Chapter 4.03

Thursday Early hours of the morning

Spike wasn’t sure what woke him at first, and then Buffy struggled in his arms. Raising himself up, he saw the tell-tale darting movements of her eyeballs behind closed lids. Bending his neck her whispered near her ear. "Shh, pet. ‘S not real. You’re safe. Everything’s okay." Her struggles stilled and he placed gentle kisses against her shoulder. His hand rubbed softly up and down her side in a movement designed to be soothing.

Her eyes flicked open and she pulled his arm tight round her waist again, her left hand on top of his she intertwined their fingers.

"Bad dream, love?"

She nodded.

"Wanna talk about it?"

"S’okay. Just the usual,"

Spike hugged her even tighter to him briefly as he placed a kiss on the top of her head. Inwardly, he cursed the Scoobies again for the lack of foresight on their part that had made them bring her back to life without disinterring her first. "They’ll get better with time."

She managed a watery smile. "They are better, with you here. First time in three nights I’ve been with you that it’s happened."

"Could be because you didn’t exactly get much sleep the other two," he answered wryly.

"Or it could be because I feel safe with you."

"And when we’re not together, how often…"

She paused before she answered. "At least once."

"Every night?" His voice was full of concern.

She nodded again.

He felt helpless, knowing there was nothing he could do to help other than just be there for her. It was the same way that her scent in the air and her presence in his arms stilled his own subconscious, letting him forget his failure on the tower.

She shook her head as if to clear it and rolled over in his arms. Her eyes flicked to his face. "How d’you fancy a spot of violence?"

"As you wish, princess." He kissed her on the forehead and loosened his grip on her waist. She scrambled out of bed, hastily righting the straps on the short gown. Spike watched her until she left the room and then quickly put his socks and boots back on and followed after. Reaching the main room he realised that the only shirt he had was the one Buffy had ripped off him earlier. The spare clothes from their stay in LA were in Buffy’s case, now at Revello Drive. Everything else was still at the crypt.

Buffy emerged from the bathroom dressed for battle only to give a small laugh at the incongruous sight of Spike with his duster on but his shirt still unbuttoned.

"Oops?" she offered almost by way of apology. "Didn’t realise it was the only shirt you had here."

"Was worth it, pet. Don’t worry. We can swing past the crypt while we’re out and I’ll clear out the fridge and get the rest of my clothes. Pick up the bike as well, so I can drop you off at home or bring you back, whatever you want."

"I should probably go home, so I’m there to get Dawn off to school." Her voice held more than a hint of reluctance.

"I know, love. We’ll all be together soon enough. One big family."

"Speaking of family… May as well ring Giles now, before we go out," Buffy gave a weak half smile.

Spike dropped into a half reclining position on the sofa and reaching over the chair arm he picked up a cordless phone from its stand on an end table. He held it out in her direction, but when she made a move to take it from him, he pulled her down into his lap. She tensed for a second but then relaxed against him resting her head on his shoulder. As soon as she did, he handed her the phone.

"So, you don’t know."

"Buffy, it’s not the sort of decision one jumps into overnight." Giles sounded exasperated as only the slayer could make him. "I think it would be unreasonable to expect anyone to make a decision of this sort so quickly."

"But he sounded interested?"

Buffy heard the watcher sigh, and could imagine him polishing his glasses as he spoke. "There is nothing more to be done. Whether he decides to move back to Sunnydale or not is to some extent irrelevant. What is more important is that he knows there is a place where he will be welcome if he so chooses… Though I would be most grateful if he were able to provide you with help on a day to day basis."

"So you’re saying that the fact he knows he can come here is more important than whether or not he comes?" Buffy tried to make sure she had understood her former mentor correctly.

"Precisely. Now as to other matters, the orbs of Nezzla Khan have been hidden away for so long that nothing I was able to find is based on first hand knowledge. Everything seems to have its basis in ancient oral tradition. From what I can gather this is the first time the orbs have fallen into human hands. As such, there are no records as to what any long-term effects might be. I would recommend that Xander uses them with caution, and that Anya watches him very carefully for any signs of change following or during their use. He certainly shouldn’t be carrying them constantly until we are very sure that it is only the strength and invulnerability of the demon prince that is passed on."

"So, taking them to work so that he doesn’t strain anything with all the heavy lifting would be a no-no then?"

"Please tell me that even Xander wouldn’t be quite so frivolous with an item of such obvious power," the Englishman pleaded.

"Even Xander wouldn’t be that frivly with such a powerful thingy…?" Buffy responded with no conviction at all.

"Oh dear lord. Just tell him I said not to carry them unless he’s expecting trouble or helping out on patrol."

"Giles, in case you missed that part of the conversation the other day, Xander got married to Anya on Saturday. The only time he’s offered to patrol with me in the last year was when he came back to town after he ran away from the wedding. Now he’s back with his honey-bun I don’t think touring the graveyards will feature in his itinerary."

Giles cleared his throat. "I also think you should perhaps try to talk Xander into letting Spike hit him while he’s carrying the orbs, to see if he does still register as human."

