Month Two

Hunting and Gathering

Buffy dived beneath the water, her eyes burning against the salt as she looked around, swimming towards a stand of coral. She saw a conch shell and picked it up, looking inside and grinning. She swam back to the surface and dropped it inside the raft before diving again.

She managed to catch a lobster as well, not too big, but it would do and she returned to the boat, paddling it towards shore again.

At the house, she could hear pounding as Spike attempted to cut a window in the bamboo for her, since she had complained about the lack of ventilation during the day. He was standing on the porch they had built so that he could at least be outside during the day, and he glanced over his shoulder, shielding his eyes against the glare as he watched her pull the raft ashore and gathered up the supplies she had gotten from the water.

Currently, he was dressed only in his black jeans, but they were full of holes and tears from when he had been climbing a coconut tree so that Buffy could drink something other then water. His hair was growing out, leaving it a bleached blond at the tips and he had a good inch of root growth, a honey-colored blond. It curled around his ears and he ran a hand through it as he watched her come up towards him.

Buffy was wearing a bathing suit they had found in a suitcase that had washed ashore, the pale, blue material standing out against her golden tanned skin. Streaks of pure blond ran through her hair, bleached by the sun.

Spike turned back towards the house and used the sharpened piece of rock to chop away at the bamboo, creating a hole in it. Finally, the bamboo dropped away, and he gathered up the sticks and sat down on the porch, tying them back together, "What you find, pet?"

"Lobster...a conch and a pretty shell."

"A pretty shell?" Spike shook his head with a small smile as he stood again, tying the bamboo back into the hole and propping it open with a stick and he grinned, "Viola...there's your window, pet."

"Thanks, Spike...it won't bother you during the day, will it?"

"We're facing the south, so I think we'll be good. By the time it becomes a problem, I'll be awake and can move around a bit," He assured her.

Buffy nodded as she sat down on the porch and Spike sat beside her, playing with the lobster she had caught, and she sighed deeply, "I counted the pebbles this morning...we've been lost for exactly two months. And we haven't seen one ship or one plane."

Spike shifted on the gritty porch, glancing at her, "I know. Sorry..."

"There has to be one, eventually...right? I mean...I know it's a big ocean and all...but..."

"Luv, those coral reefs are a hazard...and who knows how far the can reach out...or how many islands like this are around us...ships might just avoid this area all together because of them...they can't be scraping bottom."

"Gee...ever heard of false hope?" Buffy asked sarcastically, huffing as she stood up, grabbing the lobster from him, "And don't play with my food."

"Your food? Don't I get any?"

"Nope...you get monkey, I get lobster. Fair's fair."

Spike rolled his eyes as he stood up, glancing out over the water before sighing and heading inside himself.

Buffy woke to the sound of water striking steel, and she opened her eyes, the window near her showing a dark, overcast sky.

She could see Spike standing out on the beach, staring thoughtfully at the water, holding a long stick in his hand.

She jumped when she heard thunder, and watched as lightening struck the water out at sea. She screamed his name, and he whirled in surprise before racing up the beach, his bare feet kicking up sand behind him.

"What the bloody hell is wrong?" He shouted as he leapt up on the porch and Buffy grabbed him around the middle, burying her face against his chest as she started to cry.

Spike frowned in confusion and then she jumped at the sound of more thunder, crying even harder. Realization dawned on his features as he wrapped one arm around her, trying to soothe her fears, "Shh, luv...it's only rain...promise...it's just rain..."

Spike used a sharpened rock as a knife, scraping it along the tip of a long stick as Buffy sat cross-legged in front of him, driving another rock into a coconut, putting a hole through the top. She watched him curiously as she drank the milk out of it. "What are you doing that for?"

"Fishing, luv. We live on a bloody beach...figure we might as well take advantage of the fact."

"Fishing? You're making a fishing pole?"

Spike shook his head, "Not a fishing pole, pet...a spear. For spear fishing," He gestured towards the beach, "There's all kinds of critters around the rocks...even at night. Figure some fish would be looking good right about now."

"Oh...so...I get to stake fish?"

"Better them then me," Spike replied,standing up and testing the weight of the spear in his hand before tossing it towards Buffy. She caught it and looked at the pointed end, then at him, and Spike raised an eyebrow, "What?"

"I just think it's kinda cool you trust me enough with this..."

"Hey, you trusted me and I don't even have to have a weapon."

Buffy nodded slowly, smiling as she went out the door to test it out. For the rest of the day, Spike watched her from the house, laughing when he heard her swearing her little head off everytime she missed.

Finally, she came huffing up to the house and threw the spear at his feet, "It's no good...they move too fast."

Spike only smiled, going to lay down on his bed, "Whatever you say, Slayer."

Buffy sat smugly on the beach as Spike waded into the water with the spear, "You're never gonna get it!" She called out to him as he struck the spear down near a rock.

He lifted it up, complete with an impaled, wriggling fish.

Buffy scowled. "Smart ass."

Month Six

Fighting

Buffy paced the house, scowling out at the heavy rain fall outside. The rainy season had started, apparently, since it had not stopped raining for nearly a week.

She was rapidly getting annoyed with Spike and his annoying habits as the week wore on. She hated the way he chewed on a twig, twirling his spear absently as he stared out the door, his gaze unfocused and far away. He was just mocking her ineffectuality with it. She had gotten the hang of it...sort of, but she only had a fifty-fifty success rate, while he always seemed to hit the fish every time.

