Chapter 12 - Join The Party

Late the next afternoon, Buffy went out and found a sympathetic local butcher and stocked up a supply of blood for Spike. When she knocked on his bedroom door, he answered with one hand on the door knob and one on his forehead. His groan was heartfelt, and she laughed while enjoying the view of him shirtless. He groaned some more from the sound of her laughter.

‘Oh my gosh. What a yummy set of muscles! Was she drooling?’ Buffy wanted to run her tongue over every one of his highly defined muscles and nip his nipples, but only after she used both hands to feel every inch. But now, a little teasing. She imitated a child’s voice. “What’s wrong? Is the big bad a big baby?”

“Shut your gob.” Spike sniffed a couple of times and focused on the bag she was holding. “What’s in the bag, Slayer?”

Buffy waved her parcel below Spike’s nose, swinging it from side to side. Her smile was smug. “You must be really hung over if you can’t tell on your own. Now, deep breath.”

Spike opened his mouth to argue, but this time Buffy put the bag a centimeter below his nose. “Come on. Breathe deeply.”

He inhaled once, then twice, then quickly several times. Buffy laughed when his demon visage came to the forefront. How had he missed the smell when he first opened the door? Stupid, sexy vampire. But playing with him had made his lapse perfect.

Taking his hand off the door knob, Spike growled at the woman teasing him. “Hangovers are a bloody bitch.”

Buffy laughed at him when he looked up at her with golden eyes. “Yummy, huh?” Buffy was struck by his control. His eyes were golden but the wrinkles and fangs disappeared. Amazing. She didn’t know of another vampire that had such control, not even Angel. Spike was definitely an oddity in his species.

“Nummy treat, luv. Just nummy.” He grabbed the bag, stomped over to a small table and started unpacking the blood.

“Good thing there is a small frig in the main room. I put the rest there. Hope the room service isn’t nosy, or they better have a strong stomach.” Buffy eyed the open door to his room for a moment. “Don’t mind if I do come in, thanks for asking.” While he continued to ignore her and drank, Buffy snooped through his stuff. “Black, black, black, black. No shock there.” With her back to him, screening her actions, she rubbed a cotton t-shirt between her fingers. Not wanting to get caught in such an intimate gesture, she put it down. Giving up on any more snooping, she turned to face him and to admire his chest again. “So where to tonight, oh tourist guide of mine?”

“Dinner for me now.” He wiped a single dribble that had made its way down his chin. Buffy just couldn’t seem to make herself care as she watched. In fact, even though her stomach should be heaving, she still found him sexy. “Then dinner for you, and off we go to Hyde Park, pet. Not sure what we are going to do there, though. It’s a bloody big city, and we don’t have the foggiest where to start other than SW.”

Not really following what he said, she had one more nosy thought. Buffy turned back to Spike’s bag and searched for underwear but found none. No surprise that this mondo masculine vampire went commando. “You said SW is mega big, and we go to some park?”

“No, we are just going to take a little tour through Hyde Park. Then we can take up the chase.” Spike shoved her away from his clothes and pulled a t-shirt over his head. He sincerely hoped she wouldn’t ask about Hyde Park. He didn’t want to admit that the William in him was having a bout of nostalgia and wanted to see the park he had played in as a child again. God, he needed to cram William back into his nook.

Although he hadn’t realized it, Spike had spoken with his original voice, the one he had used when he and Buffy were in the warehouse. Buffy laughed at his hoity toity accent as she asked, “Are we back to playing doctor?”

Whipping back around to face her, Spike arched his scarred brow. He hadn’t even realized he had fallen back to his original accent. Damn William and his reminiscing. “Maybe…do you need a check up, Miss Summers?”

Thinking long and hard, Buffy unknowingly licked her lips while she looked him up and down. But then she sighed. “Maybe later.” Business had to come first. Damn it.

Hovering between disappointment and laughter, Spike finished up his dinner. “Maybe?”

“Maybe, blood breath.” She teased him with a saucy wink his way, but then she squirmed around him and out the door while trying to rid herself of the heat he caused between her legs. The upside was that she could promise herself fun later for sure.

Picking up his coat and heading out behind her, Spike groaned. “What a way to tease a poor, full, but randy vampire…”

She glanced at him over her shoulder. There was that heat again. “Are you ever not ‘randy’?”

“No, but I’ve been empty before…” Spike dodged the swipe of her hand but couldn’t help but smile when he heard her laughter. He was doing that too much lately. Watching her descend the stairs in front of him, Spike told himself that he should be kicking her arse, not ogling it. But what a lovely arse it was…

*****

Buffy stopped in the middle of a wide expanse of grass. Placing her hands on her hips, she faced the blonde vampire while shaking her head. She was more than ready to return to the Marble Arch Underground Station. Way more fun than grass and more grass. She could see that in Sunnydale. “So, this is the famous Hyde Park?”

Amused but not wanting to show it, Spike flicked his fag’s ashes at her before waving his hand. “That it is, pet.”

Batting at the ashes, Buffy glared at him before answering. “But it’s…it’s…it’s just a park.”

With his head tilted far to the side, Spike stopped his aimless strolling and stared at her. Then he shook his head and started walking again, leaving her to catch up. “Summers, you should get out of cemeteries more often.”

Buffy rolled her eyes. “And you should have stayed buried in one, grandpa.”

He loved her sharp wit. “Been there, done that. Care to see the pictures?” He waggled his eyebrows at her. “Besides, I should have already put you in your grave, wench.”

“Why haven’t you, gramps? Oh yeah, you’re grrh challenged.” This was the part of being with Spike that Buffy loved best, if you didn’t include their time spent in bed. She loved the way they bantered back and forth, playing off of each other with as much ease as when they were fighting. Yeah, she had to admit Spike did have more than great sex in the positive column.

While she was reflecting, Spike had put his hands out on either side of her neck and was shaking from the effort of holding himself back from strangling her. ‘Grrh challenged.’ Ha! Letting his hands fall back to his sides, he laughed to himself. ‘Wouldn’t she be surprised that I can actually kill now that the pesky zap to the brain factor no longer existed. Lucky for her, she’s off to play hide and seek.’ Swaggering behind her, Spike continued to smoke as he watched her skip off into a grove of trees.

He let her go ahead of him, skipping for God’s sake, until he saw a couple of shadows move in the trees to either side of where Buffy had entered. As he looked closer, he saw flashes of light that, if he wasn’t mistaken, were moonlight reflecting off steel. Then he heard the unmistakable sounds of a fight. ‘Damn.’ Spike took off at a run. ‘She finds all the fun.’ Now he could see more figures moving in. ‘The more the merrier,’ he always thought. That was until he heard the Slayer yell for him. “Hang on, Slayer. Be there in a sec.” His stomach felt as though it dropped to the ground with foreboding. The Slayer wouldn’t cry out if she wasn’t in some kind of serious trouble.

Buffy wasn’t sure what had happened. One moment she had been laughing at Spike, and the next, she was being attacked from all sides. What she did know was that they were carrying wide swords and smelled awful. The demons looked like human that had never shaved or seen a dentist. She fought off the first three, taking a sword from the last one, but before she had time to catch her breath, five more were on her. “Spike!” Where was the pest when she needed him? She knew that wasn’t fair. Spike was always up for a good fight, she thought with a smile. She had to admit that she was, too. There’s that dark side turning up the heat again. Add “exhilarating” to the list of adjectives for darkness.

Her opponents had more force than skill. She quickly disarmed her next attacker with a well placed kick and ran him through with his own sword before cutting the head off the next. After snapping the next ones neck, she took one out with a spin kick and stab. By that time at least ten more fighters had joined the party but so had her vampire. Hers?? Vampire, Buffy, just vampire.

Spike went after the nearest attacker and looked over his first opponent to see what they were dealing with. If he didn’t know better, he would say that they were…pirates. Pirates? Just as Buffy had, Spike immediately gained a sword and started taking the pirates down. They faded away as the other monsters had. Definitely not human. If he had to guess, there were at least twenty standing, but they were not stellar fighters. However, they did have some organization. Spike could hear someone shouting orders. “Flanking maneuver on the wench, maties.” That got Spike’s attention. He moved as quickly as he could so that he was watching her back. Buffy and Spike made a large dent in their numbers, but when they got down to five, Buffy was knocked to the ground with one pirate’s sword at her throat. Spike was pinned against a tree with two swords pointed at him, stabbing wouldn’t hurt him but that pesky head from the shoulders bit could get in the way of a good row.

