CHAPTER 6: Hawaiian Idol



Young hearts, to yourself be true
Don’t be no fool, when love really don’t love you



Spike scanned the crowd anxiously, his eyes not lingering on the happy vacationers. Neither did he bother looking at the stage where the girl responsible for the horrific rendition of ‘Young hearts run free’ was enthusiastically screaming at the top of her lungs.

Of course Buffy had been right. She was right, and he was a blasted, insensitive, idiotic, git. Story of their life, really. And God knows there is nothing worst than a woman who is right, except maybe admitting that she is.

Spike sighed in defeat. His eyes settled on the bar for a moment, the lure of all that liquid courage was strong, but he had to fight the urge to just give up his search and take comfort in his friend Jack. William the Bloody was not a coward. He had fought the scariest beasts, confronted two Slayers in battle and lived to tell the tale. So why in the bloody hell was he squirming at the idea of facing Buffy and admitting he was wrong?

*You know why you git. Because the bint will never let you hear the end of it. That’s why.*

But despite his reluctance to face the tiny girl, he knew he had to hurry up and find her soon if he valued his unlife at all. With every passing minute his chances of being forgiven quickly and completely were severely decreasing. He knew Buffy: the longer she’d wait, the angrier she’d get. She’d jump to conclusions and assume he didn’t care enough to come after her right away. He really didn’t fancy them fighting for the remainder of the two weeks because then he could truly say that he’d wrecked her holiday.

The blonde vampire cringed at the painful noises coming from the stage. Sounded like a Shiraag demon during mating season. Vampiric hearing could come in handy sometimes, but at other times--like now--it could be a right nuisance. But he’d have to tough it out because Buffy had to be hiding in there somewhere. He’d just spent the past hour looking for the girl in every corner of the paradisiacal resort without success. Knowing it was karaoke night in the main bar, he’d kept it as last resort, all the while hoping he could spare himself the torture if he found her before. No such luck, of course.

Now, he was standing in a room full of drunken tourists, listening to Candi Staton’s hit being massacred by a fifteen-year-old pimpled face girl, and just about to give up and go back to the room. But he hadn’t suffered in vain. A waitress who had been standing in front of a table suddenly moved away, and a flash of golden hair caught Spike’s eye. There she was, sulking by herself in a corner. And if the way she was tearing apart the little paper umbrella that was once decorating her exotic drink was any indication, she was still in a dangerous mood. The addition of alcohol to the mix could only mean trouble for the bleached blonde vampire.

When he walked up to her, his step lacked its usual arrogant swagger. He stopped in front of her table, hands buried deep in his pockets, and waited for Buffy to look at him. But the stubborn Slayer pointedly ignored him, keeping her eyes trained on the stage. A middle aged man sporting a pregnant beer belly was now shaking his behind singing ‘Baby got back’ and getting a good laugh from the gits at his table. Buffy seemed fascinated.

Spike decided to try the casual approach. “Enjoying yourself, luv?”

“Absolutely.” She answered, her tone icy. “Until you showed up, of course. Because, you know… According to your twisted sense of logic, I’m only allowed to enjoy myself ALONE and away from you. Oh, right. I think it’s fine if it’s out of pity too. Did I get the rules right? You know me, I’m not used to following rules so it can get confusing sometimes.”

“All right then.” He sighed and pulled a chair to sit in front of her. “That answers the question whether you’re still mad at me or not.”

She snorted loudly. “Mad? Who’s mad? I’m not mad. Why would I be MAD? It’s a free world, you’re allowed to think whatever the hell you want and to share it with me. If you really think I’m Mother Teresa and would spend all my time with you out of the goodness of my generous Christian heart and not because I actually WANT to, then it’s your problem.”

Spike frowned in confusion. “’m trying to suss out what’s going on in that noggin of yours, pet, but I’ve got nothing. Basically, you’re telling me that thinking you’re a nice person is… a bad thing?”

Not getting an answer, he shook his head and continued. “You know what, never mind. Look, I’m sorry. I really am. I didn’t mean to muck everything up the way I did. I should have kept my bloody mouth shut. You know me, I have a knack for saying the wrong bloody thing at the wrong bloody time. Can’t help it, it’s something in my blood. I won’t speak again for the rest of the trip. I’ll just smile and nod my head once in a while.”

A small smile tugged at Buffy’s lips. “You realize that if God, in his infinite wisdom, had created you mute, you’d be almost perfect? Too bad you learned how to speak.”

Spike opened his mouth with every intention to make some smart ass comeback, but decided to follow his own advice instead and shut up. He smiled, and nodded.

Buffy rolled her eyes at him, doing her best to hide her amusement.

“So, luv, is there anything I can do to be deserving of your forgiveness?”

She finally let the smile wash away the grim look that had been clouding her features since he’d arrived. With a devilish gleam in her eyes, she slowly, dramatically, slid a black binder across the table. Binder that he hadn’t noticed she’d been holding the entire time they were talking.

Spike raised a curious brow. “What’s this, then?”

She only said one word. “Sing.”

“Excuse me?”

Buffy’s smile broadened. “You. Karaoke. Sing.”

“No bleeding way! I am not going on this stage to make a bleedin’ fool of myself like those pansies over there.” To illustrate his point, he pointed at the three guys on stage currently singing an N’Sync song.

Looking at him through her long lashes, she gingerly took the straw between her pink glossy lips and took a sip of her drink before speaking again. “You asked what you could do to earn my forgiveness: I told you. Now, if you don’t care all that much…”

She pulled the binder containing the song selection back toward herself.

Spike snatched the book back from her, a scowl on his handsome face. “Fine. I’ll do it. But I really don’t see what this has to do with anything.”

“Everything.” She replied brightly. “ It’s embarrassing, it’s silly, and it’s completely beneath the Big Bad. So if you do it, it’ll show me just how much you really want me to forgive you. And also that you love my company so much that you’re willing to humiliate yourself in front of everybody just so you’ll be tolerated in my gracious presence again. Yep, Buffy Summers, Fair ruler of the Hellmouth, declares that’s what shall be done.”

“That’s what I shall do then.” Spike opened the book with a heavy sigh, and started browsing through the titles. “Besides, who says I’m going to humiliate myself? Did you ever hear me sing?”

Buffy opened her mouth to answer, but he hurriedly cut her off. “I meant sober and not yelling along to Sid Vicious.”

“Uh… I guess not. But believe me, once you’re done going through the selection, you’ll realize that ‘humiliating’ might not be that much of an overstatement. All they have in there is the worst of the 80’s and 90’s, along with the Back Street Boys and Spice Girls’ greatest hits.”

“Those Spice Girls’ birds were a bit of all right. The tiny scraps of clothing they called outfits sorta made you forget about the horrible singing.”

“You’re still in trouble, buster. So a little less with the pervy comments and more with the groveling please.”

“Yes ma’am.”

Going through a few more pages only confirmed that she’d been right about the music choice.

“Bloody buggering hell.”

Buffy chuckled happily, and went back to casually sipping on her drink, her eyes not leaving his expressive face. Pretty damn entertaining. And at the same time, she was touched that he’d be willing to do this just to make her happy. Of course, that feeling lasted only until he uttered his next sentence.

He searched for a few more minutes before looking up at her. “All right, I’m bloody well doing this… but you have to do it too.”

She suddenly got a little pale. “What? Noooo sir. I haven’t done anything to you worth this kind of punishment. At least, not lately.”

He smirked. “Really? I’m sure if I think hard enough, I could remember something. Oh right. Wasn’t it just last night that you were making fun of me for trying to open the wrong sodden’ hotel room door? I can still hear you cackling like a hyena an hour later, all tucked in for the night in your warm little bed. Bleedin’ hilarious, it was. And what about…”

“Fine!” She interrupted sulkily. “I’ll sing, you big bully.”

“Look at the bright side, pet.”

“There’s a bright side?”

“Yeah. I don’t think we can be much worst than those wankers even if we try.”

She laughed, her good mood finally returning. “You’re lucky, you know?”

“Why’s that?”

“I was going to sing ‘You’re so vain’ and dedicate it to you, but someone else sang it just before you arrived.”

“Bleedin’ shame, that’s what it is.” He shook his head in mocked disappointment. “So, how does this work anyway?”

