The night’s hunt was officially declared a success by the unlikely trio. Buffy was happy that the three of them had found and taken down five in total Eloquaws. Xander was flying high and had no problem bragging about taking out two of the five demons on his own. The Xan-Man was practically a Scottish berserker that night. In the meantime, Spike stood back with a smug look on his face, watching the whelp’s brag fest while he planned the next favor he was going to ask from the slayer.

As soon as Xander headed home, Buffy turned and stepped into Spike’s arms. “Ok, you have smug face. What’s the new favor?” Buffy didn’t bother hiding her eagerness to hear Spike’s newest request.

“Easy, pet. Bring your cute, little arse to my crypt at three o’clock tomorrow afternoon.” He leaned over and kissed her lips before turning to leave, throwing back over his shoulder, “And bring a towel. A big one.”

“What?” Buffy had no idea what the vampire was talking about. “Spike! A towel? Why a towel?”

Spike turned to face her but continued, walking backwards. “Go home and rest, Slayer. You’ll need your strength tomorrow.”

“Damn pesky vamp,” Buffy grumped, but her words didn’t match her feelings. She was tingling in excitement and already impatient for tomorrow afternoon to arrive. Later in bed, Buffy laid awake, thinking of all the possibilities, all the fabulous things she could do with Spike that required a towel. Those delicious thoughts made the wait a little easier.

*****

Spike laughed when Buffy raced into his crypt at 2:30 the next afternoon. Raising an eyebrow at her attractively mussed appearance, he’d speculated the slayer would be early but not quite that early. ‘Ah, an eager slayer is a fun slayer. God, I hope there are hundreds of the Eloquaws out there to kill that he could trade for favors with this siren.’

Buffy knew she looked a fright from running so fast, but at least she still looked better than covered in demon gook, which Spike had seen on her more than one occasion. Actually, for a girl’s ego, anything was better than slime dripping off of her chin. Buffy would have felt better if she had known that Spike thought she looked gorgeous with flushed cheeks, messy hair and especially the big grin on her face. Trying to gather herself together after her mad dash from the Magic Box to the crypt, Buffy was still panting as she help up her towel as if it was a hard won Olympic gold medal. “Here’s my towel. So spill. What’s the favor this time?”

“Follow me and see, luv.” Spike gave her a smile that both excited her and made her worry about where they were headed.

Spike handed her a bright, battery-powered lantern, which she really didn’t want to know where he “acquired” it. Carrying a similar one himself, Spike lead Buffy through the sewers below Sunnydale, then farther out into the cave network. They both squeezed through a small, camouflaged opening into another network of caves that Buffy hadn’t even know existed. Finally, he led her into an enormous cavern with a large, elongated pool running down the center. Buffy lifted her lantern and stepped up the edge of the pool. “This is amazing and gorgeous. You have your very own private, indoor pool.”

He came up to stand next to her, replying in a low, sexy voice that sent sparks up her spine. “Glad you approve, pet.” The lanterns’ luminescence reflected off the water, causing a dance of light on the cavern’s walls. “The pool was formed by a hot spring some ways away. The water cools before flowing into this pool. Of course, it’s still very warm but cool enough for someone to swim. The water then flows out of the pool through another opening, finally making its way out into the sunlight.” Spike pointed to their right with his free hand towards the end of the pool. “But make sure you are careful of that end of the pool. That’s where the water flows eventually to a stream outside.”

“Got it. That’s the no swim zone.” Even though Buffy had a pretty good idea of the answer, she still asked her question. “Ok, cryptic guy, so what’s the favor?”

Spike set his lantern down so that he could properly wrap his arms around her waist and pulled Buffy up against the length of his body. He leaned down and captured her mouth with his own, giving her a kiss that made her warm and fuzzy all over. But when he pulled back, Buffy saw a sparkle in his eyes that gave her that “uh oh” feeling.

“The favor, slayer, is for you to unwind while having swim with me.” With a smirk, he let go of her and took her lantern away. He set his lantern at one end of the pool and then hers at the other end.

Together the two lanterns illuminated the cavern much like candlelight at a romantic dinner, giving Buffy the feeling that she was here on a secret tryst with her forbidden lover. But that was true, wasn’t it? She was here with Spike, her lover, and they were secretly going to swim…Suddenly, Buffy came out of her stupor when she realized that there was a fly in the gourmet soup. “Ok…wait a minute, bottle blonde. You didn’t say bring a towel *and* a swim suit. You only said to bring a towel.”

“I know. So?” With a mischievous smirk and his scared eyebrow raised, Spike walked back until he was a few feet away from her.

Buffy put her hand on her hip and stood her ground. “Soooo, I will have to swim in my underwear or naked.”

“I personally vote for Choice B, as in the buff. I’ll even cheat and vote twice. Hell, I will stuff the bloody ballot box.” Spike tried for a leer, but just ended up grinning. This favor was better than he had even planned, and it had barely started.

“You’re such a perv.” Buffy accused, squinting her eyes at the vampire but was only half serious.

“Why? Because I want to see you naked? Then yeah, I’m a pervert. I can unlive with that.” Spike bent down and unlaced his boots and kicked them off. Once done, he tilted his head with a look that clearly challenged her to follow his lead.

Not able to resist or even wanting to resist Spike’s challenge, the corners of Buffy’s mouth tilted up as she kicked off her shoes, making them both even in discarded items of clothing. Next Spike ran the tip of his tongue across his upper teeth before he removed his socks, which put the ball back into her court. Buffy took off her own socks, thinking how much watching his tongue made her hot. However, at first she thought she was going to die of embarrassment, but then as more of his clothes came off, all she wanted was to see more of his pale skin. Next their shirts were thrown to the side. ‘So far, so good,’ Spike was thinking, but the next part was a little iffy, and he was hoping for a little luck. Hell, a lot of luck. Next his pants ended up on the cavern’s floor. As Buffy playfully threw her shirt and hit Spike in the chest, realization hit Buffy hard. Spike was now naked, but she still had on her panties and bra.

“Ok, pet. It’s your turn to bare all.”

Considering Buffy’s mouth went dry looking at a naked Spike, it took her a couple of seconds to put the two letters of her answer together. “No.”

“No?” Spike was actually shocked at her answer. Everything had been going so well, and ‘No’ wasn’t in his plan. The slayer always took a challenge.

“It’s not my fault you don’t wear boxers or an undershirt. So I get to keep mine on.”

“Cheater.”

“Sick-o.” Buffy stuck her tongue out at him, and with a very unslayer like squeal, just barely dodged when he lunged at her. In an attempt to escape her amorous vampire, she dove into the pool before he could catch her. Spike dove in after her but came up empty handed. Then he snarled when she came up through the water to his right. The chase was on. Finally, when she was just about ready to be caught, Buffy stopped, allowing Spike to get close still out of reach. Both came to a standstill, treading water, each waiting for the other to make the next move, each enjoying the anticipation.

