Chapter 4 – The Kiss
 

 

The ringing of a phone broke the silence.  Spike grabbed her hand as she started to reach under her seat.  “All this time you could have called someone to come get you, and my torment would have been over?”
 

 

Buffy gave him a ‘what’s-your-problem’ look.  “Geez, would you chill?” 
 

 

“Let me think about it…NO!”  Spike was gripping the steering wheel so tight that his knuckles were white.  He would let go but he had to hold on to keep from strangling her.
 

 

“Besides, I don’t give it out so it’s probably a wrong number.” Buffy smiled as she pushed the send button.  Something about making him upset made her smile.  “Hello?”
 

 

“Buffy?”
 

 

“Angel?”  The squeaking of her voice gave away her surprise and apprehension.
 

 

“Enjoying yourself?”  At first his voice was playful but quickly turned to all business, and Buffy was currently business.  “This prank has gone far enough.”
 

 

After recovering from her surprise, Buffy matched his seriousness with every consonant and vowel.  “This is NOT a prank.”
 

 

“Really now.”  Angel had always done sarcasm well.
 

 

“And, Angel, this doesn’t have anything to do with you.”
 

 

“Ok then, how about Spike, the vampire who is with you?”  Angel still couldn’t believe it.  “A vampire, Buffy.  Not a kitten you found running around lost.  A vampire.”
 

 

“Spike?  Spike who?  Besides what kind of name is Spike?  I don’t think anyone would name their cat Spike.”  Buffy stuck her tongue out at the blonde next to her.
 

 

“Your kidnapper.  Remember him?  And potentially your murderer.”  Buffy could hear his disgusted sigh.  Angel may be a vampire, but he was the only one of his kind that he found acceptable.  And Buffy suspected that he didn’t even like himself at times.  “Buffy, where are you?  Tell me, and I’ll come get you.”
 

 

“No, just butt out, Angel.”  She hung up before Angel could say another word, and turned off the power to the phone.  She turned in her seat to look at the driver.  “Spike?  Your name is Spike?”
 

 

“Shut your gob.”
 

 

“What’s a gob?”  She just had to smile at him again because he looked so frustrated.
 

 

“Grrrhh…just shut up.”  Spike’s thoughts were flying.  There had to be other satisfying ways to kill her besides strangling her.
 

 

Shut up equaled silence, but Buffy was only able to keep quiet for a few seconds.  “You’re hair isn’t even spiked.”
 

 

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They were thirteen miles down the road when they finally found a small, old-fashioned motel, the type straight out of the fifties.  Spike went to check in, and even though he took a detour to the liquor store next door before returning to the car, he wasn’t happy when he came back.  There had only been one room available.  He was going to have to share a room with the gigantically mouthed strumpet. 
 

 

At the car, he sat two six packs on the concrete to go with the bottle of Jack Daniels he already had up front, opened his trunk and grabbed the crow bar.  Walking up to the passenger side of the car, he opened the door.  He dreaded damaging his car and cringed in resignation.
 

 

For once silent, Buffy watched him position the crowbar, and she actually felt guilty.  Even she would never admit it to him, the car was gorgeous, to die for.  She had no doubt why he had stolen it.
 

 

Before making the first attempt to detach her from his precious corvette, Spike looked in her face and noticed she was starting to squirm.  “Buffy…do you have the sodding key to the cuffs?”
 

 

A cute, impish smile grew on her face.  “Always look in the boots.”
 

 

No matter how cute she looked at that moment, he fought thinking anything nice about her.  Spike just rolled his eyes when what he really wanted to do was hit her against the side of her head.  “Get the bloody hell out of my car, and get your arse to room number five.”
 

 

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Buffy looked around the room and then back at him in question. 
 

 

“Bad news, goldilocks.  They only had one room vacant.”  Spike put his satchel of money on the bed closest to the door.  “Look, this is the deal.  I paid for the room for two nights.  The sun is rising in about twenty minutes so I can’t take the chance driving somewhere else.  So, I will be in the room during today but will leave as soon as night falls.  Then you have the rest of the night and the next day.  Stay as long as you want.  That’s the deal, chicky.”
 

 

Turning in a circle, looking at the room, Buffy asked, “But how can I trust you to not kill me in my sleep?”
 

 

Spike quirked an eyebrow at her.  “How do I know you won’t stake me?”
 

 

“Well, I’m not any good as a slayer.”  Buffy chewed her lower lip.
 

 

“Hellion, I haven’t even made a pass at you let alone tried to bite you.”  Spike picked up one of the two six packs of beer and handed it to her.  He picked up a bottle of whiskey for himself, opened it and his first taste was a gulp.  He looked at her again and gave a smirk that she hated to admit was adorable.  “Well, wannabe slayer, we are just going to have to trust each other.  Here, we’ll shake on it.”  When they touched, they felt something, like touching each other came easy.  A touch so natural that they held hands longer than they should have. 
 

 

While still holding hands with her, Spike asked the question he felt compelled to ask.  “Why did you stage your kidnapping?”
 

 

Buffy quirked an eyebrow.  “Why are you called Spike?” 
 

 

He dropped her hand and sat back down on the bed.  For some reason, he didn’t want this girl to know that part of his past.  She was a slayer-in-training.  They must know what vampires do, but for some reason, he just didn’t want her associating the carnage in his first years as a vampire to who he was now.  Subject change was called for.  He spotted the beer and asked, “How old are you?”
 

 

“Eleven.”
 

 

Spike let out a long, suffering sigh.  “Whatever.”
 

 

Buffy started to tell him that she was eighteen, but stopped.  She didn’t think he gave a damn that she was underage for drinking, but if he wouldn’t at least tell her his real name, why should she tell him her age.  He might even treat her like a baby or something.  That she couldn’t and wouldn’t stand for.
 

 

Both still unnerved by the touch they had shared as well as the questions asked, they both lay on their respective beds, drinking beer and watching a basketball game, one of the only choices they found on TV.
 

 

With four beers under her belt, Buffy grew bold, and unfortunately playful.  Unfortunately playful with a vampire in the room.  Watching her slowly get drunk, Spike actually found her babbling brook of narration of the basketball game humorous and surprisingly interesting.  Wait a soddin’ minute, maybe he was the drunk one instead of her if he was enjoying her company.
 