Buffy handed him a small paper and a pen. “Here. You take this, you write your name on it, the title of the song you want to sing and the number of the song, then I’ll go give it to the MC”

They both filled out their papers and Buffy stood up. “Oh, and did I mention that this is a contest? The winner gets a Jeep excursion on the volcano, followed by a dinner at the best restaurant in Maui with champagne and everything. So if you want to make me happy, you’ll win for me… No pressure or anything.” She gave him her sweetest smile and briskly walked away.

Spike lowered his head in defeat. “Bloody women.”

He ordered a beer and waited for Buffy to come back. She was grinning madly.

“What got you so happy, luv?”

“You’re next.” She said simply before sitting down.

Spike’s eyes widened comically. “What? But what about all those wankers who gave their papers before us? Aren’t they supposed to go first?”

“Pretty amazing what flashing a bit of cleavage will get you, isn’t it?” She batted her lashes innocently at him.

“You’re truly evil, you know that?”

“I learned from the master.”

The MC came on, his voice booming in the crowded bar.

“Next, we have Spike… huh… The Bloody.” The MC looked up at the crowd. “Interesting stage name, man.”

Spike narrowed his eyes at Buffy who just grinned, obviously pleased with herself.

“Spike will be singing ‘Love song’ by The Cure. The mic is yours buddy.”

Everybody cheered when Spike stood up, Buffy being the loudest. He shed his leather jacket, leaving it on the back of his chair, and made his way to the stage as nonchalantly as if he’d been going to the 7/Eleven to buy cigarettes.

He reached the elevated stage and hopped on it with feline grace. Already you could tell the female part of the audience was fascinated with the blonde man. Spike looked around and quickly spotted the guitar the MC used to entertain the guests between two ‘performers’. He walked up to the microphone.

“Sorry, slight change of plans.” Then, turning to the Karaoke guy. “Do you mind if I borrow that guitar of yours, mate? I’m in the mood for something accoustic if it’s all right.”

The guy shrugged and made a gesture towards the guitar to signal that he didn’t have a problem with that. “You still need the lyrics on the screen, buddy?”

“It’s fine, I know the song.”

Back at the table, Buffy’s eyebrows raised in incredulity at the idea that Spike could play the guitar. The vampire would always find new and interesting ways to surprise her and keep her on her toes. Every time she thought she had him figured out, he’d come up with something new to throw her off balance. It was kind of annoying, but mostly, it kept her interested.

She watched as he carried a bar stool and the guitar to the middle of the stage and, after adjusting the height of the microphone stand, made himself comfortable. He didn’t make any dedication, it would have been superfluous and kind of awkward considering they were officially “friends”, but she knew. Love song. She’d seen the title on the paper while bringing it to the MC and her heart had clenched painfully in her chest. For a moment, she had wanted to go back to the table and tell him that he didn’t have to hide behind stupid songs to tell her how he felt anymore. But she’d been a coward and kept walking to the front of the bar.

The first rift of guitar rose and the crowd fell eerily silent.


Whenever I’m alone with you
You make me feel like I am home again
Whenever I’m alone with you
You make me feel like I am whole again


His voice was smooth and sweet like warm caramel and had the crowd, and Buffy more than anybody else, mesmerized in no time.


Whenever I’m alone with you
You make me feel like I am young again
Whenever I’m alone with you
You make me feel like I am fun again


He hadn’t been bragging. The previously semi comatose patrons were suddenly paying rapt attention. He was good. Better than good… and he had all the women in the place swooning after singing just a few bars. Buffy felt a pang of jealousy, hearing the comments from the tables nearby, but he wasn‘t singing for them. He had eyes only for her.


However far away
I will always love you
However long I stay
I will always love you
Whatever words I say
I will always love you
I will always love you


Spike had more presence on stage than anybody she’d ever seen. He was commanding attention. It didn’t matter if the song was a slow one and he was only sitting there, strumming his guitar: it was all about his eyes and his voice. His eyes bore into hers with an intensity that made her want to look away, but she couldn’t. He was telling her with the song all these things he couldn’t say to her, and she wanted nothing more than to throw herself at him. A woman at a table next to hers was looking her way, and Buffy clearly heard her saying “lucky bitch”.

The blonde Slayer couldn’t help the little snort that escaped her lips. If only she knew how incredibly stupid the “lucky bitch” was, keeping a man like Spike at arm’s length for so long, no doubt that woman would have a good laugh.


Whenever I’m alone with you
You make me feel like I am free again
Whenever I’m alone with you
You make me feel like I am clean again


The last notes died on the guitar and Spike rose to thunderous applause. He ducked his head in a rare show of shyness, and mumbled a thank you into the microphone before hurriedly getting off the stage.

He reached their table and sank down in a chair. “Tell Harris I sang, and there will be hell to pay.”

Buffy didn‘t answer. She just looked at him, smiling warmly, until he started looking uncomfortable. She watched as he ran restless fingers through his hair and looked around while mumbling that he needed a drink.

“Don’t worry,” she finally answered. “I promise I won’t tell anyone. But I don’t see why you’re so embarrassed; you were amazing up there.”

He looked even more self-conscious if possible. “Yeah well…” He let out a forced chuckle. “What can I say, I‘m a man of multiple talents.”

Buffy decided she’d tortured him enough. She saw a waitress passing by and stopped her to order more drinks. While talking to the waitress, she noticed the Italian woman sitting nearby and seemingly observing them. After the server left, Buffy turned discretely to try to see of the dark haired stranger was still looking their way or if she was just being paranoid, but the other woman quickly looked away. Buffy frowned. She tried to push the strange feeling away. After all, she was on vacation and besides, there couldn’t be any evil in a paradisiacal place like this. But the worry must have shown on her face because Spike asked her what was going on.

“Nothing. It’s just this weird woman I kept bumping into this morning, and now I thought she was staring at me. But I’m probably just being paranoid. She’s probably just looking at you. After that performance, I’m sure she wishes she could have a piece of the Big Bad.” Buffy tried to joke.

“The Italian woman who looks like a transvestite, has been sitting there since I arrived and has yet to touch her Martini?”

“Yeah. You noticed her too?”

“Hard to miss.”

Buffy forced herself to lighten up. “You know what? It’s nothing. I’ve been away from Slayer duty for a couple of days and I bet I’m just subconsciously trying to find trouble. I’m itching for some violence. Things to hurt, evil to slay, ya know. The usual.”

“They do have a punching bag in the gym, pet. Maybe you could use that? And if it doesn’t work, we could go some place relatively deserted and spar together. I wouldn’t mind a work out myself.”

“Mm, yeah. That could work.” She answered, a far away look in her eyes as her mind drifted to dirty places. Images of a shirtless Spike fighting with her on a deserted beach, silvery moonlight highlighting the corded muscles of his torso, his body pressed against hers, rolling around in the still warm sand…

“Give a big round of applauds to Buffy Summers, who will be singing 'I touch myself'.”

Buffy instantly snapped back to reality. “What?”

“’m afraid it’s your turn, pet.”

“I changed my mind.” She hissed under her breath, her fingers gripping the edge of the table hard enough to break the wood.

“Not bloody likely, Slayer. We had a deal. I sing, you sing. You can’t back out of the deal now.” He smirked in that way that could make her forget how sweet he could be sometimes. “You‘re not scared now, are you?”

She huffed indignantly and stood up. “Me, scared? Never.” But even as she said it, her face was getting a little paler.

Spike made a dramatic gesture with his arm. “Well go on then. Your adoring fans are waiting.”

She threw a dark look his way, then took a tentative step toward the stage. Then another, and another until she finally reached it. She looked like she would bolt at any moment now. He could see her glancing in every direction to try finding an escape route. But she was smart enough to know that he’d manage to stop her from leaving.

Actually, Spike almost felt sorry for her. When he saw her hesitating in front of the stage, he wanted to go to her and tell her to forget the whole thing, but then she took a deep breath and took the final steps to the mic. She changed her mind and walked up to the MC who was just about to put on her song. Then, she came back to the microphone.

“Hi. I’m sorry everybody, there was a last minute change in my choice of song. This is for the most patient man in the world. He’s got to be, because he puts up with me. It’s my way to say I’m sorry.”

An apology from Buffy. Spike just couldn’t believe what he was hearing. There were two things that he thought he’d never hear Buffy Summers say to him. “I love you.” and “I’m sorry.” Spike was stunned. The song started and he didn’t recognize it, but the lyrics when she started singing, made him laugh and shake his head.