Never taking her hazel gaze off of Spike’s blue eyes, Buffy reached behind herself, unhooked her bra, took it off and tossed it out of the pool, earning a soft growl from Spike. “I am so not scared of you, blood breath.” Enjoying herself as she teased Spike, she next took her underwear off and tossed them out of the water, also. This time her strip tease earned a louder growl, especially since he knew she was now naked. The bones in his face shifted and eyes turned yellow. “Not scared? You should be. When I get a hold of you, I’m going to see just how tasty you are.” Spike grinned, making sure she got a good view of his fangs.

But Buffy wasn’t done playing yet. When he moved towards her, she swam backwards, always moving but not letting him shorten the distance between them.

*****

When Multok looked over at Shel, he rolled his eyes. “Ok, girl, let’s go explore a little and give the pair some privacy in their lover’s game.”

Shel’s cheeks were turning red, which was impressive since her natural color was blue, but she wasn’t embarrassed for the same reason she had been in the past. This time she was embarrassed because of how much she enjoyed watching Spike strip. Embarrassed but still looking. She kept the vampire in her sight as long as possible until she and Multok flew around a bend in the tunnel.

*****

Spike adored this playful side of the slayer and hoped to see it more in the future. However, all Spike wanted to do at the moment was get his hands on the little, blond tease. Not to mention dragging her out of the pool and kissing every inch of her body before driving himself into her core.

On one hand, Buffy wanted to tease Spike more. God knows, Spike loved to be the one who liked to dish out the teasing, and this payback tasted good to Buffy. But on the other hand, she was ready to go on to the second course of this erotic feast. Who was she kidding? She would take his hands on her body over teasing him any day.

A wolfish grin spread across Spike’s face when Buffy let him close the gap. As his finger tips finally brushed her arms, Buffy’ eyes opened wide but before she could even say Spike’s name, she went under the surface of the water. Thinking that she was still teasing him, he tread water and waited to see what she was going to do next. But when she didn’t come up for air anywhere in the pool, Spike noticed the current brushing across his legs, heading in the direction that Buffy had disappeared. ‘Bloody hell,’ Spike thought with horror. ‘No, no, no…’ He wanted to deny his suspicion, but he knew that neither of them noticed that Buffy got too close to the hole and was sucked out with the water towards the stream.

Spike dove down, letting the water’s current guide him to Buffy. ‘Right,’ he thought. ‘All those times I fought her, tried to kill her, but I just didn’t know that all I had to do was go swimming with her. Now to make it worse, all of the times I did want to kill her, I couldn’t, and now I kill her when I’m not trying to. Come to think of it, I think I will kill her as soon as I get her out for scaring me to my second death.’ Not the best conversation he ever had with himself, but the lame, one sided dialogue occupied his mind until, straining his vampiric vision, he finally spotted the slayer. Spike flipped around so that he approached the hole with his legs first so that he could plant his feet on either side of the opening and place his hands above.

Hanging onto the lip of the tunnel, Buffy didn’t mind admitting that she was terrified. ‘I’ve already drown once in my life. I’ve reached my quota. Now I want my “get out of water free” card’ She had been so concentrated on holding her breath and holding on to the edge of the tunnel that she didn’t notice the blonde in front of her. When Spike grabbed her wrist, she knew that she started cry with relief but couldn’t feel the tears through the water rushing over her face. As funny as it was, she had never doubted he would come for her, save her, she was just relieved that he had finally made it.

When Spike achieved some semblance of balance, he grabbed her hand. Waiting until Buffy obtained a good grip on him with both of her own hands and using his legs for added strength to his arms, Spike jerked Buffy out of the tunnel and sent her towards the surface of the water.

Reaching the edge of the rock above, Buffy forcibly hauled herself out, landing a good ten feet from the pool’s edge. She lay there gasping for air and watching for platinum hair to pop up out of the water. “Spike?...Hello?...Fang face, get your pale ass up here NOW!”

When Shel and Multok heard Buffy yelling for Spike with a voice tinged with panic, they raced back into the cavern. Shel took in the frightened look on the slayer’s face staring down in the water but still had no idea what was going on. “Multok, what’s happened? Where’s Spike?”

“Give me a sec, but I’m guessing it has to do with under the water. I’ll go see. Don’t let Buffy get back in the water or do anything else rash.” Multok disappeared below the surface to have a look around. What he saw was Spike desperately trying to keep himself from being sucked through the hole leading out to the stream, and the vampire was down to his finger tips. Multok’s mouth was already moving as he cleared the water. “Spike is just about to be sucked out of the pool.” Knowing that they needed to act fast, Multok flew over to join Shel next to Buffy. “Come on Shel. I’ll go fly ahead and call back which direction she should go or any obstacles she should watch out for. Using my directions, you guide her.” Multok finished his last words as he began racing ahead. Shel took up her position next to Buffy’s ear, ready to relay any information as they go through the tunnels after Spike and give encouragement.

Meanwhile, Buffy was trying to figure out what would be best to do. Not that she wanted to anyway, but something told her to not go back into the water. That little voice in her head reminded her that Spike couldn’t drown anyway. Thankfully, she was given a sign, similar to a club over the head, of what to do when she heard Spike’s voice to her right. “Slayerrrr. Heelllppp.” Unfortunately, judging from his call, she could tell that Spike was to her right, moving away fast. Snatching up the lantern closest to her, Buffy blindly raced, following the vampire’s voice, with that helpful voice in her ear guiding her through the tunnels.

While Buffy tried to pick up her pace, Spike was sailing along in the swift moving water. Sometimes the tunnel was completely incased in rock; while other times, he would pass through areas where the stream ran along the side of open rooms. During such opportunities, he grabbed at outcroppings and the overhangs of entrances to the next stage of the tunnel, any piece of rock to stop or slow himself down while taking a beating in the process. He kept yelling all along the way, “Slayer, catch up already and get me the bleeding hell out of this blasted stream. I’m NOT a bloody fish.”

Buffy was chasing after him; sometimes she could see the stream, sometimes not, and the lantern she grabbed before taking off wasn’t helping her speed all that well. She followed the path through the rock tunnels by listening to Spike’s voice and the voice she could hear in her head. When not listening, Buffy was calling back to Spike, trying to gage her distance from the vampire.

Coming out into a large opening, she finally saw him holding onto the upper lip of the next enclosed part of tunnel. As Buffy sprinted, she watched Spike being pulled until only his fingertips held on to the rock. She dove, touching one of his hands, but unfortunately, when he let go one hand to grab onto Buffy’s, he lost what little hold he had and was swept away. No time to punch or kick something to vent her frustration as she wanted to, she rolled and was up racing again. With desperation churning in her stomach, dread started to take over when she could make out faint light ahead, which she assumed was coming from where the water would go outside to make a stream. Encouraged by the voice helping guide her, which was her only encouragement she had, Buffy came around a corner and again spotted the bleach blonde vampire frantically holding on to a rock outcropping a few feet before the next incased part of the tunnel.