 

With one of her empty bottles, she grabbed his arm and pulled him off of his bed and into an open area.  “Ok, let’s have some fun.”  She pushed him down so that he was sitting crossed legged on the floor and then sat opposite of him.  Next she put the bottle on its side between them.  “Do vampires play spin the bottle?”
 

 

“Play what?”  He had no idea what she was talking about.  What good was an empty beer bottle, anyway?  It was…well, it was empty.
 

 

“Spin the bottle.  You spin the bottle and then you have to kiss whoever it is pointing to when it stops.  I can’t believe you’ve never played.  I mean, you’re like ancient, aren’t you?”
 

 

“Yes, luv, I’m old but raised in the Victorian times, which was the epitome of the sexually repressed.”
 

 

“Epita what?”  Just the word made her head spin.  “Never mind.  Do you want to try it?”
 

 

Oh, no, Spike, ole boy.  Now you’re playing with fire tonight.  Slayer fire, no less.  But his brain must have already soaked up too much whiskey and beer because he thought he heard someone say, “Sure, let’s give it a go.”  Oh, balls, it was him.
 

 

Buffy eagerly put the bottle in motion.  It wasn’t until then with the bottle spinning around and around that the two drunks realized that there was only the two of them and that meant that the person spinning had two outcome options.  If the bottle pointed at the spinner, the spinner has to kiss himself, on the arm or something.  The other option was the bottle pointing at the person opposite from the spinner.  So the chance of Buffy and Spike kissing was fifty/fifty.  Pretty good odds, but noooo, neither cared about the risk of the intimate contact.  Not one fig.
 

 

When the bottle came to rest, pointing straight at Spike, Buffy’s brain tried to think.  Finally she went with a very conservative approach.  Leaning over the bottle, she gave him a peck on the cheek.  Her lips tingled after just touching his cool skin, causing her to giggle.
 

 

Spike’s cheek was warm where she had kissed him, and her giggle made him smile.  To Spike’s disappointment, the heat was already leaving.  He spun the bottle, and it pointed at him.  Spike felt like giggling himself due to the alcohol and the absurdity of the situation.  “Where shall I kiss myself, madam game master?”
 

 

Buffy clearly pretended to consider the question.  “I think you should kiss the pinky finger on your right hand.”  As she spoke, she was laughing so hard she barely got out, “right hand.”
 

 

On Buffy’s turn again, she spun the bottle, and again it pointed at Spike.  “Well, even though you were searching my mouth at the time, we have kissed before, haven’t we?” She nervously laughed as she leaned in and gave Spike a chaste kiss on his lips.  When she pulled back, she again giggled to cover her reaction to touching him.  How could a simple kiss caused tingling all over her body. 
 

 

On Spike’s part, he was beginning to enjoy this ‘spin the bottle’ lark.  The little chit really packed a punch in such simple kisses.  What would a more serious kiss be like?  He shouldn’t, but he wanted to know what other thrills lay in kisses from her.  Accordingly, he anticipated his turn at spinning the bottle and sincerely hoped the bloody piece of glass pointed at Buffy.
 

 

“Looks like it’s my turn on the spin, pet.”  And he spun, and it came to rest indicating Buffy.  Anxious for the intimate contact, Spike reached across and hooked his finger under her chin to pull her lightly towards him.  Their lips met.  The kiss was still relatively chaste, but the contact was longer, he had his hand touching her, and…and he could feel the tips of her fingers on his cheek.  He barely stifled a groan at her touch exploring his face.  He broke the kiss before he tried to take it any farther.  He pulled back and saw his desire reflected in her eyes.
 

 

All giggles were gone.  All words were gone.  Buffy looked down and quickly spun it before looking back into his blue eyes darkened with desire.  She didn’t need to look down to see where the bottle ended up.  She could tell by Spike’s smile; it was like a cat about to lick some sweet cream, and right now, she certainly wanted to be that cream.
 

 

Spike took the initiative and reached across, wrapped his hand around the back of her neck and then slowly drew her towards him, giving her time to back out if she wanted to.  But he could tell; she didn’t want to.
 

 

Buffy could feel the cool skin of his hand on her neck and goosebumps raised on her arms, not because of the coolness, but because it was his touch.  Their lips met, cold and fire.  He had already wasted time with the three previous kisses.  Spike didn’t waste any time on this one.  He parted his lips and ran the tip of his tongue along her top lip and then across her bottom one.  Then he followed the crack between her two lips, enticing her to open her mouth for him.  He ran his tongue back again, pressing harder this time.
 

 

Buffy would have been more than happy to open her mouth for him if she hadn’t been so frozen.  When the tip of his tongue touched her lip the first time, she lost all ability to think or move.  All she could do was feel, feel him touching her.  Finally, her brain told her lips, ‘Hey, ready for more here.’  She came out of her stupor, opening her lips so fast that it startled Spike.  She quickly sent her tongue to meet his and sighed with pleasure.
 

 

Spike was taken aback.  He had never had a woman sigh into his mouth at just the first touch of their tongues. Usually by the time their tongues met, clothes were beginning to fly across the room.  Things usually moved fast with him and women, but not with this girl.  Taking his time paid off ten fold.  With his hand he urged her to tilt her head so that he could deepen the kiss, but still keeping it under control. 
 

 

Buffy suddenly pulled back and just looked at him until he started to squirm under her scrutiny.  Again her brain had to tell her mouth what to do.  ‘Coma girl, say something.’  “That was…that was great.”  Her voice came out husky, adding sincerity to her words. 
 

 

Spike smiled, which she returned.  Quickly taking his turn, Spike spun the bottle.  Before it ever stopped, Buffy grabbed it and pointed it at herself.  Smiling a sly smile, she crossed the space between them to kiss him.
 

 

One second he was spinning a beer bottle, and the next Buffy was in his lap, kissing him.  He wasted no time.  This kiss was very different from the others.  The others were chaste and gentle.  This kiss blew the others away.  Buffy was devouring him with her tongue, delving far into his mouth, and he soon followed her lead.  As natural as breathing, at least for her, their arms came up and wrapped around each other, holding each other tightly. 
 