I hate the world today
You're so good to me
I know but I can't change
Tried to tell you
But you look at me like maybe
I'm an angel underneath
Innocent and sweet
Yesterday I cried
Must have been relieved to see
The softer side
I can understand how you'd be so confused
I don't envy you
I'm a little bit of everything
All rolled into one


She finished her rendition of 'Bitch', bowed shyly when people cheered and applauded, and came back to the table.

“Thanks luv. But you don’t have anything to apologize for. I already told you that you were right.”

“I know. But I’m not stupid, Spike. I know I’m not always easy to deal with. And yet, no matter how many times we argue or fight, or how irrational I get, you put up with it. Not a lot of people would let me be myself and still stick around. My friends, I love them, but they expect me to be perfect and it’s hard sometimes. You make me feel like it’s OK for me to have flaws.”

“Wouldn’t want you any different, Slayer. What you say are flaws, really aren‘t. It’s all part of the package and I like it all. You never have to be someone else with me. Perfect people don’t exist, and if they did, they’d be boring as hell. Believe me pet, I don’t mind the arguments. It keeps things interesting between us.”

God she wanted to kiss him just then.

Instead, Buffy broke the silence to keep things from getting too intense. “Wanna go somewhere else? I heard there’s a party by the pool.”

“Don’t you want to stay to see if one of us won?”

“We can come back later. They’re going to announce the winner at 2am.”

She knew Spike was only there to make her happy and she felt it was her turn to make him happy. Besides, a party by the pool sounded good. She’d had enough of bad singing for one night. Dancing Queen made the decision easier. Slayer and Vampire both made a face and stood up.

“Yeah, let’s bugger off before our ears start bleeding.”

She nodded enthusiastically, eager to escape. Unless Spike was singing, Karaoke wasn’t as fun as she’d thought it would be.

As they walked by the table where the Italian woman was sitting with her companion, Spike noticed she was still looking at them. He told Buffy to wait and went back to where the two were sitting.

Buffy saw him lean towards the woman and say something. The woman’s mouth dropped open, her eyes widened, and her cheeks flushed an interesting shade of red. Spike winked at her and went back to Buffy.

She frowned in confusion. “What the hell did you do?”

“Nothing bad. I just informed her that we were flattered, but that we are not into that sort of thing.” He waggled his eyebrows to make his meaning clearer.

Spike could read Buffy’s thoughts just by looking at her face. There was the blank expression as she tried to process what he‘d just said, then the widening of her hazel eyes as she finally got what he‘d implied, followed by her cheeks turning pink in embarrassment and, finally...

“SPIKE!!”

The vampire laughed and grabbed her hand to lead her out of the bar.

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CHAPTER 7: One too many rejection

She ran into the hotel suite, fuming. The naturally dark skin of her face was tinged with pink and her dark eyes were smoldering with anger. Crossing the living room part of the suite, she walked into the bedroom and slammed the door behind her.

“Carlita, calm yourself. Why are you in such a state of fury? You knew who we were to deal with before coming here. Things like that are to be expected coming from him.”

There was some Italian swearing in the bedroom before the door opened again. She stood there, her long black hair wild around her face, her strong jaw clenched making her features look even more masculine than usual. Tension radiated from the tall woman.

Feeling the danger, he took a few steps back. “Why are you so upset, Carli?”

“DON’T call me that. I remember telling you before. And I have every reason to be upset. This… This--THING, has no right mocking me.”

“God forbid…” He whispered under his breath.

“What did you just say? Maybe you should watch your mouth too, Benjamin. You being the boss’s nephew won’t stop me from losing my temper with you. Remember what happened when I lost my temper with that man in Rome?”

Ben put his hands up in surrender. “Please, let’s try to remember why we are here. This isn’t helping.”

Carlita took a deep breath and finally admitted in her thick Italian accent: “You’re right.” She sat on the couch, disdainfully throwing on the floor the pillow and blanket Benjamin had used to sleep. She crossed her legs elegantly and smoothed down her skirt to cover her knees. “Now that we have proof, we can do what we have to do.”

“What… what do you mean, proof? We don’t have any proof.” The short man ran his fingers through his shaggy brown hair repeatedly, which was a nervous habit of his. He went to sit on the armchair facing the couch and patted the front pocket of his shirt for his pack of cigarettes before finally remembering that he’d quit smoking a month ago.

*Bloody bad time to quit smoking.* He thought bitterly.

Carlita huffed, looking at him the way she’d look at any being of inferior intelligence. “Why of course we have proof. I would think what we saw tonight is proof enough that they ARE a couple. There is no doubt in my mind, caro.”

He shook his head, obviously not convinced. “That wasn’t proof. Have you seen them kissing, or holding hands? This is the most romantic resort on the island, couples who stay here aren’t usually shy about displaying affection in public. If they were indeed a couple, I think it would be more obvious.”

Benjamin crossed his legs and started bouncing his foot. Carlita stared at the moving foot with narrowed eyes, obviously annoyed. Without needing to be told, Ben uncrossed his legs and put both his feet back on the floor. Only a few days of dealing with the Italian woman taught him that she was easy to annoy and if she was hard to get along with when she was in a good mood, there were no words to explain how bad it was when she was angry with him.

“He sang a song and looked her in the eyes.” Ben continued while looking at anything but her. “It’s hardly a proof that she returns the feeling, if feeling there is. We must make sure before proceeding with the plan. The outcome of this is too radical to allow us to act on pure instinct.”

The Italian’s volatile temper seemed dangerously close to flaring again. “You are annoying me, Benjamin. A lot of people might be afraid of your uncle, but rest assured that I am not. Try to remember that you are not here because of your competence, you are here because your uncle needed a way to get you away from London before he lost patience and strangled you himself.”

The young Brit stood up, obviously having enough. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe I’m not the most qualified person to handle such a situation. But I’m intelligent enough to realize that if we do something as irreversible as killing them without tangible proof, there will be repercussions. Would you perhaps want me to call London and inform my dear uncle of how exactly you are handling this? He might not like me very much, and he might hate Buffy Summers even more, but I’m not sure he would approve of what’s going on here.”

“Darling Benjamin, so sweet and innocent. I do think you have been highly misinformed about your uncle’s intentions. He never verbalized it, but I know the man well enough not to entertain any delusions about what he really wants.”

“And what, pray tell, would that be?”

“To get rid of her.”

“You are wrong. He wants her dead because of what he suspects she does, but if we provide him with proof that he’s wrong, he’ll call the whole thing off, I’m sure of it.”

She smiled coldly. “Very well. If you really do believe that, I’ll give you until tomorrow night to get proof that it is happening again… or not, like you seem to be thinking. If you can’t convince me that they are not a couple, I will do what I’ve been sent here to do. Do we have an agreement?”

Benjamin sat back down on the armchair, his shoulder slumped as if under a heavy burden. “Yes, I believe we do. Any ideas on how exactly I could prove this?”

Carlita burst into laughter, the rich sound echoing in the suite. “My poor darrrling,” She said, rolling her r exaggeratedly. “This, I’m afraid, is your problem. Personally…”

She stood up and stretched her arms above her head.

“…I’m going to bed. Buena notte, caro. And good luck.”

He narrowed his eyes at her retreating back and waited until she closed the door before relaxing. “Bloody stupid Italian trash.”

He looked up, his gray eyes wide with panic, and held his breath for a few seconds listening for any sound coming from the bedroom. The bleedin’ witch had supernatural hearing, he was sure of it. He slumped in the armchair when nothing happened.

“Bitch.”

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“You look stunning, pet. You have plans? Secret meeting on the beach with some handsome bloke?”

Spike was sitting in the armchair in the shadowy corner of the room, watching as Buffy applied the finishing touches to her makeup. He had an open book on his lap but hadn’t touched it since she’d walked out of the bathroom wearing a revealing red halter dress. The fabric was airy, the skirt just short enough, and the neckline plunging. To Spike, she looked like a goddess. Hard to focus on a book when she was applying lipstick in front of the mirror, bathed in the late afternoon light.

Buffy turned to face him, smiling brightly. “I’m gonna go have a drink by the pool before dinner. You can meet me there after sun sets. What do you think?”

“Sunset is in an hour and a half…”

“So?”

“So you’re going to sit all by yourself at a bar for an hour and a half, looking like that?”

“Still don’t see your point.”

“All the stupid wankers in the place are going to be drooling like slobbering idiots and…”

“Spike, don’t start. We’ve had a good day. I’ve managed to both spend some quality time with you, AND go out shopping and enjoy Maui just like you wanted. We’re NOT gonna start arguing now, OK?”