Spike scowled as Buffy paced in front of him, annoyed by the way she was getting all antsy. She was supposed to be a Slayer, for God's sake...why couldn't she sit still for five minutes?

On her next pass, his spear accidently slipped between her legs, and she yelped as she pitched forward, slamming into the crappy little table and sending fruit, fish left from dinner and some blood Spike had set aside for later all over the floor, as well as her coke can full of pebbles.

Spike's eyes widened slightly as she stood up, swiping at her change of clothes, a white dress much too baggy for her, now covered in blood, and she was glaring at him murderously. Time to beat a hasty retreat...

He jumped to his feet, spear forgotten as he barrelled out the door into the rain, and Buffy picked up his spear and ran after him, both oblvious to the rain pelting them in hard pellets.

"Come on,Slayer! It was an accident!" He called over his shoulder as she came at him, and he did a quick turn in the sand, letting her run past him as he went in the opposite direction.

"YOU ARE SOOOOO GONNA DIE FOR THAT ONE!" She screamed, and Spike yelped as the spear grazed his shoulder, and he looked over at her.

"Are you nuts!? Don't throw sticks, you stupid bitch!"

"BITCH?!" She put on a burst of speed, and tackled him behind the knees, sending him crashing into the sand, and he got a mouthful of the grit, and he spat it out, twisting his body and bucking her off of his legs before kicking wet sand in her face and climbing back to his feet.

Soon, they were both grinning as they chased each other up and down the beach, and Spike stopped suddenly, grabbing her around the middle as she ran past, and lifted her into the air.

She screamed and kicked her feet down at his face as he carried her towards the edge of the water as he called, "Sorry, luv, but you need to cool of--aaaahhhh!"

Her thrashing threw him off-balance and he fell into the water with her, and he growled as he sat up, his face in full-vamp mode and his bangs falling into his eyes as she laughed at him. "You look like a drowned vamp."

"I am a drowned vamp!" He growled at her, swiping at his hair as she rolled her eyes and jumped him, pushing him back into the water, and he sputtered angrily, "You brat!"

"You started it!" She retorted, screeching as he lunged at her, ducking her before swimming away from her, and she pursued him in the water, till, both exhausted and laughing, they climbed back on the sand and collapsed, Buffy panting for breath, and Spike just laying there as if dead, both soaked to the bone.

"Whoa...I think I needed that," Buffy panted out, and Spike tilted his head towards her. Her long hair lay over her chest and face in wet straggles, sand clinging to the strands, and sand and blood covered her dress, making her look like a mess. Still, she looked absolutly stunning.

"Well, I'm just glad I don't look like you," He said with a grin, and Buffy looked down at her state before groaning and dropping her head back on the sand, glancing at him. He wasn't better off with his shirt and torn jeans covered with muddy sand and his face was spotted with flecks of shell and grit, but he was grinning widely, and she couldn't help but think he looked kinda cute like that.

Spike reached over to her and lifted a sodden strand of hair from her eyes, chuckling, then falling into all out laughter, and Buffy wasn't far behind.

Month Seven

Cleaning House

Spike moved silently through the jungle, his body flowing with fluid grace, his muscles rippling silkly beneath his bare skin. His body was devoid of clothing as he hunted, not wanting the foreign sound of rustling clothe to scare away his prey.

He hunted without weapon, other then those sired upon him, for prey other then human, as was his usual repast. The only other human on the island was his only company, so she was spared from the hunter's eyes.

He heard movement ahead of him and he immediately fell into a crouch, pale nostrils flaring, eyes glowing with an hellish-light as he focused in one the life ahead of him. Howler...he thought automatically.

The black shape moved in the trees and he crouched down even more before letting out a snarl and leaping forward.

An inhuman shriek rose into the air, and then there was silence.

Spike slipped through the trees, heading back towards the house, his hunger sated.

He was striding along the river, pausing to wash his hands in the water, then pulling on the pants he had set aside. He straightened, running a hand through his hair, the hair now curly and nearly all honey-blond. It still curled around his ears, even though Buffy had tried her best to cut it. Even so, there was still white-blond tips, but he didn't really care, it wasn't like anyone else was going to see it.

He walked towards the waterfall, then paused, his keen ears catching the sound of splashing and he glanced down, the moon lighting up the water, and he inhaled sharply.

Buffy was oblivious to his prescense as she bathed in the pool near the base of the water fall, her long, golden blond hair floating on the surface, her full breasts covered with droplets of water that caught the moonlight and shimmered on her golden skin.

She looked like a siren, sent to lure men to their deaths with her song, her golden body used to seduce men, promising them a taste of something dark and forbidden. She ran her hands through wet hair, and he thought that she must know he was there...and was tormenting him, punishing him for everything he had ever done as her body arched in his direction before she dived beneath the water.

He nearly groaned as he backed away, going down an alternate route back to the house, his erection biting against his zipper, causing him to almost limp as he went along. He really hoped she wouldn't be done soon, cause he was going to be needing the house for a long while.

Buffy wrung out her hair, grimacing down at her feet as she walked into the hut, "You know...I'd kill for a vacuum...all this sand is driv--"

"OH! BLOODY HELL!" Spike yelped, and Buffy glanced at him before screeching, "OH MY GOD!" And whirling to rush out, only to run into the door jamb, knocking herself out cold.

