” She snapped back at him. It came out harsher than she intended, but for some reason, his use of the word ‘Slayer’ hurt her.

“Someone is grumpy.” He said, frowning in confusion at her unexplained outburst. “What’s the matter, pet? You don’t like when I call you ‘Slayer’?”

“Why should I? It’s pretty much like me calling you ‘vampire’ or calling Xander ‘human’.”

“No it isn’t.”

“It so is. The Slayer is what I am, not who I am. And it brings back memories of a time when we were not so much with the friendlies.”

“I happen to like our past.” He said so softly that she barely heard him. “It brought us to where we are today, didn’t it? If I hadn’t come to Sunnyhell years ago hell bent on finding the Slayer and a cure for my ex, I would have never met you.”

She shrugged a bit, looking down. “Yeah, guess you’re right. But it doesn’t change the fact that you usually use that nickname when we’re arguing or when you’re trying to look detached and uncaring. I don’t like it.”

Spike smirked and patted the bed next to him. Buffy reluctantly came to sit. “You got it all wrong.”

“Oh, I did, did I?” She couldn’t help the smile tugging at her lips. “Why don’t you explain it to me then? I’m afraid I’m a little slow. It comes with the whole dumb blonde persona I got going on.”

“Don’t say that. You’re not dumb. Anyway, it’s all in the way the word is said. I can make that one word mean whatever I want it to mean. Why don’t you let me demonstrate?”

“Fine. Demonstrate away.”

Spike‘s facial expression hardened. “Ssslayer!” He hissed through clenched teeth, spitting out the word with something akin to disgust and hatred.

Buffy’s eyes grew cold instantly, her whole body tensing up with anger.

But then his face softened noticeably and he leaned closer until his lips touched her earlobe, and said it again. The word was silky and loving, his voice a soft purr that made her shiver from head to toe. And as much as she tried to repress it, she didn’t manage to stop the girly giggle from escaping her lips.

Spike leaned back against the headboard, arms behind his head and grinning in self-satisfaction. “I rest my case.”

Buffy rolled her eyes, hoping she wasn’t blushing like a school girl. Now that’d be embarrassing. She stood up.

“All right. You can have this one.”

Spike put his hand over his heart in mock surprise. “Is the mighty Slayer letting me win an argument? That’s a first.”

“Only because I don’t have time to keep defending my point. The sun is waiting.”

She started moving around the room again, shoving random items into her beach bag.

Spike was looking at her curiously. “Are you really going to need all that junk? I thought all you needed to survive the whole bloody beach experience was sun tanning lotion, a towel and sunglasses?”

Buffy snorted in amusement. “And when was the last time you’ve been at the beach exactly? 1880? Things have changed since.”

“Yeah, go ahead. Mock the poor vamp with a severe sun allergy.”

“Sorry. I need all that ‘junk’ because it’s easier to bring too much stuff than come back if I forget something. And there’s nothing I’m taking that I won’t need. SPF 40 for my face, SPF 15 for the first couple of hours, then I’ll move to SPF 8 for the rest of the day. I also need entertainment.”

He watched her putting three books in the bag. “How long are you planning on being gone?! Bloody Hell, you’ve got enough reading material to last you a month!”

“I don’t know what I’ll feel like reading. What if I bring one, and when I get there, I feel like reading the other one? And I’m bringing my CD player in case I just don’t feel like reading at all. I got it all covered.”

Spike shook his head, smiling. “Crazy bint.”

“Oh! My camera.” Buffy suddenly remembered.

She started looking through her luggage for the missing camera, but not being successful, she soon lost patience and started emptying the content of her bags onto the floor.

“What the bleedin’ hell are you doing, luv?” He finally asked after he heard her swearing under her breath.

She turned around, a distressed look on her face. “I… I think I forgot my camera. Xander gave it to me the night before we left because I didn’t have one. I must have left it on my night stand.”

Spike couldn’t stand seeing her looking so disappointed. “S’all right, luv. Give me my jeans.”

She handed him the jeans that were on the back of the armchair and he fished his wallet out of the pocket. He gave it to her. “Here. There’s a souvenir shop near the lobby, maybe they sell cameras. If not, we’ll go into town tonight.”

“Really?” She asked in a hopeful voice while looking into the wallet. She found several hundred dollar bills in it. “What’s all that money for?”