 

When she finally did have to take a breath, she sat there and panted, smiling at how he was needlessly panting also.  Then reality reared its ugly head.  She realized that she was sitting in a vampire’s lap, specifically sitting on his very large erection.  She gracelessly, almost falling on her face, jumped up off him and moved to her side of the room.  “I’m…er…I’m sorry about that.  I don’t know what got into me.”  Yes, she did.  He was a gorgeous hunk of male that really knew how to kiss and push all her right buttons.  It just wasn’t fair that the hunk was a vampire.  “I’m just going to lie down and try to go to sleep now.”
 

 

Spike’s first reaction was to jerk Buffy back down into his lap, but then he started thinking rationally again.  This was a slayer-in-training.  He had been making out with a girl that one day would be trying to kill him.  But to tell the truth, he didn’t regret any of those kisses.  Not for one second.  But he was thankful that she had gotten up because he had already been thinking about taking her right there on the floor.  Even if he ever had sex with her, which wasn’t going to happen, she didn’t deserve the carpet of a shabby motel.  He wanted to kick her in the arse at times, but she still didn’t deserve a floor.  So when she called it quits, he put up no complaints, but he did practically limp over to his bed due to his painful hard on.  “I need another drink.”
 

 

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Actually, Spike was the one who fell asleep first.  Or rather, that is as soon as the pain below his waist subsided.  He hadn’t even dared look at her.  Buffy was close to slumber, but when she noticed he was asleep on his side, facing her, she took advantage of the opportunity.  For some reason, in general Spike reminded her of Angel, and not just the vampire part.  Well, duh to that.  No, Spike actually saw her, Buffy, not just another slayer-in-training, not just another girl.
 

 

She looked her fill.  She already knew he had stunning cobalt eyes, and that she would have never imagined a man so sexy in white blond hair.  That only took her first look in his garage to know.  His cheek bones were show stoppers, but it was his lips.  His lips were sinfully delicious. The man should be a model, not a car thief, and she would have to be blind to not notice.  Buffy fell asleep picturing just how he would look on film, or better yet, look in bed.  Oh, bad Buffy.
 

 

Spike’s whole body was an alarm clock at dusk.  Wakey, wakey.  He could tell by his splitting headache that he had a good and proper hangover.  So he opened one eye slowly to see his surroundings since one never knew where one would wake up after a good binge.  Then he saw her.  The golden beauty with the vicious and delicious mouth.  With both eyes open, he could look at her without her mouth getting in the way.  Her eyes that he knew to be hazel, her pert nose, and her lips…lips that had sent his world reeling.  When he stood up, he stepped over to her bed and leaned down.  He wasn’t quite sure what he was going to do until he reached down and twirled a strand of her blonde hair around his finger.  It was hard letting the silky strands go.  But he did.  She was a huge complication with a capital “C,” he reminded himself.  A complication he couldn’t afford.  Literally and figuratively.
 

 

Afford.  With that thought in mind, he left a couple of hundreds out of the bag of money so she had money to eat and get back to the academy.  He walked over to where her backpack was lying and laid the bills next to it.  The backpack was open, and surprising himself, he took a souvenir.  Her perfume would remind him of the spit fire that made his world spin.  After looking at her one last time, he threw his duster over his arm, picked up the bag with the money, and left.  
 

 

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Chapter 5 – The Angel
 

 

 

“Spike…Spike!”
 

 

Spike could hear someone calling him, but much needed sleep muffled his hearing even more.
 

 

“Spike!” 
 

 

Ok, the slapping against the side of his head was hard to ignore.  Slapping?  Hey, now!!  Spike cracked his eyes open to look into the face of a large, brunette man dressed in all black hovering over him.
 

 

“Hello.”  The voice was deep and well modulated.  “I presume you are Spike.”
 

 

All Spike could muster was a grunt in agreement.  Review.  He knew that at dusk, he had reluctantly left the Starlight Motel and driven to his house nearby.  He knew that once there, he had called Xander and arranged a rendezvous later that night at the Lost Pines Lodge, and he knew that he had set an alarm clock for midnight and went to sleep for a bit.  God, he hated that alarm clock, but this new bugger of a visitor was a far site worse. 
 

 

The man no, Spike thought, this was a vampire moved around the sofa to make himself at home in one of Spike’s chairs.  “You might be wondering who I am.”
 

 

“Might?”  Spike swung his legs and sat up on the sofa he had been sleeping on. “That would be the bleeding understatement of the century, mate.” 
 

 

“I’m Angel.”  He moved around, testing the feel of the chair, and finally spoke again after he had given the chair his approval.  “Think of me as Buffy’s guardian angel.”
 

 

“I’ll think of you as a sodding bastard who broke into my house.  Besides I didn’t know angels frowned so much.”  Angel.  He had heard a little about this vampire that helped slayers from Buffy, and he added that information to a lot of rumors in the demon world to know that he was fucked.  “Oh, bullocks.  Let’s just get this straight.  I didn’t kidnap Buffy or molest her.”  But he couldn’t deny the wet dream about Buffy that this Angel just interrupted, but no way he’d cop to that wrap.  That would just be between him and his pecker.
 

 

Angel slowly shook his head.  “Now that’s something I don’t know but will find out.”
 

 

“Just ask her, and feel free to not say hello from me.”  Well, wasn’t that eloquent, Lord Byron!
 

 

“You can count on me asking Buffy many things about your time together when I finally see her.”  The brunette vampire stared at him for a moment, not blinking, before abruptly standing up, picking up Spike’s bag of money along with him.
 

 

Now Spike was truly nervous.  “Look, mate, I will make it easy for you.  I’ll tell you where she is, and you can go collect her.  She spent last night at the Starlight Motel about twenty miles east of here, and she was going to spend the day there, also.”  Spike brushed his hands against each other.  “Glad we got that settled.  Now, leave my bag and bugger off.”
 

 

“No, you are going to come with me to find her.”  He walked over to the front door and put his hand on the knob.  “The bag comes as insurance of your cooperation.”
 