Spike quickly zipped himself up, then looked down at the unconcious Slayer, then at the empty door frame. "Time to invest in a door, I'm thinking..."

Spike sighed deeply as he scrubbed the entire house top to bottom with sand and water as Buffy watched on, "Ya know...a guy has needs..."

"Well, take your needs outside!" Buffy snapped, "And don't think I'm going in there till you're done!"

Spike grumbled beneath his breath, rolling his eyes as he continued to scrub.

Month Eight

Gifts

Buffy frowned, opening the door to look up and down the moonlit beach a bit worriedly. For the past couple of nights, Spike had been going out God knew where, and staying out till nearly dawn, worrying the crap out of her. If he got dusted by the sun, she'd kill him.

Oh...that's what is known as an empty threat, she thought, shaking her head with a sigh as she went outside, deciding to jog on the sand for a little while.

When she came back, she could immediately sense that Spike was inside, and she sighed in relief, going in, "Glad to see you decided to make an app--" She froze suddenly, eyes going wide in surprise. Sitting at a real, wooden table, painstakingly carved and smoothed, was Spike, with a half of a mango sitting in the middle, and a little stick was burning in the center of it.

"All right...so it's not a bloody cake...but until Betty Crocker gets shipwrecked with us, you have to deal," He said with a sad grin, and Buffy smiled as she sat down on the chair he had made as well, her name carved into the back, "Spike! I can't believe you remembered my birthday!"

"How could I forget?" He glanced down at the mango, "Your candle's burning down."

She smiled, closing her eyes and then, making a wish, she blew it out with a large smile. "How did you know it was my birthday?"

Spike looked up at her, and she saw that he had been crying, dried blood at the corner of his eyes, the orbs slightly red, and her eyes widened, "Oh...God...Drusilla..."

"Turned 200 yesterday," He said softly, looking down at the table again, "If she was...y'know..."

"Oh...Spike...I'm so sorry..." She reached across the table that didn't shake when it was touched, clasping his hand in hers, and she squeezed it gently, and Spike smiled as he looked up, "Well...enough of that depressing display...whatcha wish for?"

"Can't tell you, or it won't come true," Buffy said, giggling when he pouted, "Fine...hint. We're stuck on a desert island...so naturally, I'd want to be...you know..."

"Right...this would be the point that I say 'duh,' but I'm not that pathetic...yet."

Buffy laughed, eating a piece of her mango, "The table and chairs are great, Spike...how long have you been at it?"

"A little while...had to start working overtime the last week, though, to have them ready in time," He grimaced, "Who knew basic carpetanry skills were so hard? And the bloody splinters were hell."

Buffy smiled, standing up to go to him and plant a kiss on his forehead, "It's sweet...and we so needed furniture too."

Spike cleared his throat, looking a bit uncomfortable, "Well...uh...happy birthday anyways...even if it is kinda sucky being stuck on this island or all..."

"Hey, way I look at it...this is the only birthday I've had when something bad hasn't happened...but then again, we still got a few hours to blow that theory out of the water."

Spike chuckled, leaning back in his chair, glancing around the hut. In the last few months, it had gone from simply shelter, to a home. Shells decorated Buffy's side of the hut, tacked on the wall with sticky sap from the palm trees, while Spike had a small shelf, with several small skulls that he had found on them. Their clothes were strewn about a bit carelessly. It wasn't much but it was their home.

He turned his attention back to the table, seeing Buffy's eyes were on him, a unreadable look on her face. "What?"

"Nothing..." She murmured, glancing around just as he did, "This is it...isn't it? Eight months...and not one sign of a boat or a plane...we're never getting home, are we?"

Spike let out a sigh, "It's still a possibility..."

"Eight months, Spike," Buffy shook her head, tucking her knees beneath her chin, wrapping her arms around them, "It's time to face facts. We're never going to get off...and I'm going to die here."

"Slayer," Spike began sternly, "I don't care if I have to bloody build a boat out of coconuts, we're getting off..."

Buffy gave him a look that clearly told him that it wouldn't work in a million years. Besides the problem of building a boat with the rudiementary tools they had, there was also the problem of the sun and his inabilitiy to keep blood fresh on a boat. He'd either go mad from blood lust and kill her, or just wither away into nothing long before they ever reached safe harbour.

Spike shook his head as he stood, going to the doorway, and looking down at the beach as the early sun chased away the morning gloom, "Well...there could be worse places to be stuck, Slayer," Spike observed calmly, "People pay thousands upon thousands of dollars for beachfront property like this. We have plenty of food, water and we have shelter. Under the circumstances, what more could we ask for?"

Buffy stood up to stand behind him, looking out on the scenary. The sun was glinting off the pure, white sand, and small, ocean swells swept up the beach, cresting with a dull roar she barely noticed anymore. In the jungle behind them,she could hear the calling of birds, and movement of animals in the rich tapestry of life that seemed to surround their island.

Spike glanced down at her, then looked back outside, "Think about this, Slayer...here, there are no games...no pretending...what's the point? No one's gonna know but us. I'm no longer just a vampire, and you're no longer just a Slayer. We're just two people trying to survive with what we got...and I say we did a bloody good job of it so far."

"Yeah, and you haven't tried to kill me yet," Buffy replied, and Spike gave her a look.

