Dear reader,

This story contains spoilers for "Something Blue - S4" through inclinations in the story line and also from the summary I am about to write. If you do not wish to know what happened in this episode, please refrain from continuing. If you do wish to know, and wish to read - please, do continue down. If you already have seen "Something Blue - S4" so many times you can say the players lines with them as they move on the screen - you may skip the following. Thank you.

Summary of "Something Blue": Willow misses Oz and does a spell that allows her to work her will on her surroundings. Saying - among other things - that if Buffy has to break up every single, friendly-bonding moment that the redhead and the Slayer has to make sure Spike stays confined - chained to the bathtub in Giles' apartment - she might as well go and marry him. Major kissage occur between the smitten Slayer and Vamp as the spell is put into reality, both completely convinced that marrying each other is the very right thing to do - no matter how much they continue to bicker. Once the spell is broken both are completely appalled with themselves, though. Well... let's see now, shall we? ;)

ATTENTION: This story contains explicit sexual content and should not be read by Spuffy haters, dislikers or general crazy people - unless the crazy can be defined as something good as in crazy for the Slayer and the Vamp pair-up etc. in continuum et vincesiscium et...c.

WARNING: Refusal to leave even a small Review will be taken EXTREMELY personal and revenge will have to be dealt out by means of Vengeance demons the world over. (The fact that I can't see how many have read this story, and thus cannot account for exactly how many reviews I should be proclaiming my rightiousness of, we shall skip.)

A/N: To In the Dead of the Night readers - WHERE ARE YOU? I just can't post a new chapter with no reviews on the two previous ones, it's WAY too depressing. And I really miss you guys and I wanna frickin' hear from you! Too much to ask? *sad*

Watch out! Spuffyness ahead!

A.M.L, Annie.







True Hearts

By Annie

2003-01-26 and beyond









Willow bent over the book before her, squinting to be able to read the fine text - tattered and worn by age and eras. It was hard to make out the last part of the spell, but she thought she just might have figured it out.

She was positioned on the floor of the guest room at the Summers home. She and Buffy had spent the weekend there and were heading back to campus the following morning.

"Yes!" she now whispered, trying to keep her eagerness down as she reached out her hand for the pen lying on the floor beside her. "This seems to be it!"

Suddenly the door to the room opened and Buffy stepped through it, her eyes widening as they took in the slowly burning candles, the book and the friend who just recently had created an awful mess by doing just this - casting spells where no spells were needed.

"Willow!" the Slayer exclaimed, disbelieving and with not a little bit of accusation in her voice. "What the hell are you doing? You PROMISED me, you swore on your hands and knees you'd keep off the magic for a while, and here you are just indulging yourself away! I can't believe this!"

"Buffy," Willow tried to calm her friend, but the latter would have none of it.

"You know, that last spell literally drove me into the arms of one of the most vile... loathsome... disgusting beings that I know of, and it didn't just leave a mark - it left an open wound in my pride and selfasteem," Buffy stated, shuddering with discomfort, but keeping a very serious expression as she added: "I really would have thought I'd be above that kinda spell. God, kissing SPIKE?! Ueagh!"

"Again and again with the SO sorry," Willow said, looking at her friend and then glancing around herself at the candles.

Quickly leaning forward and blowing them all out she then rose to her feet with a truly regretful look on her face.

"I know you're sorry," Buffy sighed, shaking her head a little. "It's just the whole thing is... uncomfortable. I wish it could've been Riley!" she then added with a small smile and Willow lit up slightly at that.

"Yeah," she nodded. "You really like him, huh?"

"Well, duh!" Buffy replied with a wider smile. "Okay, sorry about the out- burst. I'm just not all aboard with the trust-side on the magic department," she added and Willow shook her head.

"Of course! I mean, I totally understand. Hey, slap on my hand for even thinking about magic," the redhead replied before demonstratively putting one hand up and then slapping it with her other.

Buffy smiled at that, then took a step forward and hugged the other tight.

"Night, Will," she said and Willow smiled as they let go and Buffy walked out of the room.

"Night," she then called after her.

Oh, I really messed up with that stupid, stupid spell, the former grumbled to herself in her head. It was so unnecissary for all that to happen! If I'd only been a little more careful and not so Oz-focused I just might 've...

Suddenly her eyes grew just a little and she smiled to herself.

She had just gotten the best idea on how to make it up to the Slayer.

Riley. Of course! This should be easy, Willow thought to herself as she quickly walked back to the place before the book and kneeled down in front of it. I'll just find a spell that'll help Buffy get closer to Riley! Let's see... Binding Love... no, too lucid. Friendship Ties. Eh...no. Devouring Hatred. Hey, that's written in the wrong section. Those sixteenth century witches sure weren't very organized. Oh, this is it! I know it! True Hearts: "lets two people reveal and explore their true feelings toward one another, whether it be stemmed from heart or soul, mind or body..." Sounds perfect!

And so, for the second time in eight days, the apprentice Wiccan sat down to conjure.

***

"So, anything fun happen today?" Willow asked casually the following evening and Buffy looked up from her homework as she raised her eyebrows.

"Like what? Math department burning to the ground?" she asked back and Willow put on a rather distraught expression before replying:

"That's an awful thing to say." Then she shrugged it off and smiled tentatively as she added: "No, I meant perhaps some other fire... that might be building. Between two very nice young people, maybe?"

Buffy smiled back, then shook her head before looking back down into her books.

"Nope, none of the sort. Though I had the intense pleasure of watching the Deans two pet mice have a go at it in their cage at his office," she answered and Willow frowned slightly.

"Icky," she mumbled and Buffy nodded agreeingly.

"Don't need to tell me," she stated.

"So, you didn't see Riley all day, then?" Willow asked, still keeping as low a profile as she could muster and Buffy looked up.

"Well, of course I SAW him. But nothing fire-y happened. Sorry I can't give you the dirty details," she answered teasingly and Willow smiled hesitantly.

"No... that's okay," she replied, growing thoughtful. "I guess it must be one of those that takes twenty-four hours to get into action," she added slowly and Buffy looked up again, quizzical.

"What was that?" she asked and now Willow smiled brightly, shaking her head.

"Oh, nothing," she answered. "How's the English lit. going?"

"This Shakespeare dude is bugging my ass off," Buffy answered with a sigh, then she smiled. "But I really love the way he wrote. Like 'wherefore art thou' and all that. It's pretty."

Willow smirked.

"I know exactly what you mean," she assured.

"Oh, shoot, what time is it?" Buffy asked and Willow glanced at her wrist- watch before putting on an empathic expression as she answered:

"Patrol time?"

"Ohh," Buffy grumbled, scooting off her bed and walking up to her closet to grab her jacket.

Tucking a stake at the small of her back she then smiled at Willow.

"I'll be back a.s.a.p," the Slayer said and Willow nodded to that.

Sighing Buffy walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.

***

She covered a vast area of school grounds, suburbs and cemeteries fairly quickly. She had felt funny all day and was scared she might be coming down with something. She so didn't need to get sick right now, she was already having trouble keeping up with everything at school. And then there was Riley...

Riley was fun and sweet and handsome and... Okay, she had a bit of a crush on the guy. Smiling to herself she was suddenly knocked to the ground and rolling over on her back she took the second blow from the fledgeling vampire with one foot in its groin.

It whined, grabbing the spot with both hands and then drawing an unnecissary breath as it straightened its back.

"Looky here, Slayer," it said with a grin. "It doesn't hurt anymore."

"Less talking," she answered, jumping to her feet and facing it. "And a bit more of this," she added, bringing out her stake.

"Oh, there you go. Ruining the party," the vamp stated and then smirked as eight other fiends slowly emerged from the shadows. "What do we do with bitches who don't know how to listen?" it added and another, a tall and dark-skinned vamp, licked its lips.

"Teach them," the latter answered.

"Oh, please," Buffy taunted. "I think we all already know I'll be the one who'll be teaching each and every one of you a lesson at the end of this," she added, bracing herself as she glanced around at all of them.

"Is that so?" darkskin wondered and she smiled sweetly before nodding.

"Now, who's first?" she inquired and they all looked at each other before moving forward at the same time. "Oh, okay. Guess it's lady's pick."

It didn't take her much effort to dust three of them. The fourth was a little bit tougher, but soon it was a cloud as well. She had the fifth vamp kill off the sixth right before she did away with it as well and then she faced the three still standing with a small and meaningful smile.

"Now, I TOLD you this was gonna happen," she stated.

"You kinda did, didn't you?" the first vamp, that had attacked her earlier, agreed sheepishly as he slowly began to back away. "Only we heard that you were supposed to be... weakened, or something," it added and she cocked an eyebrow.

"Where'd you hear a crazy thing like that?" she asked, not even hoping for a reply as she could see all three were about one third of a second away from turning and fleeing.

"Outside the window of a bathroom," it answered her with another smile, then it did turn and the three were soon swallowed by the shadows.

The Slayer stood too puzzled to follow for about two seconds as she processed that statement, and then her eyebrows came together hard as she turned and began to walk towards her Watcher's apartment. She knew what window that creature was referring to. And she had THOUGHT the vampire CHAINED to a BATHTUB underneath it would have the brains to keep away from any lame-ass attempts at her life while still THERE!

He won't be there for much longer, she thought to herself. He won't be ANYWHERE after I'm done with him. Or no, my mistake, he'll be EVERYWHERE - scattered for the damn wind!

Part 2:

***



She was so angry she thought her head would explode as she knocked harshly on the wooden door of the place containing the by now - in her head - already destroyed bathroom. There was no answer and she suddenly realized Giles had said he'd be out late on a field-trip to God knew where.

Well, then her secret weapon would have to suffice: the extra key Giles had given her incase there was a fire and she felt the sudden compulsive urge to save some of his belongings. Well, those - or the poor, defenseless vampire chained to the pipes in the back, perhaps.