"That’ll make his day." Buffy was amazed to see the blond vamp shaking his head. "It won’t make his day? Hang on, Giles." Buffy lowered the phone and turned her attention to the vamp whose lap she was currently occupying. "What’s up?"

"Won’t work, pet. Whether he’s a human or a demon, Rupert just said those things give him invulnerability. If I can’t hurt him the chip won’t go off …unless you want me to try a rocket launcher?" he suggested with a wicked grin.

"I think that would be taking curiosity a shade too far?" she tried to sound disapproving, but she knew for Anya’s sake if nothing else he wouldn’t follow through.

"Giles? Did you catch that? Spike says the chip wouldn’t go off even if it picked Xander up as a human because he knows he couldn’t hurt him. Ooh wait, I’ve an idea. Blind taste test. If Spike were to hit Xander without actually knowing if he had the orbs, then it would work, wouldn’t it?" Spike nodded his agreement.

"Quite. Well I shall leave you to sort out the details, shall I?"

"What about the other thing then?" Buffy asked.

"So far, I’ve only come across records of two humans being claimed, neither seemed to suffer any adverse effects and both seemed to age slower than might be expected. One lived with his mate for eighty years whilst he appeared to age only ten or fifteen years over this time. However, when his mate died his years seemed to catch up with him over a relatively short period of time. When he died four years later he judged that he appeared to be about eighty-five.

The girl in the second case died with her lover when the house they were resting in was burned to the ground. They had been together for twenty years and she showed little if any sign of ageing over that period, but she was definitely still human as she was often seen out and about in daytime.

As yet, I haven’t come across any information about any slayers being claimed.

So, all in all, things look quite promising, if you’re sure you want to go ahead, but there’s a lot more research still to do. I don’t think two cases is sufficient basis to say you would be in the clear and neither of them were slayers."

"So basically you’re still looking for a reason to say no, but you haven’t found it yet," the slayer reasoned.

"You could put it like that, though if we could prove it were safe, a mutual claim would be more appropriate than a continuation of the situation as it stands."

"Okay, give our love to Olivia and call me when you find anything new, otherwise I’ll be in touch when we manage to book a church."

"Goodbye, Buffy."

"Bye, Giles."

Buffy turned to her companion. "Time to boogie, Blood Breath." She kissed the end of his nose and then levered herself out of his lap, staying close enough that he had to brush against her to stand up. He pushed himself out of the chair and put his hands on her hips, resting his forehead against hers.

"All staked up?"

Quicker than the eye could see Buffy had a stake in her hand. Spike had no more idea where she hid them now they were dating than he had had when they used to fight for real. "You?"

Spike flexed his arms and he had a stake in each hand. He gave them a gun-slinger type twirl before they disappeared into his sleeves again.

"Okay then, let’s go kick some demon butt." Buffy took his hand and drew him toward the door.

Thursday Early morning

Spike dialled Giles home phone number. He paced the living room as he waited to be connected, wondering if this was a good idea. He tried to convince himself that he would be losing nothing by asking, and that he didn’t care if the answer was no. Somehow it didn’t seem to work.

After two rings he heard an automated message, but that had been what he wanted. He knew Giles should be at work.

"Watcher. It’s Spike. I’ve got kind of a big favour to ask you. I haven’t said anything to Buffy about it, ‘cause if she knew and then you said no she might be disappointed, which is the reverse of what I’m hoping for. I didn’t want to embarrass you into saying yes either, so if you don’t bring it up I’ll never mention this message again. Now, I’m asking for her, not for me, except once we’re married it’s sort of a package deal so I could understand you saying no but what I want is this…"

By the time he finished rambling nervously he had to redial the number and leave a second message to make his request as he had been cut off. After that he just had to wait to see if Giles rang back when he got home. He sat himself on one of the stools that tucked under the breakfast bar and turned his attention to the book he’d brought from Buffy’s the previous night while he waited. There were still boxes and bags from his and Buffy’s shopping trip in a pile in the corner, but keeping his promise to Dawn took precedence.

Buffy yawned as she watched Tara flip pancakes for breakfast. She had been going to make breakfast for at least her and Dawn this morning, but Tara had beaten her to it. Buffy was sure there should be a law against anyone who was that much of a morning person. Maybe she could go back to bed once the others left, or go visit Spike and both go back to bed together.

"She’s gone, again." It had only taken one brief glance at her sister’s dreamy smile for Dawn to work out where her head was at this morning.

"What? No I’m not. Right here ready to eat yummy pancakes with my sister before she goes to school."

Tara flipped the first few onto her plate and started on the next batch, smiling at Dawn and Willow as they came in the room together. "Morning, sweeties."

"Hey, Will." Buffy passed her plate over to Dawn. "Here, you take these, I’ll get some once all the people who have to leave early have been fed."

Willow gave Tara a hug before she grabbed a stool and took a seat at the island. "Hey, Buff, you owe me big time. Xander says if you want he’ll come back after he drops Dawn off at school, have a look at the basement and you can discuss what you want."

"So he’s going to do it?" ‘Damn, so much for sleepy Spike and silk sheets.’