Behind Buffy’s attacker, a pirate spoke up with a thick English accent. “Let’s see what we have here, mates. Me orders were to kill a wee lass. A slayer, she be. But we also have a bloke in the melee. What to do? What to do?”

Buffy couldn’t believe her eyes. This was just too bizarre. A monster, a monster’s bride, and a mad scientist. And now…now she was looking at pirates, and the one that had just joined the party was obviously the captain, judging from the Pirates of the Caribbean feathered hat. “What to do? Easy. Run on back to your boat, and Spike and I don’t have to kill the rest of you.”

“Slayer, he’s missing his hand.” Spike was able to push away from the tree. “Hey, bath deprived, why don’t you show your nub to the class.” A sword’s point was lifted up to his face, forcing him back again.

“Aye, so you like my little toy.” The pirate captain held up the attachment at the end of his arm. “All the better to filet a tasty lass.” With his hook, he popped the first two buttons of her top.

Shaking her head on the ground, Buffy was still in denial. “Your hook…a hook…You’re Captain Hook from Peter Pan. No. Nah. Captain Hook?”

“In all of his aromatic glory, pet.” Spike called over to her before taunting Captain Hook. “Sure you don’t have a dead, rotting fish in that coat, Cap?”

Hook looked over his shoulder at Spike with distaste. “Ah, ye have a mouth on ye, boy. Not fit for walking me plank, ye aren’t. Be lopping off ye head, I will.”

At the mention of beheading Spike, Buffy tried to surge forward but was stopped by a prick of a sword. Blood dripped down her neck. When Spike got a whiff, she could hear him growl.

Buffy tried to intercede before Spike did something stupid that would get his head separated from his shoulders. “There will be no head offing, plank walking or running through-ing. Tell your fellow pirate guys to back off, or we will be doing the through running.”

Hook threw back his head, laughing deep and full. “So the lass has some fire to her.”

Spike had to chuckle himself at the Slayer’s bravado and use of words, or rather her special Buffy wording. “Look, Cap, all we need is a little information, and we all can go our merry ways.”

“It’s easy for us, lad. The lass dies. No information needed for no head.” Buffy could see the captain bracing himself for the blow. “Right. Boys, let’s be done with this.”

Buffy barely moved out of the way of the sword at her neck as it began to move. She rolled to her right, straight to her feet, grabbing a sword laying on the ground as she went. In one swift motion directed at the pirate that had had her pinned, she did as the Captain suggested and severed the pirate’s head clean off. Spike was having more trouble with his two pirates who could actually fight. She engaged one to help him out.

Spike was happy for her help. After a minute or two, he took out his share of the pirate pair and moved onto the Captain. But before he could face Hook, the pirate captain faked and took him unawares. In a split second, a blade was pressed against Spike’s neck.

Buffy finished hers and looked up just as Hook pulled his sword back. Rushing him, Buffy ran him through. She watched the infamous pirate fall to the ground. However, much to her surprise, instead of getting up, brushing himself off, and making a few smart ass comments, Spike jumped up and relieved Hook of his coat and hat just as the pirate began to fade away. While beating the dirt off of the coat, he flashed a frustrated glare Buffy’s way. “You stupid bint, we didn’t get any intel from him.”

Standing with her hands on her hips, Buffy quirked back, “You’re welcome.”

Looking for some type of success, hoping to garner some type of accomplishment from the encounter, Spike searched the pockets and found an envelope. “Bit a paper left. Well, the information is still not complete, but we have a street. Hortensia Road in SW. One more clue, my dear Watson.”

Buffy prayed that the fear she had felt as the captain started to behead Spike wasn’t showing, but she was sure of her reply. “I don’t care. Spike, he was going to kill you.”

He tilted his head to the side and looked at her closely. If he didn’t know better he would have thought that she had cared about whether he died or not. Stranger still, the thought made him tingle inside. Tingle? Food for thought - later. Play now.

*****

Across town on Hortensia Street, someone watched on his computer as his Captain Hook went down. He threw up his hands in frustration, kicked a chair across the room, and began to pace. Another of his creations down. He was four and zero.

True, he had only expected the Slayer to die when he originally planned his attacks, but there was the other variable he hadn’t planned on. William the Bloody. Slayer of Slayers. At first, he had thought this was a stroke of luck. The problem was that the vampire wasn’t slaying the slayer but slaying his villains. Regardless, Spike added some spice to the mix. He would just have to go for both. Ok, he needed to crack down now, make his moves and go for a win. The conjurer pulled out a couple of volumes and started his research. After finding a satisfying new plan, he turned back to his computer to put his idea in motion. He lit the five black candles, waved his incense, and settled down at his mouse and keyboard.

*****

TBC

Ah, the main villain is beginning to show up. What to do now?

Thanks for reading.

Dana

Chapter 13 – Pirate Aphrodisiac

Buffy looked at him like he had lost his last brain cell; she had always suspected he was on his last one anyway. She watched with her mouth hanging open as he shrugged out of his precious duster, letting it fall to the ground. But the shocks weren't over. The vampire put on the dirty, flamboyant, burgundy coat, settled the hat on his head with its black feather pointing up, and then he took up his sword, all before the pirate had completely disappeared. He turned to face her, sword raised. "Come on, ye scurvy lass. Ye head has got to go."

Well, if he wants to fight, fine with her. Her adrenalin was still pumping, causing her to itch with a craving for violence. "Hold onto your head, 'scurvy' dog." Their swords clashed for a bit, trading blows, but then Spike unfortunately dodged to the left, and Buffy nicked his shoulder. She was taken aback. First because she had not meant to do it. Second, because she hadn't wanted to hurt him, to her suprise. This was supposed to be her enemy after all. But the shock hadn't fully hit yet. As she watched, Spike looked at his cut, put his finger in the blood, and then licked the blood off his finger. Entranced, her eyes followed his every move. No big deal, except his action made her...hot. That simple. No shock at his gesture. Just white, hot heat straight to her sex.

The fight resumed. Spike feinted one way and struck the other, leaving Buffy bleeding from a shallow wound on her upper arm. Shock again set in. Actually, shock didn't cover it. Her blood had bee drawn. She watched the blood drip. Spike had cut her, and he wasn't writhing on the ground in pain. She looked up at him, and judging by the hand lightly resting on the side of his head, she knew he was thinking the same thing. Buffy broke the stunned silence. "You didn't get zapped."

God, he hoped she bought the act. "Looks like." He knew the next question coming, and he was thinking fast.

Buffy waved her hand at her injury. "Why not?"

No, he still couldn't tell the truth. He wasn't willing to go there yet, but his answer could make things fun. "Must be zapless because you didn't mind, pet, like when you let me bite you."

"Oh." Buffy thought for a moment, and the more she thought, the more she was okay with this turn of events. Excited, actually. Darkness, and this was definitely of the dark, was turning out to be extremely titillating. Further into the fight, Spike dodged to the left, and Buffy nicked his forearm. She felt power and lust at the sight of the blood.

*****

The fight continued, with both nicking the other a couple more times, until Spike finally got the upper hand and disarmed Buffy. He sent his sword following hers and slammed her into the nearest large tree, trapping her with her back against it and his body pinning her there. "Tell me, Slayer."

While his bluntness left her wondering, Buffy's tongue darted out and licked Spike's lips. "What, Spike?"

Loving her action, Spike moved enough so that he could cup her mound through her pants. "Tell me, Slayer," he whispered in her ear, "did the fight make you hot?"

Seeking pleasure for her heat, she strove to rub her clitoris against his hand. "You know it did."

He swept in and crushed his lips on hers. Their tongues met with such intensity that, had they been swords, they would have drawn blood. Finally, he pulled back to let her breathe. Wouldn't do to have her passed out. "How hot?"

"Inferno." Her head lolled back against the tree as his hand molded to and roughly fondled her sex.

He again whispered in her ear, sending delicious tingles down her spine. "Hot enough for me to fuck you against a tree in a public park?"

She should be too embarrassed. She knew that. Somewhere in her mind she was but what the hell. Maybe, just maybe she would figure it out, but now, she needed him inside of her. Action now. Think later. Buffy cupped his jaw with her hand and forced him to look her directly eye to eye. "Fuck me."