“Come on slayer.” When Spike’s blue eyes locked on the slayer, his voice had much more bluster than his thoughts. Just as Buffy had, he had seen the approaching light and was getting exceedingly concerned. “Don’t fancy swimming anymore, love.”

“Spike! Don’t you DARE let go this time. You probably did it last time just to make me have to run farther.” Anxious, Buffy dove across the rock floor and was able to grab hold of his wrist in her first attempt, finally getting a break. Then straining, she added her second hand to the hold, making sure that she wouldn’t let him go. However, the current was so fierce, and after several tries, both realized that even with the slayer strength, she couldn’t pull him out. Nevertheless, Spike could still read the determination written all over Buffy’s face, and she could see the determination of his own.

Shel was still with Buffy, while Multok joined Spike. They knew that the vampire and the slayer were both understandably getting fatigued, and since the two small couldn’t help physically, they could help with suggestions. Multok yelled over instructions to Shel.

After listening to her mentor, Shel started talking into Buffy’s ear. “You’ve got it, just a little more. When he gets his arm around the outcropping, you need to brace you legs on the rock.” Leaning close to the vampire’s ear to be heard over the water, Multok started speaking, “Wrap your free hand around the outcropping as far as your arm will allow. That will give her some help to get leverage to pull you out. Come on, you can do it.”

Spike was happy to receive the suggestion from his little voice that had been so good to him in the last couple of weeks. Easily trusting that the slayer would hold onto him, he readjusted his grip on the outcropping. He was able to wrap his arm around it, taking some of the water’s pull from her created by the water. The assistance was enough. Slowly with one leg at a time, Buffy was able to move her legs so she could brace herself on the outcropping along with him. She looked Spike in the eyes, and with their minds in perfect cynic in a silent count to three, using all her slayer with his vampiric strength, she jerked hard as he pulled up on the outcropping. With their combined efforts, the vampire shot out of the water, landing on top of the slayer, and with their momentum, they rolled over to where she was lying with her upper body across of his chest.

The pair lay there, both panting and neither talking for a while. Buffy’s head was lying on Spike’s chest with eyes closed while Spike stared up at the ceiling, thinking about how he had almost done in by skinny dipping. But most painful of all, he would have lost the nymph that he had been swimming with him. ‘No bloody way,’ Spike thought. ‘I just started with her, and I don’t see letting her go anytime soon. If ever.’ If ever? Spike was surprise by that thought, but as he savored her body laying on his own, he knew the “ever” part fit. ‘No. If I have anything to say about it, forever it will be with the slayer.’

“This dare, no like.” When Buffy felt like she could string more words together, she half heartedly slapped him on his chest. “If you had let go, I would have staked you.”

“No, slayer, if I had let go, you would have been able to roast marshmallows over me, and I am sure the whelp would have more than happy to bring the graham characters and chocolate to make shmores.”

“Where’s my cell phone, and he can be on his way.”

“You don’t have a cell phone, pet.” He looked down the length of her nude body and smirked. “But if you do have one, I would love to see where you are carrying it.”

“You wish. Anyway, we can leave the smores for another day so we can plan a party. I’m sure that Giles would want to be there. We could even invite Harmony and Riley.”

‘Ha, Ha, Slayer. Tons of fun at my expense.’ And when he heard her ex’s name mentioned he would have tensed, but instead he wanted to use what little strength he had for a much more important reason. Spike gathered the strength to wrap one arm around her and gave her a little squeeze to make sure he had her undivided attention back on him. “Love?” He started talking in a low, sultry voice, “I just wanted to let you how much it means to me, a master vampire who has killed two slayers, to be saved by a slayer. A simple “thank you” just doesn’t cut it.” What he really wanted to say with his thank you was that he loved her, that he loved her more and more with every passing day, but he hadn’t forgotten how she had forbidden such words or feelings. Soddin’ promise. When he looked back now since splitting up with Dru and clearing his head, he should have thought with his heart and not wasted so much time fighting with her.

“Spike, I had to save you,” she whispered. Buffy was also cursing the promise she had forced Spike to make. She wanted so badly to tell him that she had to save him because she loved him, that there was no way she would let him burn up until only dust was left. The favors had started as a secret fling, but she had ended up losing her heart.

Buffy felt a chuckle rumble in Spike’s chest and wondered where he got the energy to move the muscles required to chuckle. She was even more impressed when she felt him wrap both of his arms wrap around her. “But, love, there was one benefit from this workout. We ended up in a good position.”

Buffy was too tired to be coy or try to dodge his comment. “Hmmm, yes.” Actually, she moved enough to kiss his chest that was below her cheek.

Enjoying the fact that they were both still very much naked, he gazed down along Buffy’s body and smiled until he looked farther down the tunnel, seeing again how close he had come to instantaneously combusting. When Dru and he split up, he wouldn’t have minded sailing out to meet the sun. But now, he had a reason to stick around, and she was lying across his chest.

Buffy felt his arms tighten, pressing her closer, but instinct told her that the hug was not just affection to have her lying on him naked. “Spike…Is something wrong?”

“Actually, I was thinking that after I lost Dru, I would have welcomed stepping out into the sunshine one more time. A warrior falling on his sword and all that rot.” Smiling, Spike stroked her back in a steady rhythm. He expected to hear her laugh, but her head shot up. Instead of mirth, he was surprised to see anger boiling in her hazel eyes. “What did I do or say wrong this time, Slayer?”

Buffy continued to glare at him. “I didn’t chase you down and pull you out of the water for…” Before continuing, she had to take a second to over come the lump in her throat. “Just do a favor and don’t die.”

Spike’s eyebrows shot up due in surprise and confusion. “Huh? We have…Slayer, we’ve tried to kill each other for the last three or some odd years. And now you…”

Buffy shifted her body so she could cut off his words with a kiss. She was not prepared to discuss the implications of what she had just said. When he mentioned dieing, she saw red, and her words unexpectedly tumbled out. But he was right, when had she gone from wanting to kill him to this strong feeling of wanting to keep him undead, instead of dusty dead?