“I wasn’t arguing I just…”

“I’m not going hunting for a potential one night stand, I’m going to have a drink and enjoy the sunset. That’s all.”

Spike had the decency to look ashamed. “Sorry luv, didn’t mean to sound all protective like that.”

*You can be all protective and jealous after you finally kiss me for the first time, you stupid man. But until then…* Buffy thought, slightly aggravated, but smiling nonetheless.

“I’ll see you in a little while, Spike.”

“Sure, pet. I’ll even make an effort to dress up just for you.”

“Aww, but I like the way our looks clash. It makes me look even more classy and glamorous in comparison.”

“Ha ha, charming. There I am showering you with compliments, winning stupid Karaoke contests for you, and what do I get in return? Insults.”

“I don’t insult, I tease. There’s a difference. And it’s not that I don’t compliment you, I just keep my compliments for myself because you so don’t need an ego boost.” She blew him a kiss and grabbed her purse. “See you later, oh my Karaoke champion.”

And just like that, she was gone.

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Buffy took a seat at the bar by the pool and ordered a Mai Tai. She didn’t notice the short man with shaggy hair staring intently at her on the other side of the pool.

He stood up and slowly, almost hesitantly, made his way around the pool. When he reached her side, he just stood there awkwardly as if trying to think of a good opening line, until she finally noticed him.

Buffy gave the man a questioning look. “Can I… help you with something?”

This seemed to snap him out of his trance. “I, huh, saw that you were sitting all by yourself and thought that maybe, well… Maybe you’d like some company.”

Buffy smiled politely. “Thanks but I’m fine.” She turned around, hoping he’d give up, but she wasn’t that lucky.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t introduce myself, which was quite rude of me. My name is Benjamin. You can call me Ben.”

“Yeah, OK. I’m Buffy. Nice meeting you Ben. But really, I’d like to be alone if you don’t mind.”

“It’s just,” He started, taking a seat next to her, “I’m alone too and it’d be nice to have someone to talk to.”

This time, Buffy got really annoyed with the man who apparently, didn‘t seem to take a clue. “Oh, so you’re alone now. I see. Funny how I keep seeing you with that tall, rude, Italian girlfriend of yours. What is it, you two have an open relationship or something? Or is it that Spike was right and you really are swingers. Cause I gotta tell you, that’s just sick.”

Ben’s eyes widened in horror at the implication. “What? Me and..? Oh dear lord, no! Carlita and I are not by any means romantically involved. She is merely an old friend of the family I‘m traveling with. As a matter of fact, I‘m single.”

“And as a matter of fact, it doesn’t matter because I’m still not interested. I was serious when I said I want to be alone.”

“Oh, I see. Is it because you‘re involved with someone? Is that man I’ve seen you with your boyfriend?”

“Actually, I am. And you’d better leave my girl alone, mate. I believe she already told you to bugger off.”

Buffy turned around to see Spike standing there, looking all king of the castle. The sun had gone down enough behind the buildings to allow him to venture outside. As he promised, he had dressed up for her. He was wearing a crisp white shirt with the buttons half undone, the sleeves rolled up, and black slacks. He looked absolutely scrumptious, but it didn’t stop Buffy from being a little annoyed at the display of testosterone. She was a big girl, she could deal with that guy, she didn’t need Spike coming to her rescue.

He took her hand and pulled her off the stool. Neither of them noticed how pale the other British guy had turned.

“Come on, pet. Let’s go dance.”

He led her to where a few people were slow dancing right by the pool. One of the hotel’s employees was lighting up torches to cast away the approaching darkness.

Spike pulled her into his arms and started moving to the music. After a few moments, she finally spoke.

“What the hell was that all about?”

“What?”

“The pissing contest at the bar?”

“That wasn’t a pissing contest, that was me saving you from that nancy boy.”

Buffy pushed away from him just enough too look him in the eyes. “Since when do I need to be saved, Spike?”

He frowned in confusion. “What the bleedin’ hell are you on about?”

To be fair, Buffy wasn’t so sure either why it bothered her so much that Spike intervened the way he did. But she pushed the thought to the back of her head to analyze later. Right now, the conversation was taking a turn for the worst.

Spike continued what he was saying. “I was coming toward you, saw that you were trying to get rid of that guy, and I helped. I don’t see why you’re getting your knickers in a twist like that.”

“My knickers are not twisted. But I have no problem rejecting a guy myself, I don’t need help.”

She knew she’d said something wrong just by the way his body tensed and his cheeks hollowed. It took a couple of seconds before he opened his mouth to reply, but when he did, his voice was cold.

“You’re right, Slayer. I almost forgot how good you are at rejecting men. I should know that first hand now, don‘t you think?”

Her face drained of color, and she took a step back. They stared at each other in silence. She opened her mouth to say something, but suddenly changed her mind and bolted.

That stunned Spike out of his anger. “But.. What?.. Fucking HELL! AGAIN?!” He threw his arms in the air in exasperation. “Buffy! Hey, I‘m the one who‘s supposed to be mad now, not you, you stupid bint!” He yelled, not caring if people were looking. “Buffy?”

But she was long gone.

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

Benjamin was sitting at the table in the hotel room, the phone in front of him. Carlita was standing by the window, looking at him with a smug look on her face.

“Seriously Ben. It was so obvious that saying ‘I told you so’ wouldn’t even bring me any satisfaction.”

He didn’t answer.

“Why do you even care?” She opened her eyes wide in fake shock. “Oh, don’t tell me you like her? That would be too pathetic for words. It’s not even romantic, it’s just ridiculous.”

Ben got angry. “It doesn’t matter if I like her or not, Carlita. She’s still a human being. Is your heart so dead that you don’t feel anything at the idea of killing a young woman who’s been through so much already?”

Carlita’s eyes got darker. She came to stand next to him, and slammed her hand on the table making Ben jump. “Every choice we make in life has consequences. When she chose to be with him, she also accepted the consequences. You and I are just the ones who make it happen.”

“Couldn’t we just warn her? It seems unfair that she doesn’t even know the consequences of that choice she made. Maybe she‘d leave him if she knew.”

“Now don’t try to weasel your way out of this, Benjamin. We have a job to do and we’ll do it, end of the story. Now, are you going to call London, or do you want me to do it?”

He nodded slowly, his expression somber. “I’ll do it.”

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CHAPTER 8: And my sins will be forgiven

High heeled sandals were not the shoes of choice to run on stone paved sidewalks lit up by torches. Buffy found that out the hard way. After twisting her ankle for the second time, she paused long enough to take off the offending footwear. She threw the sandals in a nearby bush and kept going until she was past the limits of the resort. She was not nearly as upset as she had been while standing in front of Spike, but she still needed to be alone. She stopped running and turned around. The sky was now completely dark and the lights of the resort made it look like a small village in the distance. But around her, everything was dark and peaceful. Just what she needed.

Buffy resumed her trek at a much calmer pace now that she was sure to be completely alone. She walked in the direction where the sound of the ocean was coming from. She climbed a few rocks, which would have been a challenge in the dark if she wasn‘t the Slayer, but she managed easily and with her usual grace. She finally hopped off the rock and landed in the soft sand of a secluded beach. She let out a sigh of contentment at the wonderful feeling of the sand between her toes. Buffy took a few steps until she could feel the waves lapping gently at her feet, then closed her eyes to take it all in. The rhythmic sound of the ocean, the smell, the cool night air… She felt alive. Her head was clearer and her thoughts more quiet. This was exactly what she needed.

Running away had been an impulsive reaction, but it did prove something: Spike had hit a sore spot with his comment and maybe it was time that she faced some of the things that were just beneath the surface; things that were still there between them. Pretending the past never happened doesn’t make it go away, unfortunately.

Buffy pouted at the thought. Why wasn’t denial a good thing again? She was so great at it. Not caring about her dress, she sat in the slightly humid sand. She stretched her legs in front of her and reclined back with her head pillowed on her crossed arms. Getting the sand out of her hair in the morning would be a real bitch, but she couldn’t bring herself to care at the moment. The stars above her were brighter than she’d remembered ever seeing them before and she wished she could enjoy the view and think of nothing else. But thoughts of Spike kept invading her consciousness, and despite her best efforts, she simply couldn’t ignore them.

