TUNNEL BLOCKAGE

(Tunnel series, part 3)

"Tara?" Willow whispered softly to the girl lying beside her.

They were up on the roof again, in their favorite spot, curled up on a soft comforter and covered with a light blanket.

The early evening sky had just started to show stars, and it had been Willow's intent to relax here with Tara as they often had before and just enjoy it.

But that had been before she had blown all that a few minutes ago, by bringing up everything that Buffy had told her a two days previously about Spike, his non-active chip, and the blonde Slayer's budding feelings for the cocky vampire.

Tara had taken it well, considering that she hadn't been told about it right away and Willow worried that it would cause her to feel left out of the group again. This was reinforced by the way Tara just lay there beside the worried witch and was silent.

She nudged her wiccan friend and love, and repeated her name, softly.

Tara turned her face toward Willow and smiled. "It's ok. I'm just enjoying the evening."

"Oh......Ok.......But I coulda' sworn that you were kinda’ mad at me, maybe?" There were at least six stars showing and Tara had yet to point them out, and give any of them a ’Tara’ name.

Tara patted Willow's leg under the blanket. "You don't need to worry about it, honey. I know that you waited to tell me until Giles was told."

She smiled impishly at Willow. "And I'm not afraid of Spike, if that’s bothering you. He and I get along just fine. He’s such a gentleman, always opening doors and looking around dark corners before letting me go ahead."

"I've always had the feeling that down deep he's a big softy, at least, where women are concerned."

Willow grinned and relaxed a little. "Yeah. I get that from him too, sometimes. One of these days, one of us should tell him about that."

Tara giggled. "Yes. But from a distance, right?"

Willow snickered, then after a seconds' thought, said "Yeah. Oh yeah. A really big longgggg distance!" She wondered if the vampire had a phone in the crypt.

She reached and put an arm around Tara's waist and they continued to enjoy the approaching evening.

************************************************************************

Inside the crypt, Spike kept walking back and forth in front of the doorway, smoking a cigarette, and glaring at the door as if it were his worst enemy.

Twice he'd put out his hand to unlatch the door and go outside, and twice he'd stopped.

Of course the first time, it was still daylight outside, but now the sun was gone and still he smoked and stalked back and forth like a caged animal, or a caged.....vampire. Which was more or less the truth and it was bugging him a little bit more than he wanted to admit.

Here he was, sans chip at last, through whatever act of fate, but was he free? Free to 'slash and bash' as Dru had put it? Hell no. Here he was, in the same hole in the ground (well it 'was' one when he went down below, for sure) and singing the same song.

Of course he knew, that the Slayer stood in his way as she had for a long time now. But sometimes he missed some things about the old days and wondered if he was capable of returning to his former life. It seemed to have lost some of it’s appeal, though.

He loved Buffy, and Buffy, he knew, cared for him. But things weren't going as he'd hoped, after that last little confab at her house. He'd been so certain that she was as smitten by him as he was of her. He'd seen the yearning for 'something' in her eyes.

But bloody hell! It had been two whole days (well, nights, for him) and she hadn’t come to visit. And he was so sure that she was about to give in that his pride wouldn’t let him be the one to go to her.

He sucked hard on the rapidly dwindling cigarette as if it was a pulsing vein, and blew the smoke out quickly, in frustration.

His plans for wooing the Slayer were moving at a snail's pace, and it was getting on his nerves.

But he hadn’t intended to be the one to come calling first, and now here he was waiting for enough steam to blow off, so as not to growl and snap at Giles and Xander.

He was fully aware that they would be at the Slayer’s house when he arrived.

Who's bloody stupid idea had this been, anyway?

Oh yeah.....of course. Buffy's. But if she hadn't told him that Joyce had agreed on it's merit, Spike would have balked for sure, no matter how hard Buffy might have batted her eyes at him.

Especially when he found out he'd be facing the Watcher, and Xander Harris, like some kind of inane gauntlet!

He threw his spent cig to the floor of the crypt where it joined a growing pile, and reached into the rear pocket of his jeans searching for his lighter. His hand came back out with a slightly crumpled photo of Buffy.

He smoothed it out a bit, and smiled, fondly. 'Must be one of the ones I snitched from her basement', he thought.

He stood there, looking at it for a moment longer, and then tossed it to the floor and stomped on it once hard, with his Doc’, resisting the urge to grind it just a little.

"That's right, Slayer. I'm wearin' my favorite, my 'only' boots and they are bloody well gonna be good enough for your delicate sensibilities!"

Of course, he immediately felt guilty about it.

‘Well shit, Spike. It’s not like she asked you to dress up like the Poof……just eyed the nail polish, is all. Don’t be such a wanker.’

Then he bent and snatched the picture back up, brushing the dirt from it, and crammed it back into his pocket. He knew that he would dress like Bozo the Clown or even worse, Dracula, to gain Buffy's favor. It was disgusting.

He looked at the door again, sighed, and lit another cig.

************************************************************************

Meanwhile, just inside the Summer's house, a figure paced up and down beside the front door in almost an exact copy of his foe's.

Xander Harris was mad, and he didn't want to take it anymore, but Buffy had threatened to knock him silly if he caused any trouble tonight.

And he remembered how hard she had hit him during her workouts, even while protected by a padded suit which he did not want his body to resemble unless he was wearing it. So he was doing the only thing he knew how to do, without getting bruised.

He walked up and down and called Spike everything nasty he could think of that was uncomplimentary and at least a little bit vile. He was memorizing the best ones to use in the future.

Giles, seated in the living room, removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers, sighing loudly and dramatically, but the dark haired figure beside the front door continued to stomp back and forth.

"Xander! Will you please come in here and sit down, and act in a civilized fashion?!"

"No! I'm not feeling too civil right now, 'G' Man." The young man continued to worry the carpet.

"Then I shall be forced to arise and assist you to your seat."

Xander glanced at the normally cool and calm Watcher and saw that he was dead serious.

Muttering a last insult to Spike's whole vampire lineage, he came and sat down on the couch beside Giles, who quickly scooted over a bit when he thought the lad was going to put his head on his shoulder.

At a safer distance, Giles replaced his glasses and looked at Xander's set expression. "Really, Xander. You did promise!"

A huge sigh from Xander. "Yeah, but I lied. I'm 'liar guy'."

"Well, from this moment forward you shall be 'supportive friend.....guy'. We have all given our word that we 'will' behave ourselves, not that 'I' would misbehave, but rather try to guide her, and...."