“You. I figured you might get bored of staying here all the time and you’d want to go into town at some point. Change of scenery and all. Maybe go to a fancy restaurant or take excursions. So I brought some spending cash. Didn’t steal it if that’s what you’re thinking. I won it fair and square at a poker game.”

She smiled at him. “Fair and square, huh? I have my doubts. Anyway, thanks.”

“Yeah, don’t mention it. Just need to make my Slayer happy. Now go before the sun set and you miss out on all the fun.”

Buffy put her beach bag on her shoulder and made her way to the door. When she reached it, she hesitated. “Are you gonna be all right? What are you gonna do here all by yourself all day?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know.” Spike said playfully, winking at her. “Don’t worry, pet. I’ll be fine. I’ll go back to sleep for a while, watch some telly and call room service if I get too bored. You forget that I’m used to being stuck inside all day. It’s not any different than back home… well, except that I don’t have room service there, of course.”

“OK then, I’ll see you later.”

And after one last look at him, she was gone.

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

Buffy made her way to the hotel lobby with a spring in her step. She stopped on the way to admire the brightly colored exotic flowers and watch people who were strolling leisurely, in vacation mode. Couples were walking by, laughing and holding hands. She longed for that, but couldn’t let herself think about it too much or it would ruin her good mood. Finally, she walked into the main building where the lobby was located.

Three steps led from the garden to the inside. It was a vast open space with a marble floor and high ceilings. On one side of the lobby was a bar with brass and black leather stools where people were enjoying coffees and talking animatedly, laughing and smiling. Next to the bar were two large wooden doors that led into the main restaurant of the resort. The doors were open and a hostess was standing there to welcome people. Buffy decided to go grab something to eat.

The young woman smiled warmly at her. “Aloha!”

“Aloha.”

“One person?”

“Huh… yeah.”

“Follow me, please.”

Buffy was about to walk in when a tall woman with thick, long, black hair, followed by a shorter man, almost knocked her out of her way.

“Geez, rude much?” Buffy mumbled under her breath.

She turned to look at them, only to see the man looking back at her appraisingly. Buffy snorted in disgust and followed the hostess who led her to a table. As soon as she sat down, a waitress came to offer her some coffee.

“You know what, I’ve changed my mind, I’m not going to stay. I’ll just grab a muffin at the buffet or something. No need to get the table dirty for me.”

The waitress smiled and walked away. Buffy went to see what the buffet had to offer her and opted for a bagel and an apple. She didn’t want to waste anymore time inside when she could be outside enjoying the sun and the ocean. And she still had to stop by the gift shop to see if they had cameras. So with the apple held between her teeth and the bagel in hand, she left the restaurant. She crossed the lobby while munching on her apple and went to where the gift shop was located, next to the check-in counter.

She was about to open the French door that had the sign ‘open’ on it but someone walked out as she was reaching for the handle. Once again, she was faced with the dark haired woman who seemed to be expecting Buffy to move out of her way.

**Who died to make her Queen?** Buffy thought, annoyed. But this time, instead of stepping aside to let the woman pass, she moved in her way. She smiled innocently up at her.

“Oops, I’m sorry. Am I in your way?”

The woman gave her a cold look, before finally smiling. But there was nothing nice about her smile and it only made Buffy uneasy.

“I’m terribly sorry,” She said with a thick Italian accent. “It seems we keep bumping into each other.”

Before Buffy could think of something to say, a man called the woman’s name to get her attention.

“Carlita, are you coming?”

“Yes dear.“ The tall Italian woman looked at Buffy as if she was studying her, but the expression on her face was unreadable. Buffy was about to ask her what the hell she was looking at, but just like that, she was gone.

**Freak** She thought while watching the woman’s retreating back.

Snapping out of her contemplation, she walked into the store.

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

The beach was amazing. Miles and miles of white sand stretched in both directions as far as she looked and the water was pure turquoise. This was heaven. OK, not literally because, hey… been there, done that, and nothing could compare. But it was pretty close. People were surfing a little further down, where the waves were stronger, and Buffy wondered briefly if she could do that. But she quickly dismissed the thought. Not today. Today was for relaxing and doing absolutely nothing at all. Yep, that was the plan.

She chose a secluded spot to spread her towel and stripped down to the cute little bikini she had bought just for the trip. Too bad the only person she wanted to seduce wasn’t around to see it. Taking a bottle of coconut scented tanning lotion, she covered every inch of her golden skin with it, then lay down on her towel with a blissful sigh. This was THE life, she thought happily.

Buffy closed her eyes, enjoying the warm caress of the sun on her skin. In a matter of seconds, she was fast asleep.