"Oy, back so soon?" there was that infuriating voice from the bathroom, indeed. "Well, I TOLD you you'd bloody come out empty handed - that sight's been the harvest place for Burba weed for ages and I tell you, once those boys doing the digging and the weeding gets started it's sodding farewell to anything that isn't what they need."

She clenched her jaws together as she grabbed her stake and walked through the living room and up to the bathroom door.

"Awfully quiet there tonight, mate. Usually you've told me to please, be quiet at least a dozen times by now. Ah, guess the little trip got you into a bad state of mind, eh? Well, sod it if I care. All the better for me, you won't gag me then. Eh? I can sing all night and..."

At this point Buffy had turned the knob of the door and now she pushed it open as she stepped inside, stake raised in one hand.

"Well, bugger me," he grumbled, staring at the weapon and the absolutely furious gaze burning in her eyes.

He swallowed hard, moving his arms and trying to break free from chains he had been struggling with for the past week and to no avail. They held him too tightly and he could barely move where he was, much less fend off an extremely pissed Slayer.

Then something dawned on him and he couldn't kill the smirk before it grew onto his lips despite the growing anxiety that this might really be it.

"So, you've had a run-in with the blokes, have you?" he asked and she swallowed hard, her eyes narrowing as she stopped by his side, glaring down at him. "Guess you did a pretty number on them, too, if you're standing here and they're not. Ah well, carpe diem and all that crap, right? Sorry, but what the hell 'd ya expect? That I'd just sit here like another nice and house-broken little PUPPY?!"

He exclaimed the last as a sudden anger started up inside of him as well. Anger and disbelief at him, HIM, sitting exposed and vulnerable before this human GIRL! His continuing existence at the tip of that peice of wood she held so tightly in one hand, in the swirl of rage that kept ripping those green eyes of hers.

"I hate you," she stated, voice low and trembling as she slowly lowered the stake.

"Yeah, well," he murmured. "I'm not too bloody fond of you either. If I had my way I never would've come back here, you know? That stupid gem! God! 'Cause of it I've been crippled out of my bleeding nature! I HATE this sodding town almost as much as I hate the sight of you as soon as I bloody move or breathe."

"You don't breathe," she remarked dryly and he cocked an eyebrow.

Then he drew a deep breath of air.

"Don't I?" he asked and she glared at him.

"If you ever try to pull a stunt like this again," she said, voice low as she leaned down to put her face before his. "I swear the last thing you'll ever see is me. Would that REALLY be your preferred way of leaving this world?"

He eyed her with such sudden hatred that she smiled, reaching up a hand and patting his cheek condescendingly.

"Poor Spikey. 'Crippled out of your nature', though?" she then asked, straightening her back again as she crossed her arms over her chest and tilted her head a little quiestioningly to the side as she added: "Wasn't killing me the only thing that occupied your thoughts for the whole entire, pathetic excuse for a time you ever spent here? Well, except the occasional set-back in worshipping your crazed ex, of course." At that he pulled at the chains and leered up at her, which merely broadened her smile as she cheekily continued: "So then, you're not REALLY crippled out of your nature, are you? No." She sunk down on her knees to rest her arms leisurly against the side of the tub as she batted her eyes innocently at him: "'Cause you're still failing as miserably as ever at trying to do just that - kill me. Face it, Spike. You're never gonna pull it off. You just love to hate me way too much. You CAN'T kill me!"

He stared at her at that, his face cut in stone and his eyes so cold it almost sent a shiver down her spine.

"And why is it that I'm not a pile of dust right now?" he shot back, raising his eyebrows as his eyes didn't leave hers for a moment. "Could it be 'cause the almighty Slayer's finally found a real enemy to fight, instead of those dreary everyday fledgelings or those surprising and often bloody horrific little monsters she seems to run into from time to time? Could it be 'cause she just likes the challenge way too much to have it just go away, as easy as the bringing down of an arm? Could it be that she's speaking for herself? You just love to hate ME way too much, SLAYER. You sodding can't kill ME."

His head had moved forward as he spoke, her jaws clenching hard together as she met his gaze and when he made his closing argument he sunk back - seemingly extremely satisfied with himself.

"You're a pig, Spike," she stated and now he smirked again.

"What does that make you?" he retorted and she gave him a look before she rose to her feet.

He furrowed his brow.

"Where you going?" he asked. "The kitchen? Get me a snack while you're at it!"

"If you for one moment think that I'm gonna do anything for you in any way," she said, turning in the doorway and facing him as she added: "you're just more of an idiot than I thought."

"Buffy, don't be like that. Just 'cause I wanna kill you doesn't mean you have to be childish and do the same thing to me - letting me STARVE to death! Or more to death... Or into a sodding living skelleton!" he called out as she simply turned and left. "I promise I'll never, ever, EVER try to talk anyone else into killing you!" he assured, adding under his breath: "Except, of course, demons and gauls and the nasties of the world. But they're not 'anyones', they're not even 'ones'. They have no soules."

"I can hear you, you moron!" she stated, sticking her head back in the room and he rolled his eyes to the ceiling.

"Bloody hell," he murmured.

"You know, you're not even the slightest shaken up about me almost making you go the big old 'poof'," she said now, coming back into the room with a mug and his eyes grew at the sight of it. "I'm just wondering why that is," she added, walking up to the side of the tub to sit on the edge of it, facing him as she held the mug teasingly close to his mouth so that he could smell the blood in it.

"Like I said," he answered, stretching his neck to look into the mug and then up at her as he finished: "What fun would it be for you to kill me like this? All chained up and... Let me have some of that."

She smiled.

"What, this?" she asked, moving the mug slightly so that the blood began to swirl in it as she looked down, then she wrinkled her nose. "You hungry?" she then wondered and his eyes grew very close to pleading as he nodded. "Aw, what should we do about it? Starve you to death IS an option," she nodded. "But what fun would it be if you were a rattling heap of bones, right? Giles wouldn't like it, I'm sure. He'd never get ANY sleep with the racket you'd make in here."

"So... one sip? One teeny, tiny...?" the vampire asked, and she smiled again.

"Alright," she nodded, reaching out the mug to him and then it "accidently" slipped out of her grip, falling into the tub by his side and the blood spilling out. "Oh! Oups," she sighed, then shrugged as she got to her feet.

Spike bit his lower lip as he struggled to get into a position in which he could somehow reach the valuable substance, but there was no use. Finally he let out a harsh growl, raising his head and meeting the amused eyes of the Slayer.

"Bitch," he scowled and her smile widened.

"That's twice one of your kind calls me that this evening, and it really breaks my heart," she stated, turning and leaving the room.

"I hate you!" he screamed and she laughed.

After a short while she came back into the room, walking up to him she said:

"I'm leaving now. Think of the blood as just my token of saying thanks for the work-out I got tonight. Fledgelings may be low on the IQ-chart, but at least they know how to defend themselves." Once more leaning down she put her head an inch from his as she added: "Guess it must be that primeval, animalistic core that runs through all of you that just comes to the surface at a time like that - fighting, I mean - and it just screams survive no matter what. Well, I just thought the smell of food might make you unable to think of anything BUT food... and that's exactly what I'd like for you. All. Night. Long."

He bit his jaws together, meeting her eyes defyingly.

Buffy looked at him with as much loathing as he did and then there was a small twitch somewhere and she held his gaze for a second before her own travelled down to his mouth. Frowning she looked back into his eyes and then she blinked.

Spike furrowed his brow. There was another feeling on her, he just couldn't pinpoint it for some reason. And she seemed just as bewildered by it as she pulled away, straightening her back and then shaking her head a little.

"I'm leaving," she now said coldly.

"I won't follow," he assured and she gave him a look to shut up and then she turned and for the third time left the room.

Spike tried to ignore the smell of the blood, but it was too strong. Glancing down he could see it staining the white porcelain of the tub and he sighed. Then his eyes caught on something else and they grew as he quickly reached out his hand and snatched it up.

Buffy closed the front door and reached into her jacket-pocket to bring her set of keys out. Only they weren't there. Frowning with a sudden rush of discomfort down her spine she opened the door again, walked through it and found herself almost running back into the bathroom.

The bathtub was empty.

He can't hurt me, she calmed herself as she looked around the room and then turned, taking a careful step out into the hall by the kitchen. He's spelled...or something, and so he can't hurt me.

"Oh, Spikey," she called. "Where'd you think you're going, huh? You can't hunt... can't kill... can't hurt anyone really. What are you gonna do? You came here to get help, right?"

"That's right," he answered, slowly emerging from the shadows to her left and she whipped her head around as she stared at him, surprised though she struggled not to show it. "I came for help and got chains and hardly any bloody food and almost starving and oh, the treat of seeing you every bloody day!"

"You're COMPLAINING?!" she exclaimed, facing him. "You get to watch 'Passions' all day long, you get us to heat your disgusting breakfast, lunch and dinner and you haven't given us any real information about anything that you said you would and we still haven't pushed you out the door into the goddamn sunlight and you're COMPLAINING?!"

"So, I complain. What are you gonna do 'bout it?" he asked and she huffed.

"I'm gonna tie you up," she retorted and he cocked an eyebrow.

"What'd the poofster say if he caught us?" he asked and she frowned uncomprehendingly, and then the penny dropped and her eyes widened slightly at that.

"You're such a..."

"Pig," he filled in. "Yeah, yeah. But you're NOT gonna tie me up," he added.

"Oh, really?" she asked and he nodded. "And why's that?"

"'Cause I'm gonna fight you over this," he answered simply and she cocked an eyebrow.

"Oh, really?" she repeated. "Well, make your move."

He tilted his head a little to one side and then he hit her hard over the cheek with his right fist. She let out an "ao!" where he let out a scream of pain as his hands went to his head.

Three minutes later he was bound tightly to a chair. Rope was around his wrists, binding his arms to the arms of the chair; and rope was around his ankles, binding his legs to the legs of the chair.

"Wonderful," he grumbled as Buffy took another bite on the apple she had gotten for herself, seated on the couch and facing him she had been observing him with a somewhat thoughtful expression for nearly a minute.