 

If he had to admit it, one half of Spike the top half- had been happy to be done with the whole kidnapping fiasco.  The other half where his privates resided looked forward to seeing the blonde beauty again.  Accordingly, he refused to acknowledge the feelings he was having above his waist in anticipation of seeing the girl.  Must be why they are called nuts because the person must be nuts to want to see that girl called ‘trouble’ again.
 

 

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Spike was sitting in Angel’s car, fuming.  The car should be filling up with smoke considering how much was coming out of his ears.  The only saving grace was that that the motel was close to his house.  Spike thanked the heavens for that, but then turned around and cursed them because of the wanker sitting next to him. It was like he was made of dark granite.  Angel asked the directions and then turned to stone with his arms and hands the only moving parts, which were of course used to drive.  And Angel talked even less.  To be exact, he didn’t talk at all.  For a person as vocal as Spike, this guy was giving him the creeps, leaving Spike seriously considering talking to the ash tray or head rest soon. 
 

 

With his hand resting on the door, he thumped his thumb until he couldn’t stand the silence or the sound he was making anymore.  “Look, I’ve cooperated.  I told you where Buffy is.  Just give me my bag out of the trunk, and I can go my merry ole way.  I’ll even happily walk back to my house.”
 

 

Angel quickly glanced at Spike.  “I like my plan better.  You get your bag of money just before Buffy drives off with me.”
 

 

“What if she won’t go?”  Spike thought about that she-devil and laughed at the thought of Angel trying to get her to do something she didn’t want to do.
 

 

Angel was smug.  He knew Buffy could be a handful, but he was the authority figure here, and she would do as he said.  “Oh, she’ll go.”
 

 

Spike smirked.  Ok, this was getting better and better.  “This is Buffy we are talking about, ya know, don’t ya?  A petite blonde, impulsive, very unpredictable, and strong willed?”
 

 

The granite cracked just enough to allow a hint of a smile on Angel’s face.  “That was a fair assessment of her.  However, this time, she has caused a great deal of trouble.  The ransom was retrieved, but the police are now involved since they think you kidnapped her.  That’s a problem, a messy problem considering we try to keep the slayers academy off the radar.  Thus enter me and my job, bringing her back and cleaning up any mess her stunt caused.”
 

 

“Hey, there’s her motel.  Turn in here.”  Giddy with relief, Spike pointed out the direction.  At the moment, he didn’t care if Buffy’s mess was toxic waste; he wanted his money back.
 

 

The first place they checked was the room, but Buffy had surprisingly checked out.  Then they walked over to the diner next door and found her sitting in a booth looking out a large window.  When Angel sat down opposite her, Spike didn’t follow suit.  Unable to contain his nervous energy, he stayed standing by the counter, content to watch for the moment.
 

 

To tell the truth, Angel was more than a little relieved to see her safe, but didn’t want to show it under the circumstances. 
 

 

“Buffy.”
 

 

“Angel.”  She never took her eyes off the scene outside the window.
 

 

 

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Spike couldn’t hear what they were saying due to the noise in the diner, but he could tell that Buffy was doing what she did best, being obstinate.  And judging by the tick in the muscles of his jaw, Angel was doing a good job of being aggravated.  Well, wasn’t like he didn’t warn the brooding ponce.  Now looking at the pair together made Spike wonder.  They made a striking couple, making him wonder if there wasn’t something more than slayer/vampire between them.  That little bit of jealousy that he just felt got kicked to the curb.  What the hell was he thinking?  He had to get away from Buffy before he was spouting sonnets or some such rubbish.
 

 

“Look mate,”  Spike gained Angel’s attention.  “I don’t want to interrupt, but I fulfilled my end of the bloody bargain.  If you will give me my bag, I will get out of your hair.”  ‘That stands on end.’ Spike added to himself.
 

 

“No.  I won’t open the trunk to get your bag until she is in the passenger seat.  Now go back over to the counter and wait.”  Dismissing Spike out of hand, Angel turned back to Buffy.  “Buffy, you must come back now.”
 

 

“Must?  MUST?  I don’t ‘must’ do anything.  In fact, I don’t even have to be a slayer.  Hell, I don’t even have the skills anyway.”
 

 

Angel counted to five before continuing.  “Regardless of your faulty logic, you will eventually be a slayer, and you must come back now.  We have a mess to clean up with the police.”
 

 

“Really.”  Buffy’s voice dripped sarcasm.  “I just saw a newscast about it.”
 

 

“So you can see why.  We will need blondie over there to provide us a scapegoat.”
 

 

That got the biggest reaction out of Buffy so far.  “Oh no, you don’t!  He didn’t kidnap me.”
 

 

“Not the point.”  Angel shrugged a shoulder.  “Which is...that he will help cover up the slayers academy.”
 

 

“But…but he would dust in their custody.” 
 

 

“That’s the police’s little mystery to solve after we give him over.  When he burns to a crisp in the sunlight, the officers in charge will just be accused of taking PCP that day.  Who cares what is said as long as we are through with the police?”
 

 

“You can’t.  No way…you can’t do that.”  Buffy floundered for more reasons to save Spike.  Why, she didn’t know, but she did know that she had to save him.
 

 

“I can, and I will.”
 

 

Buffy thought for a minute, and in typical rash fashion, she took the knife and fork, made a cross and held it against Angel’s skin, burning it into Angle’s hand.  “Look,” she yelled so that the whole diner would hear her, “he’s a vampire.  Help me.”
 

 

Angel was taken so off guard at the pain and mad at Buffy that he accidentally slipped into his demon visage.  As a result, he had a whole restaurant focused on him.  And they started catching on. 
 

 

“A vampire.  We need a stake.”
 

 

“Here, I’m eating a stake.”  A guy in the back yelled.
 

 

“No, stupid.  A wooden stake.”
 

 

Smash.  Someone broke their chair and voila, four stakes.
 

 

Buffy turned, grabbed hold of Spike, and tried to run for the door.
 

 

Spike immediately balked.  They didn’t know he was a vamp, and he had to have that bag.  “Hey, there, I’m not going anywhere with you.”
 