Their lips met with mouths opened and tongues searching for reassurances in their intense passion for each other.

~~~

The pair didn’t know it, but Multok and Shel were also lying on the floor not far away. Not on top of each other, but still trying to recover just as the vampire and slayer were.

Knowing that the vampire and slayer no longer needed their help, Multok looked over at Shel, and where he expected a blush on her cheeks, he only saw a smile on her face. He followed her eyes to where the slayer and vampire’s embrace was beginning to heat up. “Shel…Shel?”

“Huh?” She absently replied.

“Like what you see, girl?”

“Yeah…Oh, no. I mean no.” Shel’s eyes shifted from glazed to wide with embarrassment in two seconds flat.

Multok chuckled, “Come on. I think they can handle the rest on their own. Let’s see if we can find a crap game with lots of action.”

She finally turned to gaze to Multok. “Craps? What’s that?”

“Since you asked, let me give you a little lesson. But now that I think about it, craps is rather hard to learn. We will have to practice quite a bit.” Rubbing his hands together, Mulltok followed Shel out of the cave, eager for a little game of chance.

~~~

With their mouths still locked, Spike shifted Buffy until she lay down the length of him before rolling them over so that she was on the bottom. As they changed their positions, their mouths stayed locked, their tongues meeting, tasting each other as if this was their first time. Buffy knew she was in love with Spike but was afraid to say anything to upset the status quo. Spike definitely knew he loved Buffy, but his hands were tied in any declaration of love by fear of sending this golden beauty into flight. He hadn’t promised to not bring love into their relationship as she had asked him when they had first had sex, but now he knew that the slayer was meant to soar with him, not fly away from his arms.

When she felt Spike move to his side, letting his hands could move freely over her body, Buffy broke the kiss so she could speak. She shook her head from side to side slightly. “No foreplay.”

Spike froze, unsure of what she meant. A woman asking for no foreplay just didn’t bode well. Getting nervous, he focused his eyes on the cavern wall, “Ah…Now, love, no fore…?”

Buffy grabbed his hair and pulled him back close to her face so she could look him eye to eye. “I love your hands on me. I love your mouth on me. But…I. Need. You. Inside. Me. Now!”

When she released her hold, Spike pressed his forehead to hers, keeping eye contact. “Abso-fucking-lutely.”

Moving back on top of her but lifting up on one of his arms, Spike slid one hand between them and felt her wetness. Grasping his shaft, he rubbed its head through her folds and around her entrance, listening to her moan. With her juices lubricating him, he brought his hand back up and framed her face between his hands. Spike smiled with male pride when as he entered her Buffy’s eyes rolled up before her eyelids shut. She groaned long and loud before she opened her eyes again.

In those beautiful, hazel eyes, Spike could see pleasure, intensity, strength, and a love of life. Her own life and apparently his also. At that moment Spike wished he could whisper in her ear how much he loved her as he slid in and out of her heat.

Since getting to know this vampire, she found out that Spike’s face, especially his eyes, was normally as an open as a book. Even when he tried to hide behind sarcasm or his big bad persona, she could still read what was going on in that bleached head. But when Buffy gazed into his eyes now, she could see much more. She wondered why she had never seen his true nature which shone in his stunning blue eyes, expressing his emotions and true character. Not just a vampire’s nature of death, death and more death. Instead, this wasn’t just any vampire, this was Spike with his own unique nature. When she looked at Spike now, she saw a desire to pleasure her, a desire to continue being with her, a desire to be part of her both mentally and physically. In return, he had become her number one, top ranking of her desires. Now, Buffy hoped that Spike only wanted to enjoy his unlife with her, sharing in her life and in her work. Of course, Spike was synonymous with violence, but she believed or at least wanted to believe that he would no longer be a danger to humans even with the chip out. However, his face was now a blank mask, including his expressive eyes, which were searching her face for some sort of mysterious clue. Regardless of her curiosity, she didn’t ask what he was looking for since she feared the answer may be too intimate than she was ready to handle at present.

She tilted her head out of Spike’s grasp to kiss him, to kiss her lover. Until now, she hadn’t been able to think of him as a lover. Buffy had tried not to give their new relationship a name because any word that had the four letters, love, in it would be admitting that she had strong feelings for the vampire. But now, Spike was her lover in every sense of the word. Even though she could admit her feelings to herself, she wasn’t ready to admit them to him. Breaking away from their kiss, Buffy buried her face in the side of his neck, burying her thoughts and letting herself to be swept away by the sensations of their joined bodies.

As testament to the last fifteen minutes, during which either one of them could have died, the vampire and slayer held each other tight, only their hips rocking. So tight that Spike could barely move in and out of her, but neither could bear to let go of their hold enough to leave more room between them, making additional movement possible. After they both climaxed, they stayed still, no moving, no talking, just panting and holding on to each other tightly. Not hug but a fierce embrace born from the fear of losing each other.

When Spike had felt Buffy bury her face in the crook of his neck, he did the same. ‘At times, life could be so ironic,’ he laughed to himself. ‘A fantastic example was this very day. First a vampire saved a slayer and then she returned the favor. But that wasn’t the only irony.’ What Spike hadn’t realized until this scare was that the time that any possibilities of fighting until one of them was dead had been left in the stream rushing away. Instead the pair we’re both beginning to comprehend a future with each other not as adversaries but as a team. An unexpected future with Spike, a master vampire, and Buffy, a slayer together.

*****

Agitated and impatient, he walked into the small, yellow house, slamming the backdoor behind him. When he didn’t immediately find her in the living room, his temper elevated even more. “Harmony?...Harmony! Get your slut ass out here.”

The blonde came into the living room, hips swinging and wearing a black, French maid’s outfit. “Wee mezz sure.”

“Was that supposed to be French?” He sneered at her while at the same time taking in her low cut bodice trimmed in lace and an extremely short, black skirt. His eyes traveled farther down so he could see a garter belt holding up her black hose, and on her feet, she was wearing fuck me high heels. The whole picture made his cock strain against his zipper.

“Yeah, that was French, but that’s like all I know. That class in high school was so lame.” She ran her hands up her bodice to cup her breasts and pushed up, drawing his attention back up to her cleavage. “I am your maid at your service. Is there anything…,” she pushed her breasts up even farther so that her nipples were peeking over the edge of her neckline. “…anything I can get for you?”

Reaching down to his crotch, he readjusted himself, trying to find a more comfortable position for his hard-on. “Can it, Harmony. You’re going to have to use your vibrator and pinch you own nipples tonight. I can’t stay. I’ve got to go set up a little surprise for our fanged friend. And don’t get you hopes up for tomorrow either. I’m busy during the day and can’t come at night.”

Harmony ran both hands from her chest down her body until she touched the hem of her skirt. One hand lifted up the material revealing her lack of panties while the other slid down so her two middle fingers were rubbing back and forth, against the lips of her cunt. “But sir, I just want to service your …ah…needs. All you have to do is ask.”

“No, I can’t sta…Fuck it…but let’s make this a quickie.”

Harmony purred, “Yes sirrrr. So what is your pleasure?”

“Well, I’ve been cooking my meat all day, and I think it’s ready to come out of the oven. Why don’t you check and make sure it’s moist?”