Her munching was however exceedingly more annoying than her eyeing of him and finally he had had enough.

"If you don't stop that damn chewing I'll jump this chair over to you and somehow find a way to bite your tongue off, understand?" he growled and she raised her eyebrows slightly, her jaws pausing for a moment and then starting up again.

"Points for vivid picturing," she remarked. "But not for the threat part. Sorry, but you're kinda not in the position to make any of that nature right now. Are you?"

He glared at her harshly and then looked away.

"So bloody humiliating," he grumbled, shaking his head. "If I wasn't... like this I'd bloody rip this place apart, as well as your precious little Gang."

"You've already tried that," she pointed out sharply. "Didn't work. And once again with the not in a threat-making kind of position here," she added.

"Why don't you ask that little Riley pal of yours to come baby-sit me sometime? I'm sure a mortal could 've bunches to learn from someone... NOT mortal," Spike continued, unbashful before the fact that the Slayer having the upper hand for the moment had just told him to back off from the subject. "I mean, from what I hear you like the bloke... Why not introduce him to your very own little nemesis, all tucked away safe at your Watcher's place, eh? What, you think he couldn't stomach it? Do you think he could ever take the fact of you being the Slayer? How were you planning on telling him, by the way?"

Buffy got to her feet, gaze shooting daggers as she walked up to him and pressed the half-eaten apple inbetween his lips.

"Don't you ever shut up?" she asked and he smiled, spitting the apple out.

"Well," he smirked. "Guess I hit the spot with that one."

Buffy stared at him, at the juice of the apple slowly sliding down from his mouth to his chin and before she knew what she was doing she had leaned forward, opened her mouth and let her tounge lap it up.

"What the bloody hell?!" Spike exclaimed, completely taken off guard by the sudden sensation of the warmth of it sliding over his cool skin and then he turned his head, his eyes in hers and his grew slightly at the sudden expression in them.

Before he had any chance at reacting her head moved forward and her lips met his. The feel of her tongue once more, as it slid out to part his lips, made him respond without thinking and the sudden need to let his own play with it became maddening. Then the kiss deepened and she moaned, her hands going up to place themselves behind his neck as she kissed him harder.

However, in the next moment she pulled away from him with an exclamation of disgusted disbelief, taking three steps back and away from him as her chest heaved with her heavy breathing; her heart racing in her chest. She stared at him and he returned it, eyes wide and wondering as well as appalled.

"What the bloody hell are you doing?!" he asked and she swallowed, shaking her head.

"Don't say...anything," she demanded and he raised his eyebrows.

"I bloody well WILL say whatever the sod I want!" he disagreed. "I'm not the one who just... What the bloody hell did you just do?! You were... you actually just..."

"Shut up," she grumbled, taking another step back. "It was just some... temporary insanity... I mean, I NEVER would WANT to...do what I just did," she added, her eyes going to his mouth again and her body slowly growing warmer at the fresh memory of the feel of it against her own.

"I'd bleeding well say so," he nodded, his blue eyes still rather round as he eyed her.

"Hey, you kissed me back!" she remarked and he cocked an eyebrow.

"Don't TELL me you're gonna act up on the matter," he retorted and she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Why don't you just stop talking? Or better yet, tell me where the hell the keys are so I can put you back in your chains and get the hell outta here?"

He smirked at that, leaning back in the chair as he answered:

"They're somewhere on me... Guess you'll just have to frisk me."

She narrowed her eyes agitatedly, clenching her hands together into fists as she felt her entire body drive her to take those few steps up to him. It was that urge that was holding her back. She'd never felt anything like it in her entire life, the growing longing spreading throughout her.

"Tell me where they are," she requested, voice low and what she hoped - threatening.

"They're in the right-hand side pocket of my jeans," he answered her with a small trace of the smirk still on his lips as he tried to move his arms meaningfully, adding: "I WOULD give them to you myself, but I seem to be a little tied up at the moment."

She glared at him, pulling out her entire stock of self-control as she slowly approached him.

Spike watched the tension in her posture, trying desperately to ignore the still lingering and absolutely intoxicating feeling of her warm skin against his cold, of her strong and forceful tongue as it battled with his and wanting to discard the still lingering desire that had rosen like a clawing panther in his chest as her hair had fallen over her shoulder to brush against his cheek.

Now she stopped in front of him, once more bending forward and reaching out her right arm to dig her hand into the pocket he had named as the keeper of her ticket out of this nightmare. Because that really was all it was...a sheer nightmare.

Feeling that it was empty she closed her eyes briefly in impatience and then raised her gaze to his, her heart skipping a beat as she realized their faces were too close for comfort. He bit his lower lip slightly and she drew a small, shaky breath - the last of her willpower leaving her as she closed her eyes and moved her head forward again.

Their lips connected and she immediately deepened the kiss as she moved to get to putting her knees up on either side of his thighs: straddling him. Wrapping her arms around his neck she pressed herself to him and he struggled to get his own arms free.

Pulling his mouth from hers she opened her eyes, looking at him with a desire that almost knocked him over - the craving of her already burning him up from the inside.

"Untie me," he demanded and she shook her head, kissing him again. But he pulled away, giving her a look as he repeated: "Untie me."

"No," she said.

They shared a long glance and then they once more joined in an equally long kiss. He broke it once more, holding her eyes with his as he now murmured:

"Untie me, Slayer... I want to touch you."

At that she kissed him hard on the mouth and then slid down onto the floor, reaching up her hands to do as he asked, working on the peice of rope tying up his right wrist. When it loosened he moved his hand and grabbed a hold on the back of her head by means of a fist full of blonde locks. She let out a low "ah" and then looked up at him as he pulled her to him again.

Her whole body was throbbing now and as she once more straddled him, their lips locking harshly together and their tongues playing games with the other, her heat grew at the feel of his hand moving out of her hair to slide down her back. Slipping around her waist and sliding under the hem of her top it continued up her stomach before taking a hold on her left breast and she gasped.

"Spike," she moaned, opening her eyes to meet his.

His thumb slid over her hard nipple and her gaze grew dimmed with wanting before her hands slid up and held his face. She leaned forward and kissed him fervently. Her right hand slid down over his shoulder, further down his left arm to the rope still tying it. Feeling her yanking at the knot Spike began to pull his arm to him and with their combined strength the robe broke with a low snap and his left hand went into her hair as he pressed her to him.

Her mouth left his to travel down over the crook of his neck and he closed his eyes at the feeling of her lips and the tracing of her tongue over his skin. He was going crazy. Foreplay was something he was all for - but this was excrutiating.

"I want you..." she whispered, her mouth moving up to his left ear and her lips nibbling at his earlobe as she added: "I wanna feel you inside of me."

At that the absolute last sense of control over himself flew right out of him and his lips crashed against hers violently. He grabbed her as he got to his feet, forgetting that he was still tied to the chair with both legs and loosing his balance his mouth was torn from hers and he let out a cry of surprise as they tumbled to the floor. The chair tilted over with a bang and he found himself partially lying on the Slayer and partially on the floor.

Buffy suddenly giggled, a playfulness in her gaze as she met his that he had never seen in them before.

"Spikey," she sighed. "You're not gonna let that stop you... are you?"

He smirked, leaning down over her and brushing his lips against hers before he kissed her deeply once more. Her arms wrapping themselves around his neck as she let out a low groan, moving one leg to place it over his.

His hands travelled over her body and then they grabbed a hold on her shirt, with one light tear he ripped it open and she opened her eyes at the feel of her suddenly exposed breasts against the fabric of his black T. She could feel the taut and absolutely too tempting muscles underneath it and she pulled her lips away from his as her hands grabbed at it and then pulled it over his head with force.

"Get me loose," he demanded and she nodded, about to sit up to get to his ankles, only his head moved forward - stopping her - and she drew a shaking breath as his lips travelled over her right breast before parting and taking the nipple in his mouth.

Her hands flung up to grasp his head and she tilted her own back as the throbbing for him seemed to climax. Then she pulled away from him, kissing him hard once more before quickly crawling over to the chair. Ripping at the knots she got his left leg loose and he sat up just as the right one gave way as well.

"There you-..." she started, turning to him, but he threw himself over her and made her fall backwards - cutting the sentence short.

Her legs parted to give him room, bending at the knees as she put them on either side of him and their hips ground together, making them both gasp before kissing almost desperately again.

Buffy's hands glided over the muscles of his back and then over his waist as she moved them to the clasp of his belt. Beginning to shakily get it undone as his mouth slid away from hers and travelled over her throat.

"Buffy..." he grumbled, kissing the place of her jugular and resting his lips against the soft thumping of her rapid pulse.

She finally got the belt open and her fingers easily worked the button of his jeans and as it slipped free she rolled them both around before once more straddling him. He looked up at her questioningly as she rose to her feet and then she bent down, grabbing the pants' legs and tugging them off of him.

Once it was done he lay splayed before her on the floor completely naked and her eyes grew slightly as she swallowed, her eyes taking all of him in and then she wet her lips.

He was hers to have.

He got to his feet slowly, facing her and she felt like she had trouble breathing as he stepped closer to her and then he bent forward to trace her collar bone with his tongue. Once more she closed her eyes, her whole body beginning to tremble something terrible and her hands journeyed up his arms to place themselves on his shoulders.

His hands went to her waist and then they slid along the hem of her pants to the button of them. He got it open, sliding them down and sinking to his knees before her as she stepped out of them. He threw them aside - his hands now sliding up her thighs and she let out a small noise of anticipation as his fingers slid underneath the fabric of her panties. She was breathing hard by now and he looked up at her, holding her eyes before grabbing the fabric and - as easily as the shirt - ripping it apart.

He placed a kiss right below her bellybutton and then he rose to his feet, grabbing her under the arms to swirl her around and throw her onto the couch.

He was on her before she had registered the feel of the soft cushion below her back and the weight of him, the coolness of his skin against the fiercly hot of hers and the feel of him between her legs made her whole body ache for more.