 

“Yes, you are.”  Buffy kept pulling, and contrary to his words, she was glad he was complying, reluctantly, but he was.
 

 

“You can bet your sweet arse that I’m not.  Your mate over there has my money, and I bloody well want it back.”
 

 

She jerked him so hard that he fell, and she dragged him a few yards on the smooth floor of the diner until he could get to his feet again.  Pulling hard, he freed himself from her grasp.  “Okay, I’ll go to his car but…I.  Am.  Not.  Going.  Anywhere.  With.  You.”
 

 

“You have to…”
 

 

“I don’t have to do anything but get my bleeding money back from your overgrown boyfriend in there.”
 

 

Buffy was horrified that he would say that.  For some reason, she couldn’t stand the thought Spike being confused that way.  “He’s not my boyfriend.  I don’t have…”
 

 

They could here glass shatter behind them, and could see Angel come flying out of a window.  After brushing himself off, he started walking towards them.
 

 

“You’ve got to come with me…”  Buffy started tugging on Spike’s hand again.
 

 

“Are you deaf, you dozy chit?  No!!”
 

 

“Look, density boy, he is going to make you the scapegoat of all of this.”  She started pulling him again.
 

 

Now she had his full attention.  “A scapegoat?!”
 

 

Keeping her eye on Angel, Buffy kept tugging.  “Yes, already.  Come on.”
 

 

Spike had been headed for Angel’s trunk where his bag was sitting when his dilemma was fully illuminated, but then he grabbed her hand and started pulling her along at a run.  Luckily, Angel was overconfident and doing his granite imitation again and was only walking. 
 

 

At first, Angel didn’t believe that Buffy would run away from him, but when her actions proved that his belief was ill-founded, he gave more serious chase.  He found himself facing a railroad track with a train in the distance.  His stone facade crumbled. 
 

 

“Damnit, Buffy…”  Angel didn’t need his sense of smell to track them any further. The train must have been a timely getaway for Buffy and Spike, and they were now traveling away at a good pace.  The pair were together and on the loose again.  Absolutely not a good combination.
 

 

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Angel’s conclusion was spot on.  They had spotted the train and picked up the pace.  Being a vampire had come in handy, enabling Spike to get to the back of the train and jump on.  When the end of the train passed Buffy, Spike pulled her up.  While still airborne, he brought Buffy forward so that she latched onto a metal ladder with Spike behind her. Instead of moving to give her room, Spike wrapped his body around hers protectively, and that was how they rode.  Neither complaining, but neither willing to admit how much comfort they derived from the other.
 

 

Knowing that Angel would follow the train, the fugitive pair quickly jumped back off the train while it was still moving near a twenty-four hour operational manufacturing plant.  Spike took her with him in the jump and absorbed the brunt of the fall for her. Buffy smiled to herself.  His gentlemanly gesture didn’t go unnoticed. 
 

 

Next they lost themselves in the employee parking lot.  Convenient place for a car thief.  Spike and Buffy crouched down beside a royal blue, Ford truck.  “Ok, pet, I’m going to jump start that green Taurus over there.  Knock on the side of this truck if you see anyone coming.”
 

 

Once Spike was in the Taurus, Buffy got bored waiting.  No shock there.  She looked around and then in the truck.  Idiot owner, but she was looking at a gift from above.  She ran over to the Taurus.
 

 

“Spike…”  She cringed when his head flew up from where he was lying and smashed into the steering wheel.  “Ow, sorry for scaring you.  I bet hitting your head like that hurt.”  Buffy tried to hide her grin under Spike’s glare.  “The keys of the truck we were standing next to are in it.  I’ll go get it.  Jump in when I drive by.”
 

 

“Amateur one, car thief zero.” Spike said to himself as he jumped into the truck.
 

 

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“Watch the road!”  Spike’s eyes were wide watching the head lights approaching them, coming straight on.
 

 

“I am.”
 

 

With teeth gritted, the vampire tried not to throw her out of the window.  At least it was different than strangling, which was still an option.  “If you were, the people coming our way would not be swerving away, would they, pet?”
 

 

“I bet the police stop us.”  Buffy looked back over her shoulder.
 

 

Spike shrugged a shoulder.  “Just drive like you own the car.”
 

 

She rolled her eyes.  “But I don’t.  Geez.”
 

 

“Grrrrrhhh.”  Spike watched her instead of the road for a minute.  “Do you have a boyfriend?”
 

 

“What?”  That, Buffy wasn’t expecting.
 

 

Spike looked her up and down again, and liked what he saw.  “You heard me.”
 

 

“No.”
 

 

“Why not?  I mean, a pretty girl like you, or is it because you will be a slayer?”
 

 

Buffy’s head snapped around to look at him, trying to assess his expression.  “You think I’m pretty?”
 

 

“Watch the road!”  Now he was approaching the throw-her-out-the-window idea again.  “Yeah, you’re pretty, especially without all that make-up you had on before.  Haven’t you looked in the mirror?”
 

 

“Back at you on the make-up comment, bud.” Buffy cherished the compliment for a moment; someone thought she was pretty au natural.  “Yes, we can have boyfriends, but it is frowned on since we can’t tell them about the slayer stuff.  Besides, I just never found anyone it would be worth the major league hassle.  How about you?”  She had thought about asking before so this opportunity was too good to be true.
 

 

“Nope.  I’m not into blokes.” 
 

 

“Ha, ha, ha.  You know I meant girls.  Do you have a girlfriend?”
 

 

“No.”  His voice put a large period at the end of the simple word.
 

 

Buffy was looking at this hottie and couldn’t believe her ears.  “Why not?”
 

 

His answer was simple.  “There is always such potential for failure.”
 

 

“Failure…potential…what?”  Again…hottie…lots of girls…must have relationships, one or two successful, surely.
 

 

Spike thought about it for a minute with a far away look in his eyes.  There had been attempts over the last century, but all ended the same.  “I hate failure.”
 

 

“Pathetic Much?”  Buffy flashed him a bright smile in the dark truck.  “So Mr. Mathematician, what is the percentage of failure?”
 