"No point in killing you, Slayer. There's no one around to brag about it too..."

Buffy smacked his arm, "So, the second we get off this island, you're gonna start all over again?!"

"I think we're past that stage of our lives, Buffy," Spike smiled at her, then touched her shoulder lightly, before he went back into the darkness of the hut to lay down on his pallet, bunching his slightly raggard duster beneath his head, and closing his eyes.

Buffy continued to stare outside the door, thinking of what Spike had said. No games, no rules...no one to tell me what's right or wrong...it's like we're the last two people on Earth...Adam and Eve in Eden...

She slowly turned, staring down at the vampire lying on the pallet. As usual, he was only wearing a pair of shorts, and her eyes ran over the smooth planes of his chest and face, and she smiled slowly to herself.

Spike opened an eye when he heard the Slayer come to stand beside his pallet, puzzled when she just stared down at him, "What I do?"

"You forgot one thing that we have," She told him, and Spike frowned slightly.

"I did? What's that then?" He asked, and then his eyes widened as she lifted her shirt over her head, and let it fall to the ground at her feet, "We have each other..." She told him, stepping out of her shorts, and standing before him, completely nude, her deeply tanned skin off-setting her sun-bleached hair.

She bit her lip, suddenly self-concious when Spike just stared at her, his mouth slightly open, his eyes roving over her toned body. "Slayer...?" He finally managed to squeak out, "What are you doing?"

"Apparently humilating myself..." She muttered, crossing her arms over her chest, flushing deeply, seeming to make her skin even darker.

Spike managed to snap himself out of his stupor, and he was on his feet in an instant, pulling her to him, and crushing her lips to his with a small, muffled moan. He ran his tongue along her soft lips, and nearly groaned as her tongue invaded his mouth, sweeping along his palate.

She dug her hands into his shaggy hair, her nails scraping lightly along his scalp as his arousal rubbed against he abdomen, making the Slayer groan with wanting, a deep, throaty sound that made Spike's entire body tingle.

He suddenly broke the kiss, his midnight-blue eyes burning with desire as he stared down into her flushed face, her lips swollen and pouty looking. "Slayer...' He choked out, "Are you sure? Cause...in about five seconds, I'm not going to be able too..."

She cut off his words with another kiss, and then pushed him so that he fell back onto his pallet, and she smiled at him coyly as she crawled up his body slowly, noting with satisification that he inhaled sharply, his eyes widening slightly as her breasts brushed against his bare abdomen, the muscles in his stomach quivering. "Do I look like I'm not sure?"

"Good...God...I hope not..." Spike banged his head against the pallet as she kissed his stomach, twitching a little...he was a little ticklish in the bellybutton area, and Buffy's warm, pink little tongue dipping into it wasn't helping matters any.

His mind was already fried, and he was having trouble thinking as the Slayer, of all people, seduced him, and he nearly completely shut down as her hot mouth engulfed his hard length, and he hissed, digging his fingers into the leaves beneath him, "Oh...shit...Slayer....fuck..."

Buffy smiled around his cock, watching as he continued to bang his head against the pallet, feeling a surge of power at the reaction she was invoking in the usually cool vampire, and she teased the head of his cock with her tongue, running it along the senstivie underside of the head.

He was babbling her name over and over again as he came, bucking into her mouth as it was flooded with his cool semen, unable to hold on for very long due to his long period of forced abstinance.

Buffy smiled as she straightned, then raised an eyebrow. Spike was unconcious.

She shook her head as she climbed up beside him, running her fingers over his chest as he came too, and she giggled at the incredolous look he gave her, "That's...actually...never happened to me before..."

"I take it you liked?"

"Oh...fuck yeah..." Spike growled as he gripped her shoulders, and rolled them so that she was trapped beneath his body, crushing his lips against hers, almost savage with his kiss, and Buffy moaned into his mouth, arching her hips up, suddenly craving friction as he kissed along her jawline. She tensed slightly when his lips brushed against her unprotected throat, but he only ran his cool tongue along it reassuringly, "Relax, pet..." He murmured in her ear, "I won't bite unless you ask..."

She forced her body to relax as he kissed her collarbone, dipping his tongue into the hollow of her throat as one his hands came up to cup a full breast, and Buffy exhaled sharply as his mouth closed over a peaked nipple, suckling it gently as he kneaded the other one, sending bolts of need straight to her womanhood.

She hissed, then gripped his head, pulling him back up for another kiss, then rubbed against him, "Spike...now...please..." She pleaded, trying to coax him up to her.

"Luv...let me just..."

"Now!" She ordered firmly, "Please...I need you now..."

"Bossy chit," He smiled, then groaned as he sheathed himself deep within her body, her heat searing his terminally cold body, "Oh, God...pet..."

She impatiently moved her hips against his, and he growled as he dropped his mouth to her throat, sucking at the soft skin over her jugular as he slowly began to thrust into her, the muscles in his back rippling with the movements, and Buffy ran her hands along his spine, her breathing deepening as she closed her eyes, murmuring his name.

Spike pulled away from her neck, bracing himself up on his arms so that he could watch her face as he plunged into her deeply, and she arched her body up towards him, her eyes shooting open to meet his yellow ones, and she reached up to trace the smooth planes of his face, wondering why his eyes had changed, but not the rest of his face.