His lips met hers in another devouring kiss and she wrapped her arms around his neck. And then he moved his hips forward, sliding into her and her eyes opened wide as she tore her mouth from his and drew a sharp breath. Her arms moved and her nails raked down over his shoulderblades as the orgasm the mere act of penetration had rocked her body with kept coursing through her.

"Oh," she gasped as he started moving inside of her and she wrapped her legs around his waist as the wave of pleasure refused to seize.

Spike struggled hard to keep from quivering at the inclination that holding her in his arms, that feeling her wanting him, that being deep within her was something he could crave as much as he was doing it right that very moment. It was as though he was flying in space and nothing else seemed to matter even the slightest anymore, except that feeling of floating; of this freedom which had him in utter bondage to the feel of her.

She was moaning beneath him as their bodies moved together and he swallowed as he looked down at her closed eyes, at the small wrinkle between her eyebrows, at her lips slightly parted as she kept breathing hard. He leaned his head down and kissed her deeply. She responded immidiately as she arched her back; her hands sliding into his hair.

The feeling inside of him was scaring the hell out of him and he pulled his mouth away, shaking his head.

"This is...wrong," he murmured and she looked up at him, eyes glazed with the feeling still raging through her and she drew a sharp breath before she mumbled:

"Later."

"Slayer..." he grumbled and she pushed his head down, smothering his voice with her tongue.

Taking his mouth from hers he groaned. He was close and the sensation was ripping him apart. He had never felt anything like it throughout his long existence and he almost whimpered when he peaked the mountain, his head sinking down and resting against the side of her throat as they slowed down their movements.

"I hate you," he stated, voice weak and Buffy licked her lips - her body still in tremors.

"Not even close to...how much I...hate you," she mumbled.

He brushed his lips against the soft skin of her throat and then raised his head to look down at her. She met his gaze with one beginning to grow close to the stern one she seemed to always adopt around him. He suddenly smirked. Her eyes almost bore a hint of warning at the sight of it and then she squirmed under him and the motion made him grow hard once more, still inside of her.

Her eyes widened and the warning had to submit to the one of need.

"This is..." she began, but he filled in the last word for her as he said:

"Wrong," and then leaned forward, kissing her harshly and a low moan rose out of her throat as she wrapped her arms around his neck again, tightly.

***

Four and a half hours later Buffy secured the last of the locks on the heavy chains confiding him to the bathtub and then she straightened her back, looking down at him with as much incredulous disbelief as he was eyeing her with.

"Not a bloody word," he grumbled, turning his head away.

"You think I'm gonna run to Willow and tell her about the hours of mindless sharing of bodily fluids I just spent with the vampire I loathe? 'Mindless' being the VERY opporative word in that sentence," she shot, crossing her arms over her chest with her eyebrows rising quizzically and he glared back up at her at that.

"I meant now, here, to me. And now that's all shot to hell, thank you very much," he muttered and she shook her head at him.

"I can't BELIEVE I even let you touch me! I'm so disgusted with myself right now I can't even..." she trailed off, shuddering with discomfort as she observed him. "I feel all... dirty," she grumbled and at that he cocked an eyebrow before his eyes got a dangerous gleam in them as he slowly suggested:

"You can always wash off," and then glanced meaningfully above him at the shower head. "I'd be happy to h-... Bloody hell! What the bugger 's wrong with me?!" he growled, once more shooting her a killing look and she bit her jaws together before she reached for her jacket, slung over the side of the tub.

One button had been left in the middle of her shirt as the rest had been torn from the fabric and she was grateful for that. Though she made sure to zip the jacket up thouroughly before she gave him a look.

"We NEVER mention this again," she stated and he raised his eyebrows.

"You think I'm gonna run tell all my little vamp mates that I did the Slayer?" he asked, mimicking her previous choice of words, and then he got a thoughtful look on his face before adding: "Actually..."

She moved up to him, leaning over him as she said:

"Spike, if you tell anyone - ANYONE - about what happened tonight, I SWEAR to you: I will kill you."

He tilted his head a little to one side as he grew deadly serious, then he gave a small nod.

"Right," he replied before he moved his head forward, his lips meeting hers and she met his kiss as her hands went up to press his mouth harder to hers.

"Spike," she mumbled, lips still to his. "I've gotta go..."

"Mhm," he mumbled, deepening the kiss again and she relished in the feel of his tongue.

"No," she murmured, still not able to resist moving her mouth and biting his lower lip, the low moan from him turning her right back on and it made her get a hold on herself as she pulled away from him. "I REALLY have to go," she added, not looking at him she turned away and walked up to the door.

"Buffy," he said and she stopped in the doorway, refusing to turn around. "'Night," he added and she closed her eyes briefly before nodding a little.

"Good night," she agreed, walking out of the room and up to the front door.

Just as she reached for the knob the rattle of a key chain made her freeze and then she grabbed the knob, turned it and met Giles' surprised gaze.

"Buffy, good heavens!" he said. "For a moment I thought Spike had managed to tear himself free. I'm happy to see I was wrong," he added, stepping in through the door as she nodded rather twitchily.

Turning her head her eyes grew slightly as she suddenly was painfully aware of just how messed up Giles' living room was. The couch was tilted over, the chair Spike had been tied to was also still on the floor, the coffeetable was moved from its original position to stand to the Slayer's left and the carpet was in more of a heap than anything else.

"Oh, dear Lord," the Watcher now breathed, dropping his duffle bag to the floor as he stared at the scene. "What happened? Was there bad... men?"

Buffy swallowed, meeting his gaze, then she nodded.

"Well... There was just ONE...man," she then answered, voice wavering. "But he is VERY bad," she then added, her eyes widening just a bit before she quickly corrected herself by saying: "I mean, he WAS very bad."

"Oh, goodness," Giles grumbled. "Well, did he get what he came for or did you manage to stop him?" he asked and the Slayer's gaze drifted to the floor for a moment before she answered:

"Well, I tried to... but he was really...strong."

Giles nodded.

"I can see that," he said, observing her. "Looks like he roughed you up."

Her cheeks grew a few degrees warmer at that and then she nodded slowly.

"So... let's see what he took, shall we?" Giles now suggested and Buffy watched him walk over to one of his bookshelves.

She tried desperately to come up with a good explanation for the lack of anything missing.

"I scared him off," she finally blurted out. "He-he ran away. That way," she then added, pointing to the hall leading to the bathroom and bedroom and Giles raised his eyebrows. "I don't think he was expecting...company," she added silently and Giles looked at her with a rather searching expression for a moment before he said:

"Good. That's very good. Whatever it was that he wanted it couldn't possibly have been anything in here... He must have simply mistaken this apartment for another."

Buffy nodded.

"Yep. Yep, yep." She hesitated and then she smiled before adding: "I really need to get home. School and all... But, I'll see you tomorrow. Or - today, I guess. Bye."

And with that she swiftly left.

Giles frowned before getting himself moving to the bathroom doorway. The vampire seemed to be sleeping easily enough. Or heavily enough, when it came to this particular vamp. Giles shrugged to himself and walked back into the living room to start the clean-up.

Spike opened his eyes, looking at the now empty doorway before closing them again and picturing Buffy's dazed expression as he made her feel the same things as she made him feel, those incredible sensations never even brushed up against before.

Then he pushed that away. This was -after all - the most hated being ever to cross his path. And he hated her so much. He really did. He hated her so much it scorched his chest.

For leaving.

Part 3:

***



Buffy woke with a body feeling like it had been used for a punching bag. Not an unfamiliar feeling - sometimes her Slayer healing truly was put to the test - but this time it was very different. This time every small movement sending a wave of ache through her limbs made her think of why that was, made her think of who had put the feeling there. Or WHAT. What had put it there. After all, there was no 'whom' in any context even remotely related to the vampire.

He was evil. He was soulless. He was...

And I let him...touch me, she thought to herself - baffled and self- conscious as she crawled out of bed. I let him...

At the memory of the ecstacy he had planted within her, however, the Slayer shut every last thought of him off. The heat billowing through her like smoke from a fire and she had to sit back down on the bed as her legs went weak with the suddeness of it.

Oh, God, she now groaned in her head. What's wrong with me? Why do I want... No. Won't even think it. Good. Clothes good. Get dressed and ready for class. Good, good.

She got herself prepared quickly and was about to open the door of hers and Willow's shared dorm room when someone beat her to it and the latter stepped through it with a smile.

"Hey," she said.

"Hi," Buffy replied, smiling back.

"Did you talk to Giles?" Willow wondered and Buffy's eyes grew slightly before she stuttered:

"G-Giles? No. No, hasn't been to his apartment in...oh, I dunno. A long time now, I think. I mean, I talked to Giles last night, but that's a whole eternity ago. Completely different...time-zone even. Or time-frame? Well, something. What time is it now, by the way?"

Willow gave her an odd look and then she nodded toward the clock on the bed- side table.

"Almost three," she answered and at that Buffy stared at her.

"Three o'clock?" she then asked and Willow nodded. "In the morning?"

Willow frowned slightly.

"No," she then answered slowly. "In the afternoon. You don't look sick at all, that's a plus," she then added and Buffy looked uncomprehending. "Well, I tried to wake you earlier, but you didn't even respond to my cackling like a chicken and jumping on the bed," Willow explained, Buffy smiling slightly. "So I just figured you weren't feeling well and thought I'd check in on you at lunch break. Only I got a bit... preoccupied and I remembered how the Slayer thingy helps you heal so I thought it probably wasn't anything serious and that you'd be fine without my eagle eye watching you...And you are! Phew. Thank God."

Buffy smiled wider, then she grew serious.

She really hadn't heard a peep. She had slept the day away. This was no good in a whole variety of different shades and angles.

"I guess I was just..." she mumbled, trailing off and Willow raised her eyebrows.