Her words renewed his need for her. Spike attacked her neck. Actually, there was one thing that would make all perfect --- his fangs in her neck. But no. That would probably be a bloody big mistake. He gave it a ninety-five percent chance of getting him staked. Dusty wasn't his style tonight, but it still left over five parts hope.

Buffy's senses went soaring. Aahhh. Every open-mouthed wet kiss and every nip and bite of his blunt teeth made her tremble. After a particularly hard bite, she wondered for a brief moment what it would be like if he used his fangs on her jugular. Would it feel better than Dracula's bite? Well, that was without a doubt. Would it feel different than where he'd bit her already? More intense, maybe? His bite on her breast was definitely the best so far, but the neck? The big question was would she let him? Should she let him? She just didn't know.

'Fuck me,' she had said. "Nah, wouldn't want to leave the wee lass wanting." He undid Buffy's pants and helped her strip them off. But he had no patience with her shirt. "I've got to see you, luv." Struggling with the small buttons that Hook hadn't cut away, he ripped it down the middle. As Buffy kicked off her shoes and jeans to get her jeans completely off, Spike picked up his duster and wrapped it around her, protecting her back from the tree bark. Buffy didn't miss the courteous, sweet gesture.

He slammed Buffy back against the tree, hard enough that her head hit the bark. "Now, where were we?" If he pushed any harder, her head would leave an imprint on the tree. It wasn't hard enough to hurt her, but it was hard enough to pin her, and she certainly didn't mind. "Oh, God, yes." Actually, his hard body against her was just what she needed. Yeah, the fight had jazzed her body, making her wet and hot between her legs. She could feel the juices dripping down her legs. And yeah, she had sex with Riley after some fights, but this was Spike, and this vampire was entirely different. He was her equal in strength so she didn't have to hold back. And unlike with Riley, she didn't want to hold anything back. She wanted to be wild, and Spike was just the ticket.

"Not going anywhere, kitten. Nowhere." Spike couldn't ask for more. This was rough, the roughest they had done so far. This firebrand was a keeper. Funny though, he never noticed the permanence that the thought implied.

After tearing her shirt, his hand started gripping her shoulder tightly then let go of her long enough to slide down to roughly cup her breast. Buffy noticed this. Gone was his usual finesse, and she didn't mind a bit. Raw was fine, fueled by the fight with the pirates. If he devoured her, all the better. "More...Spike, I need more..." Her blood was rushing, and it was rushing through the darkness. She could hear her dark, slayer side roaring in her ears, and it was calling for more. "Deeper." She realized that her instincts weren't just calling for sex, but calling specifically for Spike. When had that started to happen? When had the generic face of her ferocious desire become the angular beauty of a blond, fallen angel. The face of Spike.

Spike's next move jerked her out of her sea of thoughts and feelings. "Bloody hell, got to taste you, kitten." She expected to feel his mouth on her nipple or farther down, but his mouth moved down and unexpectedly latched onto the cut on her upper arm. Boom. First an electrical charge raced through her senses, and wow, the feeling was unreal. A thousand stars exploding. It was like every pull on her blood was directly connected to her sex. He sucked, and she pulsed.

But she didn't throw her head back as she first was inclined to do; no, she looked down at his head. He had turned it just right so that she could see his lips on her flesh. 'Now that's erotic,' she thought. Only Spike could do this to her. Where had that thought come from? What about Angel? He should have been able to make her feel this way if he wasn't as out of it as he had been when he had been biting her. 'No, you know only Spike can make you feel this way,' her inner voice whispered. Who cares about anything else when he was making her feel so sizzling?

But then Buffy's thoughts scattered again to the wind as his fingers latched onto her painfully hard nipple. The first pinch and twist nearly sent her climbing up the tree. He pulled until he released it with a pop.

Melding his mouth again to her own, her blood mixed with her saliva. She gasped into his mouth, but she was done being just a passive bystander enjoying the ride. "Give it to me." She frantically unbuckled his belt and reached inside his pants. She pushed them down as she wrapped her other hand around his shaft. He was cool and incredibly hard, straining and twitching. She held on tight as she pumped his cock. Then she stopped and experimented. With a sly smile, she raked her fingernails across his balls, and down the smooth, velvety surface of his shaft. His heart felt groan told her all she needed to know. 'Spikey like,' thought Buffy wickedly. A little pain with his pleasure. She was learning about him and herself, and she liked what she learned.

Spike's knees almost buckled when he felt her nails on his most sensitive skin. "Oh, baby, yesss!" She was catching the darkness in her sex nicely. "Pretty kitty, let me feel your claws." He ran his free hand down her side and to her mound. He slipped two fingers over her clit, between her lips and straight into her wet channel. He thrust inside, moving his fingers, searching for her special spot, and he knew when he hit it because she broke their kiss to throw back her head against the tree and cry out. "Spike..." His hold on her sex was so strong that he practically held her off her feet. His name tripping out of her mouth made his desire even more red hot.

Stepping back, his eyes soaked up the vision of her pert breasts. As he squeezed a firm breast with his free hand, he looked up into her eyes. Buffy could see a fire burning but also awe. Not like awe of looking at scene of a beautiful mountain peak, but awe as in him appreciating her body. She felt adored.

Then he was on her again. The mind blowing kiss was hard enough for their teeth to click. She writhed against him, trying to satisfy her need, grinding on his generous sized erection. For a better position, she lifted up her legs and wrapped them around his waist, causing him to replace his hand with the velvety, rock hard cock rubbing against her. Unintelligible sounds gurgled in the back of his throat as his cock slid between her folds dripping with her juices.

"Spike...Arh," She barely had enough air in her lungs to speak, "Spike, please."

Just the head was in. He found that he liked to hear her beg. "Please?"

"Yes, you son of a bitch. Yes, please..." On fire, Buffy had had enough of her burning need. She gripped either side of his face and practically yelled in his face. "Get. In. Me. Now."

Not one to disappoint, he lifted her up where she instinctually wrapped her legs around his waist. Then he quickly lowered her down onto his shaft. "So hot. So tight." Spike thought he was going to burn to a crisp. "So fucking hot."

"Ahh." With every stroke into her body, she felt him stretch her. She reveled in the feel. "Need. Need more."

Spike couldn't get far enough into her gripping channel. "Gotta have more of you." Spike wanted to fight the "you" part, but as he moved inside of her, he knew it was true. He had to admit it to himself. He didn't need more sex. Bloody hell, he had had enough of that lately. What he needed was more Buffy.

Spike's eyes rolled back as he was encased in her warm depths. But he wasn't in the mood to savor. No, he was in the mood to fuck her hard and fast.

His kiss all but ate her up. As his tongue entered her mouth again, the walls of her passage stretched, melding to his member. She rode him, letting him slide in and out, enjoying the feel until Spike broke the kiss and his lips latched onto the cut on her other arm. With the first pull of blood, Buffy's head flew back, slamming into the tree. She never felt the pain; all she felt was that wonderful, floating feeling that came with Spike's drinking of her life's blood. She buried her fingers in his hair, holding his lips tight to her injury. When he lifted his head from her wound, Buffy's eyes shot open. The loss of the pleasure and pain left her feeling unfulfilled. In her sexual frustration, she came down harder and harder on his shaft. Then his mouth latched onto another dripping wound, sending her flying high up to the stars again. After one, two, three pulls, she could feel her orgasm rushing towards her.

Out of instinct and a natural desire to share the feelings coursing through her, Buffy brought her mouth to a cut on his shoulder and suckled. Mimicking her, Spike threw his head back and roared his ecstasy. In direct response, he began to slam up into her with increasing force and speed, their bodies meeting hard with each time an explosion of feelings.

Through his haze of delicious blood connected straight to his cock, he could feel her channel begin to contract with her impending release. And he knew just what she needed to set her free. Spike released her breast and grabbed a handful of hair. Using the hold, he wrenched her head to the side, hungrily staring at her neck. His eyes changed to a sparkling gold, his ridges came forward, and his fangs hovered above her skin. The offensive marks made by Angel and Dracula had to go. Not able to resist anymore, this time his sharp fangs slid into her jugular as he began to suck again.

Buffy's body bucked when his fangs pierced her skin, giving her that right amount of pain that completed the glorious cycle. Buffy's orgasm built along with his rhythm. She shattered into pieces of pleasure as she came. Her cry could probably be heard by the Queen in Buckingham Palace.