Harmony stepped up to him with a smile, leaning in to kiss him, but his hand shot up to the top of her blonde head, fisted her hair in one hand and pushed her down until her face was even with his crotch. After unzipping his pants, he pulled his shaft out and shoved it into her mouth.

“Ooohhhh, your meat tastes so…” Harmony wasn’t able to finish her sentence because, with his hand still gripping her hair and one again holding his cock, he pulled her forward, forcing her mouth back around his shaft. “I want to feel your mouth, not hear your mouth.”

*****

After waking up with each other, still lying on the hard rock floor, both Spike and Buffy walked back to the pool to retrieve their clothes and take a quick dip, very quick dip in the pool to wash off the dirt from. But just the glimpse of each others’ slick bodies, reignited their desire for each other. They made love, slept and then made love again. After when they thought the sun had set, they went off in search food, blood and softer surfaces, not necessarily in that order.

Buffy led the way to Spike’s crypt, both arguing good naturedly along the way. “I’m telling you, you pig-headed blood sucker, Riley sent me a letter saying that he had left town. So he couldn’t be the one trying to kill you.”

“That proves nothing, pet. Who’s to say that overgrown beasty bugger ever left? And…I drink the pigs blood, not suck. But if you keep up that sassy mouth, missy, I’m going to suck a little out of you.” Spike leer at her. “Besides, you’re the one who sucks and I lick.”

“Sip, suck, drink, lick, whatever?” Buffy stuck her tongue out at her vampire pest. “The letter was post marked from Iowa. Ha, so way ha.”

“He could have a relative send it for him, you silly bint. Besides who else would want to kill me?” With his eyes twinkling, Spike gave her his most angelic smile.

Her eyes grew huge before Buffy doubled over laughing. “I can’t believe you even asked me that question. An easier question with a shorter list of answers to choose from would be who wouldn’t want to kill you.” Buffy squealed as Spike snapped her on the ass with his towel. To escape, she ran ahead leaving the sound of her laughter floating back to him. Spike finished the remains of his cigarette before giving chase. “Noowww, I’m going to show you the difference between sucking and drinking…”

When he didn’t immediately catch up with her, Buffy slowed her pace, finally stopping at his crypt’s door. Geez, what fun was it for her to run away if he didn’t catch up with her? As she turned to look back, Spike slammed her against the crypt beside the door, kissing her until she was moaning, moaning that drove him wild. When he moved back to let her catch her breath, she pushed the crypt’s door open and then she looped the towel around his neck. “I can’t wait. Need another kiss. Need more of you.” Backing up with the towel still wrapped around his neck, Buffy pulled him into the crypt, her lips pressed against his again.

When they stepped into the crypt, three things happened simultaneously. Spike heard a soft popping sound, Buffy’s body knocked against his own, and he felt a sharp pain in his chest over his heart. Fuck, he really didn’t want to find out if that the noise he heard was what he thought it was. Still holding her, Spike moved back a couple of inches away from her, instinctually looking down at Buffy. Buffy’s face was a mask of bewilderment, looking him as she looked at him, and then drifted down to see her chest. Spike’s eyes followed hers down and saw a sharp pointed shaft of wood protruding out of her shirt, blood already seeping out. He had hoped he was wrong, but no, he had heard a crossbow which must have shot an arrow, hitting just below the slayer’s right shoulder. The thought that he had been pricked by the arrow lodged in her body made him ill.

When Buffy looked back up, Spike noticed that her face was slowly turning white. Then her knees gave way, and she crumpled to the floor with his arms were still around her, softening her landing. Before he sat down with her, he moved to use his body to block any more arrows from hitting her. He knew the shot had been meant for him, but he wasn’t taking any chance that she would be accidentally hit again. Bringing his demon forward, he used his enhanced eyesight to scan for the source of the shot. What he finally found was a rope hooked to the door, which he followed to a pulley and then to a cross bow mounted to the bars of a window opposite of the door. So yet again his attacker didn’t even have the bloody nerve to face him in person.

“Spike?” Buffy’s voice drew Spike’s attention back to her and conveyed her daze. “I think… ah… I was just shot with a crossbow.”

“That you were, love.” Spike fought to keep his voice steady and cheerful as he examined the arrow and her wound.

Buffy’s hand came up, touched the tip of the arrow that was protruding from her and then the blood on her chest before holding her finger tips up, looking at her own blood as if it was the first time she had ever seen the deep red liquid. “Spike, I have an arrow sticking out of me, and I think I’m bleeding.”

“That you do, lover. That you do.” Spike moved around so he could see where the arrow had entered her back.

“I don’t think I like this.” Buffy’s voice came out sounding like a very unslayer-like, little girl. “Could you please take this arrow out now?”

Since she couldn’t see his face, Spike closed his eyes, trying to wish away the last five minutes but wasn’t able to turn back the clock. “I would love to pet, but I’m afraid that pulling the arrow out would only make you bleed more.”

“Ok, but just no tasting, fang face.”

“You probably would be too sour anyway.” He laughed her off but was not laughing off the wound. In fact he suspected that something was very wrong. Even with her slayer healing abilities, Buffy was losing too much blood, too fast, around the embedded arrow. The bleeding should be tapering off by now but wasn’t. Vampire here. He knew a thing or two about blood loss, leading him to suspect the arrow must have hit a large vein or artery.

When he scooped her up, Buffy passed out from the pain. Grateful that she was no longer conscious, he knew if she were conscious, she would want to go home and rely on her slayer healing ability. Not this time, pet. If she survived, and she had to survive, he would gladly take the heat, but no matter what she might want, she was headed to the hospital.

Decision made, he ran with her in his arms for where the DeSoto was stored close by. After placing her on her side in the front seat, he ran around, jumping into the driver’s side, lying so her head was in his lap before starting the car. Spike kept a hand on her back so that the arrow protruding from her back wouldn’t touch the seat of the car. “No slayer, you can’t die. Attempted drowning hit your death quota for the month.” Spike talked to the slayer. “You told me to do you a favor and not die on you. Well, the same goes for you. I love you, Slayer. Don’t leave me.” The last part was whispered as Spike sped through the streets of Sunnydale.

By the time the frantic vampire raced into the Emergency Room in the Sunnydale Hospital, both Spike and Buffy were covered in her blood. His new emerald t-shirt, which Buffy had bought for him to replace all his damaged ones, was now turned to black with the mix with dark red. He rushed up to the desk where an alert nurse was already calling for a gurney before she even asked what had happened. The vampire only revealed the bare facts on what was the third attempt to kill him, but Buffy was the one that now might die. “We were in the woods when she was struck by an arrow. I picked her up and brought her here.”