"Exhausted?" she tried and Buffy nodded a little. "Yeah, Giles told me about the rough and rumble you had going last night," she then added and Buffy looked up at her, eyes growing wide.

"What?" she asked and Willow nodded.

"Yeah, he told me all about it. Good thing that guy or whatever he was didn't do anything else than drain your energy supply," she stated and Buffy swallowed before she laughed nervously.

"Yeah, good, good thing," she then agreed. "And...why did you ask if I had spoken to Giles when you walked through the door?"

"Oh, he wanted us to come over later. Just to do a thourough check of the facts so that guy didn't actually WANT something from the apartment. He could be coming back, and if that's so we need to prevent it," Willow answered matter-of-factly.

"But he won't!" Buffy declared, toning it down as she quickly added: "I mean, he'd already looked through stuff and it seemed that whatever it was he wanted he couldn't find it. He was really agressive about it too," the Slayer finished and Willow smiled.

"Well, Giles wants to talk to us in any case. It won't take long," she promised. "Got any plans?" she then added and Buffy raised her eyebrows wondering. "Since you don't seem too eager at spending time away from campus, I mean," the redhead elaborated, Buffy neglecting to notice the touch of hope in her friends voice.

The former simply shook her head.

"No, no plans... just..." she looked around the room for an excuse, noticing the book for poetry class she hurriedly finsihed: "poetry homework."

Willow smiled widely.

"Since when do you care more about homework than..."

There was a knock on the door and Anya poked her head inside.

"Hi, ladies," she said. "I wanted to come by and take in some of the charms of living together in twosomes in cluttered little rooms such as this," she added, stepping in through the door and looking around. "It is lovely, in a bohemic, can't-move-or-breathe sorta way," she finished. "Oh, I come from Giles, he needs help."

Buffy narrowed her eyes.

"With what?"

"Buffy!" Willow said, grabbing her jacket and putting it on she added: "What's with you. Let's go."

Buffy grumbled something incoherent as she pulled her own jacket on and followed the other two out through the door.

If Spike is stirring up trouble he is SO already a pile of dust that he's been swept up and tossed out with the other trash, she muttered to herself in her head as the three headed toward the Watcher's apartment.

***

"Oh, you're here!" Giles said, relieved, as they trotted through the front door.

"Imagine that," Buffy replied and he smiled. "What's the biggie? If you need me to take care of Spike - make him go away - I'm more than eager," she then added, bringing out a stake and heading for the bathroom.

"No need for that," Giles stopped her. "Although I do need you to talk to him. He won't give me any information about what happened last night and says that he'll only speak with you about the ordeal."

"'Ordeal'?" Buffy asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"That was one of the many words he used, yes," the Watcher confirmed and the Slayer rolled her eyes.

"Drama king," she grumbled.

"What was that?" Willow asked and Buffy smiled dismissively.

"Oh, nothing," she answered. "Just... muttering over the stupid vampire. A Big Bad that's complaining over someone who hardly even touched him," she then added, the last sentence a bit louder - though she knew perfectly well he could hear her if she so whispered. "Pathetic."

"You come in 'ere, Summers, and de-bloody-chain me and we'll see who's screaming pathetic!" he growled and she huffed, shaking her head.

"Wonderful. It's awake," she sighed and Willow couldn't hold back an empathic smile. "I'll go grumble along with him for a few minutes - it's hard speaking cave-man, but under the circumstances..." she added, still holding the stake in her right hand as she walked up to the bathroom door.

None of the others could see her moment of hesitation - nor did they detect the growing tension on her as she put her hand on the knob. Pushing the door open she arranged her features as coolly as she possibly could get them and then stepped through it.

His blue eyes met her green ones and she closed the door behind her back, fighting to keep her heart-rate from increasing. She was nervous. She was NEVER nervous around this creature. But she had a very sneaking suspicion that if anything, he surely would use her show of utter weakness last night in some way to his advantage. She didn't have to wait long as a smirk grew onto his lips, the cockiness in his posture making her almost want to wince.

She was a fool! How the hell could things have gotten so out of hand?! Looking at him now she saw... nothing that she... No, nothing that she could possibly want ever again. No. Never, ever, ever.

"I don't wanna compliment you in any way," he now declared, a trace of mock in his voice that made her feel anger slowly start to fill her chest, as well as the growing disgust which had been lingering ever since she left the apartment the night prior. "But," he now continued, "I'd have to say you did a lot of the touching last night."

She cocked an eyebrow impatiently.

"Well, just that out there you said 'complaining over someone who hardly even touched him', or ME, that is... Just thought that was a funny way of putting it," he elaborated and she glared at him.

"If I could make ANY one thing undone..." she murmured and he smirked.

"Really? You'd make what we shared last night just disappear?" he asked and she bit her jaws together.

"First of all: there is and there never WILL be a 'we'," she stated, tone of voice icy. "Secondly: you and I didn't 'share' anything last night. The only thing you and I will ever share is seething hatred."

"You willing to bet on that, love?" he shot and she narrowed her eyes threateningly.

"Don't ever call me that again," she warned and he cocked an eyebrow.

"I'm just saying - you seem a bit too sodding eager to forget about what happened between u-... I mean, 'you and I'," he now said and she looked away from him, the aggravation growing. "I think it means you want more... And it's true: I bloody hate you as much as you hate me, but it seems like it's kindled a fire, Slayer. Why not stay warm by it as long as we can?"

"Shut up," she grumbled.

"I'm right, then?" he wondered and she turned her head to look back at him, then she shook her head. "So," he now added, tilting his head slightly to one side and eyeing her in a way that made her stomach suddenly twirl with anticipation and she swallowed hard at the feeling as she was unable to look away from his eyes. Then he finished: "You don't want me?"

She took a step back, her face growing into a mask of stone as he could see the self-control pour into her.

"No," she answered and now he smiled.

"Wanna come over here and tell it to my face?" he asked and she blinked, her way wavering for a moment before she switched topics as she asked back:

"What the hell is this about you talking to Giles about... the guy that 'was in here' last night?"

"Well, I thought it was a buggering brilliant cover-up, couldn't keep my greedy little paws off sharing a peice of the glory," he answered and she rolled her eyes at him.

"You must be the most annoying..." she trailed off, too irritated to look at him anymore she turned and walked up to the sink to study herself in the mirror. "Just stop acting like you have something to tell, otherwise... God, I hate lying to the people who trust me the most," she murmured, then spun around as she added: "And it's all YOUR fault."

"MY fault?!" he asked, offended. "That's bloody rich! What'd I do? YOU made the lie, I just spun further on it..."

"Well, last night shouldn't 've happened in the first place," she said and he nodded.

"You're right," he agreed. "It shouldn't 've. But if you're trying to pin it to me I have a bloody air-tight defense - YOU decided to kiss ME, Slayer. Not the other way around."

Her posture grew rigid, and then she said:

"I only came in here to tell you that I meant what I said - you tell, you die."

He observed her for a moment before he nodded again.

"I know you meant it," he replied. "It's not like I can sodding run around shouting it from the rooftops anyways," he added and she sighed.

"Lucky me," she muttered.

"Tell Giles I want my lunch. It's an hour late," he now said with a nod to the door and she gave him a look before she walked up to it and stuck her head outside.

"Giles, Spike would appreciate it if he could get some of that appalling stuff he likes to referr to as 'food'," she called and Giles got up from the couch.

"Did he actually phrase it in that manner?" he asked as he walked past Buffy into the kitchen.

"No," she answered dryly and he nodded.

"Of course," he said and she smiled a little, pulling back into the bathroom to face the vampire.

They eyed each other in silence for two long minutes and then Giles came with the mug filled with heated blood.

"Here," he said, handing it to Buffy who took it and then tried to hand it back to him as she asked:

"Why do I always have to do this?"

"Because I have him living here, perhaps?" Giles retorted, turning and walking back into the living room.

"You know," she said, walking up to the edge of the bathtub and sitting down, "this is one of the ickiest things I've ever had to do - for anyone or anything. Just so you're aware," she finished and he looked up at her as he bent forward to take the straw between his lips.

"Wanna bend down and offer a bloke a real drink? Might be less icky, though a bit more painful," he replied and she gave him a look; he smirked, drawing some of the blood into his mouth before he added meaningfully: "Painful, but in a good way."

"Don't talk while you eat. PLEASE," she shot and then turned her head away, shuddering.

He finished his "lunch" quickly and she rose to her feet, walking over to the sink to put the mug down.

"Are we done here?" she asked, glancing back at him and he raised his eyebrows, quizzically. "With the discussion," she elaborated meaningfully and he shrugged.

"Was it EVER a discussion, pet? You coming in here telling me that if I breathe a word I won't be doing the hoochy-coochy in a long, long time?" he shot and to her detriment she felt the need to grin widely at his choice of words.

Swallowing and keeping a straight face she merely gave him a look and walked up to the door.

"Glad we're on the same page," she merely replied and he smirked.

"Give me an hour and I'll prove to you exactly how sodding 'on the same page' we are," he called after her as she stepped outside and closed the door behind her.

"Any luck?" Giles asked, looking up from the book he was reading and Willow turned around where she was sitting on the couch with a hopeful and positive expression.

"Couldn't call it that, no," Buffy sighed and Willow's face grew disappointed. "Where's Anya?" she added, walking into the room to sit beside Willow on the couch.

"She went to watch Xander round up his shift," the latter answered with a shrug.

Buffy smiled slightly.

"He wouldn't tell you anything at all?" Giles asked, sounding rather surprised. "He specifically told me that he would," he added and Buffy smiled again, this time it was stale.

"He just wanted to torment me with his... evilness. He didn't really see anything. I mean, the burglar-person kinda mostly just ran past the bathroom anyways... So," she then said and now Giles raised his eyebrows.

"And you knew this?" he wondered.

"Well...yeah..." she answered hesitantly, not really liking where this seemed to be going - having a feeling she just had a serious slip-up.

"So, why did you go in there to interrogate him?" the Watcher inquired and Buffy beat back the small wave of panic before she shrugged.