What Buffy was oblivious to when she had her orgasm was that she had bitten down hard on Spike's shoulder. The combination of her blood, her sex squeezing his prick and the sweet pain from her teeth, Spike came hard, one of the hardest he could ever remember. Spike spilled his cum into her womb, reveling in her body milking his cock of his seed. His body may be satisfied, but his brain barely functioned.

As both came down, him gently licking her wound, with their lips still touching the others skin, each panted, unable to stir up enough energy to lift their head. Actually, even though he didn't need to pant, Spike did and was thankful to have a moment to collect himself. The sex had been incredible, better than he would have ever thought he could have with a human. It wasn't just the pain. The Devil knew that Dru had inflicted much worse on him all in the name of sex. But this had been...well, just right. So he needed this moment to regroup. A vampire having sex with a slayer that didn't include death just couldn't, shouldn't be so moving for the vampire. It just wasn't right, but it was. Now, the dilemma. How the bloody hell was he going to act after this coupling? He couldn't act moved, like it meant something. Agh!

Buffy wasn't in such a dilemma. She rested her head on his shoulder and let the feelings just come as they would. Pleasure, satisfaction, pleasure, a little ouch, pleasure, sizzle...pleasure. She had never felt anything like she had just been through, but yesterday wouldn't be too soon to go through it again. With him still nestled inside of her, she was content to ride out the waves of the aftermath. She had her answer about his biting her neck. The orgasm had been spectacular, mind blowing.

Then she decided Spike's dilemma for him with a soft, lingering kiss on one of his wounds. To Spike, that action, so contrary to the wild sex that they had just had, was just the thing to end with. And, he hated to admit it even though it was true, the kiss cemented a relationship that they had been building between them. This night they had forged it with fire. With a crooked finger under her chin, Spike lifted her face for a tender kiss of his own. If Buffy didn't know better, she would have thought that he cared. That she cared for that matter. But she knew better, didn't she? Or did she?

Buffy barely remembered the next minutes. Spike had helped her with her clothes and loaned her his precious leather coat to cover her shredded shirt. Next, they were on Spike's bed in their suite, and he was inside her again. And again.

She woke up in the wee hours of the morning in Spike's arms. It felt so satisfying, so right and that scared her down to her toes. There was no room for feelings in this affair. It was just that, an affair. An affair was just sex, wasn't it? At least theirs was. They both made that perfectly clear before they had sex the very first time. With great reluctance, she shifted carefully, slid out of his arms and quietly crept to her own room. As she climbed into her own empty bed, she asked herself if this affair really did forbid any of the softer emotions. If so, then why were tears swimming in her eyes, and she was left missing his arms around her?

Spike hadn't let on, but he had been awake when Buffy left for her room. In fact, the troubles on his mind wouldn't let up enough for him to sleep. What the bloody hell was he going to do? As they lay on his bed, wrapped around each other, reality had dropped out of the heavens and cracked him on the head. He cared for this small girl tucked under his chin. Bollocks. He cared for the Slayer. He had botched up the situation. Just frigging grand. It wasn't love he told himself, but he did have feelings. And he just couldn't help it. For some god awful reason, he wanted to.

But that made the next issue another problem. Lighting a fag, Spike walked over and stared out the window, but never saw the scene in front of him. The chip no longer worked, and she didn't know that. For some reason that he didn't think he wanted to acknowledge, he thought she deserved knowing about his renewed status. The debate raged inside of him. If he didn't tell her, it would eat him up inside. If he did tell her, their agreement would be over. No more slayer in his bed. He hated how much that disturbed him. He could find some other willing body, but it wouldn't be Buffy. Even more reason to find another girl, actually. No, he had to tell her that he had his fangs back. He'd tell her tomorrow, or he should say the end of tomorrow night. He'd have the whole day to enjoy her before that.

*****

Please review. Pretty please. It really helps prod me along. I need some prodding right now.
 

Chapter 14 - Tourismo

"Well, pet, what do you say if we play at some tourismo?" As he was talking, Spike came out of his room putting on his t-shirt.

'Did he say something to me?' Buffy's eyes feasted on Spike's chest. She had to think hard to remember what he just asked. She would think she would get over drooling over his body, but she didn't. Oh, well. "Tourismo?"

"Yeah, pet. We'll play at being tourists for the night." He savored her drooling over his body; it made him want to take off his pants, rip off her clothes, and throw her down on the sofa. The idea was oh so tempting.

Buffy wrung her hands, obviously displaying her indecision. "But we need to continue the search. 'Member. Badies trying to kill me..."

"To the devil with duty tonight. You're in London, on a whole different continent, for bloody sake. I bet you can't remember the last time you took a night off, can you, luv?"

Buffy melted at the saucy wink he sent her way, and she reluctantly shook her head at the same time a corner of her mouth started to turn up. She hadn't had a vacation recently, and here she was in one of the most famous cities in the world. Why was she wasting this opportunity to be guided around by a native? "So what do you suggest, bleach brain?"

Pleased at her acquiescence, Spike smiled. "A variety, pet. Get ready. You've got ten minutes." He made shooing motions at her.

Buffy looked out the window. "But it's still too light outside. You can't..."

"No worries, luv. One of the advantages of dear ole England." Spike shrugged into his trench coat. "Some days the clouds block the sun enough for us night dwellers to walk about. So hup to, Slayer."

*****

Spike knew that luck was with him. Well, at least in one aspect. They made it to the Tower of London just in time for the last tour.

"This is just so...I mean...it's a castle!" Buffy's eyes were the size of saucers.

That's when his luck became a double edged sword. On one edge, she was clearly enraptured with the tour, but on the other edge, the time was bittersweet. She didn't know it, but this would be their last night together. Tonight was the night he was going to tell her about the chip no longer functioning. But he was weak. He knew he had to tell her, but that didn't mean that they couldn't have a long goodbye.

On Buffy's part, she was having a blast, trying to take in everything at once. "Hey, at home a building is considered old if it's two hundred years old or maybe three hundred years old. Here, old is double or triple that. The White Tower was built in the eleventh century. That's ten something, isn't it?" Buffy, the great avoider of school, was entranced by the history contained in the Tower of London's walls.

She was dragging her hands along the building as they followed the tour guide. "Look at these stone and bricks. They were made like forever back. I mean nine hundred years ago." Up in a small room where prisoners were held before their beheading, the unfortunates carved their initials in the wall and mantel. The thought of people so long past leaving their last mark on the world fascinated her. "Come look, Spike come over here." She spontaneously grasped Spike's hand, pulling him over for closer inspection. "Look! Some of these were etched in the 1500s. I can't even imagine being around that long ago."

Spike never saw the initials. All he saw was her petite hand clasping his own. Such an incredibly small gesture touched him more than he wanted it to. Her warmth traveled up his arm to his heart. But the most incredible part was yet to come. When they left the small room, Buffy didn't let go of his hand. She held it in the courtyard where beheadings had once taken place. He laughed when her only question was what kind of axe was used.

Then with a bright smile on her face, still keeping her hold on his hand, she pulled him into the chapel; they stood there with graves beneath their feet. Buffy turned up her nose. "It's so freaky walking on all these people."

Spike turned her so they were face to face. "Is this the slayer who patrols cemeteries?"

"Oh...yeah." Her smile never faltered, and she never let go of his hand despite her awe and enthusiasm upon gazing on the crown jewels, guaranteed to dazzle anyone. "That is the largest top-quality, cut diamond." Buffy listened to the guards talk about it. "Man, I could pitch it like a baseball."

But the best was yet to come. "Oh, God...Oh, it's...gorgeous." In the white tower, Buffy tried to take in all the armor and weapons at once.

Spike had expected her to feel this way, but his bonus was the way she wrapped her free hand around his upper arm, bringing her side flush against his, her warmth chasing away his perpetual cold. He was going to miss more of these changes. They were making their relationship public, bringing them closer as he might have wanted. Bloody hell, he was going to miss out on more. But he wasn't going to think about that now. Instead he would focus only on enjoying her company that night. Then he would say good-bye.

Grabbing Spike's hand hadn't been planned. She hadn't meant to, but she had. Once she had hold, she didn't seem to be able to let go. Well, that's not quite right. She could have if she had really made an effort, but she didn't. She found that she didn't want to. So after that initial grasp, she just flowed with her instincts, forgetting all about the slayer/vampire angle and concentrating on the lover angle. She knew it deepened their relationship, but oh, well. Besides, holding his hand just felt good, especially when she pulled herself against his side.