A man and a woman both in scrubs came out rolling a gurney. As soon as Spike carefully laid Buffy down on the padded surface, the vampire only had time to brush the hair out of her face before they whisked her away into the back through double doors that swiftly closed behind them. His last image was of her pale face and her blood seeping out onto the sheet, red covering the gurney’s surface.

Still staring at the doors, Spike gave the nurse Buffy’s name, address and anything else she asked for that he knew. Spike gave her any answers he could think of while most of his brain was overrun with worry for the slayer. “The doctors can save her, right?”

The nurse easily recognized love and devotion when she saw it, and she saw those emotions in the blonde, young man. Immediately, her heart went out to him. “Truthfully, I don’t know any more than you do right now, but when I find out any news, I’ll tell you straight away.”

For the first time since Buffy was whisked away, Spike pulled his eyes away from the doors that separated him from the slayer. He gave the nurse a little smile. “Thanks, pet. I’ll take any crumb you might find that I can nibble.”

With nerves teetering on the edge of the Grand Canyon, Spike began pacing. What he really wanted to do while waiting was smoke and pace, but no way this spick and span hospital would allow that. He knew that the nurses at the desk probably thought he looked like a windshield wiper turned on the highest setting but sitting down and calmly waiting was just not an option for this vampire.

When he couldn’t stand the wait any longer, he approached the nurse who he had spoken to when he first brought Buffy into the ER, “Ah, pet, could I go back and be with her? Hold her hand or something. Anything.”

The nurse gave him an apologetic smile. “Maybe, and I mean maybe later.” Looking at the blonde, she hoped that her husband was at least half as devoted to her as this man was to his girlfriend. Giving him a wink, she sat down at her computer. “Let me see what room they put her in.”

Spike tapped his fingers impatiently on the counter until she looked back up at him with “I’m so sorry” written all over her face. “You can’t go back there right now. Actually, she’s in surgery, but I will let you know when she is out.”

Frustrated and eaten up with worry beyond reason, Spike wanted to charge through the double doors to see Buffy for himself, but the only thing keeping him back was that he knew the doctors didn’t need a frantic vampire rushing into the operating room right now.

Trying to be helpful, the nurse offered a suggestion. “Maybe there are some friends or relatives of hears you would like to call. There is a phone you can use over on the wall to your right.”

“Thanks, luv.” He gave her a smile to convey his thanks for her help and understanding before heading for the phone. He knew Joyce was out of town on a buying trip for two weeks, so when he called Buffy’s house, he wasn’t surprised to hear Dawn’s voice. “Hello.”

“Hey, Dawn.” Not the best opener but better than, ‘Hey, kid. Your sis is in the hospital and may die.’

Shock and confusion were evident in the teenager’s voice. “Spike?”

He didn’t really know Buffy’s little sis, but what he did know, he liked. However, Spike still felt like a complete stranger to Dawn, making him unsure of what to say. “Yeah, it’s me. Listen, your sis…huh…had an accident and was nicked bad enough that I brought her to the emergency room.”

“What? Is she ok?”

“Right as rain as far as I know.” What a lie, Spike thought, but he prayed that it would turn out to be true. “Pet, can you call the other Scoobies and let them know so they can come down. I think she would want you and her friends here.”

Now her voice sounded shaky and panicked. “I’ll do it. But Spike, you’re freaking me out. Buffy must really be bad off to go to the hospital. Really. Tell me the truth. Is she okay?”

“I’m sure she will be, Bit. Now make those calls, and I’ll go pester the nice, little nurse for more info. And I promise I won’t try to sneak back to her recovery room until you get here.”

“Promise?”

“I promise, Little Bit.” Spike hung up the phone and looked down at his bloody shirt, thinking that he was far from convinced the slayer was going pull through.

*****

Eventually Spike gave into his need for a fag, and he paced and chain smoked outside the entrance to the emergency. No doubt his relocation was a relief to the nurses inside. So now he was now driving the shrubbery crazy with his constant movement and rhetorical questions to the foliage. In fact, when Spike saw Dawn running up, he was relieved to have someone he could help, could take care of, do something or anything productive. If he couldn’t help the slayer, at least he could lend his support to her baby sis.

Slowing down, Dawn started firing some questions of her own while pausing in front of the glass doors. “Spike, what happened? Is she alright? Can I go into see her?”

Before she made it past him through the doors, the vampire caught her arm and pulled Dawn over to the side of the entrance. “No, Nibblet, she’s still in surgery so nobody can go into see her yet, but the nice nurse at the desk promised that she would come out here and get me as soon as there is any news. Personally, I think she was trying to relocate my pacing somewhere else.”

That earned Spike a small smile from the girl before worry return to Dawn’s expression. “How did she get hurt?”

“The short of it is your sis was hit with a crossbow’s arrow, and now she is in surgery. There is not much information from the doctors yet, but they did say that the arrow entered on the right side just above her lung.” Until Buffy successfully made it out of surgery, Spike’s first instinct was to keep the rest of the information to himself, but Dawn deserved the truth. The Bit was Joyce’s daughter, so he suspected that she could take it. “The arrow nicked an artery, and she lost a lot of blood. But the docs are operating on her now, and I’m sure she will be fit and fighting vampire ass in just a few days.”

Dawn stared into the vampire’s eyes, leaving Spike suspecting that he was being judged. At that moment, to him Dawn appeared to be much older. The look in her eyes implied maturity beyond her age.

Dawn searched his, trying to see into his soul or essence in this case since Spike had no soul, and she didn’t see a master vampire or a monster. Instead, she saw a man who cared about her sister and was genuinely worried just as she was for Buffy. She didn’t wonder how or ask herself why she read him so quickly and so clearly. Dawn just accepted and brushed aside any concerns involving Spike. Any speculation on his relationship with her sister would have to wait. That was a juicy little tidbit was too good to let go altogether.

By the changed look on her face, Spike couldn’t tell what her judicial ruling was going to be, but he was blown out of his knickers when his bite sized judge stepped up and wrapped her arms around his waist. Both a pardon and a reward.

No longer caring that he was a demon, she rested her cheek against his chest with her tears soaking the front of his shirt and her sobs filling his ears. After a moment of indecision with his arms hovering close but not touching Dawn’s back, Spike wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin atop her head. This small girl reminded him of how much he adored all the Summers women. He loved Joyce like a mum, loved Buffy as his lover, and after this night, he knew he would love Dawn like a sister.