"'Cause you never really KNOW when it comes to Spike, you know?" she replied and Giles shook his head. "You don't? Well... I guess I should go back in there for just a second and see if I might be able to squeeze something out of him after all. I mean, I walked in on the burglar-guy so perhaps he did something to Spike BEFORE I got here," she added as she stood and headed to the bathroom door once more. "Be JUST a sec," she finished, opening the door and stepping through it.

Closing it she drew a breath and then shook her head at herself.

This whole situation was derailing dangerously. She disliked every single aspect of...

Turning around she rested her eyes in his and she felt the sudden jolt of craving shoot through her as he silently observed her.

"I'm curious," he said - voice low, smoothe, and a shiver travelled up her spine at the sound of it - then he added: "What part, exactly, were you going to squeeze first?"

"Behave," she warned, voice close to cracking and her knees were slowly growing weaker as her body reminisced what his body had done to her the night before.

"Can't stay away though, can you?" he asked, expression so self-assured it made a wave of something close to fury travel through her as his eyes slid over her figure.

"Shut the hell up," she grumbled.

"Make me," he challenged and her breathing was becoming unsteady as the need began to take control over her.

"Something's wrong," she now said slowly. "This... This isn't us."

"You must mean 'you and I'," he quipped and she gave him a dark look before she took a step forward, stopping herself and shaking her head a little.

"You know what I mean," she replied. "What's happening between me and you is crazy."

"It's bloody sick, is what it is," he agreed and she moved forward one step at a time without thinking as she met his gaze and held it, saying:

"So why can't I stop myself?"

"Why can't I push you away?" he asked back, looking up at her as she stopped by the edge of the bathtub.

"Why do I want you so bad I can taste it?" she mumbled, sinking to her knees.

"'Taste'...it?" he wondered, licking his lips suggestively and she frowned slightly before reaching out her hands and grabbing the back of his head, pulling him forward as she moved her head to meet his mouth with her own.

His tongue proded it hungrily and she met his with hers eagerly, suppressing a moan as she put her arms around him to pull herself closer. Getting to her feet she moved her left leg over the edge and then sunk down on its knee before getting her right leg over the edge as well, straddling him. Their kissing grew even more passionate and her hands travelled down over his chest, pulling at his T-shirt to get to the skin beneath the fabric.

Spike didn't understand why he had missed the feel of her so much it had almost physically hurt him during the hours she had been away from him. All he knew was that now he felt... complete? What the bloody...?!

"Slayer!" he gasped, pulling his mouth from hers and shaking his head.

She opened her eyes to rest them in his, the look in them crumbling any attempt he had had at putting up some sort of defense.

"Sod it," he murmured, moving his head forward again to kiss her deeply once more.

Her hands had found their way underneath the T and were gliding over his chest, making him breathe hard tough he didn't need to; making him throb with pleasure.

Buffy heard the knob of the door turn the second before the door was pushed open and she pulled her head a way, taring her hands out from under the T and making her right hand into a fist before hitting the vampire hard over the chin. His head bopped to the side and he exclaimed a surprised:

"Ao! Bloody hell!"

Giles stopped in the doorway, staring at the two.

Buffy didn't turn her head to him as she grabbed Spike by the T and pulled him up slightly, looking him dead in the eye as she demanded:

"You gonna tell, or do I have to REALLY hurt you?"

She could sense the small smirk on his lips more than she could see it as he met her gaze and then he replied:

"You think you can break me...Slayer?"

She bit her lower lip, swallowing and he could feel her blood pumping through her veins. He suddenly pulled his arms, chained together at the wrists, to him and made her sit directly on his hands. Moving his thumbs slightly he saw her eyes grow as she drew a small breath.

"Giles," she said, still keeping eyecontact with the vamp.

"Yes?" Giles answered.

"You really should leave," she added. "I don't think you wanna see this."

Giles nodded.

"Of course... Just don't...kill him," he added before grabbing the door and pulling it closed as he stepped outside again.

"Oh, I'll try not to," she murmured, moving her hips slightly and once more drawing a small breath as he responded by pressing his hands upward.

She closed her eyes, leaning forward and sliding her lips against his before letting her tongue trace the upper one. He let out a low groan, closing his eyes as well and then moving his head forward to kiss her hard. She placed her hands on either side of his face, clinging to him as his fingers kept teasing her with just enough preassure that she had to help by moving her hips as well, the rythm growing faster and she tried to keep down her moans as she was growing closer with every motion.

When she reached climax she wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing herself to him and kissing him even deeper as she didn't want to give voice to the heat wave coursing through her.

When she finally ended the kiss, pulling away from him and meeting his gaze he smiled slightly at the flush covering her cheeks and the look of deep satisfaction in her eyes.

"Damn it," she mumbled, and his smile widened. "I have to get outta here," she whined, rising to her feet and stepping out of the tub on shaky legs.

Her heart was still beating hard in her chest and the aftermath of the pleasure was still throbbing in her loins. She looked at herself in the mirror and froze. She actually LOOKED like someone who just had had... a degrating and absolutely horrible experience!

She almost smiled at that, turning back to him.

"You didn't squeeze any part at all," he remarked with a disappointed expression before moving his chin a little, adding: "'Xept in a not so wonderful way."

"Call it my kinda torture," she said, something close to tease in her voice that neither one of them recognized and he raised his eyebrows as she grew self-conscious. "I mean..." she began, trailing off as he suddenly smirked.

"I'd call that MY kinda torture," he replied and she almost smiled back, shaking her head to get rid of it she turned from him. "You'll be back?" he asked and at the sound of something she could have labelled anxious hopefulness she turned back to him. "I mean," he said, "you WILL be back."

She shook her head.

"I can't do this," she stated and he looked up at her with a small smile.

"You already are," he retorted and she rested her eyes in his before turning and walking up to the door, leaving the room without another word.

***

"Well?" Giles asked and Buffy met his gaze as she stopped before him, crossing her arms over her chest and trying to look serious and thoughtful as she answered:

"I think we should get him out of here."

"Oh, praise the Lord," Giles sighed and Buffy smiled a little. "But, why?"

"I think he has something to do with what happened last night. I need to make him understand that I mean business and right now - he ain't understanding... Question is where we should put him..."

Giles seemed to come up with a blank and Buffy said slowly:

"I was thinking we could bring him up to the mansion. I mean, stuff's still there from... when others lived. And he'll feel all home-y, getting back to the setting of the reunite of three members of the Scourge." Giles nodded, looking heistant and so Buffy added: "It's not a place of comfort, I was being sarcastic. Drusilla betrayed him up there, remember? He doesn't exactly love it."

Giles nodded now and Willow sat up from her lying down position on the couch to look up at the still standing Buffy.

"We're just gonna leave him up there? Like - chained to the wall, or something?" she asked and Buffy tilted her head to one side, then she sighed heavily.

"No," she answered.

"But, then what?" Willow inquired, bewildered, and Buffy answered:

"Well, we need to get the information out of him... I think I know a way. I'll have to stay up there with him for a few days, but I'm sure a round- o'clock-friendly-bonding session with someone he can't stand will draw the truth out of him even faster than...anything else."

Willow's eyes grew at that, then she nodded.

"Are you sure about this?" Giles wondered silently. "I can hardly tolerate him, but you two look like you would kill each other at any given moment if the circumstances were right... Are you certain it is a good decision to lock yourself up with him - bind yourself to him - for days at end?"

Buffy smiled.

"Thanks for being all Watcher-y," she replied. "But I think I know what I'm doing."

He was silent for a short while, reflecting, and then he nodded.

"If you're sure," he said.

"I am," she answered.

Though I'm not sure exactly of what I THINK I'm doing, she grumbled in her head.

It was out of her hands now. And a part of her was jubilant over it. Another part was simply terrified.

Part 4:

***



"Not so bloody tight," Spike grumbled as Buffy fastened the chain around his wrist, linking him to one of the thick stone walls inside the great hall of the mansion.

"Complain and I'll make sure to get them tighter," she replied and he smirked.

"You really do like to be in control, don't you?" he more stated than asked and she gave him a warning look before rising to her feet, meeting the gazes of Giles and Willow.

"So, you'll call if there's anything you need," Giles said and Buffy nodded.

"Of course. And I'll be sure to call in sick at school or whatever," she then assured with a glance at Willow, who smiled. "I'll see you guys in two days, okay? And don't worry, by then," she added, turning her head to Spike, "I'll have gotten all I need out of him."

At that Spike cocked an eyebrow, glaring at her and she smiled sweetly before looking back at the two others.

"I'll be fine," she said. "Really. He's chained to the wall!"

Giles smiled at that.

"Yes, quite... Well, we'd better go then," he replied and Buffy nodded, walking up to them to give them both a hug.

"Bye," Willow said and then the two left.

Buffy crossed her arms over her chest, slowly turning back to the vampire who had a wide smirk grow onto his lips.

"Sneaky little..." he said and she shrugged, then she suddenly smiled, approaching him. "So... exactly what is it that you 'need' from me?" he added, leaning his head back against the wall as she stopped before him.

"An opportunity," she answered, sinking down on her knees before him and he raised his eyebrows.

"Yeah?" he wondered.

"Yeah," she confirmed, reaching out a hand and letting her fingertips run along the hard iron binding his right wrist before brushing them up his arm and he bit his lower lip as he observed her with growing attention to every last line of her face. "To repay you," she added, eyes seductive as she moved closer to him and he stared at her.

"You're amazing," he breathed and she smiled again, their lips meeting and both deepening the kiss.

***

"Harder," she gasped, meeting his thrusts as she threw her head back.

He obeyed her immediately and she moaned, holding him tighter before putting her head up to join their lips. He was breathing hard, something she had been surprised when she noticed. He had refused to disclose the meaning of it when she asked him about it.

'It's just a response,' he had murmured and then he had changed the subject by tilting her over on her back and gliding back into her.