After the tower, Spike took her to an authentic bistro for some fish and chips. Buffy enjoyed every minute of it even though she wasn't particularly fond of fish.

He was being so nice to her. Treating her like a good friend. Then there was the musical he dragged her to --- "Cats". She had dragged her feet, saying that she had no interest in people running around singing, but he sweet talked her into a seat. He had said that they were closing the musical soon, and he wanted her to experience it. She left the theatre ready to buy a cat and was singing, "Memories, all alone in the moonlight..."

She wondered if this would be how he would treat a girlfriend, except for the psycho hose beast, of course. Much too tame for the black-haired bitch. A girlfriend?! Her?! What was she thinking? She guessed that he would agree that they were friends now, she told herself, especially since they had held hands some, but definitely not boyfriend/girlfriend. No. No way. But why was her heart beating so fast?

Now they were on to their last destination for the night. They stepped out of the tube station's stairs and into an explosion of people, lights and sounds. Piccadilly Circus.

All Buffy could do was try to absorb all around her. After all she had seen today, she was going into overload. Taking his hand again, she stepped forward a few feet with him. "Wow. I mean...wow!"

Smiling, Spike watched her spin in circles, trying to take it all in. Spike found himself laughing. "Glad you like it, pet. I always did."

"Me no like." She turned and grinned at him. "Me love." She dragged him in and out of the stores, especially loving Virgin Records.

As she watched others passed the shops and saw the fascinating-looking people, Buffy listened to Spike guiding her absently. "Spike, you can fit in with her with all the bleached hair and leather," she teased.

Spike squeezed her hand. "They've got good taste, don't they, luv?"

"Humph. I don't even want to know what all you ate here." Buffy laughed as they entered a small shop. "I need some souvenirs."

*****

Watching her happy wandering though the tourist trap, Spike dreaded putting his plan into effect. "Pet, you know how to get back to the inn, don't you?"

"Sure. Just go to Sloane Station," Buffy absently answered his question while going through some key chains.

Spike strained to keep his voice light. "And the money. You know that it's in my room, right, luv?"

Buffy waved a hand dismissing the twenty questions routine. "I know. I know." She held up a shirt for him to examine. "Do you think Willow would like this t-shirt?"

A teddy bear dressed as a bobby, a police officer, made Spike smile. "No, more like Xander's style."

Swatting at him, Buffy put the shirt up. Then she let Spike drag her out of the store and on until they passed a small, dark alley that Spike dragged Buffy down. He had to make the break, or he wouldn't be able to. He just couldn't go on without telling her about the chip. He wasn't sure why, but he thought she deserved to know.

Completely confused, Buffy gaped at the vampire. "What...?"

Grabbing both her upper arms, he placed Buffy on the curb of one side of the alley and walked over to stand on the other curb.

Buffy was bewildered. "Spike, what are you doing? I've already seen my share of dark alleys. In fact, I met you in one."

Running his hand over his face, Spike tried to remember what he had rehearsed to say. "Things have gotten complicated, pet." He held up his hands to stop her from commenting. "Everything from enjoying being with you on this trip to enjoying the sex all too much..." Spike paused, hoping to collect himself. "It was hard for me to watch you leave me to sleep alone last night. It was hard for me to leave you the night before." He almost walked to her but caught himself.

"You mean you would rather spend the night together?" Buffy was pleasantly surprised. What a great bit of information! He had felt as she had. Actually it was a relief to bring that desire out into the open.

Spike shook his head in frustration. "No...Yes!...Yes, I would, but no, that's not where I am going with this."

"Well, I'm coming over to you." She put one foot down off the curb.

Spike held up his hand again to keep her on the other sidewalk. "What I mean was...was...bloody hell, my chip doesn't work anymore." Spike watched as Buffy retrieve her foot off the street.

Buffy was so incredibly shocked, she had no idea what to say.

"See, luv, the shocks at Frankie's must have knocked it out." Agitated, he stared to pace. "I always thought that when I had my fangs back, I would go back trying to kill you and you me. Natural order of things and all that rot."

"More importantly, to me at least, is that I've discovered that I don't want to kill you. Even without our truce, I don't want you dead. I know that your hard and fast rule is that if the chip stopped working, you would stake me, which means I would have to fight you. Well, that's the rub. I'm not going to fight you. And just FYI, I didn't kill anyone of those wankers that night you were knocked out. Don't get me wrong, I thought about it but didn't. The point is if all this means I am a coward, so be it. Regardless, I'm going to run. Good luck, Slayer. It's been the memory of a lifetime, several lifetimes."

With one last look into her hazel eyes, trying to gauge her reaction but seeing only confusion, trying to memorize all of her in a split second, he ran as fast as the demon in him could go. He had to get away before he did something stupid like beg her to not stake him, let him stay in her bed. Not for the sex, but to be with her. Pain radiated through out his whole body as he threw himself into the crowd. He hadn't guessed just how hard it would be to leave her behind. His hand felt numb with out hers holding it. He ran and dodged until he came out another side of Piccadilly Circus and off into the night.

 

A/N: Man, I did try so hard to make this story PW1/2P, but the plot just kept developing on its own. It truly has a mind of its own. Hope you enjoy the more coming.

Thanks so much for the prodding. It really worked. Feed me!

Dana
 

Chapter 15 – Living With Your Decisions

*****

Buffy was struck dumb and motionless. What the hell had he just been telling her? The information didn’t compute yet. It just rolled around in her head like the rocks some people thought were up there. She started to follow but found her feet frozen, giving her time so she could slowly process his words.

Damn. The chip hadn’t worked since he shocked himself at Frankenstein’s lab. Ok, got it. He had unfortunately been right in that she swore to fight him and do her best to dust him if the chip ever stopped working. But…and this was a big “but,” he said that now he didn’t want to kill her or even fight her. Not anymore, he had said. And again she could see before her eyes the proof of his regret, the sorrow etched on his face. He had definitely meant every word of his speech. That was the only solace for her. He hadn’t wanted to leave her, but on the other hand, she understood his need for survival.

Buffy was having such a hard time letting all the ramifications sink in that she still didn’t follow him. In fact, even though she wasn’t quite sure what to think, she did know she didn’t want him to leave her. With that thought, she finally gave chase. “Spike…SPIKE…” She looked into the square, but the multitude of the people had swiftly swallowed him up.

She ran into the square, pain coursing through her with every step, not physical but felt all the same. No, that wasn’t quite true. The pain was located in her heart. But she couldn’t even catch a glimpse of him. Actually, kicking herself, she knew he had gotten quite a head start while she was thinking in the alley. She scanned the crowd and then landed on a plan. She went into Virgin Records and up on one of the higher floors and looked down, but still no Spike, or not that she could tell through her tears.

‘But what are you crying for? A soulless killer?’ Half of Buffy fussed at herself. ‘Have you lost your mind?’ The first time they had met, he made it clear that his goal was to make her number three on his slayer hit list. But he had flipped the coin in that he didn’t want to now. It wasn’t like she had treated him well before this trip. However, that was before she had gotten to know him. He wasn’t the monster that she had thought, or the monster that he had claimed to be. It was like all that bought blood and being around humans had changed him, made him more…human. He had treated her like an ally on this trip. Actually, like more than an ally. He treated her as a comrade in a fight and a treasured lover.

That’s when the situation since the shocks that knocked out the chip struck her. He had drunk from her. Fangs in her breast –dangerous. And worse, in Hyde Park, she had let him drink from her jugular. It would have been his perfect opportunity. She had let down her guard and could have been dead in a matter of seconds. But, no, he had done it for both of their pleasures. In a nutshell, he chose not to kill her. What kind of freak demon was he? One sensitive to her and to himself? He was such an enigma that her head was starting to swim. She didn’t think she would or could ever understand him, but she wasn’t even going to get a chance to now. Damn. Then that brought back the tears. And the pain. She wasn’t going to get a chance to know him better, and she was surprised how much she regretted that loss. Bur she also doubled her determination to find him.