Spike brought one hand up, fondling her breasts as he kissed her again, the taste of him still clinging to her tongue, and he moaned deeply as he picked up his speed, thrusting into her, and relishing the sound of their bodies smacking together, skin on skin, warm against cold.

He dropped his hand to between their bodies, and Buffy tore her mouth away from his as she gasped, her eyes widening as his talented fingers found the hard, bundle of nerves, and pressed against it. She slammed her hips upward as she climaxed, calling out his name, and Spike groaned as her silken, soft walls tightened around him, squeezing him tightly, and he thrust into her a few more times before his body shuddered, and he buried himself to the hilt deep within her, filling her with his dead seed.

After a few moments, he rolled to his side, and pulled Buffy over to him, kissing her softly, and she smiled slightly, closing her eyes as she tucked her head beneath his chin.

Month Ten

Storm

Buffy smiled as she woke slowly, finding Spike's head pillowed her chest. He was part growling, part purring against her skin, and she wondered idly if that was his way of snoring as she ran her fingers through his tousled hair.

The vampire murmured sleepily, snuggling closer to her, and she glanced towards the door as a cool, ocean breeze blew in, and she suddenly sat up, her entire body going rigid. "Spike...wake up..." She hissed at him, and Spike jerked his head up, looking at her dazedly, "Huh? What's wrong?"

She pointed towards the door, and Spike's eyes widened when he saw the huge, midnight black clouds looming in the distance, and the sound of the ocean swells pounding the beach below. "Fuck..."

"Is it...?"

"No...probably just a tropical storm..." Spike scrambled out of bed, pulling his lover to her feet, "Grab some food and head to the cave, pet. It's the safest place for now..."

"Where are you going?" She asked fearfully as he started pulling on his clothes, and he paused to kiss her forehead reassuringly, "I'm going to grab some wood, and then find some food for myself...these storms could last a few days. I'll meet you there, luv...promise..."

Buffy nodded slowly, chewing on her lip as Spike slipped out the door and headed towards the jungle before grabbing food, the tools they had made, and Spike's fishing spear. She made a few trips back and forth, jumping everytime lightening crashed in the distance.

Her heart was pounding faster then ever before, and her skin had broken out in a cold, panicked sweat as she hurried to get everything done. Soon, she retreated into the very far back of the cave, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath as she tried to compose herself.

An hour later, Spike appeared, carrying a large armful of wood, and he grimaced as he dropped them on the floor of the cave. "I'm so bloody, goddamn stupid..." He cursed himself, and Buffy looked up at him in relieve as he knelt, starting to build up a small fire to keep her warm, "I should have noticed that the fuckin' animals had been more scarce the last few days...I couldn't find one bloody thing moving out there. They've been prepared for this longer then we have..." He sniffed the air, then glanced towards Buffy, seeing she was shaking.

"Luv, come here," Spike beckoned for her and she went towards him, sinking into his embrace with a contented sigh as his strong arms held her tightly, "It's gonna be fine. Just a bit of wind and rain, and the world's good as new again."

"What about our house? Will it be okay?"

"Should be...but if it doesn't hold up, no worries. We'll rebuild," Spike assured her with a grin, "This time...indoor plumbing."

Buffy giggled, "And how are we gonna do that? Build a portapotty out of rocks and mangos?!"

Spike scowled at her, but it was playful, glad that he had at least gotten her mind off the coming storm, then winced when a roar filled the air, and Buffy clutched his arm, her nails digging into his skin. "Oh God..." She muttered, snapping her eyes tightly closed.

Spike looked up sharply at the sound, pulling Buffy onto his lap so that he could hold her even closer, and he murmured soothingly in her ear, while keeping a close eye on the entrance to the cave as the storm hit with all it's force.

"Buffy..." Spike's soft voice pulled her from the darkness of sleep, and Buffy opened her eyes tiredly. She was cradled against his side, the pair having retreated towards the back of the cave when water had flooded the bottom part. Luckily, it was higher in the back. "Luv...it's the eye...we got about forty minutes to stretch our legs..."

"Uh? Eye?" Buffy repeated, and Spike smiled.

"Eye of the hurricane. I want to try and see if I can scare something up to eat before we get hit again..."

Buffy stood up a bit shakily, looking a little panicked, "No...you don't have too..."

"Pet...I'm starving, I'm colder then usual, and I feel like a drowned rat...and you don't seem much better. You need to get warmed up a bit..." Spike took her hand, and they sloshed through the water at the front of the cave. Spike glanced up at the clear night sky above them, repressing a shudder at the false calm.

They climbed up towards the waterfall, and Buffy sat on a rock, grimacing at the dampness, and Spike smiled, "I'll be back in a bit, before the storm comes again...but if the wind picks up, I want you to go back in the cave..."

"You'll be here before then, won't you?" Buffy asked, her eyes widening slightly, and Spike nodded at her, kissing her forehead.

"With bells on, Buffy. Promise," Spike shrugged out of his duster and wrapped it around her shoulders, "I'd light a fire, but it's too bloody damp. Try walking around a little bit to get warm, alright?"

Buffy nodded, watching worriedly as her lover slipped into the jungle, then turned her eyes towards the black, boiling sky in the distance.