"Oh, God," she breathed now before repeating: "Harder."

He was growing noisy as well, tracing her arms with his hands and then locking his fingers with hers as he exploded into her at the same time as she drew a sharp breath, her legs wrapping themselves harshly around his waist as they kept rocking together in the slowly retracting combustion of pleasure.

There had been too much of that during the past twenty-four hours and thirty-five minutes that they had spent practically as one body and one mind. Too much of the pleasure. It wasn't only that it was blinding and making everything else lessen in mattering. It was that it was maddeningly close to addictive.

She kept pushing the fact that they were on very borrowed time here out of her mind. She didn't want to think it, that this was something she would HAVE to give up. Knowing all too well that of course it was. She didn't know how she would be able to, without killing him first... or herself.

No, of course she wouldn't go that far... But to stay away from him, after this...

She looked up, into his eyes, and had to catch her breath at the sudden gentleness in them as he met hers. She stared at him, her heart beat slowing down as well as the entire world. Blinking she looked into the almost unearhtly blue of them.

Of course they were unearthly. He was a vampire...

She pushed him off her brutally, sitting up and scooting off the bed as she pulled the sheet with her - wrapping it around her naked form and turning to face him. He was frowning, questioningly.

She swallowed. She had nothing to say.

Shaking her head a little she turned and walked out of the bedroom, into the larger hall where a fire was still crackling in the fire-place. Stopping in front of it she closed her eyes. She sensed him as he entered the room. He didn't need to speak and the silence enveloped them both.

Finally she opened her eyes again, looking into the fire as she silently said:

"You know this can't go on."

He didn't reply, but she could feel his gaze on her back.

"Should I cry?" he then asked and she frowned, turning partially to look at him. "Should I crawl? Should I plead? Should I care?" he added and her face grew hard as she glared at him.

"You should shut up, is what you should," she grumbled, turning back to the fire.

He was standing right behind her in the next moment, carefully wrapping his arms around her and she closed her eyes once more.

"You should definitely NOT be doing that," she sighed, resting her head back against his shoulder as he brushed his lips against the side of her throat.

"So, come tomorrow this is all over with?" he asked, lips still to her skin and she grumbled.

"Yes," she answered with no conviction what so ever and he smiled, giving the crook of her neck another peck before turning her around in his arms to face him.

She looked up at him with a small, miserable wrinkle between her eyebrows and he leaned forward to kiss her. She kissed him back, one of her hands sliding out through the gap of the sheet still wrapped around her, placing itself against his chest as she leaned into him.

They pulled apart slightly, resting their eyes in the others and Buffy put on a fake-indignant look as she asked:

"You don't even care?"

He smirked, kissing her forehead in another one of those shockingly tender gestures and she closed her eyes briefly before meeting his again when he pulled back.

"Do YOU?" he asked back and she hesitated, then she smiled dismissively before kissing him, the sheet falling to the floor and she wrapped her arms around his neck as he lifted her off her feet, making her put her legs around his waist before he swivelled them around and he pushed her up against the wall.

She pulled her face away, looking at him once more as he slowly penetrated her and she swallowed, breathing shakily before leaning her head back and closing her eyes.

He kissed her collarbone, kissed her breasts and her hands buried themselves in his blonde locks as he took her places she never even would have dreamed could exist.

***

The gray light of dawn was creeping in through the double door entrance of the mansion twelve hours later. Buffy rolled off of Spike with a contented sigh, moving her head to place it on his chest and his right arm went around her shoulders to hold her to him. She let her right arm place itself on his chest and she started making small circles with her index finger over his skin as she closed her eyes.

"Don't fall asleep on me," he muttered, his eyes closed as well and Buffy smiled a little, moving her head to look up at him.

"Spike," she said and he nodded, not looking back at her. "Something's different." Now he did open his eyes, turning his head to be able to meet her gaze, growing wondering. "Can't you feel it?" she asked, her hand sliding over his stomach and down south, her fingers brushing through the curls and her hand closing around his already growing erection.

He closed his eyes, licking his lips and then nodding slowly.

"I think I can...feel it," he mumbled, drawing an unsteady breath as she moved her hand slightly and then opening his eyes again as she pulled herself up and straddled him.

Directing him into her she closed her eyes and he let his hands slide up her tighs as she began to ride him.

"Buffy," he moaned.

She placed her hands against his chest, moving her hips faster as she craved a fast release this time. She wanted him to scream her name the way she had been screaming his.

Yes...

"Buffy," he gasped, sitting up and sliding his hands up her back as he pressed her to him, his lips kissing her hot skin and she bit her jaws together in concentration.

He bent his head back, hands moving to grip her waist and then he did scream her name.

Her arms went around his neck, holding him to her as they trembled together, kissing the side of his throat she rested her forehead against his shoulder.

Spike did the same, bending his neck and burying his face against her shoulder as he put his arms around her.

The feeling which had slowly surfaced during the past night now suddenly was voiced by him and it startled him just as much as it seemed to do her as he mumbled:

"I love you."

Her body jerked and she sat straight, meeting his gaze with a perfect mirroring of his own shocked emotion plastered over her face. Then she furrowed her brow disbelievingly before she asked slowly, voice lowered:

"What did you just say?"

He swallowed.

The shock was subsiding and the truth of what he had just stated was washing over him as he looked at her. How the HELL could it be true?! Only...it really was.

"What did you just say?!" she exclaimed, the sound echoing through the silence and his eyes grew.

He couldn't answer her.

She pulled away from him, scooting to the edge of the bed and getting to her feet. Wrapping her arms around her to sheild her bared breasts as she turned back to him, shaking her head at him. Her eyes filling with tears he had no way of telling the origion of. Anger, puzzlement, shock, disbelief, all the above...

"I love you," he finally repeated and her eyes grew as the tears spilled over.

Shock.

Definitely the dominant emotion.

"You don't LOVE me!" she protested. "How could you LOVE me?! There's nothing for you to love about me! We're... we're mortal enemies, for God's sake! A roll in the hay doesn't change that! THIS doesn't change that!" she added, throwing her arms out to the sides in a meaningful gesture to the sexual situation they were in the middle of. "You CAN'T love," she finished, voice shaking.

He blinked, moving to the edge of the bed as well as he kept his eyes in hers and she took a step back as he rose.

"And yet," he grumbled, "I know I love you... I bleeding well don't know how it happened! Or... when. But I do."

"No," she shook her head, taking another step back as he approached her.

He reached out a hand and caught one of her wrists. She tried to squirm out of his grip, but not as forcefully as she could have and when he pulled her lightly to him she took a step forward mostly on her own as she looked up at him.

"God, Spike... don't," she whimpered, though her free hand went up and placed itself on his shoulder as he leaned forward and kissed first her left and then her right cheek, wetted with her tears.

He moved his mouth to hers and kissed her. She parted her lips and they deepend the kiss as her hand that was on his shoulder slid into his hair, and his hand holding her wrist let it go before his hand slid palm to palm with hers and their fingers locked tight. His free arm went around to the small of her back, pressing her to him.

Buffy was so confused. The feelings he instored were diffuse within her, only the intense desire made itself clear...

This is Spike, Buffy, a voice rang through her head. It's Spike. Do you even remember that?

She pulled away from him, taking a step back as her eyes widened. Then she turned and fled, into the great hall and toward the doors leading to sunlight. Leading to safety.

"Buffy!" he called after her and just as she was about to take the step outside his hand grabbed her arm and pulled her back into the shadows.

"Something's different," he whispered gently as he pressed her into the heavy velvet of one of the drapes hanging by the windows. "Can't you feel it?"

She shook her head no.

A sudden flash of what seemed like a collection of memories she had not yet collected came into her head. She saw him sitting bloodied and beaten on a stone casket in a crypt, she saw him fighting off demons to save her life, she saw him comforting her over something she didn't understand, she saw a bright light in his eyes and then she saw him stand before her and yes, something was very different.

No, none of these memories made sense. The only thing that did was the feeling suddenly filling her at the subsiding of them.

His lips met hers again and she wrapped her arms around him, kissing him deeply, desperately clinging to him.

"Spike," she said, pulling her mouth away from his as she looked up at him and he smiled suddenly, lifting her in his arms. "Spike," she repeated, not sure if she wanted to continue with the protest she had planned and he seemed to disregard the hint of it as he shook his head.

Carrying her to the large armchair standing before the now burned down fire he placed her in it and then he held her gaze for a moment.

This new feeling tumbled within him, and right now he didn't even care how frightening it was.

She sat up and scooted forward, parting her legs to fit him between them and they kept eyecontact as he entered her. She bent her head forward and took his lower lip between her own, kissing it before letting her tongue slide into his mouth and he met it with his as he wrapped his arms around her in a hard embrace.

How had he not seen it? How had he not realized it?

And now, how was anything else ever going to matter to him?

***

Buffy eased her eyes open. She moved her head a little and as she felt his cool skin beneath her cheek the past forty-two hours came crashing into her mind and she blinked, putting her head up and turning it to look up at him. He was still sleeping.

He had said... had actually tried to make her believe that...that he... It was too far off to even think the word.

She swallowed, her heart beginning to beat a little harder in her chest and she tried to steady her breathing as she carefully started to get the arm he held around her waist away from her.

"Where you going?" he muttered and she looked back up at him.

He hadn't opened his eyes yet and she suddenly sighed in resignation.

"I have to get going," she answered simply. "I'll send Giles here later, he can move you back to his apartment on his own, I'm sure."

Now the vamp moved his head and opened his eyes to look at her.

"We still have four hours left on our two days," he remarked and she raised her eyebrows.

Then she looked away from him, not certain why the way he looked at her kept getting to her, only that it did. She rolled out of his grip and started toward the edge of the bed, only his hand grabbed her ankle and then he flipped her over with one simple movement of his arm. Before she could say "no" he was weighing down on her and she closed her eyes in defeat as she felt the by now familiar ignited wave shimmer through her.