Spike. His reaction earlier to her being her usual unreasonable bitchy self had come out of the blue. OK, maybe not. They did have some major unresolved issues between them. Issues that were mainly rooted in those six months right before she died. So no, not out of the blue because it was probably always there just waiting to come out. But it had definitely taken her by surprise. And perhaps it was a good thing. After all, it did shock her out of her denial.

Buffy knew she tended to act as if her life before and after her death were two different lives, especially as far as her relationship with Spike was concerned. She had been stupid and blind, now she saw the error of her ways and came to her senses, end of the story. But what she’d done before, the violent rejections, the way she’d mocked him, the hurtful words, ignoring how hard he was trying to change for her… Spike had been the one to live through all this, not her. So of course it was easier for her to just pretend it never happened. But finding the courage to declare your love to someone, only to have the person tell you: “the only chance you’ve ever had with me was when I was unconscious.” of course that will leave a scar.

Buffy snickered humorlessly at her own stupidity. How could she think even for a second that he’d ever try again? No man in his right mind, and with an once of pride, would ever risk facing that kind of rejection twice. Oh, sure she was much friendlier to him now, but did she give him any reason to believe that his love would be welcome now?

Buffy sat up and rubbed her arms to rid them of the sand stuck to her skin. She bent her legs and hugged her knees to her chest. The jumble that had been her thoughts just a moment ago, were now clear and everything seemed simple. Well, as simple as they could ever be anyway.

She saw the look on his face earlier when she’d thoughtlessly said that she was good at rejecting men. The hurt in his eyes. She’d run because she knew she did that. She was angry with herself. And she did have a good reason to be. But she also needed to accept that she’d done that to him, and forgive herself. His forgiveness, that was something she had no control over. But this, she could control. Accept it, then move on and work on building something with him from scratch. Their timing had been so wrong before. He’d fallen in love with her when she was anything but ready for it. But now, they were both on the same page and had a chance to finally put the past behind and move forward. He’d been ready for that for a while, and now she was ready too. But she had to stop waiting for him to take the first step because the chances of that happening were non-existent.

Buffy jumped to her feet, deciding that her little epiphany had lasted long enough. She really wasn’t the kind of girl to spend hours in deep meditation over her problems. Yes, she easily admitted to be clueless at times when it came to serious life stuff, but once she got something, there was no need to look at it from a million different angles.

She started the trek back to the hotel room, filled with the certainty that tomorrow was the first day of their new life. She’d stop being a coward and act like the confident Slayer that she really was. Since when did she need a man to take the first step anyway? She couldn’t remember what exactly she’d been thinking. She’d take control of the situation, make things right, then make Spike forget she was ever a bitch to him. Yep, that sounded like a good plan. The best she’d had in ages. Better yet, she knew exactly how to make it happen. She smiled and bit her lip at the naughty idea that crossed her mind. She knew she should stop playing games with him, but couldn‘t help it. After all, she needed to keep things interesting. Sitting down and discussing their relationship? What would be the fun in that? It wasn‘t their style anyway.

She retrieved her sandals from the bush where she’d dropped them earlier and made her way to the room. It was still early so Spike was most likely still out. He was probably sitting at a bar somewhere, drunk and pouting. She hesitated for a moment, wondering if she should go to him, but decided it was best to give him some space for now.

Buffy swiped her keycard and opened the door. The room was cast in darkness, but thanks to the light in the hallway, she could see that Spike was in bed, facing away from her.

She closed the door as quietly as she could, unsure if he was asleep or just laying down. She was slowly making her way to the bathroom when his voice broke the silence of the room, nearly making her jump out of her skin.

“’you all right?” He asked, his voice flat and emotionless.

Buffy turned to look at him, but he was still facing the opposite wall. “Yeah… Why?”

“Blood.”

She frowned, trying to think what he could mean by that, when it downed on her. “Oh. I cut my foot on a rock on the beach. It’s nothing, just a scratch.”

“Fine.”

She waited a beat or two, but he said nothing more.

“Spike…”

“Trying to sleep.”

She was tempted to reply that it was only 11 o’clock, but decided that it really wasn’t a good idea. She hung her head and turned back to the bathroom before saying sadly: “For all it’s worth… I’m sorry. I really am.”

Buffy thought he wouldn’t answer, but he did.

“Don’t fret over it. I’m not mad. Just tired.”

“… ok.” She said almost shyly before disappearing in the bathroom to change.

She came back out and slipped under the covers of her bed. She waited a long moment before finding the courage to break the silence.

“Good night, Spike.”

She almost held her breath while waiting for the answer. She was a bit relieved when it came and his voice didn’t sound as lifeless as it had been when she’d first walked into the room.

“Good night, Buffy.”

Yeah. Tomorrow. Tomorrow he would be rested, in a better mood, and would have forgiven her stupid comment and her past mistakes. By the same time tomorrow, things would finally be right.

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CHAPTER 9: Playing games never ends well... or does it?



The sun was still low in the sky when Buffy came back into the room the next morning. She was carrying two paper cups full of coffee, a bag of croissants that she’d gotten from the restaurant, and a small plastic bag containing her latest acquisition from the gift shop. She voluntarily bumped into Spike’s bed on her way to put the breakfast on the small coffee table, hoping it’d be enough to wake him.

The vampire groaned in protest then turned on his side before opening one heavy eyelid.

She smiled at him. “’morning sleepy head.”

“You awfully chipper this morning, pet. Where did you go at such an ungodly hour?”

“Shopping.”

Spike turned on his back to look at the alarm clock on the side table.

“It’s 9 in the bloody morning and you went shopping?”

“Couldn’t sleep. I remembered that really hot little bikini I saw at the gift shop when I went to buy the camera the other day and decided I wanted it… Coffee?”

Spike nodded sleepily and sat up. The white sheet dropped low on his waist and Buffy swallowed hard at the delectable sight. She handed him his cup, doing her best to keep her eyes on his face despite the extreme temptation to look much lower.

He gave her a grateful look and took the cup from her. “Thanks, pet.” He took a sip and grimaced when the hot liquid burned his tongue. “Got any plans for today?”

“Yep. I’m going to show off my new bikini on the beach.” She turned to take the plastic bag and headed for the bathroom. “Wait until you see it. You’re gonna die.”

Spike chuckled. “I know it’s the obvious retort and it dreadfully lacks originality, but… I’m already dead, pet.”

She stopped in the doorway and looked over her shoulder, giving him a flirty smile. “Just wait and see.”

Buffy shut the bathroom door and let out the breath she’d been holding. Phase one of her plan was on the way. She’d gotten up early and went back to the gift shop to buy the horribly tacky bathing suit. When she’d been in the store to buy the camera, the man working there had tried to convince her to buy this incredibly flashy silver bikini that looked more appropriate for a strip club than it would be for the beach. She’d laugh it off at the time, but changed her mind. All right, she did have an ulterior motive to change her mind: driving a certain sexy blonde vampire out of his mind.

She got the bathing suit out of the bag and got out of her clothes before putting it on. Buffy looked at herself in the mirror and blushed bright red. She’d never felt so naked wearing clothes before. Not that the scrap of silver fabric could qualify as clothes. She almost jumped out of her skin when she heard Spike speak from the other side of the door.

“You coming out of there any time today? Still waiting for the fashion show, pet.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m coming. Don’t rush me, it needs to be perfect.”

There was no way in Hell she would ever go out in public wearing that thing. Thank God, the chances of her making it outside before Spike would tear it off of her were almost non-existent. Naked with Spike was a good thing. Naked in public, not so much.

Buffy checked her hair in the mirror, reapplied her lip gloss, then took hold of the door knob. She took a deep breath, then quietly opened the door. Spike was just taking a sip of his coffee when he looked up and saw her. He promptly spat out his mouth full of coffee all over the white sheet.

“Jesus fucking bloody Christ!”

Buffy smiled and struck a playmate pose against the door frame. “You like?”

Eyes wide in disbelief, eyebrows high, mouth slack, Spike didn’t answer. His hands were fisted in the now dirty sheets, the coffee cup abandoned on its side in a puddle of spilled coffee.

Buffy put her fists on her hips and pouted. “What? You’re not gonna say anything? I thought you’d like it.”

She wrapped the tiny little silver mesh matching sarong around her hips. It was see through, and more the size of a headband, really. She put on her flip flops and went to the armchair where she grabbed her beach bag, a little worried that Spike hadn’t said or done anything yet. Then, he burst out laughing hysterically.