Xander interrupted him, his lower lip actually trembling.

"But 'G' Man. They're going on a 'date'. The world as we know it is going to end when Spike walks through that door!"

"I have asked you repeatedly, 'not' to call me that!"

Xander took in Giles' expression and swallowed. "Oh, alright, don't go all 'Ripper' on me. But I can't believe you're just gonna sit there."

The Watcher was 'just sitting there', but his posture was anything but relaxed. He'd had to force himself not to bring his bag of weapons into the house, and at the last moment had left them in the car.

Which was one reason he couldn't relax. The one stake he'd stuck inside his jacket was poking him in the ribs.

There was no way he'd be in the same room with an un-chipped Spike and not have some sort of protection for Buffy and the others, if not for himself.

No matter how hard Buffy had pleaded with him to believe her, and even with Willow and Tara's affirmations, he hadn't yet seen for himself that Spike was changed.

As soon as he'd been told that the chip was inactive, he'd recommended that they go and stake Spike then and there, before he could trick them all into thinking that he was trustworthy.

But his Slayer had approached him, put her arms around his waist and laid her head against his chest. She then proceeded to tell him what he hadn't wanted to hear.

That she was beginning to care for Spike.

That Spike had pledged his love and his loyalty to her and her circle of friends, and that she believed him, but was proceeding with caution.

That Giles should be willing to admit that enough time had passed since Spike had been 'handed back his weapon' for them to all realize that he had indeed begun to change, and should be given a chance to prove it.

Which brought them to tonight, and the reason why Xander now groaned at one end of the couch as Giles sat rigidly at the other. But he 'had' given his oath to Buffy, which for him came before his vow to any Watcher's council, and now it seemed, ahead of his own common sense.

He would stick by it.

He and Xander were acting as 'father' and 'brother' figures for Buffy, and would be helpful to Spike's reformation, even if it killed the both of them. Literally.

'If', however, the bugger even 'seemed' to be wrong, be it a trick of the light or otherwise, the Watcher was going to stake first, and ask questions later.

************************************************************

Buffy was putting the finishing touches on her make up using the mirror in her bedroom. She'd redone it several times and now had decided that it was a little to 'slutty' around the eyes.

Dabbing at her eyeliner with the edge of a finger she only succeeded in smudging it and ran back into the bathroom to repair it.

Willow, who had been sitting in the chair feeling totally useless for an hour now, commented . "Hey, Buffy, while you're in there, how about changing into something more comfortable?"

In a lower voice she mumbled "As opposed to something more hideous, like a vampire."

The tiny blonde popped her head out the door. "Huh? Did you say something Wil?" She leveled a stern gaze on the red head. "And then something else?"

"Um, yes, that was me." Willow smiled, guilelessly.

"I didn't think it was Mr. Gordo" she said, referring to her stuffed animal.

"I only meant that the shirt you have on seems so, um, confining, and that skirt is uh, kinda short.....I meant tight, and.....hey! It could get cool tonight or something. How about a nice sweatshirt and those new cargo pants?"

Lots of room in the pockets for a weapon, just in case.

Buffy ducked back into the bathroom and closed the door part way.

Willow tried not to listen too hard as she heard her friend tinkling away but had to, so as to catch what she said.

"Willow," Buffy teased. "Thanks for worrying about me needing sturdy clothing, in case I meet a vamp on the way to the Bronze. But I'm covered. My escort tonight is always armed."

A flushing toilet drowned out any further conversation and Buffy came out of the bathroom.

"So, see? Isn't this going to be just perfect? I can fight evil, go on a date, and keep an eye on 'evil', all at the same time!"

'How witty', thought Willow. "Yeah. That's swell."

She thought about reminding Buffy to wash her hands, but what was the point? Buffy lived in constant danger from things that could kill you lots quicker than germs.

The blonde came and stood in front of Willow's chair. "Ok, I'm ready. How do I look?" She was aware that her friend thought her too sexily dressed for the vampire, and was enjoying it.

Willow looked up and down at Buffy's outfit, then back up to her twinkling eyes and naughty grin. "Buffy, I think you're gonna kill him all over again."

"Very funny!" She put her hands on her hips and and began to recite the lecture that she'd prepared in advance.

"Ok, here's the evening's rules. Most important first. After Spike picks me up and we leave here tonight, I don't want to see 'anyone' that I know."

"I don't blame you for that one." Willow realized that she’d made a Cordelia remark, and frowned.

Buffy continued as if she didn't hear. "None of you are to come to the Bronze tonight, and I had better not see anyone following us when we leave, either. We may go for pizza."

"I'll bet Spike fills up on spicy buffalo wings and beer and then just wants to make out in his car."

Buffy started to retort but saw that Willow was trying to suppress a grin. "You may be right. That's one reason why we will be walking there."

That, and the opportunity for meaningful conversation before they were thrust into a crowd situation.

Willow stood up, and suddenly hugged her friend. "Be careful," she whispered, and stepped back.

Moved, Buffy said lightly, "Always. So, what are you doin' tonite? You and Tara going to a movie or something?"

"That's what I was going to ask you about. Well, right now, I mean. Can Dawny come back to the dorm with me? She's been bugging us to spend the night and Tara got us some cookies and stuff. Gonna make a girls' night of it."

Buffy frowned, which often happened when she tried to concentrate. She couldn't remember Dawn saying anything about spending the night with her wiccan buddies, but didn't see the harm in it. The protection spells were just as good at the dorm as they were here. They would either work, or they would not.

"Sure. Ok. With Mom going to the gallery tonight for inventory I was going to see if you guys wanted to watch Dawn, so it's fine with me."

She'd been thinking of sticking Giles with the job again but she didn't want to over-use him as a babysitter and after he did his duty as chaperone, she hoped to send he and Xander off in some other direction.

They were both distracted by a cracking sound that came from outside the bedroom window, and then a muffled curse in a voice with a decided English accent.

"Bloody Hell! Slayer! Open the soddin' window!"

Taking a second to close her eyes and clench her teeth, Buffy ran to the window closely followed by Willow.

She opened it, leaned out, and beheld Spike dangling from the windowsill, his dark, freshly painted fingernails barely sustaining a hold.

"Spike. How nice of you to be on time. And I see you kept the nail polish. I thought maybe you'd lose it for our date?" She smiled sweetly at him.

The vampire sensed her mood, but moved his fingers forward a bit to gain a better purchase on the sill. "Come on, Buffy. Let me in. Give us a hand up. The stupid branch broke on this bloody' tree...."