 

He couldn’t completely cover up his own smile now.  “Exactly ninety-eight point eight percent failure.”
 

 

“Then, professor, there is one point two percent success.”  Theatrically pensive for a moment, she finally told him, “It would be worth it.”
 

 

Shocked by her ability to put a better shine on a normally depressing topic, he couldn’t look at her when he answered, so he looked out of the window.  “Yes, it would.”
 

 

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Chapter 6 – The Questions
 

 

Buffy parked the truck at the back of the parking lot of the Lost Pines Lodge.  Spike couldn’t have been happier.  Not because she parked so far back to make them as inconspicuous as possible, but because she had finally stopped driving which had turned out to be out and out scary.  The bint may be beautiful, but she couldn’t drive worth a farthing.
 

 

Once inside, they headed toward the lounge which was connected to a louder bar.  Both areas were rather busy this time of night.
 

 

Xander was already talking before Buffy and Spike could sit down at his table.  “I thought you were getting rid of her.”
 

 

Holding his hands wide with palms up, Spike tried to appease his friend.  “Well, mate, the story is kinda funny…”
 

 

Xander started jabbing a finger in Buffy’s direction.  “I thought you were getting rid of her.”
 

 

“I know but…”  Not comfortable with Xander’s hostility towards Buffy, Spike pushed Xander’s finger away from her.
 

 

Before Xander could speak the same sentence yet again, a waitress interrupted.  “Can I get you two anything to drink?”  She indicated Spike and Buffy since Xander already had one.  Actually, he needed a double.
 

 

With no hesitation, Buffy answered.  “I’ll take a Jack and coke.”
 

 

“Can I see your ID, please?”  The waitress smiled, trying to cover up her embarrassment in having to ask the question, but the girl did look underage.
 

 

‘You and me both,’ Spike said under his breath.  “I’ll take the Jack Daniels, and she’ll have the coke.”  He told the perky girl.
 

 

When the waitress walked away, Spike turned the tables and stuck his finger in Xander’s face before he could utter a word.  “Don’t say it!  She’s still with me, mate.  Deal.”
 

 

“Ok, ok.”  Xander agreed but wanted to say the observation again so bad.  “But did you check out the news?”
 

 

“Yeah…”  Frustrated with his friend’s doom and gloom, Spike looked down at the table and shook his head.  It wasn’t like he didn’t already know that their circumstances were a cocked up mess.  He had hoped Xander would talk about solutions instead of bitching.  Silly him for being so optimistic, Spike thought.
 

 

“See the water front garage burning down?”
 

 

“Yes, Xander, I saw it.”
 

 

“And?”
 

 

“And what?”  He didn’t know why he asked.  He knew Xander was going to tell him anyway.
 

 

And Xander promptly did.  “They think we stole their money.” 
 

 

Buffy had thought the whole conversation up until the last sentence had been a throw away, but now she was interested since it sounded more ominous for Spike.  “Who is ‘they,’ and why would they think that?”
 

 

“Well, luv, ‘they’ are the blokes that were buying the cars that are now crispy critters, and they gave the money to Xander up front, who gave it to me.  And being paranoid as criminals tend to be, they now think we concocted a scheme to make off with their blunt, which is beyond idiotic because there was more value in the cars in the garage that burned than the two hundred thousands dollars.  Daft wankers the lot of them.” 
 

 

Buffy barely heard anything after ‘luv’ because he hadn’t called her that since the motel.  Luv! It certainly wasn’t the first time he had called her ‘luv’, but for some reason, when he had said it just now, it made her brain check out.  Her thoughts returned to the kisses they had shared at the Starlight Motel, especially the last one, the dangerous one.  That one had made her tingle all over and want to do nasty things to and with him.  But regardless of her lusty, romantic thoughts, she did hear Xander. 
 

 

Xander could barely stay in his seat.  “In a little squirrel’s nutshell, give me the money so I can return it.”
 

 

“I don’t have it.”  Spike fessed up and was now waiting for the explosion.  Not surprisingly, Xander was so good at those. 
 

 

“What?”  Buffy had to admire the shade of red that Xander’s face was turning.
 

 

“Her…er…uncle has the money, but she is going to help get it back.”
 

 

“WHAT!!!”  Oh, pretty, now Xander was purple.
 

 

After just a few more repeated ‘what’s’ and no more new different shades of colors, Buffy was bored and that meant she was antsy.  That’s when she spotted the dance floor and several people line dancing.  That had possibilities.
 

 

The waitress sat the two drinks in front of Buffy and Spike while Xander sarcastically thanked the waitress.  “Thank you.  Thank you sooo much.”  He dropped a credit card on the table to pay the tab. 
 

 

As she was standing up, Buffy snatched up Spike’s whiskey and downed it in one go.  When she set the glass back down on the table, Buffy put her hand on Spike’s shoulder.  “Relax, Xander.  I’ll get you your money.  Now, boys, while you work the details out, I’m going to play a little.”
 

 

Spike wanted to grab her hand and hold it on his shoulder, letting the warm and pleasant tingle from her heat spread through his whole body.  He also wanted to just plain hold onto her, keeping her in sight, making sure she would be there instead of leaving in the truck.  When had he become insecure about something?  Anything?  He knew.  Since Angel showed up to take her away.  It had been different for him, easier to leave her at the motel.  His subconscious had known that he could have gone back to the motel, and she would have still been there.  Whether that was true or not, he liked to believe it.  But seeing her again had shifted something, knocked something loose in his world-weary feelings.  It wasn’t love.  No. At least he wasn’t admitting that yet.  It was just something warm.  Nevertheless, he let her hand go and hoped for the best.  He was somewhat comforted when she patted his shoulder before leaving.  ‘Oh, yeah, you’re not whipped,’ Spike thought sarcastically while rolling his eyes before looking at his friend. Xander’s mouth was still moving.
 

 

“Well, let’s get rid of her now.  Let’s get out of here.  We can take my car.”
 

 

“No!”  Spike didn’t even want to let her out of arms reach, let alone leave her.  No way he could do that now.  He realized that there was no way he was walking away from this girl. 
 