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

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N: The text in italic is a dream


CHAPTER 4: Who needs sun anyway?


Buffy turned on her stomach and stretched languorously, enjoying the burning hot sun on her back. The rhythmic sound of the ocean was soothing and she’d never felt more relaxed. Feeling someone coming toward her, she looked up, blinking against the glare of the bright sunlight. The most gorgeous male specimen she’d ever seen was coming her way, stalking like a giant cat. Spike.

He was wearing nothing but his black jeans, his bare, sculpted chest glistening with sweat, the golden light of the sun casting a halo around him. His bare feet were digging into the soft sand with every step, slowing him down and making him look like he was on the prowl. God he was sexy.

He stopped when he reached her and crouched down by her head. Reaching out, he brushed back a strand of hair that was sticking to her sweaty forehead. “You’re going to burn that beautiful skin of yours to a crisp, pet.”

She smiled lazily. “Hmm. Don’t care. Don’t wanna move.”

“Let me take care of that then.” He purred in her ear.

“Yes, please.”

He took the sun tan lotion and squeezed a generous amount on her bare back. The contrast between her burning skin and the cool lotion made her jump and giggle.

“It’s cold!”

“It will get better, believe me.”

And with a stroke of his strong hands, he had her moaning in pleasure. His magic fingers worked the lotion into her tanned skin in slow, sensuous, circles, massaging the tension right out of her muscles. He placed a soft kiss between her shoulder blades while running his hands down her back, all the way down to the top of her bikini bottom. He slipped his thumb teasingly under the elastic band and that simple gesture was enough to make her burn in all the right places.

“Turn around, pet.”

His voice was like pure silk and made her shiver. She obeyed, not caring that she was topless and exposing herself to him.

“You’re beautiful, Buffy. I always dreamed I could see you under the sun.”

The comment made her frown, as if she was trying to remember something important.

“Spike--the sun--why are you not burning? I don‘t understand…”

“It’s not important. Let’s just enjoy the moment while it lasts.”

He put some more lotion in the palm of his hands and rubbed them together before placing them on either side of her small waist. Slowly, he brought them to her stomach and made his way up her torso, stopping right underneath her breasts. He swept his thumbs over her erect nipples, making her arch in his touch, and moan softly. She couldn‘t keep her eyes off of him.

“Spike…”

“Shhh, it’s okay, luv. Just enjoy.”

With a mischievous glint in his blue eyes, he bent down and placed a kiss on her bikini covered sex. She gasped, but he abandoned the pleasurable spot before she could fully enjoy it, leaving her frustrated. Spike went to her feet so he could work on her legs. He put her right ankle on his shoulder and worked his hands down her sweat sleeked, muscular leg. With each down stroke, the tip of his fingers got closer and closer to where she wanted them, until he brushed lightly against the crotch of her bikini bottom. Her hips rose above the ground, seeking contact desperately but when she opened her eyes again, he was gone.


Buffy woke with a sharp intake of breath and looked around herself wildly, trying to find the man of her dreams. But that’s just what it was: a dream. A very erotic dream featuring Spike. She sat up on the towel, hugging her knees to her chest, still shaken.

For a while, she just sat there, watching children playing in the waves or building sand castles, people jogging along the beach, and surfers showing off. Everyone was having a good time, and she knew she should too, but she couldn’t help feeling a bit lonely. Buffy spotted a couple playing in the shallow water, splashing and chasing each other. They embraced and kissed passionately, and Buffy sighed while thoughts of Spike invaded her brain again.

She couldn’t help but think that he must be feeling lonely all by himself in the room. He was probably watching some crappy show on TV and bored out of his mind. Buffy wasn’t sure if she really believed it or if she was just trying to convince herself, but she couldn’t have cared less. She fished her watch out of her beach bag to see how long she’d been at the beach. It was 1PM. So she’d only been there for an hour and a half. No doubt Spike would wonder why she was back so soon. Maybe if he didn’t look outside, she could convince him that it was raining?

**Screw this.** She thought and started gathering her things, shoving everything in her bag. She pulled on her cargo pants, not bothering with the tank top and left the beach.

She went straight back to the shop. When the man behind the counter saw her, he automatically jumped to the wrong conclusion.

“Something wrong with the camera, miss?”

Buffy smiled. “No, I haven’t even tried it yet. I was just wondering if you have playing cards?”