Almost shaking with the growing wanting she spread her legs and drew a breath as he slid inside her.

She licked her lips as he started to move his hips slowly and then opened her eyes to look up at him.

"You were saying?" he asked with a smirk and she smiled back, meeting his lips as he bent down and kissed her.

"This is moving way too fast," she mumbled as he moved his mouth to kiss the side of her throat.

"What is, love?" he wondered and she clung to his back as she gasped.

"This!" she then answered. "Us."

"There is no 'us' in you and I," he reminded and she gave him a playful smack on the back of his head.

"I don't wanna let you go," she said now and he looked down at her as he slowed his movements almost to a stop.

"I don't wanna let you let me go," he replied softly and she clenched her jaws together.

"Spike, I..." she said, trailing off and he met her gaze as he moved his hips forward and she made a small "mh" noise before she tried again with saying: "Spike... I..."

The orgasm slowly built throughout her and it came so suddenly her eyes grew slightly, her mouth falling open before she closed her eyes. Her body stiffening and then gradually relaxing before the feeling once more poured into her and this time he joined her, resting his forehead against hers and then kissing her deeply.

As they came down together she ended the kiss, opening her eyes and meeting his once more. He reached up a hand and let it slide over her hair almost carefully and she had a sinking feeling in her stomach.

"Spike," she mumbled. "I..."

Once more trailing off her brow furrowed and she blinked.

"What?" he wondered and she shook her head.

"I forgot," she answered silently.

He smiled a little before kissing her again.

***

Two hours later he watched her as she pulled on her sweater and then reached for her jacket. Putting it on she pulled her hair out from under the collar and then turned to him.

"Shouldn't you...chain me up?" he asked and she blinked, not believing that she had actually almost left without taking care of that very crutial detail.

"Of course," she answered now, covering her mistake up with fake-self- assurance. "Just need you to get dressed first."

He smiled tentatively, scooting off the bed and retrieving his pants. Pulling them on he looked up and met her gaze.

The air between them seemed heavy with things spoken and unspoken. With the questions and the difficulty of answering them. With the need to somehow keep this alive, whatever it was, when both of them knew how impossible it would be.

And Buffy felt her head almost heavy with the thought that had suddenly entered her mind and then had refused to leave it for the past hour. She needed to see Willow.

He pulled his T-shirt on and she walked past him into the great hall, he followed.

She got him chained up quickly. Refusing to look at him now, and once she was done she turned and began to walk away when she suddenly stopped.

"Buffy," he said slowly and she turned back to him. "Is something wrong? Besides everything that's happened and so on and so forth into eternity," he added at her expression and she looked down onto the floor before glancing up and resting her eyes in his.

"I wish I didn't have to... feel like I'm gonna miss you," she answered and he frowned, questioningly. "It's just the hardest thing about it," she added thoughtfully, then she made her way back up to him swiftly, kneeled before him and leaned forward to give him a lingering and passionate kiss; wrapping her arms around him as he kissed her back.

Pulling away from him she got to her feet before turning and almost running out of the mansion.

***

Willow giggled at the book she was reading. It was so incredibly funny and she was happy she had spent nearly twenty bucks on it, it was worth it. She just turned the page when the door to the room opened and Buffy stepped inside.

Willow looked up, growing serious and deeply concerned at the sight of her friend. The Slayer looked like she'd been hit by a car and somehow walked away from it. She looked tired, and her gaze carried a look of accusation which caused the redhead to have a chill of discomfort travel down her spine, but most of all the former looked pained as she sunk down at the edge of her bed, facing Willow as she sat up and turned to her friend.

Buffy tried to control the anger she was suffering under. Tried to control the disbelief that was filling her at the already guilty expression on Willow's face. She seemed to already know what it was about.

"Did you," the Slayer began silently, "or did you not cast another spell on me?"

Willow swallowed.

"It was meant to be a make-things-up-to-you spell," she tried to meekly defend herself and her gaze travelled out of the Slayer's as the latters grew hard.

"You did, then?" Buffy grumbled. "Okay," she added, not waiting for the answer. "How, exactly - and I REALLY want to know this - did you think this spell would be of the make-things-up kind?"

"Well, it was a spell that would make two people reveal their true feelings toward the other," she answered hesitantly. "And...explore them," she added and Buffy swallowed hard.

"Uh-huh," she grumbled.

"I thought it'd finally break down that stupid wall between you and Riley!" Willow stated now. "I... Wait... how did you know I did a spell, you haven't seen Riley in..." she added, trailing off as her eyes suddenly grew. "Oh," she said and now Buffy looked away from her. "Oh, my... You don't mean that you and..."

"It's been a very...rattling two days," Buffy interrupted. "But, now that I know the reason it can be taken care of," she added and Willow stared at her.

"Buffy, what exactly did you...?"

"We slept together," Buffy once more cut her off. "We had the most amazing connection in bed, and that's it. And then he said he loved me," she added, the last part quickly, and Willow's eyes grew.

"He-he said that he LOVED you?!" she nearly exclaimed and Buffy quited her before she moved to sit beside her on the other's bed. "But, the SPELL was about finding out what you really..." Willow added, trailing off and Buffy shook her head, not saying anything as her gaze grew distant. "Buffy," Willow mumbled. "What did YOU feel?"

The Slayer smiled what was close to a sad smile before she shrugged.

"I wanted him. All of him. So badly. But that's just the physical bit and... nothing more. The only feeling I felt other than that was... pity," she then answered slowly. "Okay, so for a moment I saw something in him..." she added. "Potential, I guess I'd have to say. It was so weird, Wills. It was like I wasn't looking at him NOW, but later... Much later."

"Like a...premenition?" Willow wondered, wide-eyed, and Buffy smiled a little - looking thoughtful.

"I dunno... It was just that in that moment I looked at him and I almost... Almost..." she trailed off, then smiled, shaking her head a little.

"Buffy," Willow said and she looked up, meeting the redhead's gaze as her own grew stern.

"Willow, you need to preform a really heavy-duty forgetting spell," the Slayer stated. "I want everyone even the slightest involved in this to have every last moment of the past two and a half days completely wiped out. And it better never resurface either," she added before finishing: "If you don't do it I'm not sure I can ever trust you again. I'm sorry, I know you and I'm sure you only wanted to help. But I asked you not to use magic for a while, and I thought you understood that using magic on ME was a big no- no... Please, Willow. I just really want to...forget," the Slayer finished, her voice slightly unsteady from the intensity of the emotions swirling within her.

Willow looked ashamed, turning her gaze down on her hands as she fiddled with one of the decorative sewn-on peices of string covering the front of her sweater before she nodded slowly.

"I'll do it," she concurred. "Of course I'll do it."

"Then do it tonight. I need to be sure that Giles has gotten Spike back to his place first," Buffy said and once again Willow nodded.

Buffy swallowed, closing her eyes and letting herself fall back onto the bed.

She could feel his lips, his hands, his body against her own and she felt her eyes fill with tears as she whispered softly:

"Good-bye."

***

"Oh, bloody hell!" Spike growled. "Giles!" he then called, glaring up at the Slayer as she returned the expression with a chilly gaze. "Buffy's sodding teasing me again!"

It was the following morning and the Slayer and the Vamp seemed set on destroying any last peace of mind of the Watcher's. He was getting quite fed up with them.

"God, you two are like children who can't share the playground attraction of their choice!" he now exclaimed, coming back into the bathroom. "What is it now?"

"She's letting me have a sip of my breakfast, then she's NOT letting me have a sip of my breakfast, she's letting me have a sip of my breakfast..." Spike answered grouchily and Giles interrupted with:

"Fine, fine. Excellent. Just, please, play nice for five minutes. My eggs are burning."

Spike rolled his eyes as the Watcher left and then he turned them in Buffy's once more.

"Do you have any idea how sodding frustrating it is for me to sit here doing bloody nothing all day long? The least I could ask would be to eat my bloody food in peace, " he complained and she cocked an eyebrow.

"Sorry, not much for the understanding this morning," she answered, reaching out the mug to him again and he quickly got the straw between his lips and began to drink in loud slurps. "Besides, you don't do 'nothing' all day - you do ABSOLUTELY nothing all day. You're just a big slug in a tub," she added and he pulled his hands up to try and get to her, the chains restricting him, though she had to get to her feet to get completely out of his reach.

"God," he whined, relaxing and resting his head back. "I can't bloody stand the sight of you. I'm not even hungry anymore!"

"You just finished a whole mug of...ugh, blood," she remarked dryly. "Surprise - you're not hungry. While I, however, was just about to sit down to a nice home-cooked breakfast and you're lack of need for silverware when you eat has made me feel ill. Thanks for that."

"Oh, no need to thank me. I love to make you feel ill," he shot and she took a step closer as Giles came back into the room.

"Watch it," Buffy warned with a meaningful glare down at the vampire who returned it with one equally brimming with hatred. "One of these days you'll catch me in a really bad mood and then I won't go easy on you. No matter how helpless you are," she added and his face grew even harder at that.

"PMS much?!" he called after her as she left the room and she came storming back in, proceeding up to him and hitting him hard over the jaw.

"Watch it," she repeated, voice low as she leaned in over him and he had to bend his head back to be able to meet her gaze.

"Ohh," he replied sarcastically. "I'm scared now, SLAYER."

"Giles," Buffy said, "bring me a stake and you'll be able to have the bathroom all to yourself again."

"I DARE you to do it," the vampire stated.

"Buffy," Giles warned, feeling the hostility between the two and fearing she might go too far.

"Thing that sucks," she now stated, eyes still in Spike's and she added: "I'm the good guy. And after all: you are bound, defenseless, helpless...pathetic, even. Wouldn't be what I call a very fair slay."

He bit his jaws together harshly.

"I really hate you," he stated and she moved her head slightly closer before she replied:

"Not even close to how much I hate you."

"And so another glorious morning on the Hellmouth begins," Giles sighed, taking off his glasses and polishing them as he added: "How perfectly wonderful."