Buffy turned her face to Willow, who had joined her at the window. "Hey Wil. Ever see that vampire movie, 'Fright Night 2?"

"Yeah," Willow said, grinning evilly. "But wasn't that a werewolf hanging from the window in that scene?"

"Uh huh. So we can pretend it's Oz, then." She turned back to Spike, who knew what was coming. He'd seen the movie, too.

"Now ,Pet, don’t do anything rash…"

"Spike, 'please' go and use the front door. If I can face down the entire Watcher's Council, I think that 'you' can handle an ex Librarian and a 'big brother'.

"Right, then. Give me a bloody big sword like ’you’ had and let me have my way."

Giles and Xander will not bite you. You are the one with fangs."

She leaned out a little and patted his hand, snatching hers back as he tried to grab it.

Buffy and Willow ducked back inside and slammed the window on Spike's fingers!

Ignoring the curses and the thud of a body hitting the ground, the girls walked out of Buffy's bedroom.

Willow made a mental note to ask Buffy if that was the first time that Spike had used that tree.

********************************************************

Xander, still seated on the couch, caught a glimpse through a window of something falling and heard it hit the ground. It had looked large and black and was flapping it's arms like a bat.

'No way', he thought. 'Too many late night movies....unless maybe Drac's back.'

Then came a pounding on the front door. Giles started to rise and answer it, but Xander jumped up and put a hand on his arm.

"Please. Let me. That's probably our favorite vampire. Maybe you should go and see if his 'snack' is ready for her date."

Giles frowned at the hand until Xander removed it, but did as he asked.

Xander walked to the door and peeking out first, rolled his eyes and opened it wide.

"Well! If it isn't Dead Boy, Junior. Won't you come in? Oh, sorry, forgot. You've already been invited into this house one too many times."

Spike blew past him so fast that Xanders' hair got mussed.

He noticed a mass of something that might pass for flowers in the vampire's hand.

Giles stood at the foot of the stairs, speaking quietly with Buffy who had stopped on the last step, on her way down.

Buffy peeked around Giles, who had stopped talking and they both gave Spike the once over.

Giles pursed his lips in disapproval at the vampires’ attire and was about to say something when Buffy brushed past him leaving a perfumed wake that caused his eyes to water.

"Oh, Spike. How sweet of you to bring flowers! I didn't know you did that." She looked a bit sheepish. "Sorry about the window thing."

Spike had been about to lay into her, and he thought that she probably knew that, but when he looked into her sparkling eyes he just shrugged, and handed her the ruined gift.

"S'Ok. It was a corsage, for you to wear. But it looked better before I bloody ‘landed’ on it."

Seeing how the former William the Bloody was reduced to a shadow of his former self was somewhat amusing to the Watcher, and he allowed himself to smile.

Willow came bouncing down the stairs, Dawn trailing close behind her and as they passed Giles, both girls made gagging motions with their fingers behind Buffy and Spike's backs, both wearing grins.

Everyone had gathered near the doorway, and after an uncomfortable silence that seemed to stretch to infinity, Buffy cleared her throat and spoke.

"Oookay. This is not a grand opening at 'K-Mart', people. Spike and I will now walk out this door, into the lovely evening, and HAVE a lovely evening. Got it?"

Giles, who had been just about to wag his finger under Spikes nose and remind him to behave, quickly whipped off and examined his glasses. "Of course. Do have a good time."

Xander saw the steel behind Buffy's smile, and wisely nodded and kept his mouth shut. But he leveled a gaze at Spike that told the vampire in no uncertain terms that he would be keeping an eye on this 'relationship.'

Spike noticed Xander staring at him and smirked. "What's wrong with you, Monkey Boy.....constipated?" He chuckled softly when the young man only stood there, his fists clenched inside his pockets.

Spike yelped in pain as Buffy pinched his arm, hard. "There, now we're even for the other night." She referred to the late night session at the dining room table, of a few days past.

She turned to Giles again. Spike had been through enough for now, and besides, it was getting late.

"Giles, after you drop Wils and Dawn off at the dorm, could you and Xander maybe catch up on the research and keep really, really busy?"

She looked pointedly at him, and continued.

"For like, hours?"

Buffy looked up at Giles with the knowledge of how much the Watcher cared for her, shining from her eyes.

He sighed. It had to be enough. If the tiny blonde woman before him was ready to take this step with her former mortal enemy, then he would have to be big enough to let her try it, and succeed or fail, on her own.

"Excellent, then.......Xander? Will you be coming to the shop to help me learn more about the demon that attacked all of you on your recent patrol?"

"Huh?" The brown eyed 'hater of all things book' just stared at Giles for a second, then realized that all their previous plans to check up on this 'date' must have been scrapped.

It figured. It had taken him an hour to maneuver Giles into even 'talking' about invading Buffy's privacy.

"Sure", he mumbled, kicking at the rug with his toe.

Willow and Dawn headed for the front door. They both nodded, as Buffy said to have fun and not stay up all night, and exited the house.

Dawn stuck her head back inside.

"Hey, Spike and Buffy....Remember, no tongues!"

With a huge grin on her face, she ducked back out and everyone could hear Willow's laughter and Dawn's giggling as they headed for Giles' car, parked at the curb.

Buffy actually blushed because she'd been thinking somewhere along those lines all evening.

Spike just smirked knowingly down at her.

Giles and Xander both looked faintly ill.

****************************************************

As soon as Willow and Dawn shut the car doors, and stopped laughing, they began to scheme.

"So", said Dawn. "Tara's in on this?"

"Completely." Willow knew that wasn't quite true. She'd had to convince her shy mate that they wouldn't be ruining Buffy's date, and Tara's participation would be reluctant at best.

Tara had also been concerned that taking Dawn to such a public place was asking for trouble, but Willow assured her that, after all, Glory still didn't know who or what she was looking for and that Dawn would be quite safe.

One other detail was nagging at Willow, and she remembered it. "Hey......What do we do with you while Tara and I are in the Bronze? Buffy would burst a vessel if we took you in there."

They couldn't leave her outside, nor could they just stuff her into a broom closet somewhere, either. Willow remembered from high school what often happened in broom closets.

Dawn looked annoyed. "So she springs a leak. Spike's right there to clean up the mess. And anyway, I've been in the Bronze before."

Willow shook off the image of Spike lapping at Buffy like she was an all-day-sucker, then shook off the other image that the thought of 'that' one had caused, and looked at Dawn.