The man turned around to look on the shelf behind him and turned back holding three different decks of cards wrapped in plastic paper. Buffy laughed when she saw the one with the hot Hawaiian girl with big boobs.

“I’ll get that one, thanks.”

She paid for her purchase and left the store to get back to the room, knowing that Spike wouldn’t say no to a game of poker. With one sweep of the key card, the door opened. Nothing could have prepared her for the sight that greeted her. In a matter of seconds, her throat got so dry that it made it hard to swallow, and her cheeks flushed bright red. Her free hand rose to cover her mouth, muffling her gasp of surprise.

The star of her every fantasy was standing there in all his naked glory. He was facing away from her, drying his hair with a white towel. Beads of water were adorning his broad shoulder, and her eyes followed the one single drop running slowly down his spine all the way to his firm ass. Her previously dry mouth started to water at the delectable sight. She was completely transfixed by the way the muscles of his back moved.

And then, he did it. Probably sensing someone behind him, he slowly turned, offering her a full frontal view. If she thought her eyes couldn’t get any wider, she was completely wrong. God, he was the hottest, sexiest man she had ever seen. Everything about him was absolute perfection. Spike was sex on legs, no other words could describe it. She inadvertently gazed south and her cheeks flamed even brighter. Yep, every single part of him was definitely perfect.

Buffy knew she should be doing something sensible. Like closing her eyes, or turning around… Heck, even running away would be a good idea. But she was frozen on the spot, staring at the man in front of her with her mouth agape.

Spike casually reached for his jeans and put them on as if everything was right in the world. As if she wasn’t standing there, burning with embarrassment. Bastard.

“What’s wrong, pet? Cat got your tongue?”

She tried to open her mouth so say something, but only ended up looking like a fish out of the water.

“What are you doing here so early? Weren’t you supposed to be soaking up the Hawaiian sun?”

She tried again, this time with more success although only one word made it past her lips.

“… Cards.”

Spike looked at her with a mix of amusement and curiosity. “Cards?”

Buffy nodded vigorously, grateful for the distraction. “I got cards.”

Spike went to sit on his bed, still giving her a strange look. “Ookay. Still not getting your point.”

Finally, Buffy managed to move, taking a few steps inside the room after closing the door. “I… I got bored so I bought a deck of cards. Thought you could show me how to play poker or something. We could order room service.”

She tossed the plastic wrapped deck of cards on the bed and came to sit in front of him. Her heart was still beating wildly but she managed to regain her composure somehow.

Spike took the cards and unwrapped the plastic cover. “Sure, poker sounds good.”

She watched as his long fingers shuffled the cards expertly, completely missing the amused grin on his face.

“So…” He drawled sexily, making her look up at his face. “Didn’t know you could turn such an interesting shade of red, pet. Like what you saw?”

Buffy narrowed her eyes at him. “Forget Poker. Maybe we should play Asshole instead. I’m sure you’d be really good at it.”

Spike chuckled and passed the cards. Buffy tried to hold back her amusement, but lost the battle.

“Asshole”

“Bitch”

“Jerk”

“Peeping Tom”

“Hey!”

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

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



CHAPTER 5: Trouble in Paradise



“So, let me get this straight.” Spike said to the waking girl who was stirring sleepily.

He was laying on the bed amongst abandoned playing cards and various bags of snack food. His back was propped up against a mountain of pillows that he had stuck behind him without moving too much since Buffy had chosen his shoulder as the best place for an afternoon nap. She was spooned against his side with her head on his shoulder, and yes, normally that would have been a dream come true, but right now, he was glad he didn‘t have circulation because after three hours of this, his arm might have fallen off.

“You get to see me in all my naked glory, but then refuse to agree to an innocent game of strip poker. And at the rate you were losing,” he added with a smirk, “You would have been starkers in about ten minutes flat. A bleedin’ shame, that’s what it is. Then, you make me watch… Princess Bloody Diary.” He spat the words as if they were poison.

“Hey, you enjoyed it.” Buffy mumbled sleepily, hiding her face in his t-shirt.

“And THEN,” He continued, ignoring her, “you fall asleep and drool all over my shoulder. Now tell me how the bleeding hell you consider this to be fair? I give you a free show and get nothing in return.” He concluded, pouting like a little boy.

“First,” she said while sitting up and stretching like a cat after a long and satisfying afternoon nap. “You got to enjoy my company. That should be plenty enough. Second, I did NOT drool! And… It’s fair because I’m a woman and women are always right. That’s why.”