“You’re bloody joking, right?”

“Excuse me?” Buffy snapped, unable to help but feeling a little insulted by his reaction. It didn‘t help any that she felt so vulnerable in her almost naked state. Spike laughing was definitely not the reaction she was hoping for.

“Good one, luv.”

“If you don’t like my bathing suit, no need to be rude about it.” She glared at him.

He sobered up instantly, his eyes almost popping out of his skull when he realized she was being serious about this.

Buffy put her sunglasses on her head and shouldered her beach bag. Her heart was beating wildly at the realization that maybe there was a chance he was going to let her walk out of the room dressed like that. But there was also the other part of her--the overly independent feminist part--that rebelled against the idea of having a man tell her what she could or couldn’t do. And that’s when she finally came to the terrifying realization that this plan, this incredibly, humongously, stupid plan, was going to end badly. In fact, the idea was so far beyond idiotic that she could probably win the award for dumbest plan of the year, if there was such a thing.

Spike swiftly wrapped the white cotton sheet around his lean hips and stood up. His shock had quickly made way to anger, if the flickers of gold in his blue eyes were any indication. “Slayer…” He growled.

If the event had been taped, it would have been possible to tell exactly the moment Buffy’s brain switched into “how dare you tell me what to do” mode.

“You are completely off your rocker if you think for one bloody minute that I’m going to let you go outside half naked.”

“Ooooh…” Buffy shook her head, smiling dangerously. “You did not just say that.”

“Damn straight I did. For once, I don’t give a bloody fuck if you get pissed at me. Buffy you can’t go out in public like THAT.”

“Watch me.”

“Buffy!.. Fine, I’m coming with you then.”

Trying not to trip over the sheet, he followed her into the hallway. Buffy didn’t stop or look at him.

“Aren’t you forgetting something, dumb blonde? It’s morning and your friend the sun is up and shining.”

“Too bad, I’m still coming.”

A few steps ahead of Spike, Buffy pushed the door open and walked into the morning sun.

OK. New plan. Take a few steps to be out of reach, turn around to see the frustrated expression on his face, go back inside, scold him for being a dickhead while dragging him back to the room to have her wicked way with him. Yep, much better plan. Unless of course…

There was a hiss, and a pained grunt coming from somewhere behind her. Buffy felt a cool hand on her shoulder, and the few seconds it took her to react, the hand went from cool to burning hot. Reacting on instinct and at full Slayer speed, Buffy pushed him back through the door and away from the harmful rays of the sun.

“Have you completely LOST YOUR MIND?!”

The smell of burned flesh reached her nose and almost made her gag. Only his left hand and forearm were burned, but it was red and already blistering. Buffy grabbed him by his right arm and helped him stand up. Spike fumbled with his sheet, trying to hold it up with his good hand despite Buffy pulling on his arm. His other arm was cradled protectively against his chest.

Without a word, Buffy walked into the room, followed by a contrite Spike. She made him sit on the bed and went to get the travel size first aid kit she had in her luggage.

“Gimme your hand.”

“No.”

“Give me your hand so I can make it better.”

Spike turned side way to try getting his injured arm away from her. “No.”

“Come on, don’t be a baby.” she said gruffly. “You weren’t scared of a little pain earlier when you almost dusted yourself running after me under the sun.”

He let her take his arm and smear cream over his tortured skin.

“Told you I would, but you didn’t stop.”

“So what was it? A contest to find out who is the dumbest between you and I? Is that it? I was being an idiot, so you had to go and be a bigger idiot?”

Buffy angrily threw the tube of cream on the desk and walked up to where she’d dropped her beach bag by the door. She took it, turn to Spike and empty the content of the bag on the tile floor. A towel, kaki shorts, a t-shirt and a very decent, pink bathing suit.

“I was joking, Spike. I was just screwing with you. Do you seriously think I’d go out in public looking like a two dollar whore who just walked out of the strip club? I was going to change as soon as I was out of sight.”

She came back to stand in front of him, her blonde hair wild around her face, eyes blazing with self-righteous outrage. Spike had to use every once of restrain he had to keep his eyes on her face. He knew that letting his eyes roam over her almost naked form wouldn‘t lead to anything good.

“But you just HAD to be all caveman about it, didn’t you?” She continued.

Things were snowballing out of control. She could hear herself saying things, and just couldn’t remember how it got to this point, or how she could stop the words coming out of her mouth. Spike wasn’t saying anything anymore. For once, he seemed to have decided it would be safer to keep his mouth shut and let her vent out her frustration. Which she did. Even if she really had no idea where the frustration came from in the first place.

“You hate the bikini that much, huh? Want me to take it off? Is that it? Well there!” Without really thinking about what she was doing, she tore the bikini top off of her and threw it at him. “Happy?”

Everything happened in slow motion in Buffy’s mind. One second, she was arguing with Spike, the next… Well, the cool air from the air conditioning system was hardening her bare nipples, shocking her back into realizing what she’d just done.

Her eyes widened comically and she gasped before wrapping her arms tightly over her chest.

If Spike had been shocked when she’d walked out of the bathroom earlier, it was nothing compared to the look on his face now. “Bleedin’ hell…”

Buffy blindly reached for the sheet on the bed and pulled it to her to cover her naked breasts with. Which resulted in an even louder gasp when she realized that Spike was now sitting on the bed completely naked.

Buffy just couldn’t hold back the hysterical laughter bubbling inside of her. “Oh my God!”

Before she knew what was happening, Spike had pulled her into his lap. She squealed in surprise.

“If you wanted me naked, luv, all you had to do was ask. No more games, Buffy. Now tell me, what was this particular game about? ‘hard to play when you don‘t know the rules.”

His lips were a mere inch away from hers, making it hard to concentrate.

“Uh… Game? Oh yeah. Making you so jealous that you’d throw me on the bed and have your wicked way with me. Preferably sans the slutty bathing suit.”

At that moment, she was sure he was about to kiss her. But then, with his arms still firmly around her, he twisted around to throw her on her back.

Buffy giggled, all memories of their spat already forgotten. She was finally where she wanted to be.

“You do realize we’re most likely the most dysfunctional people in history?” Spike said, his voice thick with desire.

She nodded her head slightly, her eyes never leaving his. “We have issues. But that makes us more interesting.”

“That it does.” He agreed.

All she could focus on were his lips. So close, yet so far. He was hovering above her, eyes as clear and blue as the sky that was so lethal to him, and he was grinning down at her.

“What?” She asked, breathless.

“I like you better like this, laughing and happy.”

“And if you want me to stay happy, I think you’d better kiss me now.”

“Happy to oblige.”

He reached up to brush a strand of hair away from her forehead, then lowered his lips to hers. She’d been dying to know what it felt like to be kissed by him, and she wasn’t disappointed. Sure, he’d kissed her before. But that was a lifetime ago, during a spell, and it felt like it happened to another girl. This… this was different. So much more real. She was intensely aware of everything that was happening at once. Every feeling, every touch. How firm and plump his lips were, how good he tasted, the way he smelled, the little moans he made at the back of his throat. For the first time in months, she didn’t miss heaven.

Spike pulled away first and Buffy whimpered in protest. Pushing himself up on his arms, he looked at her in silence.

“What’s wrong?” She asked, suddenly unsure of herself.

“Nothing wrong, pet. Just taking it all in. I never thought in a million years that this would ever happen.”

“What?” She smiled playfully up at him. “You and I naked on a bed?”

Spike smirked. “Yeah, that.”

“Well then…” Buffy pulled his head back to her. “I think we really shouldn’t waste any of those precious moments, don’t you think?”

“You’re right.” He murmured against her luscious lips.

One of his hands caressed the side of her body all the way down to the elastic band of her bikini bottom. He easily snapped it and rid her of her last piece of clothing.

Her legs fell open and he settled between them, his eyes rolling back in ecstasy at the feel of his cock pressing against her wet cleft. She instinctively lifted her hips, seeking more contact.

“Spike… I’m sorry it took me so long.”

“’s OK, luv. You’re worth the wait.”

She reached between them to guide his cock to her opening and wiggled her hips until the head of his penis was inside her. His eyes never leaving hers, Spike slowly pushed his meaty cock all the way in. Overwhelmed by the feeling of being sheathed inside her body, Spike hid his face in her neck and took a deep calming breath, inhaling her sweet scent.

“Are you OK?” She asked in concern, her voice shaky.