"Don't make me do some 'frownin', here, Dawny. Private parties are one thing, and....and sitting in a bar full of drinking grownups who are only there to pick up people is, well, it's a whole other thing."

"So what's the diff? Everybody was drinking at Tara's birthday and no one seemed to care that I was there for that." 'And' sampling Xander's special punch' she added to herself.

Willow had to admit that she had no other way to go. Dawn had to stay with them and that was that.

There was nobody left to leave her with. If they bummed her off on Giles, he'd know that something was up. Just getting him to loan them his little red car would be tricky enough.

She saw that Giles and Xander had nearly reached the car.

"Ok, Dawny, you win. I just hope it's really dark in the Bronze tonight, because if we get caught we'll be toast."

She was wondering if she should be thinking up a protection spell for herself and Tara, just in case.

Buffy could be as scary as any demon and twice as bitchy if she chose.

She was glad that the Slayer wasn’t a witch, because she didn’t want to end up living in a cage with Amy the rat.

*************************************************************

It wasn't quite going as Spike had planned.

As they walked the last block or two the Slayer had grown quiet. She had talked animatedly most of the way, primarily about how her day had gone, avoiding any serious subjects, but now she had run out of chatter and, Spike noticed, walked at a slower pace as the Bronze loomed nearer in the distance.

"Hold up a sec', Slayer." Spike fished his cigs from his duster pocket and stopped to light up.

Buffy stopped as well and turned to him, running her hands up and down her arms in the cool evening. "Hurry up. Let's just get there before I rethink this whole thing."

Spike sucked the smoke into lungs that were glad to get the action, and blew it back out, leaning down so that the vapors floated just past the slayer's ear.

"What's your rush, Pet? You're the one who's slowin' down, all of a sudden."

The sensation of Spike's breath tickled her ear, sending a little shiver down her neck and she didn't notice the smoke at all, which normally she'd have hated.

"I hate to admit it, but you're right. See how far we've come already?"

"Well we aren't there yet, are we?"

"I don't mean the Bronze, I mean our.......relationship." Ouch. That was harder to say than she’d thought. Probably cost her some points, too.

Spike tossed the half spent cig to the grass beside the walk, and moved closer to Buffy. "That's what 'I' meant, as well."

He was impressed that she had actually said it, and stepping even closer to her, not touching, he leaned down and kissed her softly on the cheek.

Apparently Spike's restraint was better than hers, as Buffy reached up and pulled his head down to her lips and kissed him properly, sucking his lower lip into her mouth like candy.

He didn't waste any time in kissing her right back, and pulled her body close to his, running his hands down her ribcage as he devoured her mouth.

Buffy pulled away, gasping.

Spike did likewise, just for the heck of it. You never really forget how to pant. It’s like riding a bicycle.

"Ok, bud, slow down, it was just a friendly kiss!"

"Oo' are you kiddin', Slayer. Your tongue was half way down my bleedin’ throat!"

"Was not!" She put her hands on her hips.

"Want a replay?"

Buffy could hardly believe that she'd done that. Again. And sure enough, she'd liked it. Again. The urge to explore this thing a little further was becoming more than she could stand. Her subconscious was at war with her.

’It’ knew what it wanted, even if ’she’ didn’t.

"Let's hurry and get to the Bronze."

At that, subconscious Buffy kicked the other one right in the ass.

Spike looked a little disappointed. He had been about to suggest a little 'make out' session on a near by park bench.

"All right, then. If that's what you want, we'll go and drink ourselves silly and just forget about it for awhile. But it's a soddin' shame, I think, if you want my opinion."

"I don't need your opinion. I 'never' need 'your' opinion, Spike." "But I do need to pee, and the nearest rest room is in there." She pointed to the Bronze, which was yards away.

"I'm gonna dash in there, and take care of that, and you wait for me out here. I think we need to go somewhere more private and...........discuss things."

"Oh, I see how it is.....just business as usual, innit'? Can't let one sodding day go by with you not ordering me about....."

Spike ceased his little tirade when he looked down into the expression on her small, lovely face. It was all there, in her eyes. The hesitation combined with fear, the longing, and the vulnerability.

He had the power to hurt her, to ruin forever any chances he might have of really becoming a part of her life, and not just another member of the Scooby gang. Best to tread softly, but the memory of the kiss was making that all the harder.

"Oh, right then. You just toddle off to the ‘can‘, and I'll wait right here."

She turned to go, but Spike reached out and held her back by grabbing one arm. "But Buffy......"

"What?" She wanted to hear his answer, but was impatient, as she too was remembering the kiss, and she really, really, did need to pee.

"When you get back, we really are gonna discuss this thing."

Buffy nodded and then dashed off.

Spike sighed, and fished out another cig.

Hearing a noise he turned his head and peered into the shadows of a nearby building. His senses came alive, warning him, and he dropped the cigarette to the grass.

"You can come out now, who ever you are." He took a defensive stance.

A figure stepped out of the gloom and revealed itself as a slender beautiful brunette woman with large expressive eyes, and a 'not quite all there' expression. She was smiling at Spike, who, in spite of her apparent friendly demeanor, did not relax his guard.

Nor did he return the smile.

"Hello, Dru."

*******************************************************

A few yards away, shielded by a tree, Xander was trying to hold his temper in check as he watched Spike and the vampiress together.

"I knew it. It's a trap or something. Angelus was right. We really 'do' fall for it every time" he whispered.

He stepped back so that the couple wouldn't see him, and waited to see what would happen.

After about ten minutes, he saw Drusilla drift away from Spike and back into the shadows of the night. He shuddered, wondering how vamps always managed to look so cool while they did that.

His thoughts were interrupted by Buffy's exit from the building, and he watched as she and Spike shared a light kiss and then walked directly toward his hiding place.

No time to dwell on his disgust at the embrace, Xander pressed himself up to the tree and prayed that Buffy wouldn’t see him there.

But the couple walked right past him and from the look on Buffy's face, artillery fire would have been required to get her attention away from the blonde vampire. Xander was about to follow them when he heard a car door slam, and looking back towards the Bronze, he noticed three figures exiting Giles' red car and heading for the entrance to the building.

"Huh?" The brown eyed spy looked frantically in the direction of the now distant Spike and Buffy, and back at Willow, Tara, and Dawn.

He was torn between the mystery, and following Buffy and Spike, until he remembered that Drusilla could still be nearby.

That settled that. He walked briskly up to the building without another glance at the Slayer and her date.