The TV was still playing on mute, closed captions flashing regularly at the bottom of the screen. Spike had switched to mute when Buffy when she had fallen asleep after the competitive game of cards and a satisfying lunch. The late afternoon sunlight was streaming through a crack in the curtains, but otherwise the room was cast in peaceful darkness, the only source of light being the TV screen.

“How very not sexist of you, Slayer. I admire your fairness.”

“Well, you should. I’m more fair than any Slayer ever was before me.”

“Yeah, Queen Buffy, fair ruler of the Hellmouth.” Spike snickered. “Who goes bug shagging crazy on me just because I make a little joke by asking the room service guy what his blood type is.”

Buffy gave him a dark look, scolding him like a disapproving mother. “It wasn’t a funny Joke, Spike.”

“You don’t have a sense of humor, pet.”

“I do too! Just not when the victim of the joke looks terrified.”

“He was a pathetic Nancy boy.” Spike said dismissively.

“You looked at him like he was a juicy steak.”

He snorted derisively. “I’d hardly call him that. More like a dry piece of beef jerky.”

Buffy ignored the comment. “You LICKED your lips for God‘s sake. And I think I saw some fangs too!”

Spike couldn’t help but look pleased with himself. “Poor sod. The look on his face was just priceless. I’d bet money we’re not gonna see him again any time soon.”

“You know what? If next time we order room service nobody comes, you’ll have only yourself to blame. You can wait for those chicken wings for hours and I won‘t feel sorry for you, not one bit.”

“Did you happen to catch the wanker’s name, luv? I think I’ll ask for him personally next time. Maybe even invite him in for blood and crumpets. You know… to apologize for my incredibly rude behavior. What do you think, pet?”

She got up and stretched her arms above her head, then cracked her neck from side to side, a grimace on her pretty face. “I think that you don’t make a very good pillow.”

Spike looked offended at the comment. “Hey! I make a perfectly fine pillow. I can’t be held responsible for my rock hard pecs, now can I? It’s genetic. Next time you decide to fall asleep on me, I‘ll drop you on the bloody floor… see how comfortable that is.”

“Aww, did I hurt poor little Spikey’s feelings?” Buffy asked with fake concern. “I know I should be more gentle with you, but somebody’s got to downsize that ego of yours, and that job happens to be perfect for me. What can I say… I’m just so damn good at it.”

“That works out fine then because somebody has to annoy the bleeding hell out of you and… what can I say… I’m just so damn good at it.”

They grinned at each other, eyes locking for a moment that lasted just long enough to start getting uncomfortable. Buffy finally shook her head, effectively breaking the spell.

She grabbed some clothes from her suitcase and made her way to the bathroom. “The sun is almost down, I’m gonna go get ready for dinner.” She stopped, her hand on the door knob. “…You’re coming to dinner with me, right?”

“’f course, pet.”

She hesitated, than nodded with a small smile on her lips. “… I had fun today, Spike. Probably more fun than I would have had all by myself on the beach anyway.”

She didn’t wait for an answer, disappearing in the bathroom and leaving Spike to ponder her words. Which of course, was a bad idea. Too much thinking never leads to anything good.

When she reemerged from the bathroom half an hour later, all glammed up in a pretty baby blue satin sundress, her blonde hair tumbling on her shoulder in shiny waves, Spike was sitting on the edge of the bed watching TV. Just one look at him and she could tell that his mood was considerably more somber than it had been when she had left the room. Still standing in the bathroom’s doorway, she frowned in confusion and waited for him to finally look at her.

“Everything all right?” She asked when he looked up.

“Sure.” He answered dismissively, his eyes going back to the TV screen. “Looking good, Slayer.” He added, almost as an after thought.

“Thanks. But I don’t believe you.”

That got Spike’s attention. He looked at her in confusion. “Why would I lie to you ‘bout that? You know you look bloody gorgeous. You always do.”

Buffy rolled her eyes. “No Spike, that part I believed. That’s why I said thanks. I meant that I don’t believe the part where you said that everything is all right. You don’t have your ‘all right’ face. What could have possibly happened in the past half hour to make you go from happy vamp to sulky vamp? And you better not say it’s because it took me too long to get ready. I was speedy Buffy! I curled my hair in half the time it usually takes me.”

Spike sighed and turned the TV off. “It’s nothing. I was just out here, thinking, and…” He started fidgeting with the remote control in an uncharacteristic display of insecurity. “Look, forget it.”