*****

Spike made it into and then out of the north side of the square, running until his legs could take no more. Once stopped, he struck his fist against the nearest wall. “Bloody fucking hell.” Then he looked up and shook his fist at the sky. “The feelings weren’t supposed to be like this,” he yelled before he deflated to the ground. “Wasn’t supposed to happen at all. What happened to straight up, no strings sex?” He didn’t know or understand what had developing between the slayer and himself, and right now, he didn’t want to. His chip no longer working should be a blessing, but no, it felt like a curse. What the bleedin’ hell was he thinking? He wanted to blaze a bloody path through his hometown – didn’t he? Then he felt a drop of water land on his fist. Wiping his face, he couldn’t believe what he was feeling. He was shedding tears for the Slayer. And to tell the truth, the split with her ripped his heart apart. What had happened to him?

Ok, he had to find one or numerous bottles of whiskey. Ten minutes later, Spike was leaving a liquor store via a broken window holding a large bottle in each hand. He could have paid for them if the store was open, but smashing through the window and stealing his booze that was his path to oblivion was so much more gratifying. Now a place to crash and to drink the rest of the night and the next day away. That was the plan.

All he ended up doing was staring at the ceiling of his new hotel room and wishing he had passed out already. How had things gotten so bloody buggered up? When had his relationship with the Slayer changed? Scratch that. He knew when this trouble with her began. The first time she had climbed into his bed. Maybe…yeah, if pressed, he had to admit she had always turned him on from the beginning, but that was always rolled in a twisted kind of way with his instinctual hatred for a slaughterer of his kind. However, that dangerous little lady came in a gorgeous package. And it wasn’t just her packaging. He also had been attracted to her personality and her attitude. Sassy, sarcastic, and a woman that was still young while knowing the ropes taught at the school of hard knocks. And getting to know her better over the last few days made her all the more appealing. Now she was Buffy the Woman and the Slayer rolled up into one, and her essence called to him. She was his mate. That brought him jerked up into a sitting position. A mate was serious business for a vampire. She was his match, not mate. Match, match, match.

Trying to get away from his slip, maybe a Freudian slip if he cared to examine it, he thought he would play a little football by kicking himself back and forth against the walls for a while. He was smart leaving her. That’s it, he was brilliant. If he had stayed, what was he going to do? Stop killing for her, something he was sure she would insist upon. ‘But you already have,’ a voice whispered in his head. ‘You haven’t killed since the chip stopped working. You didn’t even feed tonight when you could have and not even have to hide it from the Slayer.’ Spike pushed back the thought. ‘Bugger, it’s like I’m growing a frigging conscience.’

Not wanting to confront his thoughts head on, Spike kicked the ball to the other side of his head. He suspected…no, he knew he was an idiot for leaving her. That was the most confusing part. How could he have such feelings for a slayer? Damn, he was back to the same tune. No, it was not just the slayer that he admired. It was Buffy she had let him see. It was Buffy that he had feelings for. His arms felt empty lying in this bed. With those thoughts came one, surprisingly strong regret. He had never gone to sleep and awoken with her in his arms. Had never watched her eyes open and focus on his face. He could visualize her slow smile. Saddened, he took another swallow, one salute to opportunities lost.

Bloody fucking hell, what was he doing? Why was he doing this to himself? He was torn apart. Either stake the Slayer or be staked, or lose his bed mate, and, as he found out, she was his equal in all things – fighting skills and sex. What an excellent combination that he no longer had access to.

Then there was good o’ Sunnyhell, and worse yet was the stick up the arse Scoobies. They would want an explanation. It was silly that she would admit their liaison to her friends. ‘Hi, I’m having a hot affair with a soulless demon. Oh, did I tell you that it’s Spike?’ It might give the whelp a heart attack. No, he had no doubt. By his way of thinking, Buffy would go back hiding their true relationship, and come to him when she got the itch. Yeah, that was another reason to leave the Slayer. He just couldn’t be the man in the closet, hidden from any scrutiny of Buffy. He found that he wanted to tell the world that she was his lover, and that he had feelings for her and to hell with her little, exclusive group. To hell with the whole world, except for Buffy. She deserved better.

*****
In the southern part of London, Buffy lay on her bed and starred at the ceiling, unknowingly mirroring Spike’s pose while she replayed the past in her mind. She had seen Angel walking away, and it had hurt, to say the very least. She had shed tears for Angel, but this was Spike she was crying about. He had no soul; he prided himself on being evil. She should be jumping up and down with glee to be rid of him, or she should be mad that she hadn’t been able to stake him. But she was disappointed by his leaving. No, that wasn’t being truthful. She was in pain, hurt because he had left her. The tears fell. So here she lay, trying to reconcile the fact that she was yearning for a soulless vampire. To make it worse, she wanted the irritating pest back.

And back in Sunnydale. What would she have done about that? ‘Hi, guys, Spike and I are getting horizontal now. In fact, it is more, so…’ Giles would be stunned then furious. Xander would be disgusted. Willow would be confused. But that was it. Buffy wasn’t confused anymore, and she was the important one in this. It was her choice for her life. Giles should be glad that she had a backup that was her equal. Xander should be happy there was another guy in the mix. And Willow should be happy for her. Buffy was happy. All should be happy.

Buffy slept the next day and was at Piccadilly Circus by dusk. And the next night. She methodically walked through the crowd all night. It was a tricky plan in that there were so many goths and punks with leather jackets and bleached hair, but she checked out everyone. She didn’t even know if he would come back to the area. It was just a hunch she had. And hunting him gave her time to think. She could say that she was searching for Spike because she needed to stake him. She could say she was hunting him so he could help her around the city, so he could help her fight the evil that was chasing her down.

She didn’t know how their relationship evolved the way it had. It was suppose to be just sex, but now she had feelings for Spike. Way of the wacko. Then this thought struck her. Had he felt the same way? The second night after Spike’s departure found Buffy sleeping in Spike’s bed as if she could divine Spike’s thoughts through the place he had slept.

*****

Piccadilly Circus again. She had been looking for Spike for the last two nights with no luck. Call her crazy, but for some reason, Buffy guessed that Spike would eventually come back to the place that he had left her. All she needed was to be there and alert, constantly scanning the crowd.

The first night had been a total bust. Ordinary, run-of-the-mill vampires wandering around the square hunting. She, however, had a mission, which was looking for one smart mouthed, bad ass vampire, but she couldn’t help killing some of the demons in the dark allies. Determined, she stayed and searched until daylight. She didn’t know why she thought she would find him in that particular square. Maybe it would be like returning to the scene of a crime. The second night looked to be a long one also. The heavy clouds were out again, so the vampires were out earlier in the square. As the sun was setting, she could feel a few with some power and some minions, but nothing special.

Eleven o’clock the third night found Buffy standing on a sidewalk in Piccadilly Circus again. She was going to charge things up. Go back to the basics, back to the first lesson Giles had ever taught her. She closed her eyes and extended her senses, reaching as far as the edges of the people in the square. She was on a mission to find Spike, but she wasn’t surprised to feel numerous vampires nearby. She already knew about them, but not the right one - yet. She walked around to a new spot, and again extended her senses. With all the vamps she sensed, she itched to grab her stake, but she was sticking to the plan this time. Calming down, she used her slayer skills again, and…oh my god, success, she felt him. She knew him. As she focused on him, his unique feel was coming in loud and clear. She knew the direction and approximate distance. Since her lack of height made it difficult to see above the crowd, now all she had to do was follow her senses. She had him pegged and wasn’t going to let go.

Spike was walking near the statue of Aros, scanning the square for vampires. He had just come out of a drunken stupor since leaving Buffy, and he’d had good reason for the monumental binge. His feelings for the Slayer were just…well, wrong. To make it worse, the same was true for her. How can a white-hat slayer care for a murderer of hundreds? It was just wrong.

He had already dusted a few vamps just for kicks. But then…a tingle ran up his spine and settled in his heart. The Slayer. He thought he sensed the slayer. No bloody way. Why would she come back here? Shouldn’t she be out looking for the villains trying to kill her? He stretched his senses in the direction he intuitively thought she was. He knew her distinct feel, a warmth as if it were only for him. He took the chance, and quickly shifted into his demonic façade to sense her more thoroughly. Yes, it was her. Spike stopped but didn’t turn around. Good, at least he knew she was still alive. Those bleeding literary villains hadn’t killed her.