Buffy could take care of herself, but Willow and company might need some extra protection.

And besides. He just couldn't wait to hear what excuse Willow and Tara had for dragging Dawn into the Bronze.

*********************************************************

It had been ridiculously easy to get Dawn inside the night time hotspot.

There had been some stammering from Willow and Tara for a few seconds when questioned by the guy at the door, and then Dawn just looked from one witch to the other, rolled her eyes in apparent disgust, and pulled out her fake ID.

Tara had raised her eyebrow at Willow, who nodded in agreement. They would definitely have to keep a closer eye on Buffy's baby sister.

The trio had seated themselves in a shadowed booth so as to spy on Buffy and Spike when they arrived.

When asked what they were drinking, Tara and Willow glanced at each other and stated that two bottles of spring water and a Coke would be just fine.

Dawn made a noise through pursed lips. "I want a beer!"

"Dawny!" Willow frowned at the teen. "That's not funny."

"It wasn't meant as a joke. You two need to lighten up. I don't intend to get drunk, I uh.....just want to blend in, that's all."

Tara smiled at Dawn. "Better stick to soda for now, sweetie. If you're determined to have something else, Willow and I have a little wine back at the dorm. But just a little, ok?"

Dawn slumped in her seat and gave up. "I don't want to drink it, ok? I just want to look old enough to be here. Like I said before, alcohol is for losers!"

Willow’s lower lip protruded a bit. She had been just about to change her order to a wine cooler.

"Well, gosh, don't get all 'keyed' up about it." Willow giggled at her witty comeback but Dawn seemed not to hear her, and sat up suddenly, her attention elsewhere.

"SHHH!" Dawn grabbed Willow's arm just as the red head was opening her mouth to speak further.

"Dawny, what...." Willow followed Dawn and Tara's frozen stare to the entrance of the Bronze. "Oh sh.....I mean drat,

what is 'he' doing here?"

Xander stood peering into the gloom and after a few seconds he spied the three culprits who seemed to be sinking into the booth to avoid being noticed.

He wasted no time in striding up to the table, and leveled a stern expression on the three girls.

"Man, this had better be good, because we've got a really big problem on our hands and no time for ‘ girls’ town‘."

Thinking he was being over dramatic about the Buffy-Spike situation, Willow asked, "How the heck did you know right where to look for us? This booth is really pretty hard to see from the door."

Xander answered. "Well, as you recall, I used to do a little 'reconnaissance' on Buffy in times past " he said, looking a little bashful. "And guess what booth 'I' used to sit in?"

Willow grabbed his arm and pulled him into her side of the booth. "Be quiet, and get in here!"

Xander complied. "Well?" he said.

Dawn waited for about five seconds before she decided that her buds were too speechless to utter anything remotely intelligent, and gave Xander her brightest smile.

"We're here to spy on Buffy and Spike."

Xander looked so solemn that the girls' found their voices at last.

"Xander, something's really wrong, isn't it?" said Willow.

Tara had been about to say the exact same thing. Funny, how they were always doing that.

"Guys, I think Spike's trying to pull a fast one on the Buffster." Xander wasn't half as happy as he thought he'd be at the possibility.

Willow glanced at Dawn and back to her oldest friend. "Should we talk about this right now?"

Dawn sat forward. "You'd better speak up if you know something that could hurt my sister. I like Spike, and all, but my sis has been through enough lately!"

Tara nodded, squeezing Willow's hand under the table. The red head reassured her with a look and gave Xander her 'resolve' face. "Whatever it is, spill it."

Xander tried to read his watch in the poor lighting. Anya was at home in front of the tube, probably falling asleep and wondering what was keeping him, but it couldn't be helped.

Buffy was in trouble, and it was up to her true friends to get her out of it.

***********************************************************

The walk back to the house was accomplished in record time, with very little conversation. Both the Slayer and the Vampire kept their thoughts to themselves, each wondering what was going to happen later.

As he trudged along, Spike sucked on his millionth cigarette and speculated on what he thought would probably occur, as opposed to what he wanted to happen.

After mentally erasing the part about the chains (because that had been done, to a poor reception) he tried to kick the fantasies out of his mind and come up with true possibilities.

In the fantasy Buffy cried out his name in ecstasy.

In the reality, she also cried out his name, along with several of your more nasty curses and reviled it to the heavens.

'Yep', he thought. That was how it would probably end up.

Buffy glanced sideways at Spike as they walked. She nearly spoke, but was at a loss for words. She knew that he expected something from her tonight, besides more words, but she didn't know if she had the same thing in mind as he did.

What, was she nuts? Sex was in there among her jumbled thoughts, and she knew with a certainty that it was in his mind as well.

Maybe they should just get it out of the way, so that they could deal with the rest of whatever this was.

Of everyone she knew, vamps included, only Xander thought about sex more than Spike did. Maybe.

Unless it was Angel, who had to think of sex a lot, as it had changed the course of his unlife.

And she had to admit, that sex was high on her own list right now, too, making it hard to concentrate on certain realities, and causing a little bit of moisture to form on her lower lip as she watched the vampire walking beside her.

She saw that Spike was looking at her with a question in his blue eyes, and sucked in the drool. She tried not to look guilty about the thoughts of Angel, but realized that Spike was a vampire, not a psychic.

"What's the what?" she said finally, after shaking off her little trance.

"You seem to be lost in thought there, Slayer. Need to stop and rest? I know how tiring your thoughts can be." He said the last with a smirk that raised the hair on the back of Buffy's neck.

Ok, bub. "For your info, I was just thinking of....Angel."

Now there were two sets of hackles up.

Spike stopped walking, but Buffy continued on, trying not to grin. In her nervousness she decided that falling back on baiting Spike, which she enjoyed more than television, was a good way to ease her tension.

Spike hurried to catch up just as they got to the front walk to the Summers' house. He grabbed her by one arm to halt her progress.

Buffy wiped her grin off, and pretended to be annoyed, but in reality was receiving a heady warmth from his hand on her arm. Which should be impossible since it was such a cool hand, but never the less......

She looked down at the hand and back up to the blonde vamp and narrowed her eyes at him. "Hands off, Spike."

He complied, to her surprise. "Well what d'ya' expect, bringing up the bloody poof like that. You know he makes me want to 'retch'."

He watched the emotions playing on her face and felt a stab of remorse which was as sharp as any stake, in his undead heart. He took one of her hands and squeezed it.

"Sorry, Slayer. I've pretty much come to terms with Peaches in my own mind, (this was a stretch, but for her he could at least lie about it) but when I think of how you still love him...."