After her crying abated and they reluctantly pulled apart, Spike set about filling in all details of Buffy’s accident. The only bit he nixed was his intimate relationship with the slayer. As he talked, Dawn watched Spike smoke cigarette after cigarette, lighting the next with what was left of the last cigarette. This was Spike who was all grouchy, grhh, pissed off, “I’m the Big Bad” attitude. However, now she was uber confused by him helping Buffy. Both her sister and the vampire took every opportunity to threaten to kill the other. So the question was when had their relationship between them change? Yeah, the Scoobies paid him to fight against other demons, but he still didn’t have to help for money. Dawn had no doubt he could steal whatever he needed such as fags as he calls them or liquor. For his dinner, Dawn could imagine him robbing a blood bank and then storing the big supply away in a cold hidey hole in the cave system around Sunnydale. But the Spike before her wasn’t grouch, wasn’t grhh, wasn’t the big bad. This vampire acted way worried. Way huge worried. This new and improved Spike acted like a man whose friend was in surgery.

Dawn sat on a bench watching as the undead chimney continued to pace and pace and pace and pace. She needed a distraction for them both. “Spike…Spike! Tell me a story.”

That stopped the vampire in his tracks. “Nibblet, I thought you were the brighter one of the Summers sisters. So you should have sussed out that vampires don’t do beddy-by tales.”

Giving a stern look, Dawn put her hands on her hips. “No, I meant your like ancient. You have got to have zillions of stories.”

“Hey, I’m only one hundred twenty-nine.” She just laughed when he glared at her.

Tilting her head to the side, Dawn gave him a “you got to be kidding” look. “Like I said. Ancient which means loads of tales to tell.”

Spike lifted an eyebrow in return. “Fine. If I’m so OLD, you pick a decade, and I’ll try to keep the gore to a minimum, but know that most of my stories aren’t meant for the eyes of young lads or lasses. But of course, I could just eat the tikes after the tale.”

Dawn rolled her eyes, clearly telling him that she didn’t believe a word, especially the part about him eating kids. “Noooo. The more gore the merrier. Like a horror story, but it happened, or a really cool history lesson, a “you were there” documentary except you actually were there.”

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you then.” Spike settled on a short wall opposite the bench Dawn was sitting on.

“Yeah, yeah. You’ve done the official disclaimer bit. Pick a decade? How about the 1890’s? You were turned by then, weren’t you?”

“Yes, platelet. Dru had turned me by then.” Spike gave a wicked smile, thinking about what stories he could tell about Angel, since the poof had still been with him, Dru, and Darla at that time.

*****

“Then the girl whipped out a cross. Hearing the sound of a crowd on his heals and that was the only part of the poof that was covered, Peaches had no choice but to run, which was a hard task with his breaches around his ankles…” The tale was left unfinished when Spike’s attention was drawn to the nurse waving for him to come back inside. Both made the ten meter dash to the counter in record time before skidding to a stop. Dawn noticed that Spike was breathing hard as if he was out of breath from his running inside the lobby. ‘What a freaky vampire! Maybe he should give up smoking.’ She smiled at the non breathing, never getting cancer immortal next to her.

When the nurse told them that Buffy was out of surgery and doing fine, Dawn breathed a sigh of relief but then went back into a panic mode of a lesser degree when she realized that she hadn’t called the others. “Oh, no. Oh, no. I am uber stupid. I forgot to call everybody else. I can’t believe…” Putting an arm across Dawn’s shoulders, Spike calmed her down with a light squeeze. “It’s ok, Nibblet. Just as well they weren’t here to do nothing but worry with us. Besides, I’m not sure the lenses of Rupert’s glasses could stand that much polishing.” Holding her shoulders in each hand, Spike turned her around, and before he gave her a little shove, he whispered in her ear, “Now, go over to that phone on the wall and give the others a jingle. I’ll turn on the charm here and see how we can manage to sneak to your sis.” She threw him a smile over her shoulder, and she raced over to the phone.

As Dawn started dialing numbers across the lobby, Spike started asking the questions. “Did the docs fix all the broken parts? Is she awake? Is she in pain? Where is she now? Where will they take her next? When can we be with her?” Spike ran one question into another while he ran a hand through his hair, mussing it up even more than he already had over the past three hours.

The nurse had to take a moment just to process all his rapid fired questions, and then she breathed deeply before answering. “Yes, the surgery was a success. Yes, she’s waking up right now. No, she shouldn’t be in any pain with the amount of painkillers that they have given her. Now she’s in recovery. As soon as she wakes up, they will take her to a room that will be assigned to her soon. When she’s settled, they will let me know and then the pair of you can go up and see her.”

Spike glanced back over to Dawn, who was still on the phone, and then with a sigh, he turned back to the nurse. “How long will that be, pet?”

When she heard the heart breaking disappointment in his question, again the nurse wished her husband would act towards her more like this young man. She hadn’t missed that he asked to be with her instead of asking to see her. That slight difference went straight to her heart. He wanted to comfort, not gawk. “Tell you what, I will go back to recovery myself and find out what room they will send her. You can be there when they wheel her in.” She patted Spike’s hand and gave him a smile before heading through the double doors. With the smile the blonde had given her in return made all the hospital’s rules fly out of the door. That smile of his left no doubt in her mind that she was doing the right thing not for the hospital, but right for the boyfriend and the patient’s sister.

By the time Spike lost sight of the nurse, Dawn rejoined him at the counter. “I got hold of everyone except Xander. Anya was at the Magic Box and is coming with Giles. She said she wasn’t sure where Xander was at the moment but was going to leave a message on their answering machine for him. So, what’s the medical story now? Can we see her yet?”

*****

Twenty minutes later, Spike and Dawn were in Buffy’s room. They made idle chit chat, the kind that wouldn’t be remember an hour later. They both fell silent when Buffy was finally rolled into the room. Not waiting for the gurney to stop rolling, Spike was at Buffy’s side, gently holding her hand. Spike knew he had been climbing the walls with worry, but what he hadn’t realized was how much he needed to touch her and feel her warm skin which assured him that she was still alive. Refusing to move away from her side, he helped the orderlies settle her into the bed closest to the door. The vampire only stepped away from the slayer’s side to allowed the nurses so they could make sure all the equipment was working properly and to take Buffy’s vitals.

When she finally could make it through all the people, Dawn hugged her very fuzzy sister as best she could while avoiding the monitors and her IV lines. “I’m so glad you are alive.” Her voice was choked with tears.

Enjoying her sister’s hug, the corners of Buffy’s mouth formed a groggy smile . “I’m ok, Dawn. I’ll be guarding my clothes from you in and making Spike’s unlife miserable in no time.” With that tease, he squeezed her hand. “I’ll hold you to that, slayer.” When Dawn finally pulled back, Buffy reached for one of Dawn’s hands, held on tight and moved over so that she could sit on the side of the bed. Thus situated, she turned her head and up at Spike as he stood beside the bed. The look on his handsome face and expressive blue eyes had changed from concern and relief when he first saw her into something she didn’t understand. She asked him with a tentative voice, “Spike, what’s wrong? You have mystery casserole face. The dish looks questionable, but you know idea what is inside. So, fang face, spill.”