Spike could feel her coming up behind him. The tingles that she sent up his spine now felt like sparks that only she could cause. Sparks that felt oh so right. He had to know how she felt, but to tell the truth, he was hard pressed to face her. Mind made up, he decided that he wasn’t going to exist in limbo or with the fear that one night she would try to kill him or, even worse, that he would kill her. He was stunned by how much he cared if she lived or died. In fact, he chose to give her the opportunity to take him out without so much as a fight. He went against his survival instincts and exposed his back to make himself an easy on her. She wouldn’t even have to look into his face; he knew he wouldn’t want to. He purposely made himself an easy target. He stood there, vulnerable, laying his fate in the hands of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

She knew what he was doing. He knew she was there. Normally his movements were graceful and fluid, but now he was stiff like a robot just going through the motions. Spike was leaving it up to her. Stake him or not. She thought about it…for about half a second before making up her mind. In fact, she had already made her mind up the first night she went looking for him. At first during that first night, she had of course told herself that he was evil, and she was going to stake him. The second night she admitted the truth to herself. He had said the key words. “I haven’t fed and don’t want to.” And the words he had said after he had gone out on his own, free to kill at will but not doing so. “I could have…” That had done it. Could have but didn’t. She could have feelings for such a vampire. He must have some feelings for her to give up a vampire’s main activity during their unlife. Yet another example that he was a truly unusual vampire. She wanted him back. It was that simple.


TBC

 

Chapter 16 - Caring

Buffy was scared but jazzed, all mixed up together. She could see the top of his head but took a foolish moment to second guess herself. Was that really Spike or another blonde vampire? No, that was just Insecure Buffy thinking. She knew his feel like no other, knew that singularly different tingle that raced through her nervous system when he was near. She watched a smoke trail rise above him, confirming her intuition. Relief made her eyes tear up. It was him. It was her Spike. Yes, he was her Spike, and she was just yards away from getting him back. And did he want her? She didn't care. She would make him.

Concentrating on his unmistakable hair and the feel of him, she noticed that he had stopped, probably, hopefully sensing her. Good. Dodging through the crowd, keeping him in her sights, she moved even faster. Strangely, she was ninety-nine percent sure that he could also sense her, but he was keeping his back to her. His stance looked tense. Well, she didn't blame him. He had said that he didn't want to fight her, and she guessed that he was bracing for an attack that he wasn't going to fend off. Even so, she wanted and needed to see his face, to gaze into his clear, blue eyes again. But first, she craved any sort of contact with him.

Instinctually, he felt her moving closer. How could he possibly miss her? Her feel always raced through his body like molten lava. His dilemma was that he wasn't sure why she was coming to him. She had undoubtedly been looking for him. She wanted him for some reason, but he didn't know why. He was trying to tamp down on his hope that she wanted to be with him again. She could just as well be bringing him a stake with his name on it. Would he turn when she finally got close enough to touch him? Would he defend himself? Would he let her stake him? He just wasn't sure of anything anymore. It was even more perplexing to think that she didn't want to fight either and wanted him back. What would he do? What he wouldn't give to make love to her again?. He wanted her so much that he hoped his weakened knees wouldn't give out and let him sink to the ground if she did want him. Being on his knees in the middle of Piccadilly Circus in front of his lady fair just wasn't the most manly vision.

Buffy pulled up short by a couple of feet. What if he didn't want her? What if he had changed his mind and wanted to fight? Enough with the second guessing already. Buffy took one hesitant step backwards before catching herself. If she wanted him, she had to reach out and grab him. Literally. Stepping forward again, Buffy started to slip her arms around his waist and hold tight. But no. If she could go to him and ask him face to face to have a fling, she could face him now. Allowing her to approach him from behind showed trust, and he deserved better from her than to continuing sneaking up from behind. She stepped around to stand a yard in front of him.

He was floored. The slayer had actually come back for him. Bloody hell. But when he thought about it, he realized he wasn't surprised. He had learned enough about her over the last few days they had shared together to know that she wouldn't let him leave like he had if she had wanted him. He just never imagined that she would want him.

Looking deeply into his clear blue eyes, Buffy saw raw emotions. Need, want, and vulnerability to name a few. She loved the first two, but didn't like the last at all. Someone like him, strong, intense, shouldn't feel vulnerable, and she regretted that she was the one causing it. Well, she could help that. Reaching up, she ran one hand slowly, tenderly up his neck to finally cup his cheek. Ah, the vulnerability was receding. She brushed her thumb across his sharp cheek bone. "I..." Buffy found herself choking back her tears. "I knew you would come back here."

Spike rubbed his hand over hers. "Yeah." He paused to let the topsy turvy moment soak in. "I left a piece of myself here."

"I brought it back." A smile finally lit her face and was conveyed in her voice.

Spike was still in shock, still trying to let what she was doing soak in. No fighting, no staking, no hard feeling at all towards him. "Yeah, luv, you certainly did. But no, kitten, you keep it. That piece of my heart belongs to you now." Spike now knew and admitted to both himself and to her that she possessed a part of him, a piece of his heart. A radiating warmth that started at the part of his heart which Buffy now held spread throughout his body. He brought her hand down with her palm up and open. Starting with the heel of his hand, he rubbed his hand against hers and then closed it. Yes, a piece of him belonged to her.

A tear trickled out of her eye before Buffy whispered the next confession. "I care about you."

Again the gods blessed him. His hands traveled, settling on each side of her face. "Enough to trust me? You know what I am."

Her smile blossomed into a beautiful rose. "Trust? More than enough, fang face."

Rubbing his thumb across her lips, Spike prepared to take the final leap along with her. The Slayer and the Slayer of Slayers were now linked, not as natural enemies but as lovers with shared feelings "I care about you, too, pet."

"You do?" This smile was major wattage. She had thought so, but it was good to hear.

He brushed his thumb across her face again. "How can I help caring about you?" Leaning in, his lips melded to hers. Mouths opened and tongues danced. Her arms wrapped around him and held on tight. This kiss wasn't about sex. It was about togetherness.

When they broke apart, Spike was surprised by a cloud that passed over Buffy's expression. "I was so scared that I wouldn't find you."

Drawn to her lips again, he placed a chaste kiss there, chaste but long and heartfelt. "You can't imagine how bad I wanted to be found. I dreamed of this since leaving you. This is a dream come true."

"Well, you were found and are going to stay that way, bleach head." Buffy didn't realize how proprietary she sounded, but Spike did. Her wanting him that way made him feel...intimately involved in her life, a pretty sweet feeling. But he also felt cold brought on by fear of losing her now. "You were lucky that you weren't attacked again by some story book blighter."

"I guess they didn't like this crowded square. Besides, you weren't there to help me." She squeezed him a little tighter. Before, she hadn't realized how much she wanted him with her in a fight. Use to be that she didn't think she needed help. She appreciated it when the Scoobies pitched in, but sometimes help just got in the way. But that category didn't include Spike. He was different. He watched her back, fought as well as she did and even helped her improve her fighting skills by making her try harder to stay up with him. He was different in so many different ways.

Letting go of her face, he rubbed his cheek against hers and whispered in her ear. "I've got your back now."

That was exactly what she wanted to hear. "Keep it that way, mister."

Pulling back, he captured her lips again, first licking her lips until she opened them and allowed his tongue to slide in. With that reception, he immediately gathered her up closer in his arms as the kiss deepened. They tasted each other's tongues greedily while they reassured themselves that they were once again in each other's arms.

*****

After steaming up the subway to the point that they embarrassed the passengers around them, they never made it past the public area of their suite. Both were desperate for the other but, on the other hand, both had a need to take their time, enjoying being together again, savoring every moment like a stupendous feast.

First off, by way of Spike's thinking, Buffy had on way too many clothes. "Let's start with the top and work my way down." Under his experienced hands, her shirt and bra floated to the ground. Then those same hands cupped her breasts, squeezing just enough to make her breath catch. A light tweak of her nipples snapped her eyes open so he could see into her eyes. Spike knew that she was looking back at him, a soulless vampire, not the poof of a grandsire or the pansy soldier boy. She wanted to be with Spike.

And Spike was right. Buffy's thoughts were far from anyone but him. Those hands on her body were all Spike, the vampire who was the only one, human or demon, that could make her feel this way. Just his hands taking off her clothes started her on her way to climax. Then one of his hands was replaced by his mouth, sucking her nipple into his mouth and lightly biting down brought her out of her daze.