He nodded against her. “Just trying to calm down a bit. Wouldn’t want to embarrass myself. You feel so bloody amazing, pet.”

Spike started moving within her wet heat. His large cock fit inside her perfectly. She was like a snug velvet glove around him, her inner muscles strangling his cock and making it hard for him to keep his control in check.

Buffy could tell by the way the muscles of his arms were straining that he was close to losing it. She reached up to caress his face.

“Let it go. You don’t need to hold back… I’m so close too. Just let go, I can take it.”

“Oh Buffy… My Slayer…”

He lowered his head and kissed her passionately. Her words made his control snap and he started pumping his hips furiously, ramming his hard cock inside her pussy with a strength that would have hurt a normal woman. But Buffy wasn’t a normal woman and she welcomed his passion. Their moans echoed loudly in the room, the bed banging against the wall rhythmically.

With a shout of his name, Buffy came first, her fingers digging painfully in his shoulders and her entire body tensing. For a long moment, she wasn’t aware of anything that surrounded her, blinded by her pleasure and riding the waves of her orgasm. She came back to herself just in time to watch Spike as he came with a choked sob, emptying himself inside of her. Of all the expressions she’d seen on Spike face, this one was by far her new favorite: a mix of intense pleasure, happiness and bliss. She promised herself that from now on, she’d see that face as often as she possibly could.

Spike fell on his side and pulled her into his arms, covering her face with soft kisses.

“I feel like I’ve lived more than a century just so I could experience this. You’re amazing.” He whispered against her ear.

She smiled at him and kissed him, devouring his lips hungrily before settling back into his arms.

“You know,” Spike said thoughtfully, breaking the comfortable silence. “I really did like that trashy suit on you, luv. Brought out your best assets.”

“If you like it that much, I can put it back on you know...”

“Don’t you bloody dare. I like you even better without… In all your glorious nakedness.”

She chuckled then lay her head back down against his chest, a contented smile on her face. “Good cause I’m never wearing that thing again. Unless I’m bored some day and decide to give you a strip tease…”

Spike groaned at the mental picture she evoked. “You could easily drive a bloke out of his mind, Slayer.”

“I don’t know if I could. But I try really, really hard.”

Spike pulled her up until she was face to face with him. He wrapped his arms tightly around her and kissed her breathless.

“Don’t know what I did to deserve having you here with me, Buffy, but I’m definitely not going to complain.”

She smiled at him. “Oh you deserve me all right. I could even give you a list of all the things you did lately to deserve me. And…”

I love you

OK, maybe she wasn’t feeling quite that courageous yet. But hopefully, it would come soon.

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CHAPTER 10: Phone calls and photo shoot


If someone needed an example to describe the word bliss, this was it. An early morning moment when time seemed to have stilled just so two lovers could lie down and rest after finding each other for the first time.

A slight breeze was blowing through the open window, caressing naked skin, and making the light curtains billow softly to a silent beat. The curtains kept the sun safely outside the room, but let enough light filter through to cast a golden glow on everything.

Still lost in this place between awareness and dream, Buffy felt completely at peace for the first time in a lifetime. Eyes still closed, she let herself enjoy the moment, hoping against all hope that it would last. This thought brought on the familiar fear of having her heart broken, but she quickly pushed it aside, instead deciding to concentrate on the feel of Spike’s cool skin beneath her cheek. What mattered was that she was happy now. She could worry about later… later.

The vampire was deeply asleep, his face relaxed and sated after an entire day and night of alternating between tender lovemaking and hard, fast, passionate, sex. They’d barely stopped to eat and take a shower. And of course, the purpose of the shower had nothing to do with getting clean. Buffy’s body felt happily sore, her muscles relaxed and her limbs heavy. Definitely the good kind of soreness. A sappy smile stretched her lips when the strong arms around her tightened slightly and Spike let out a contended sigh.

An exotic island, a warm fragrant morning, a sexy naked vampire… That was enough to make a Slayer never want to go back home. Not that home would let her forget about it though. The phone rang shrilly, effectively shattering the peaceful silence. It was accompanied by a loud “Bloody hell!”.

Spike swiftly wrapped himself around Buffy to prevent her from answering. He rolled them to the side and with one hand, pulled the blankets over their heads.

Buffy giggled and tried pushing away from him so she could escape the circle of his arms and answer the phone.

“Spike, I have to answer…”

“No you don’t.” He mumbled sleepily, his face hidden in her hair.

“Come on, let go of me.”

He stubbornly tightened his grip on her.

“Not bloody likely.”

“All right, you asked for it.”

Using her new intimate knowledge of his body, she slid a hand up his side until she reached his ribs, and ghosted a finger over the ticklish skin.

Spike yelped and let go of her instantly.

Buffy giggled at the expected reaction and picked up the phone.

“Evil bint.” Spike mumbled, turning to lie on his back, an arm thrown casually over his eyes.

“Hello?” Buffy said into the receiver, wondering who the hell was calling at 9 in the morning.

“Aren’t you supposed to say ‘Aloha’ now?”

“Xander!”

Spike lifted his arm to give Buffy an incredulous look.

“The Whelp?” He mouthed. “You ruined the moment to talk to the Whelp?! Bloody buggering hell…”

Buffy covered the mouth piece with her hand. “Stop whining. Could be important.”

“Yeah, Sunnydale might have run out of doughnuts.”

Buffy rolled her eyes.

“What’s up, Xand? I’m telling you now, if it’s an apocalypse, you’re on your own. There is no way I’m cutting my vacation short, buddy.”

“Nope. Nothing end of the world-y. Just checking on my favorite Buffster. Making sure you’re having fun.”

“Thanks for checking up on me, Xand…”

Spike gave her an ‘I told you so’ look.

“…everything is great. We’re having an amazing time.”

“How’s Hawaii? Is it as pretty as they say it is? Did you do anything fun? Taken any excursions or anything?”

Somehow ‘I had lots of sex with Spike’ didn’t sound like the kind of conversation she really wanted to have with Xander at the moment. But since she hadn’t done anything else so far, she said the only thing that she knew would get Xander’s mind off her activities since she arrived in Hawaii.

“Spike won a Karaoke contest.”

The vampire sat up abruptly. “Oi! You promised not to tell anyone!”

“…huh…Oops?”

Buffy had to get the phone away from her ear when a roar of laughter echoed through the receiver.

Spike sat against the headboard, arms crossed over his chest sulkily. “Just fantastic. I’ll never hear the end of it.”

She kissed his shoulder and whispered: “Sorry. I’ll make it up to you.”

“You better.”

Buffy put the phone back to her ear. For a moment, she was tempted to just hang up on her friend and focus her attention on the naked vampire. His skin was just begging to be licked. But instead, she gathered all the self-control she could find and looked away from Spike.

“Xander!! Cut it out. It’s not funny.”

She waited a few more seconds for her friend to stop laughing.

“Are you done now?”

“Y-yeah.” He hiccupped.

“Anyway. He won dinner for two at a fancy restaurant in town and an excursion on the volcano. Should be fun.”

“Cool. But don’t you have to do this excursion during the day? You’ll go without him, right?”

“No.” She said, her voice a little colder. “I won’t go without him, Xander. He never had a problem getting around Sunnydale during daytime; I don’t see why it would be a problem now. I’ll park the Jeep near our room and Spike will take a blanket. We’ll leave late in the afternoon so we have time to make it to the top to watch the sunset, then we’ll come back. We were supposed to have a guide with us, but we already told them that all we want is the Jeep and a map with directions to the most interesting sights. Should be fun. And we made the reservations at the restaurant for tonight. It’s supposed to be the best on the island. I can’t wait.”

“So, I take it you and Spike are getting along?”

“Absolutely. Why wouldn’t we? We get along at home, don’t we?”

Spike scooted down on the bed next to her. He threw an arm across her hips and rested his cheek on her stomach, making himself comfortable to wait for Buffy to finish her phone conversation. She looked down and smiled at his blonde head, suddenly losing interest in what Xander had to say.

“Maybe recently, but it wasn’t always like that.” Xander whined. “I kinda miss the good ol’ times when you and I would team up to make fun of Spike.” He sighed dramatically. “Good times.”

“Well I don’t miss it. I like things the way they are now.”

“Relax, Buff, I was joking. It’s me, Xander… remember? That’s what I do. I joke. If you’re having fun with Mr. Clairol, good for you. I just want you to have a memorable vacation.”

Buffy smiled. “Oh believe me, it will be.”