Spike was pushing his luck, and he knew it. He had already been in the jungle for an hour, but was still unable to find something to eat. The animals had all gone into hiding. He considered turning back, but he had to keep looking. The second half of the storm, from the looks of it, was going to be worse then the first. They had already been trapped in the cave for a day and a half...he didn't trust himself to be around her for another two days.

He rubbed his hand over his face, surprised to feel the ridges. It wasn't good if he was going into game face and didn't notice it. He growled in annoyance, then plunged deeper into the jungle.

Buffy was watching the trees closely as the wind whipped her hair around her face and head, Spike's duster wrapped firmly around her body. She glanced towards the storm, watching as lightening flashed, shuddering. "Spike...where the hell are you?"

Nobody answered her, and as the rain started again, she was forced to retreat back to the cave, and she watched the entrance worriedly, unconciously rocking back and forth on her heels.

I have to be the most bloody insane man on the planet...

Spike ran a hand through his hair, accidently leaving a livid, crimson streak through the honey-blond locks. He had been forced to climb a palm tree, and he had found a small monkey, but he had sliced his hands open on the palm fronds while trying to catch it. He had also cut up his last pair of jeans while climbing the tree, and his knees were now scabbed and bloody.

Now, to top it off, rain was driving down at him in hard, sideways sheet. Each drop felt like a pinprick in his skin. Lightening flashed ahead of him, heralding the coming of the second half of the storm. The trees groaned as the wind picked up.

Spike growled as he bent forward, trying to fight the force of nature shoving back at him, then jumped when a tree nearby was struck by lightening. He started to sprint, but that only served in tiring him out as the wind and rain kept beating back at him, seeming to become more intense the harder her pushed back at it.

It took him an hour to reach the entrance of the cave, and he gave a sigh of relief. Then lightening flashed above him, and his eyes widened. A tree had fallen across the mouth of the cave, blocking his only way in, and effectively trapping Buffy. "GOD BLOODY DAMMIT! CAN'T SOMEONE CUT ME A BREAK?!" He snarled at the sky, as if challenging nature herself, then turned his attention back to the cave.

He tried to wrap his arms around the slick, damp trunk, rain biting into his back from behind, and the wind trying to shove him forward into the sharp, knife-like ridges of the bark, and he growled as his hands were cut up even more.

His feet slipped in the slick mud, and he fell against the bark, hissing as his chest rubbed against the bark, and he looked down, his shirt ripped into shreds, and his skin looking no better. He sucked it in, closing his eyes as he reached around the trunk again, trying to yank it away from the cave, but soon, he gave up, panting needlessly as he rested his forehead against the bark, cursing.

He felt a chill hand touch his, and he sat up a bit, peering over the top of the trunk to see Buffy's wide, frightened eyes looking at him fearfully, "Spike...I can't move it from my side either..."

"It's all right, Slayer..." Spike told her, biting his lip when he could scent her fear quite clearly, despite being downwind of her, and she took a deep breath.

"Can you get to the other cave? The one we stayed at when we first got here...?" She asked, trying to hide the fear from her voice as she knelt in the dirty water, her entire body soaked, but Spike shook his head, "I can't...I'm too bloody tired...I'm just going to stay here..."

"But..."

"No worries," he smiled wanly, "Won't kill me, right?" He squeezed her hand gently, and she tightened her grip on it, "Now...go back in the cave before you catch yourself a cold, all right?"

She nodded, and obeyed...for about ten minutes before she was back, her entire body trembling as the lightening continued to crash, and she could hear the roar of the wind and the trees cracking under the strain of the gale-force winds.

Spike reached his arm through the hole as far as it would go, wincing when he sliced it again on a piece of rock jutting out, but he ignored the pain as he awkwardly wrapped his arm around Buffy's shoulder, and she pressed herself against the trunk, resting her head against the junction of his elbow and arm, closing her eyes tightly as Spike whispered to her soothingly, telling her nothing and everything as he braved the storm for her sake.

Buffy was shaking in her sleep, from both cold and residual fear that carried over into her dreams. Soon, however, the sound of silence woke her, and she blearily opened her eyes. She was sitting in a puddle of water, and she was soaked through and through...and Spike's arm was still wrapped around her.

She sat up, glancing through the hole to see the ashen faced vampire resting with his cheek against the tree trunk, numerous cuts and scrapes marring his face. "Spike...?"

"Ugh..." The vampire moaned groggily, opening his eyes slowly and he glanced at her dazedly, "Dru?"

Buffy felt a fresh stab of fear, "No, Spike...it's me...Buffy..."

"Bloody doll..." Spike closed his eyes again, "Oughta smash the damn thing..."

Oh Crap...he's delirous...Buffy gently put his arm back through the hole, wincing when she heard him land in the knee deep mud outside as he lost his only grip on the tree, and sat back on her butt, bracing her feet against the trunk of the tree. For forty minutes, she pushed and grunted, trying to dislodge it, and then, finally, it gave with a loud crack, part of it breaking off. After another forty minutes of pushing, she managed to create a hole big enough for her to just squeeze her small body through.

She landed on her hands and knees, and she panted for breath, glancing up at the clear, lightening sky, and she glanced at Spike, then back at the hole. There was no way she was going to be able to get him through there, and she wasn't sure if she'd be able move the rest of the tree. Her joints and legs ached to the point of incapacitation, and she was tired enough to want to just fall over in the mud and sleep right there.