"My feelings for Angel are not up for discussion. Is that clear?" Her teasing mood had evaporated. "It's in the past, and you'll just have to deal."

Spike bit back a retort, knowing that he would just put his Doc' in his mouth. "Are we going in then?" He angled his head toward the house.

Buffy noted that Joyce's car was not in the drive. Perfect. She was going to be late, and that would give them time to become even more dazed and confused.

Buffy hoped for more of the 'dazed', like she felt when Spike kissed her.

She shook it off and smiled. "Yes, let's. You want some cocoa?"

Spike wasn't sure about that. It was his favorite drink when he was here, since he couldn't have his 'true' favorite, but it also made him think of Buffy's mother.

Nope. It wouldn't do to be considering ravaging Buffy and thinking of Joyce at the same time. He took her arm and walked her up to the door, ignoring her amused look.

Buffy had been thinking how cute it was that he had taken her arm in that manner.

First at the vamps' nest, which now seemed like years in the past, the night he’d ratted out Riley; opening the door for her as they left the place, and now this.

Then her brain froze again as she wondered what exactly she 'really' had planned when she got Spike inside.

She smiled a little, as Spike took her keys from her hand and unlocked and opened the door for her. Then she noticed that he was smiling as well, obviously on the same page.

She had to admit it. They often were.

Spike ushered his 'hot date' into her house and closed the door behind them.

*********************************************************

Four figures skulked their way up Buffy's front walk and tiptoed onto the porch.

Xander peered through the window, ignoring Willows' panic at his actions. "I see them!" He whispered, and then "Ow!" as Willow pinched his arm.

"What was that for?"

"Are you 'sure' about what you saw?" She said in Xander's ear. "This had better not be some flight of fancy all mixed up with some latent jealousy about Buffy."

Xander was impressed. Willow had been reading again. "I'm sure of what I saw."

Dawn had squeezed in between Willow and Tara, afraid she was missing some action. "What's the sitch? Any heavy breathing yet?"

Tara shushed her, and asked Xander, "What did Spike and Drusilla say to each other?" She suppressed a shudder at speaking the vampiress' name.

Xander frowned. "I don't know, but they can't be up to anything good, now can they?"

Dawn rolled her eyes. "Are you all blind? Spike is so into my sister that he probably thinks that old Drusilla is a hag. No way is he thinking about her, let alone plotting anything with her."

Xander snorted. "Yeah right, and he didn't tie Buffy up, and Drusilla wasn't there when he did it."

Dawn stuck her tongue out at him. Then, realizing it was a childish thing to do, she replied. "You never think that Spike can have a good thought. In a rut, much?"

Willow hissed. "Duck!"

Four people managed to squash themselves under the window as Spike and Buffy walked past it. They slowly, as one, raised up enough to see inside again.

Buffy appeared to be leading Spike up the stairs. And she was holding his hand.

"Shit!"

"Xander!" Willow gave up. Dawn probably knew more bad words than she did, anyway, and the red headed witch knew some in Latin.

As they all turned around and sat down on the porch, still under the window, Joyce’s car pulled up in the drive.

They looked at each other in a small panic. Dawn said. "Just follow my lead, ok?" She jumped up and stood as her mother came up the steps.

Joyce wore her 'mother' face. "Dawn, what in the world are you all doing out here in the dark?"

"Waiting for Buffy."

"Well let's go inside, it could be dangerous out here. The porch light isn't even on."

'No more dangerous than inside if Buffy finds out we all followed her', thought the teen. "We can't. I, uh, I forgot my key, so that's why we were waiting for Buffy."

Joyce smelled a rat. "Why don't you use Willow's key?"

Wide eyed, Willow stammered. "I forgot mine, too?"

Tara froze as Buffy’s mother looked at her. "I…I never had a k…key." Rats. She hadn’t stuttered in quite a while.

Xander answered before she got to him. "Funny thing, that key you gave me when I was working on the back door? I lost it."

Joyce sighed. She was tired and wanted to go inside and take off her pinchy shoes. "Well, thank goodness I have 'my' key. Let's all go in and I'm sure that Buffy will be coming any minute now."

Xander suddenly began to choke and cough, and Willow pounded him on the back harder than was necessary, while Tara turned beet red, glad that it was dark on the porch.

Served them both right, for having such dirty minds, thought Willow. She ignored the fact that ‘she’ had also taken it that way.

Dawn reached and suddenly snatched the keys from her mother's hand and tossed them toward some bushes. "There now. I'm the only key you got!" She said brightly.

After admonishing Dawn about saying that in public, they all trooped out to the yard to look for the keys.

Willow, about to decide that she sympathized with Glory's key search problem, found them in some grass and before she could hide the keys to buy more time, Joyce saw them in her hand.

"Ah, thank you Willow." She took them back and headed for the porch again.

Tara, looking up at the bedroom window above, elbowed Xander in the ribs.

Xander, after an appropriate 'oof', looked up and saw the light go out in Buffy's bedroom. He hurried to Willow.

In a loud whisper he said, "Buffy’s bedroom! The light just went out, and I’m trying not to get a visual, here. We need to keep Joyce from going up there cause the game’s about to start and we don’t want her to be there for the kick off, let alone the touch down!"

Willow thought she'd probably used up all of her silly excuses for the year, but ran up on the porch and jumped in front of Joyce before she could stick the key in the lock.

Joyce stared at the girl, her feet still killing her. Maybe she could just take off the shoes out here and beat Willow over the head with them.

"I can't wait to hear what it is this time."

"We want ice cream!"

Willow knew it was a long shot but if they could get her to go for it it would give Buffy time to sort things out with Spike.

If they took the time to sort anything out. If Buffy didn't just go for it and jump the vampire. It 'had' been awhile since she....'

Her thoughts were interrupted by Joyce putting a hand on her shoulder. "Are you all right? You look spacey."

"That's me! Old spacey Willow......How bout' that ice cream? My treat!" Willow waved her hand at the group on the lawn and they immediately chimed in, jumping up and down.

Joyce suddenly realized that ice cream would be pretty refreshing after her long night, and gave in. Besides, if she heard one more silly thing she was going to kill someone.

"Ok. Everyone pile into my car, and you can treat us all."

As Joyce headed for the car, Willow whispered to Xander, Tara, and Dawn. "I'm not worried about Buffy. If Spike was up to anything with Dru he'd have done it before. Let's let Buffy have some alone time with him, and keep this to ourselves for now."