“Make sure you take lots of pictures to share with your poor friends who are unfortunate enough to be stuck on the Hellmouth, OK?”

Buffy looked at the camera sitting on the dresser and grinned. “Sure thing, Xand.”

“All right. Gotta go. Anya is trying to tell me with sign language just how much of her precious money I’m spending on this long distance call. Say hello to the Karaoke King for me, and tell him his secret is safe with me… NOT.” He chuckled like a hyena.

Buffy shook her head. “Bye Xander.”

She hung up. Spike tried to pull her into his arms, but she evaded his embrace and jumped out of bed, pulling the sheet along with her. Truth be told, she felt comfortable enough walking around naked in Spike’s company, but it was just so much more pleasant to see him laying there in all his naked glory instead.

“Hey!” The naked vampire protested loudly. “What’s that all about now? Where do you think you‘re going, Slayer?”

“Don‘t be a baby, I‘m right here.”

Buffy smirked, but Spike couldn’t see the mischievous glint in her eyes since she was facing away from him. She walked up to the dresser and picked up something, her back still on him. Spike sat up straighter, curious to see what she was doing.

“What are you up to, pet?”

She turned to face him, her hands behind her back to hide what she was holding, and made her way back to the bed.

“Xander had a request and since I’m a good friend and don’t want to disappoint him, then I guess I’ll just have to grant his request.”

Spike eyed her suspiciously. “And what would that request be exactly?”

She pulled out the camera from behind her back. “He said to take as many pictures of our trip as possible so he could live the Aloha experience through them. I think I’m gonna show him what exactly the Aloha experience is.”

And before Spike could do or say anything to protest, Buffy had jumped up on the bed. Standing above him, white cotton sheet wrapped securely around her chest, she put the camera to her eye and snapped a shot of naked Spike.

“Bloody hell, woman! Gimme that!”

The next shot was one of Spike growling menacingly and reaching for the camera. Buffy giggled madly and avoided him just in time. Ducking and diving, she ended up behind him and snapped another shot, of his naked ass this time. She laughed even harder at the look on his face.

Spike attacked swiftly, using her distraction to his advantage. He pinned her to the mattress and managed to take possession of both the camera and the bed sheet she was using to cover herself. Buffy opened her mouth to protest, only to be interrupted in her attempt by the flash of the camera.

“Two can play this game, Slayer.” Spike grinned, obviously proud of his own cleverness.

They ended up wrestling together, the room filled with laughter and Buffy’s high pitch squeals as Spike tickled her mercilessly. They calmed down after a while, a mess of tangled limbs and wild hair. The bedding and pillows were on the floor, and they were happier than they‘d ever been. They kissed passionately. Buffy got a hold of the abandoned camera and took a picture at arms length.

Spike laughed against her lips. “Minx.”

She smiled and kissed his nose.

Spike turned on his back and pulled her against his chest. He took the camera out of her hands and she didn’t fight him this time. Holding it away from them, he snapped a shot of himself holding his girl. Then another one making a funny face.

Buffy pouted. “You made a face, you ruined the picture.”

“Did I now? How about this one?.. A special, just for the Whelp.”

His face morphed into his demon, golden eyes, fangs and bumpies, and he lowered his sharp teeth to Buffy’s throat, pretending to bite her. He growled exaggeratedly, making Buffy crack up, and took a picture.

Still laughing, Buffy slapped his arm playfully. “You moron, where am I going to get those pictures developed now?”

“They’ll think it’s Halloween pictures. A very kinky Halloween.”

Spike was still in game face, grinning at her, and she shivered. But they were good shivers. The kind that start in your lower belly and spread through your entire body.

Spike had never tried to shield her from this side of him, never hid his vampire face from her the way Angel used to, but if he was in game face, it was usually justified by the situation. Battle, anger, fear for her well being, but never before had he just sat there, looking at her through his demon eyes. He looked almost vulnerable. He could not bare himself more completely than this, naked and in game face, and Buffy knew it took courage to show the person you love exactly who you are despite the risk of being rejected. Risk of seeing fear in her eyes, or disgust. Risk of discovering that her affection was reserved only for one half of who he was.

She gave him the acceptance he needed by reaching up to caress the side of his face. She leaned closer to him and pressed her lips to his, kissing him softly, pouring all her love into the act. Spike returned the kiss, careful not to cut her with his fangs.

Buffy’s heart started beating faster, but not in fear. Even the Slayer in her knew she had nothing to fear from this vampire. Her heart beat faster because for a moment there, the kiss wasn’t enough and she found herself craving something that should have been unnatural and somewhat frightening. For a moment, the image of Spike’s fangs piercing the skin of her throat flashed through her mind, and she wasn’t horrified by it the way she should have been.

She broke the kiss and smiled at him, trying her best to hide her discomfort.

“Everything all right, luv?” Spike asked, his face returning to his human disguise.

“Everything is perfect.” She smiled while pushing the unsettling thoughts to the back of her head to be examined at a later time.

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

Stretched out comfortably on the couch, Carlita popped a chocolate covered macadamia nut in her mouth while waiting for someone to answer on the other end of the line. After the sixth ring, she sighed exasperatedly and was about to hang up, when there was a mumbled “Hello” on the other end of the line.

“Well hello there, Mr. Travers. I was starting to think you would not answer.”

“Carlita, my dear. Always a pleasure hearing your voice, even at 2 in the bloody morning.”

She glanced briefly at the clock on the wall and saw that it was four in the afternoon already, therefore, ten hours later in England. She shrugged, not caring too much.

“There, there, Quentin. Being sarcastic so isn’t attractive in a man. I do apologize for calling this late, but you’re the one who told me this problem with Buffy Summers was your number one priority. I simply assumed that if it was so important, you wouldn’t mind me disturbing your sleep. Was I wrong in assuming so?”

A few thousand miles from Hawaii, the head of the Watchers Council took a deep calming breath. He turned the light on and sat up in his bed. “Of course not. Are there any new developments? Ben called earlier this afternoon, but his call was cryptic at best. To be frank, I do not believe he understood the point of this vacation.”

“That’s exactly why I called, dear Quentin. I wanted to confirm with you that I understood what you wanted. My understanding of the situation is that Miss Summers is to be… prematurely ‘retired’, no matter what. Am I correct?”

“Isn’t it what we discussed before you left?”

“Yes, of course. But Ben is starting to become a problem, so I wanted to make sure I have the green light from you in case he tries opposing me. After he called you earlier, he told me you needed more proof of Buffy’s relationship with the vampire. Was I wrong to conclude that this was a lie?”

“I never said such a thing. Miss Summers’ relationship with William the Bloody is of no interest to me. It is only one in a long list of grievance I have against her. She’s proven again and again that she is unfit to be the Slayer. Her relationships with demons are just final proof of this, nothing more.”

“In this case, I’ll go into town right now and get what I need to take care of the problem. Surely you don’t mind if I use a more unconventional approach, do you? Somehow, in a one on one fight, I think the odds would be against me.”

“Whatever needs to be done. Carlita, I chose you for this unpleasant task because you are a dear friend and I know I can trust you…”

“…and I have no moral issues doing what you asked me to do.” She finished for him.

“Correct.” The smile could be heard in his voice. “So you do whatever you have to do in order to put an end to Buffy Summers reign as the Slayer. She‘s caused enough trouble. Once she’s out of the way, the only thing left to do will be to deal with Faith so another Slayer can be called. Hopefully not as troublesome at her two predecessors.”

“By tomorrow night, you’ll be rid of both Buffy Anne Summers and William the Bloody. It will look like an unfortunate accident.”

“I’d lie if I’d say I’m not liking the sound of that.” Quentin Travers said smugly. “And if Ben gets in your way, act without him.”

“That’s what I needed to hear.”

“I… assume can count on your discretion, Carlita? The council can never know of this affair.”

“Well of course.” She huffed, slightly insulted. “Haven’t you purposefully avoided using the Council’s goons to make sure of this? You know you can trust me. No one will ever be the wiser, I guarantee you. Now darrrling, I’m going to let you go back to sleep, and I will go take care of business.”

“Thank you. Ring me when it’s done.”

“I will. Good night, Quentin.”

Carlita hung up the phone and put some more nuts in her mouth and chewed mindlessly, lost in thought. God, Travers was such a dirty little rat. She smiled and shook her head, popping more of the sugary nuts in her mouth. Oh well.

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

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