She forced herself to her feet, going towards Spike, and she dropped beside him, rolling him onto his back, his entire front covered with black mud, and she slapped his face lightly, trying to wake him, all the while wincing when she took in his sliced up chest, legs and arms, and his back had looked raw and red from the constant beating of the hard rain, and the buffeting he had recieved from the wind coming at him from behind.

"Please, Spike..." She pleaded, "Wake up...the sun's coming up..."

He opened his eyes again, the orbs shining with delirum, and he mumbled something in what sounded like Chinese or Japenese, and Buffy groaned, slipping his arm around her shoulders, and pulled him forcefully to his feet. "You have to walk with me, Spike...I'm too tired to carry you..." She told him, and he garbled at her in another language that she couldn't identify. He at least seemed to understand her, and slowly, they put one foot in front of each other.

Buffy stumbled over a fallen tree, and she collapsed, with Spike landing on top of her, the vampire slipping into unconciousness. She groaned, then glanced at the tree they had fallen over. It was braced against a rock, and there was an opening just big enough for Spike to fit under.

She rolled him beneath it, then found some leaves to cover him up with. She then laid down beside him, uncaring about the damp ground, and pulled his arm around her waist, snuggling up against him. She shivered, and his grip tightened around her as he rested his cheek to hers, and Buffy closed her eyes, allowing sleep to claim her.

Buffy woke as the sun started to set, Spike's arms wrapped around her waist, and she weakly elbowed him a bit. The vampire opened his eyes with a small groan, "Slayer?"

She smiled in relief that he was lucid once more, "The sun's set...we can get out now..."

"Get out?" He repeated groggily, looking around him in confusion, then with a great bit of difficulty, used his arms to push himself upright, the effort tiring him immensely. He never had felt so weak in his life, even when Buffy had dropped a church organ on him.

He glanced around, wondering how he had gotten from the cave, then glanced at Buffy as she shuddered, still wrapped up in his duster.

"Do you think you can walk?" Buffy asked, "I don't think I can carry you again..."

"Gonna have too..." Spike winced, forcing himself to his feet with another groan, "Bloody 'ell..."

"I told you to leave," Buffy said, sounding suddenly angry, "You could have gotten killed! And where would that have left me?!"

"Sorry, pet," Spike gave her a weary look, then scented the air, hoping to catch a scent of some nearby animal, then sighed in disappointment, "How bad was the damage?"

"Huh?"

"To the house, pet, how bad is it?"

"I don't know...I didn't have a chance to look," Buffy replied, "You might have to sleep underneath it..."

"Bloody grand," Spike muttered beneath his breath, then sighed as they leaned against each other for mutual support, making their way through fallen trees and piled up brush towards the beach.

They pratically stumbled out onto the sand, their feet sinking into the still damp sand. They stopped on the sand, and Spike let out a relieved laugh as he let go of Buffy, flopping down on the sand. "Finally! Someone cut us a bleedin' break!"

Buffy smiled as she looked over their house. It was completely intact, save for a bit of the steel had been sheared off, and landing in the trees behind the hut, then glanced down at Spike, who was grinning tiredly, but his eyes were shining as he rolled back to his feet, "If I still believed in God, I'd be thanking him right about now..."

"You're atheist?"

"No, Slayer...I'm the only Catholic vampire on the bleedin' planet," Spike replied, heading into the shack, and Buffy followed him, rolling her eyes.

He collapsed on one of the pallets, and Buffy smiled wearily as she laid out next to him, and he wrapped his arms around her, kissing her throat tiredly before closing his eyes, falling into a much needed sleep.

Buffy turned in his arms, unable to fall asleep, and she smiled as she watched her lover's chest rise and fall with habitual breath, and rested her head against his chest, splaying one warm hand across his abdomen, careful not to touch any of his cuts and bruises.

She smiled slightly as she thought of the way he had stayed outside of the cave all during the storm, one arm wrapped around her. She would have been safe alone, so it wasn't a matter of him trying to keep her alive so he wouldn't be alone. He actually...cared. Cared about her..how weird is that?

She sat up a bit to stare down into his peaceful features, then reached out a hand, tenderly tracing his face with her fingertips, a small smile coming to her lips.

"Whatcha thinking?" Spike suddenly asked, his eyes still closed, and Buffy tensed in surprise, then relaxed against him.

"Just thinking I owe you one," Buffy replied softly.

"Not at all," He replied, finally opening his eyes, then cocked an eyebrow at the look of complete contement on her face, "Why do you look like the cat that just ate the canary?"

"Huh?" Buffy looked confused, and Spike chuckled.

"You look...happy...I can't figure out why the hell you are...since you just spent an entire night wet to the bone in a bloody cave..."

Buffy kissed his lips with a small smile, "No reason. Just glad to be here..."

"Really...even if it's with your mortal ene"marquot;

"Yeah," Buffy snuggled against his side with a small sigh, "Even with my mortal enemy."

1 year and three months

Surprise

Spike frowned as he listened to Buffy retching outside, wondering what in the hell was going on. For the last few weeks, she had been sick every morning, and then she'd come inside, then eat as if she hadn't just purged about six pounds worth of fish, mangos and monkey meat out of her stomach.

Buffy came back in a few minutes later, glancing at Spike, his honey-blond hair finally free of all dye, and flopping in his eyes as he bent over a rock, sharpening another fishing spear. He looked up at her in concern, "You feeling all right, pet?"