Practically in a huddle, the four missed it when Joyce wheeled and went back up the walk, put her key in the door and went into the house!

Tara heard the door slam, and knowing the sound of the Summers women's family trait, she grabbed Willow and pointed to the house.

Xander slapped his forehead. "Ah crap!" Then he thought about it for half a second. "No.....'Not' crap."

This would certainly throw a monkey wrench into Spike's plan, whatever it might be.

Dawn gave him a dirty look and they all ran up into the house.

To everyone’s horror, except for Xander, who had a wide grin on his face, Joyce was going up the stairs. They all raced up and caught her just as she got to Buffy's door.

"Joyce! What are you doing?!" Willow was in full panic mode.

"I'm getting my comfy shoes. I left them in Buffy's room while I was cleaning her closet. I'm not wearing these awful things another minute. I only wore them in case Brian showed up and of course he didn't."

Then they all got deathly quiet, as a scream came from behind the bedroom door. "NO! Spike, DON'T!"

Xander kicked the door in and they all tumbled into the bedroom.

He flipped on the light and they all beheld the sight of Buffy sitting on Spike's lap in her bedroom chair, reaching upward while Spike held her stuffed animal high out of her reach.

Their clothing was in various stages of disarray.

The pair froze as the tour group stopped and stared at them, but as Buffy saw her mother's face, she said, in a little girl voice, "He was going to throw Mr. Gordo out the window?"

"Wouldn't really have done it. I've changed y'know." said Spike lamely.

He was afraid it might be time for another table top summit.

Xander had stopped grinning about the situation as soon as he saw Buffy seated on Spike’s lap. He might have held his tongue, if he hadn’t noticed her flushed face, which caused him not to register how happy she looked, and he came in, guns blazing.

"While you’ve got such a good seat, Buffy, you might want to ask this guy what he was doing talking to Drusilla outside the Bronze tonight, while you were in the john."

As he felt her body jerk and stiffen on his lap, Spike looked longingly at the window, wishing he could just dive out and escape the next few minutes. If Buffy gave him that long before she threw him out head first, that is.

He risked looking at her and regretted it. Her face had seemingly turned to stone, along with the rest of her, as she just stared at Xander.

Then, after shooting one damning glance the vampire’s way, she slowly climbed off of his lap, and standing up, faced the group of beloved friends, her mother and her sister.

"Could you all just go now, please, and close the door behind you?"

They all ran into each other in compliance, and fled the room, but Xander remained right where he was, his hands clenched into fists at his side.

"You’ve ‘got’ to be kidding me. Didn’t you hear ‘anything’ that I just said?"

"I heard you." No inflection in her voice at all.

"So he’s got you so hot and bothered that you’d just ignore the danger and proceed at full throttle? If you think that I’m gonna let this just happen.."

Buffy hushed Xander with a look, before he could say more.

"I’m about as happy with you right now as I was with Spike when he showed me Riley’s ‘love nest’. Don’t make me shoot the Pony Express boy."

She had been in shock over Xander’s words, but realized that she needed to hear Spike’s side of things before letting her temper get the best of her.

Her gut was telling her that Spike was innocent. Well, as innocent as a blood sucking, former evil killer could be, anyway.

Her head swiftly turned to Spike as the nervous vampire began to rise from his chair. "You can just sit right back down there, mister. I’m not done with you, yet."

Spike sat. He very nearly said ‘yes ma’am’.

*************************************************************

Buffy turned back to Xander who still wore a look of incredulity on his face, his mouth hanging open in shock.

"Please, if you are my friend, and I know that you are, just do as I say and leave the room. I need to talk to Spike."

"Buffy! This guy has anything but ‘talking’ on his mind. He wants just one thing from you, and after he gets it, there’s no telling what he and his ‘whore’ have planned for you."

Spike jumped out of the chair and Buffy had to restrain him from leaping on Xander.

He would never harm the Slayer, whether the stupid boy realized it or not, but calling Drusilla a whore was a slander on ‘his’ name.

He was well aware that she was a whore, but he was the bloke who had spent over one hundred years with her, so it didn’t make him look too good, did it?

Besides. He had always wanted to leap on Xander and this was the perfect opportunity.

Buffy could just barely hold him off, and pleaded with him.

"Spike……..for me. Please sit down."

If the vampire got loose she feared bloodshed. Xander’s.

And Spike was ‘on the wagon’, and who knows what his breaking point might be?

Spike stared down at the tiny blonde and relaxed in her clutches. It was where he’d always wanted to be, after all.

And she had just ‘asked’ him to hold off. She hadn’t ordered it. Definite progress.

"Alright. For you I’d do anything."

At Xander’s snort of derision, however, he went and stood nose to nose with the angry, would be ‘knight’.

"Yes. For her. Bad as I want to dim your lights until they bloody well flicker and fade out, right now, I won’t do it."

He stepped even closer and said in a chilling voice. "Or maybe you’re forgetting that I can."

Xander stepped back. To tell the truth, he kind of ‘had’ forgotten. He’d spent so much time with a chipped Spike that he’d grown used to taking jabs at the vampire whenever he felt like it. Sometimes just for fun.

He’d treated him like shit for over a year now, and here he was, inviting him to get even.

His brain came back from lunch break, and he took another step back.

He looked once at Buffy, standing there behind Spike, staring at the floor. "You win, Buffster. He’s all yours. I hope you know what you’re doing."

Xander whirled and stomped from the room, slamming the door behind him.

Spike winced. More slamming. Maybe it was the house? He turned back to Buffy who was looking at him expectantly.

"Give us a kiss?"

"I’ll give you a knot on your head. Start talking."

So, she was going to be ‘direct to the point’ Buffy.

But at least she was giving him a chance to explain. The use of the ‘D’ word should have been enough to have him joining the other dust bunnies under the bed, or getting another bloody nose.

"Can we sit down again?" He looked longingly at the chair where Mr. Gordo smirked back at him.

"You sit if you like. I’ll just stand."

The thought of creating an elaborate lie entered his head, but Buffy must have sensed it.

"And I want the whole truth. This is your chance to really impress me by totally going against your grain. Don’t blow it."

She was right. And he was innocent. More so these days, at least.

"Dru showed up while you were inside the Bronze. I guess she’s been hanging around here for awhile, now, and watching me."

Buffy stiffened. Watching Spike meant watching ‘her’, as well. And if she’d seen them kiss……"Go on."

He gave her a ‘but I didn’t do anything’ look, and she still just stared at him, waiting.