Spike straightened back up. Hazel eyes looked deeply into blue, and her gaze told him all he needed to know. She was with him, her enemy, keeping eye contact until she had to tilt her head to kiss him. Spike kissed Buffy deeply, his tongue naturally mating with her own, enjoying the taste of each other.

Spike's kiss was all consuming, and Buffy wanted to be consumed. In her opinion, he had been away far too long. She craved the feel of his skin. Breaking their kiss only long enough for her to push his coat off his shoulders and pull his shirt over his head, she took a deep breath. Ah, even the smell of leather, his scent brought waves of lust rolling through her body. Then she returned his tweaks by nipping on his neck with her teeth. At his sharp intake of breath, she laughed. Silly vampire, not actually like he needed to breathe. As his hand weaved into her hair, Buffy grasped one nipple in her mouth then licked and sucked on his other. All the while, she was deftly unbuckling his belt and relinquishing his nipple to use both hands to pull his pants down to just above his knees. As she sank down towards his privates, his hand in her hair stopped her. She shrugged her shoulders in confusion. "Huh?"

Burning lust could easily be seen in his eyes, but he also showed some restraint. "Buffy, luv, you don't have to do that. I want to kiss you until you go crazy."

With a smile, she shook his hands off, and greedily licked her lips. "Nooo," she grasped his shaft in one small, hot hand and pumped once, "I want to," she said with a predatory smile. Then she lowered her lips, sliding down the side of his cock.

Groaning, Spike flexed and clenched his hands in her hair and let her perform her magic. Buffy worked the swollen head over, licking around, sucking, and sticking her tongue in his slit. She gloried in the groans she elicited from her vampire. Then she took him into her mouth and stroked him all the way up and down his shaft.

While he wanted to stay in heaven, the only problem for Spike was that she was going to make him come way too soon. "Oh, God, Buffy, give...uh...a bloke a break." Pulling her up by her arms, Spike raised her to her feet. He could see the question in her eyes. "I just didn't want to end the party so soon, pet."

Once she was up, Spike peeled off her pants, picked her up and gently set her on the sofa. Gazing down upon her beauty again reminded him how lucky he was to share a bed with her. Thank the Powers That Be that she had come back for him in Piccadilly Circus.

Buffy watched as Spike took his pants off. When he stood over the sofa, she felt her juices flow just looking at his generous erection. She sat up and put her hands on his shoulders. Then she slowly ran her hands down his chest, feeling his muscles on his well defined six pack. But as she reached his pubic hair, she tilted her head up, seeking a kiss.

As he lay down upon her, Buffy grasped his erection and guided him to her wet opening. She rubbed the head all over her lips and swollen clitoris. Then she got back to business. She placed his cock again at her opening, and not waiting for him, lifted her hips to lodge his head into her hot channel.

Spike groaned. What this little women did to him. He had wanted to thrust deep inside of her, but he enjoyed feeling her guide his head over her errogenous zones. Her taking charge made him even hornier. But when she let go and seated him inside of her, the dam broke. He thrust into her deep and hard, stopping for a moment to feel her heat seeping into his shaft.

He might be able to go slow, but Buffy couldn't wait. She started bucking, helping glide him in and out of her. In a moment, Spike was matching her speed and strength thrust for thrust. And the climaxes were quick to come. As if in silent agreement, Buffy and Spike opened their eyes and gazed at each other, before Buffy tilted her head to the side. Then Spike lowered his head and his fangs sank into her flesh. Fireworks went off. Spike was the first to come, but Buffy was close behind with the feel of his fangs, the rhythm of his suck, the swelling of his cock as he came and the pulsing as he shot his come into her womb speeding her to her own orgasm. Spike continued to pump, milking the experience for all it was worth. In kind, Buffy continued to thrust as her orgasm raged.

After the storm, Spike shifted them so that they were on their sides on the sofa with Buffy draped partially over him. Both were quiet, enjoying the moment. Spike wasn't sure what to say. Their coupling had been so intense, and he was still in awe that she had searched him out. They has exchanged...well, feelings. 'I care about you,' she'd told him. He hadn't known just how much he wanted to hear such a declaration from Buffy until he actually heard it. And he had told her that he cared, too, but he suspected that his feelings ran deeper than caring.

Buffy's voice cut into his reflections. She sounded content and sleepy. He smiled, thinking how he was the reason for her condition. "Spike?"

He shifted so that he could see her face. "Yes, luv."

"Except the bitey-ness, of course, our sex tonight wasn't dark, was it?"

Spike thought for long moments. Dark? She had talked about it from the beginning, but were they still on the dark side? No, not now. "No, luv, I think you are right. We've left the darkness behind and now we're..." Spike just couldn't put it in words without revealing how deep his feelings ran.

Buffy did slightly better. "Now we're in a relationship of caring."

Maybe he would expose himself too much, but he had to say, "And the biting isn't dark, just another way of...achieving union."

After thinking for a moment, she agreed that he was right. "Yes."

After both were quiet for a few moments, thoughts weighing heavy, Spike could tell that Buffy fell asleep. He soon followed with dreams starring the perky blonde in his arms.


*****

A couple of hours later, Buffy slowly woke. Pleased to find Spike's arms tight around her, Buffy cuddled up closer. Then the thought struck her. Did he want to sleep with her? She had wondered this before when she had fantasized about waking up together, but they had never done it. Even when he left her, he had said he wanted to wake up next to her. At first she thought this would be a good time to see if he would be receptive, but then she started talking herself out of it. What if he liked to sleep alone? He cared but what if he didn't want to see her face first thing in the morning? What if he didn't want to be so vulnerable to a slayer? What if...? What if...? Scaring herself away without knowing any of the facts, Buffy slipped out of his arms, picked up her clothes and quietly made her way to her bedroom. The empty bed wasn't near as enticing as the sofa in the other room cradling a sexy vampire.

He knew the second that she was awake. Not only was he attuned to her emotionally, but also physically. He had heard her pulse increase and felt all the little movements one makes when leaving slumber behind. Needless to say, he was very interested to see what she would do, and he couldn't have asked for anything better when she cuddled up to him. But then he felt her stiffen and withdraw. What had happened? She had seemed content, but then something changed. Then as he listened to her pad away and close the door behind her, Spike's heart began to break. Was this going to be how things would be when they got back to the Scoobies? He started to head to his own room but then stopped and walked to her door. She was rejecting him...no, he didn't know that. For that matter, he didn't know what in the world was on her mind, but he was going to find out.

Buffy sat up when the door to her bedroom opened. There he was, hair tousled, black jeans barely zipped up. If she had to guess, she would have first said he was mad about something. Looking closer, she saw his expression was questioning and vulnerable again.

Spike didn't know what to say. He tried simple honesty. "I missed you."

Buffy wondered if she was getting the sheets wet as she melted at his words. She had felt the same, but just hadn't been sure how he felt. "I didn't think you would want me to stay."

He took a step into the room. "You thought wrong. I missed out on the last couple of nights and don't want to miss another."

Buffy blew out a big sigh of relief. "Ditto." Quickly, she pulled back the blankets. "Do I have to give you an invite to come in?" She smiled at her vampire joke.

Quirking an eyebrow, Spike took a couple of more steps into the room. His reply was low and sexy. "If you want me to come in."

"Come in," she looked intensely into his eyes, trying to convey her sincerity, "and stay awhile."

He made it to the bed in a few more steps. As he grasped his jeans to take them off before getting between the sheets with her, he paused. He had to ask. "The rest of the night and the day?"

She could understand his insecurity, and she hoped to reassure him. Just his asking that question told her that his feelings were running along the same lines as her own. "It had better be. Night and day and night and day..." She knew that thought smacked of commitment, but she discovered that she didn't care. She did want him with her.

Spike had his pants off and joined her in nothing flat. Both were silent when they pulled back from a simple kiss. Their eyes and movements told all that needed to be told. He turned her and spooned against her back. He smiled as she practically purred. Taking a moment, he lay silently and enjoyed the little things that came with lying so close to her. The sound of her heart beat, the movement of her chest as she breathed, the smell of her hair, the feel of her hand covering his, and the best, the smell of his scent and their sex all over her. He realized that his smell on her was important. He needed her. Just that simple. His last thought as he fell asleep was that one of the Powers That Be must favor him to bless him with this opportunity. 'But don't quote me on that,' he thought with a smile, and he was off to dreams of a blonde slayer.

*****