"Yeah...I'm just fighting whatever bug I got..."

"I don't know where the hell you got it," Spike replied, "We're the only two people on the bloody island. A cold, I understand..but the flu's a virus, ain't it? You can only catch it from other people...and I sure as hell didn't give it to you."

"I'm fine!" Buffy snapped, and Spike looked down with a low growl.

"Well...just bloody well excuse me for caring!"

Buffy sighed, then plopped down on his lap, effectively stopping his work, and he wrapped his arms around her as she laid her head on his shoulder. "Sorry...I've been kinda bitchy lately..."

"Yeah..." Spike chuckled as she glared at him, "But I forgive you, pet."

"Good," She snuggled with him, content for the moment, then suddenly flew off his lap, and back outside.

Spike shook his head slightly, "I hope you're covering that up with sand!"

Spike ran a hand through his damp hair as he grimaced down at his bare feet, sand sticking to it as he went into the hut, shaking his head slightly, "Christ Almighty...the sand thing is killing me..." He paused, frowning when he saw Buffy sitting on the floor, counting her calendar stones. "Why are you doing that again? You did it just this morning...three times...four more times in the afternoon..."

Buffy looked up at him, her eyes slightly wide, "Spike...I skipped a period..."

"So?"

"Spike...I never skip a period...never, ever!"

"Relax, pet," Spike flopped down on their bed, "I can't knock you up..." He saw the look on her face, "I can't...right?"

"Think about it, Spike...all the food I'm eating...the sudden craving for red meat..."

"Your diet's a wee off...and you're a growing girl..."

"The morning sickness, Spike..."

"Oh...fuck..." Spike stared at her, "How the hell can you be pregnant?! I'm a vampire, last time I checked!"

"I don't know! It's definitatly yours, since there's no one else here!" Buffy looked dismayed, "I can't be pregnant...not here..." She almost whimpered, "I mean...there's no hospitals...what if something goes wrong?!"

"Relax, pet," Spike held out his arms for her, and she abadoned her stones to sink into his embrace, tears springing to her eyes, "My mum had me with just my aunt helping her...and my mum was a mid-wife...and I was her assistant when my sister Susanne died...so I know a bit about babies..."

Buffy sniffled as tears slipped down her cheeks, and she looked up at him, "Your mom was a mid-wife?"

"Yep..." Spike smiled reasurringly, cupping her chin and brushing his lips across her forehead, "I must've helped with about twenty births...it's no big deal, really...some hot water...towels..."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah..." A sudden grin broke over Spike's face, "I'm having a baby..."

Buffy giggled as he suddenly stood up, swinging her around happily, crowing loudly, "I'm having a baby!"

"Spike...you know I'm the one that's pregnant, right?" Buffy teased and Spike's grin only widened.

"If it's a boy, we're naming him William. Elizabeth if it's a girl."

"What? Don't I get a say?" Buffy complained, "I'm the one pushing that sucker out!"

"Nope!" Spike let go of her, and ran to the doorway, yelling out onto the empty beach, "I'M HAVING A BABY!"

She rolled her eyes, but she was smiling, his excitement very contagious, and she giggled as he whirled and wrapped one arm around her waist, and started to waltz with her around the hut, and then he kissed her so hard, her lips felt almost numb afterward, but that still didn't wipe the smile off her face. If anything, it only got bigger as Spike kissed her cheek with a loud smack.

"This has to be the best day of my unlife," He exclaimed, "I never thought...you know...that I could..."

"Must be a Slayer thing..." Buffy replied, and Spike grinned as he pulled her close, rubbing his nose along her face playfully.

"I'm having a bbbbaabbyyy..." He sang loudly, and off-key as he started to dance with her again, beaming brightly, "Baby, baby, baby..."

"You're nuts, you know that, right?" Buffy told him, rolling her eyes, and he laughed happily, "I love you, you know that, right?"

Buffy tensed slightly, and Spike stared at her, looking a bit self-concious. He hadn't meant to let it slip just like that...but he couldn't help it. He was in love with the fiery young woman, who was carrying his child...but he knew she couldn't possibly love him like that...not when she loved Angel. He was just there, is all...never in a million years would she love a mons--

"Love you too, fangbreath," Buffy smiled brightly, "But if it's a girl, I want to name her Jennifer..."

"No way. Elizabeth was my mum's name...and it's yours too...so you're outvoted..."

"There's two of us! How can I be outvoted?!"

Spike dropped to his knees, kissing her stomach, "What do you say, luv? Jennifer or Elizabeth?"

Buffy giggled as he pressed his ear to her belly, then he grinned up at her, "She says Elizabeth."

"What if it's a boy, Spike? Since he voted Elizabeth, are we gonna name him that?"

"Course," Spike chuckled, "I'm very open-minded...if he wants to be girl, let him be a bloody girl...who's gonna see him?"

"You're demented, you know that right?"

"Yeah, but that's what you love about me," Spike jumped back to his feet, and kissed her soundly with a large grin, then raced out the door.

"Where are you going?" Buffy called out, going to the door, and Spike glanced back at her, "Well...we're gonna need a nursury of sorts, right? Better get cracking if we want everything ready by then!"

Buffy shook her head with a smile as she watched the vampire rush off into the trees, then rested her hand against her belly. "That's your dad, kid...yeah...I'm scared too."