"You’re not gonna believe me, but here’s the straight truth."

No mocking retort. She just kept looking right into his eyes.

‘Tell the bloody truth, you sod.’ he lectured himself.

"She said that, in her observation of us together along with what she ‘saw’ in her head about our future, which, by the way, defies all explanation, she has come to the conclusion that we deserve each other."

He thought he detected an amused crinkling around the Slayer’s eyes.

"She hopes we’ll be very happy for about a day, and the both of us perish in flames after that, unless Glory gets us first."

It was the truth. Of course, not the whole truth……

He left out the part about Dru wishing that she could string his and Buffy’s guts on the tree branches so that they could ‘really’ be together.

And something about saving Buffy’s blood for another day, when they could both drink it together when ’her’ Spike returned to his senses and came back to where he belonged.

Oh, and also the part where she kissed him, and stuck her tongue into his ear……..good thing Harris hadn’t gotten to that part of the tale, if he even noticed through his self righteous haze, the bloody pillock.

The Slayer stared hard at the vampire for a full minute. She knew he’d left out a few things, and that he was aware that she knew. She’d actually enjoyed his struggle as he tried to choose what not to say.

She also was sure that the details were less important than the facts. He was protecting her from worry. Not hiding some imagined plot, as Xander feared.

He cared for her.

And Xander and the others would just have to adjust.

She didn’t think Xander had ever really gotten over Angel’s betrayal of them inside the high school, years before, when he’d grabbed Willow. Ok, it had been Angelus, not Angel, but her friend had trouble separating the two, because they wore the same face.

How could she hold it against him when she often had the same problem? And not just with Angel’s demon.

She looked at him and smiled. "So Drusilla is gone?"

"She said she was leaving town tonight. S’why she spoke to me."

Or maybe she was just afraid he’d been carrying that cattle prod around with him. Who knows?

Buffy moved to stand in front of him. She looked up into his face at the emotions she saw playing there.

For that’s just what they were, and she and Giles and the others were going to have to eat some ’crow’, on that subject.

Demons, especially reforming ones, did indeed have feelings.

"Ok, then."

Spike said, warily, "Ok?"

"We need to trust each other, if this is going to work."

"This?" He was so hopeful now he felt like a human child at Christmas.

"Us. Whatever that is. We’re gonna have to work on that."

Spike was filled with a joy so great he crushed Buffy to him without a thought of asking her permission. If she’d been human, her ribs would have cracked.

He stopped hugging her long enough to kiss her soundly on the lips, the kiss deepening until his desire made itself otherwise known as he felt it filling his tight, black jeans.

Buffy felt it too. It would be difficult not to do this, and give in to the desire, but she knew that the physical was going to have to wait, just a little longer.

She continued to kiss him, but her hands were busy keeping ‘his’ hands away from……everywhere on her body!

She was impressed at his speed, but she couldn’t let him continue this right now.

If nothing else, there was a group of stunned people still in the house, and some of them lived there and would be impossible to get rid of in the middle of the night.

She gasped as he scored a point and her eyes began to glaze over. She reached down and garnered some points of her own, wondering if this would count for three points, or just the one………

Then she came to her senses at a creak from the hallway, which she recognized as being Dawn, sneaking up to the door to listen.

Or maybe her mother, but she wasn’t going there. She put her hands on Spike’s chest and shoved.

Deeply disappointed when her hands left his southern regions, Spike broke the kiss but held on to her tightly.

She wasn’t going anywhere this time. He looked down at her, his desire evident in his eyes, as well as in his pants.

"Well, Slayer. What next?" <The bed…..the bed…..the friggin’ bed, I bloody well hope!>

"We say good night. Parting is such sweet sorrow. Yadda, yadda, yadda."

Spike groaned and put his forehead on top of her skull, and began bonking his head on it. He knew her skull was plenty hard enough to take it. He’d never seen such a bloody hard headed woman.

"So you want me to go home then? I can’t just stay on the couch downstairs? Be here when you wake up?"

Kiss the ground you walk on? He was disgusted with himself, but it didn’t mar his happiness.

"Go home, Spike. I have some things to see to here. And Spike?"

"Buffy?"

"No sneaking into Dawn’s room to hide, either. You just want to hang around till daylight so I can’t shove you out the door."

Spike agreed, and after one last kiss, which Buffy stopped before his tongue could really get into high gear, he headed for the door.

He’d leave, alright. Straight into the basement. He wasn’t going back to that bloody crypt tonight, no matter what she said.

He’d be here. And if her friends didn’t like it, they could just kiss his tight little British ass.

He hoped he’d run into the Boy, on his way to the basement.

They had some unfinished business, and he knew, that one day, they’d finish it.

Oh, he couldn’t really do anything to hurt Xander. He was as helpless as when the chip had been functional, in a way.

But he could have a lot of fun messing with the boy’s head.

He was amused already, at the excuses the kid was going to have to come up with when Anya, as fierce as her former demon, demanded to know why he’d been gone all night. He’d seen her in action and he’d felt compassion for the Troll.

He arrived at the door down to the basement without meeting any of the houses' occupants, a bit disappointed in not running into Xander. He'd have enjoyed a spot of violence before bed.

As he sneaked quietly down the basement steps, he thought about each of the humans he’d come to regard as at least, acquaintances, if not friends.

There was always Giles to devil and tease, after he got tired of Xander. A world of entertainment to be had, there.

Joyce was his ‘drinking buddy’. He was fond of her, and never joked with her. The lady had his respect. She made him feel wanted, before any of the others had given him the soddin’ time of day.

And the Nibblet? She was in his pocket, too. Literally. He’d caught her snitching one of his cigs the other day. And she liked the little names he’d taken to calling her. Her current favorite was ‘Platelet’.

He rounded a corner and came to the old cot he’d stashed away under some support beams, behind a lot of boxes. He doubted that Buffy knew it was here.

As he lay down on it and got comfy, his head pillowed on his folded duster, he thought about the witch and her lover, Tara. Willow’s shy girlfriend liked him, he thought.

Willow? She was on ‘his’ side, whether she knew it or not. He was fairly sure that Buffy’s red headed chum thought a lot of him.

‘Yep’, he thought, as he snuggled down to sleep. ‘Red and the Slayer have something in common, there.’

His eyes closed, the lashes brushing his cheeks, and he smiled, sighing in contentment as he completed his thoughts before he fell asleep.

‘They both think I’m dead sexy.’

THE END………????????

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