 

 

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Slyly looking through her lashes while she was dancing, Buffy knew she had Spike’s attention.  Every once in awhile he would look at Xander, but mostly his eyes were on her.  She wasn’t sure what to do about him.  Actually that was somewhat incorrect.  She knew what she wanted to do, but wasn’t sure she could have it.  She wanted to be with Spike.  On the carnal side of that thought, she wanted to drag him out on the dance floor with her and grind up against him for an hour or two.  On the more philosophical side, she wanted to “be with him” in the long run.  Problem…No, problems were that she was a slayer and he was a vampire, he didn’t do commitments, and to tell the truth, neither did she.  And last, he just plain might not be interested in her that way.  Well, she doubted that last one considering the erection she was sitting on last night when they were kissing, and she was in his lap.
 

 

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The details for how to get out of their present mess, never happened.  Xander kept trying, but except for every tenth word, Spike wasn’t listening.  The other nine words, Spike’s attention was on the golden light, the beacon, on the dance floor.  What was he thinking even considering holding such a woman like that in his arms?  Kissing her, feeling her, being with her and more?  She was a glorious slayer (well, not ‘a glorious’ one yet, but he had no doubt that she would be) and the only part of her slayer life for a vampire was as prey. 
 

 

Another minor issue, to put a fine point on it, was that he was dead.  Dead as a door nail, stiff as a board, pushing up the bloody daisies, and six feet under her feet.  She was of the living.  As he watched her on the dance floor, she was so full of life.  Maybe she had life enough for the both of them, but was there enough life to animate his body and make him worthy of her?  As much as he would like to forget, he still had years of killing and blood on his hands.  But then he looked at her again and their massive differences shared a couple double scotchs and forgot their great divide.  They sang their own composition of ‘they are meant to be together’.  And ‘together’ was coming, Spike thought as he watched Buffy finish another song, laughing and smiling as she stepped off the dance floor, heading back to their table. 
 

 

As she finished up dancing, Buffy could see a man approaching her.  She knew his purpose without being told.  They talked for a moment, long enough to see Spike stand up and take a step towards them, and then she politely refused his offer to dance.  She wanted to thank the guy for getting such a positive response out of the vampire she was now trying to attract.    When she started back for the table, she smiled an ‘I thought so’ smile, and as she passed Spike, she rose up and kissed him on the mouth. 
 

 

Spike had stood up when the wanker stopped Buffy from returning to the table.  All that was holding him back was wondering what Buffy would do if he threw the bugger across the dance floor like he was a bowling ball, knocking human and demon pins over as the tosser went on his way.  But then she was moving towards him and all was right with the world again.  Next she unexpectedly kissed him.  He ever so briefly felt the tip of her tongue touch where his two lips met, enough to let him know that the intent of the kiss was not platonic, but intimate.  After shaking his shock off, he reached for her hand to drag her back, but she was still on the move.
 

 

Stopping at the table, Buffy drank Spike’s new drink and snatched up Xander’s credit card.  “I’m going to go get some toothpaste to freshen up and see about a room.  Then make a phone call to Giles to get your money back.”  Buffy left Xander squawking.
 

 

Once up at the desk, Buffy didn’t use Xander’s credit card.  She just liked pulling his seemingly short chain, which appeared to be awfully easy to do.  Instead she paid for one of the larger rooms for two nights with the money Spike had left her in the motel, no doubt from the notorious bag.  Who would miss that small amount versus two hundred thousand dollars anyway? 
 

 

Once done, she dropped one of the two room key cards into Spike’s shirt pocket, her hand enjoying the journey in and then out, and after that Buffy tossed Xander’s credit card in his general direction. 
 

 

“I’m off to make that call.”  Taking her back pack that had the remains of the Jack Daniels in it, she went up to the room.  She started to mix herself a drink for courage but decided against it.  Instead, she took out her cell phone and called Giles.
 

 

“Buffy, my dear, enough is enough.  Come home.”
 

 

“It’s not home.  It’s a dorm.  Homes are somewhere you want to be.”
 

 

“I don’t understand.  We provide for your every need.”  To his credit, Giles genuinely didn’t comprehend what she meant.
 

 

“No, I don’t think you understand.”  Buffy wiped away a tear that had escaped down her cheek.
 

 

Buffy couldn’t believe that fate chose that moment for Spike to come into the room.  She swiped at the rest of her tears.
 

 

“Just forget it.  Anyway, Angel has a bag of money that belongs to my friend.…Yes, my vampire friend.”  Spike turned to face her and was astonished that he and Buffy shared a smile over his nature of being.  “He didn’t kidnap me, he hasn’t bitten me, and he hasn’t molested me in anyway.”
 

 

“Buffy, he is a vampire and that sounds hard to believe…”
 

 

“It doesn’t matter how it sounds.  It’s simple.  Give him his money back, and I will come back.”  What Giles didn’t notice was that she hadn’t promised to go back to the academy.  She was an adult now.  She could go wherever she wanted after she made an appearance for Giles, and it just might not be the slayer academy. 
 

 

“Buffy, that sounds like an acceptable deal.”
 

 

“Ok.  Meet us at…uh…the Hollywood sign tomorrow night at midnight….I’ll be there…Bye.”  After disconnecting, Buffy turned to look at Spike who she knew had been watching her, and she gave him a tentative smile before walking around the room aimlessly.  “Can I get a drink?”
 

 

“Jack and coke again alright?”
 

 

“Sure.”  She paused and watched him out of the corner of her eye.  “Can I ask you a question?”
 

 

“Depends.”  Spike was immediately suspicious.  With women, this usually foretold a ‘do you like/love me’ question. Good thing was they hadn’t known each other long enough and most of that time was bickering.  They didn’t even like each other…did they?  Wasn’t it just lust?  Who was he kidding?
 

 

She squinted her eyes as if to access him better.  “What’s your real name?”
 

 

“Not going to happen, luv.  Pick another question.”  Spike dismissed the question by turning his back and taking off his red, button-down shirt.
 

 

A skin tight, black t-shirt.  Buffy had a hard time thinking while looking at him in that t-shirt.  She wondered what his abs looked like without the cloth covering them.  “Uh…er…ok, what do you want out of your life, or I guess I should say unlife.”
 