Even knowing that she and Dawn were scrutinizing his face, Spike continued to stare at the slayer, and as much as he wanted to, he couldn’t make himself look away. When Buffy had been safely ensconced in the room, his fear for her life turned to thoughts about the attempts on his unlife. This latest so called assassination attempt by some cowardly wanker had turned out to be a bloody nasty cause of Buffy’s brush with death. The only brush with death Spike wanted the slayer to experience was her body brushing against his dead one. “That arrow was meant for me, luv. We both know that. Damn, slayer, if the arrow had been a few inches to the left, for that matter if you hadn’t been with me, you would have been safe and sound cuddled up in your pajamas sleeping.”

Buffy squeezed his hand tighter, using her hold to draw him closer. “You are right. The arrow was meant for you, and no, I wouldn’t have been hit by that arrow if I hadn’t been at your crypt with you. But I was there, and I was hit. But I could be repaired, and if I hadn’t been Shield Girl Buffy, you would have been dust blown away with a strong wind. But Spike, the end may have been a little too…intense, but I don’t regret the day at all. Any of it. Even lying here with a little stitching, I wouldn’t have changed a thing. Not just tonight but any part of the day.” The slayer to vampire pep talk worked. Spike gave a small smile at the mention of their other more enjoyable activities earlier that day.

“You know I would have willingly taken that arrow so it wouldn’t have hit you, don’t you, pet?” It wasn’t a question but a statement of fact.

“Stop beating yourself up with should of’s, could of’s, and would of’s. Apology Spike gives me the wiggins. Besides, I can see that hole in your shirt above your heart. That was from the arrow hitting you also, wasn’t it?” Spike answered the question with a reluctant nod. “I know you would have taken an arrow for me, but also remember that I was happy to take an arrow for you. Now, put those cool lips on mine and kiss your worries away.”

Spike fully smiled for the first time since she had been rolled into the room. “I never miss a chance to kiss a beautiful woman, especially you.” He leaned down and placed a chaste but lingering kiss on her lips.

Reminding the pair that she was still there, Dawn’s voice broke the intimate moment. “Geez, you two. Mushy much? I’m gagging here.”

*****

Shortly after Dawn and Spike helped Buffy get more comfortable in her non-comfy hospital bed, the Scoobies began to arrive. Spike stepped back into the shadowed corner but still near her bed, and Dawn hopped up to sit on the other bed in the hospital room as Willow and Tara were the first to arrive. Willow immediately rushed to the bed and hugged Buffy as well as Buffy’s injury allowed. Next Giles and Anya arrived. Blunt as usual, Anya asked if Buffy was dying or not. Giles came over to stand next to the bed, trying to keep up a good British, stiff upper lip, but his concern was still obvious in his questions concerning his slayer’s health.

As her four friends moved back some, Spike and Dawn moved back in. Dawn scooted onto the far side of Buffy’s bed, laid her head on the pillow next to her sister’s head and idly stroking her sister’s hair. On the other side of the bed, Spike retrieved a chair and moved it so that he could hold Buffy’s hand. He made no effort to hide their clasped hands or that his thumb was brushing across the back of her hand in a steady rhythm, which didn’t look to the others like it was going to stop anytime soon. He looked up at the Scoobies, daring them to make a comment, and noting that Buffy backed him up by not pulling her hand away. When Spike glanced at her, she gave him a quick smile. After nearly losing the slayer, Spike didn’t care one bloody bit what any of the buggers had to say. Just like Dawn, all he wanted to do was he touch her to reassure himself that she was still alive and fine.

Not surprisingly, her friends gawked at the vampire stroking the slayer’s hand, and that the slayer letting him. All conversation was stilted due to seeing Spike touching Buffy in that manner. And the four had a hard time wrapping their brains around the fact that Buffy was accepting the caress with a warm smile. Their reactions were mixtures of varying degrees of shock with a pinch of horrified thrown in. Horrified by how Spike and Buffy were treating each other and how comfortable each were with intimate contact. They were also shocked at Spike’s ruffled appearance, curls, and lack of his duster. His t-shirt soaked in blood, which wasn’t even his usual black, was hanging out from his pants with the front. For this vampire known for his vanity his appearance was astonishing.

Spike tried to not care what Slayerettes were thinking; instead he focused his efforts on trying to comfort the slayer with presence by her side, and even though he had not said the words out loud, he tried to convey his love for her though his touch. The cat was out of the back about the severe change in their relationship. In fact, it was a full grown tiger instead of a someone’s little domestic kitty cat. But for now, he pushed away any thoughts of the undoubtedly forecoming confrontation with one or all of her friends. Let them hate him even more than they already did. What they didn’t know was how devoted he was to her and that he wasn’t going to give her up no matter what the goody-goods say.

Buffy could feel the tension in Spike go up several notches under the scrutiny of her friends. Before they had arrived, he had been somewhat tense, but she knew it was born of worry that she had come so close to death. But now, he was radiating concern for her along with uncertainty of what was going to happen next with her friends added to the mix. She could also sense a possessive streak running though him and what he didn’t know was that possessiveness was reciprocated and enjoyed. She hadn’t told him yet, but she loved him so he should trust her. Latching on to an emerging plan, she pulled on his hand so he would look at her again. “Spike, would you and Dawn find me something to drink. I am so thirsty, but I am so sick of water. Maybe a coke or something?”

“Oh, oh, and some food,” Dawn interjected. “I’m a growing girl and need to eat, don’t I?” She knew what Buffy was doing, getting Spike out of the Scoobies line of fire, and she didn’t blame her sister at all. But just seeing them together for the last half hour, she had already made up her mind that they made a great couple and that Buffy better not mess things up.

Even though he was willing to do anything that Buffy asked, Spike reluctantly agreed and hid his reluctance. “Sure, pet. I will hunt far and wide to find just the right drink you and food for Little Bit’s stomach. And…I promise to actually pay for it, too.” That brought a smile to Buffy’s face. As he stood up, Spike tenderly tucked a stray hair behind Buffy’s ear before turning to leave. Dawn was laughing at his joke when she took Spike’s arm and dragged him out of the room.

Spike recognized that Buffy didn’t really want a drink. What she wanted was to get him out of that hospital room. The only problem was he wasn’t too sure that he would be able to get back in that room. When her friends finally picked their jaws up off the linoleum floor, they were sure to hurl at her word after word such as evil, killer, sneaky, manipulative, user, thief, traitor and even thrall. That last one would of course come from the watcher. All the flying words would hit their target, Buffy’s ears, with the sole purpose of getting Buffy to send the evil vampire packing. So, those simple words could be strong enough to bar him from the slayer’s hospital room. Or at least they could try. If so, the Scoobies greatly underestimated his determination to return to Buffy’s side. So blah, blah, blah, on their part, but he had a few soddin’ words of his own that would burn their ears.

TBC