Losing patience, Buffy put her hands on her hips and shot him her best ‘don‘t bullshit me‘ look. “Out with it already. I’m hungry, and hungry Buffy is cranky Buffy.”

“Me being here was a bad idea. I‘m ruining your bloody vacation, that’s what’s wrong.” Spike snapped.

“Huh? I’m sorry… What?” She finally managed to ask, not sure she heard him right.

“You’re supposed to be having fun, and instead, you feel bad for me and stay inside with me. Don’t get me wrong, I had a good time and I appreciate what you’re doing. But don’t. You’re supposed to be outside enjoying yourself.”

Buffy remained silent for a few moments, not sure whether to yell at him for playing dumb so annoyingly well, or cry. Why couldn’t they have one good day without arguing over something as ridiculous as this? Finally, she settled for making fun of what he’d just said, hoping to lighten up the mood enough for them to go back to the easy banter they were so good at.

She took a small step forward, her hands pressed to her chest and titling her head to the side to observe him with exaggerated attention.

“Angel? Is that you, Angel? Oh, I would recognize that passion for guilt and self-flagellation anywhere! When did you and Spike switch bodies?”

Unfortunately, her little performance did nothing to snap Spike out of his dark mood.

“Yeah, you’re bleedin’ hilarious, Summers. I was being serious.”

“No.” She snapped, all good humor gone. “You were being ridiculous and I was trying to be funny to give you a way out before you started sounding even more like a dumbass.”

Spike looked stunned for a moment. “Excuse me? Did you just call me a dumbass?”

“You heard me.” She replied, chin high, cheeks flushed with anger. “I call them as I see them. Seriously, Spike, did you hear your little ‘self-sacrifice speech’? All that was missing was the violin playing in the background. I don’t know why you suddenly felt the need to ruin a perfectly good day by trying to come up with stupid reasons to feel guilty, but great job!”

Spike stood up and started pacing. She could tell he was desperately trying to control his impulsive tongue so as not to get himself deeper into trouble. Obviously, he lost the fight.

He came to stand in front of her and gestured wildly to the room around them. “A perfectly good day? Are you bloody kidding me?! This is the kind of day we have all the time back home.”

“And what the hell is wrong with that? Is my company so horribly boring? Are you trying to tell me that when we hang out together at home, you’re just humoring me when you say you’re having a good time?”

Spike snorted. “Now you’re the one who’s being daft, Buffy. You know how much I love spending time with you, so don’t go and twist my words around.” He took a deep breath to try calming his anger. “You know damn bloody well what I meant. This is Hawaii! It’s not soddin’ Sunnydale, California. It’s your chance to finally enjoy some demon free, apocalypse free fun. Work on your tan, go snorkeling, or whatever it is you’re supposed to do at the beach. Your chance to go out there and pretend to be a normal girl for a change.”

Buffy stomped her foot, getter more and more annoyed by the minute. “Yes. And it’s also MY vacation and I can do whatever I want to do. And contrary to popular belief, you are not my charity case. I was on the beach, I was bored, and I chose to come back to the room to spend some time with you. So sue me.”

“And we’re back to it’s my fault for being here in the first place, luv. If I wasn’t here, the thought would have never crossed your mind.”

“Argh! Oh my God, you are so infuriating! I just can’t believe you!! I thought I was joking earlier when I asked if you switched bodies with Angel, but now I‘m starting to wonder if you really did get a personality transplant. Bipolar much?”

“For once I’m trying not to be my usual selfish evil self and you’re cross with me for THAT? Well excuse me for caring if you ruin your bloody vacation you bloody bint.” He barked angrily.

Buffy snatched her purse from the armchair.

“Yeah? Well excuse me for giving a flying rat’s ass if you’re stuck in here all day by yourself. Next time, you can just rot in here for all I care!” She yelled before rushing out of the room and slamming the door shut.

Spike stared at the door for a second before calling after her. “Buffy? Come on, pet, don’t leave like that!”

He left the room quickly, hoping to catch up with her, but she was gone.

Turning around to get back inside, Spike was faced with a closed and very locked door. The shirtless, bare foot vamp growled and punched the door in frustrated anger.

“Bloody buggering hell! How did this day get so messed up?!”

His back against the door, he sank slowly to the floor. There was nothing he could do except to sit there and wait the half hour or so until sundown so he could go get a new key at the front desk. All he could do was hope that Buffy wouldn’t get even more pissed off when he didn’t come after her right away.

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