 

“Now, kitten, that was a good question, but I’ve got to tell a little story first.”  Spike looked at his glass with interest, especially since it was empty.  “Look in the mini-fridge and see if we have any scotch.”  When she threw one his way, he began at the beginning.  He told her about his turning, about how he was different, how he went his own way, and how he became a car thief.  The only thing he didn’t tell her was about being a bloody awful poet before his turning and how he got his nickname.  “Don’t get me wrong.  I know that stealing cars is wrong.  I know.  But I am just saving up the money to start a used car dealership.  Have something and somewhere permanent for once in my unlife.”
 

 

Buffy fell out laughing.  “Used cars.  As in hot used cars? And how is a vampire going to sell cars during the day anyway?”
 

 

“Ha, ha, missy.  No, I mean used cars that I buy and then resale. Expensive cars for resale.  And as for the daylight, I would locate the business in Las Vegas.  That town is twenty-four hours.  Xander can do day, and I’ll do night.  See, that money I lost in Angel’s trunk was my stake in the dealership.”  Damn, his glass was empty again.  “Hand me another scotch.”
 

 

“You drank all those already.  How about Vodka?”
 

 

“Vodka it is then, pet.”
 

 

She sat up on the double sized bed next to his where he sat.  “Ok, so tomorrow I get your money back, give it to you, you give it to Xander, and then it finally goes to the paranoid block heads?”
 

 

“Sounds like a plan, luv.”  Enjoying her enthusiasm, Spike smiled at her across the gap between the two beds.
 

 

“What are we going to do next?  Are we going to steal more cars…”
 

 

“We?  What we?”  Spike looked at her with wide, blue eyes.  Where had that come from?
 

 

Buffy wanted to crawl into a hole.  “Well, I meant…we… in a general sort of way…not that you would want me…as a we…”
 

 

Spike swiftly moved over to sit on her bed.  Not close enough to make it sexual, but close enough to be taken with sincerity.  “I’m telling you, pet, ‘we’ is fine.  I like the ‘we.’  I am not making a pass at you or anything.  I am telling you flat out that if you want to come with me, help build the money up again and then go to Vegas, you are welcome to.”  Her bright smile was making him melt that he had to move fast to not become a puddle on the bed.  He used the excuse of refreshing the ice in his drink to walk away without offending her feelings with a huge erection.  “So little girl, what do you want?  Peace, win the lottery…Or to be more specific, why were you in the trunk of that BMW?  Why the prank?
 

 

“Ok, the ‘short, to the point’ version.  Dad disappeared when I was nine.  My mom was a crack head, got arrested, and I went through some foster homes.  Then Giles came and got me and said that I’m a slayer.  I asked him ‘What’s a slayer?’  So to find out, I go to the camp and train.  But, and it’s a whopper of a ‘but,’ my slayer gifts have barely developed.  They tell me they will, but it makes me the odd man out.  What I need is a place to belong.  Not like the academy, but somewhere that I want to be that wants me.”  Buffy thought for a moment.  “Or someone.”
 

 

The last two words she spoke were spoken in the lowest of whispers and Spike had to use his vampire senses to hear her.  Her words were very revealing and so were the tracks of tears down her face that he didn’t think she realized were falling.  “And the tears?”
 

 

“I guess I faked the kidnapping to see if I was wanted.”  Buffy could feel his piercing blue eyes looking into her soul.  “What I found out was that I need a home.  The place and the people type home.”
 

 

Watching her closely, Spike could tell that she was almost at her breaking point and that he didn’t want to see.  Besides, he was too close to offering to be that someone and providing her that place.  And he wasn’t ready for that possible heartache when it turned out that she couldn’t be with him.  Not to mention that he had real trouble with that kind of commitment.  It was scary enough that he was even considering it.  “Well, enough of share time, more drink time.  Do you want gin or tequila?”
 

 

After new drinks, Buffy was ready to talk some more.  The more they talked, the more that she was drawn to Spike.  His movements, his voice, his beauty.  “Tell me some stories.” 
 

 

Spike was pleased by her change of subject to one a little less personal.  He told her Drusilla stories.  His crazy sire provided many good tales, but he chose the least gory ones.  There was the time she used vanishing lotion for freckles thinking that she could put it on, become invisible, and then go out in the sun safely.  “That was a crazy night trying to keep her from killing herself the next morning.  Wasn’t like we could make her look in a mirror and show her that she hadn’t vanished when she had no reflection to start with.  Now my personal favorite was when she tried to turn a frog.  She drained it.  Slit her finger and dropped blood down its throat.  Then she walked around holding the frog for three days, kissing it.  Why?  She wanted the frog to turn into a prince.”
 

 

In between laughs, Buffy was able to get out, an “are you kidding?”
 

 

“No.  I finally had to steal the frog away while she was sleeping to put an end to it.”  Spike too laughed at the memory.  It was one of the only memories he could laugh at from back in that time.
 

 

Tilting her head to the side, Buffy looked at him closely and saw a gorgeous man that she couldn’t imagine Drusilla ever being stupid enough to let go.  “Did you love her?”
 

 

That question out of nowhere caught Spike off guard.  “I…I did.”  He could see Drusilla as if she were standing in front of him, standing next to Buffy.  Dark next to the light.  Both beautiful in their own way.  But Spike had left dark behind.  Was he now headed towards this light looking at him now?  He hoped so, but wouldn’t bank on it.
 

 

Buffy could read his face, tell his mind was with this past love.  And she was surprised at how jealous she was.    She had to remind herself of how much she hated commitment; so, she had no right to be jealous.  “And?”
 

 

“And I couldn’t live that life anymore, and the disgust I felt for those vampires around me slowly spread to her.  But she will always have a soft spot in my heart.”  Enough of that subject.  “I’ve got a question for you, Goldie.”
 

 

Preparing herself for the question, Buffy wiggled around on the bed to find the perfect spot before sitting with her legs crossed. “Shoot.”
 

 

Standing across the room leaning against the counter of the bar, his intense gaze held hers.  “That kiss downstairs.  What was that?  A thank you?  A tease?  A what?”
 

 

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