"He said he’d probably have to get a couple of the other guys to help out, like Tito for the plumbing, and some other guy for the electricky stuff but he’d be able to do most of it."

"Youch. I remember Tito’s prices. Well, there shouldn’t be too much for him to do, I hope, and Spike said we could afford it."

"Dawn says his new place is pretty cool," Tara said.

"Yeah, it’s not bad. A bit out of the way. Did you know there are five cemeteries on an almost direct route between there and here?"

"Does that mean you actually patrolled last night?" Dawn asked between mouthfuls of pancakes. "I thought that was just an excuse to get rid of me so that you guys could have loud obnoxious sex."

"Dawn. Yes, we …patrolled. We got a whole bunch a vamps and a hairy demon. It looked kinda cute at first, like an overgrown Old English sheepdog with curly horns that had learned to walk on its hind legs but then, well you know how some dogs will attach themselves to your leg, imagine one that’s seven foot three… And we weren’t loud and obnoxious it’s just a very small flat."

"I can’t imagine Spike being keen on some demon trying to move in on his territory." Tara commented, as she served up a plate of pancakes for Willow.

"Hey, I could get offended at being called territory, if it wasn’t for the fact it was a female demon. So, yeah, you could definitely say he wasn’t keen on having his ‘territory’ invaded." Buffy snickered as she remembered Spike’s attempts to fend off the behemoth.

"Ew. Mental scarring in process." Dawn shovelled the last of her pancakes into her mouth, chugged her orange juice and dashed upstairs to sort out her books for school.

"Will, is your computer all linked up to the Internet at the moment?" Buffy asked the redhead in an apparently random change of subject.

"Mmmh. In the dining room."

"So I just switch it on, click on the web browser, then Google in the favourites bit and type in what I want to do the search on… Right?"

"Sure. I’ve got a spare few minutes. I can give you a hand if you want once we finish breakfast."

"No. It’s good. It’s time I started to sort out some of the basic stuff for myself," Buffy hastily replied, blushing profusely.

"I guess, since Spike’s getting that new computer for you and Dawn. Oh, you can tell him I’ve ordered all the bits now. When it all arrives I’ll put it together over here and install all the software and stuff before we shift it to his place. He can settle up any time between now and when I pay my visa bill."

Buffy’s pancakes arrived and she smothered them with syrup before she tucked in. Willow meanwhile finished hers and headed off to get ready for lectures. A car horn sounded outside and Dawn rushed downstairs and out the door with a quick, "Bye."

Buffy was still drinking her coffee when Tara finally got to sit down and eat her own breakfast. "So you’re coping okay with the whole out of the closet deal then?" she asked as she used her fork to break up the pancakes into bite-sized pieces.

Buffy glanced up at her. "Ask me about that after I’ve explained to Xander that we want the basement soundproofed. Were you around when Will spoke to him last night?"

Tara shook her head. "Took refuge in the bath while she phoned."

"Okay, I’ll just have to play it by ear. He can’t hate him that much… Can he?"

Tara shrugged. "Xander? I think it might take a trained psychologist a decade or two to work out the inconsistencies in his brain. Spike and Anya’s situations are more or less parallel in lots of ways, but he marries one and wants to stake the other. ‘Course Anya’s having sex with him, and Spike’s violating his best friend. I mean I love him, but I’ll never understand him."

"Oh well. I think I’ll go check out that stuff on Will’s computer before he gets here… Does it make me a bad person if part of me is wishing he’d refused? If he can’t…" Buffy sighed and levered herself off her stool. She refilled her coffee cup and headed toward the dining room, not waiting to see if Tara would answer her question.

Time to find out what that password really meant. She put the phrase into the search engine and clicked on the first site on the list. A seed catalogue. ‘Dianthus Barbatus – a perennial wild flower from the carnation family, commonly known as Sweet William.’ Sweet William. Cute… and nothing to do with anal sex. She closed down the program and switched off the computer. When Xander arrived she was busy looking through the magazines she’d brought back from LA.

Chapter 4.04

As usual Xander let himself in, calling out as he came.

"In here," Buffy shouted from the main room.

Xander’s gaze flashed across the title of the magazine she threw onto the coffee table with the others. His voice was warmer than she would have expected as he teased her, "I guess Monday lunchtime wasn’t just some nightmare from my sleep-deprived brain, then?"

"Nope." She held up her left hand and wiggled her ring finger at him in confirmation. "All real. D’you want a coffee? There should be some in the pot if you do."

"Some caffeine would be good. Then we can discuss exactly what it is that you and Deadboy jnr. have in mind for the basement. Once I get a handle on what you want, then I can measure up, and maybe draw up some plans."

"Xander, are you okay about doing this?"

"Yes and no. I can’t say I’m happy the two of you are together and when things all go to hell I’ll be the first one to say I told you so. He doesn’t deserve you, and I don’t like the guy, but I’m not about to lose my best friend just because she’s got crappy taste in men. But, then I liked Riley and it looks like that was a big mistake, so maybe if you two are still going strong a decade or so from now I might reconsider. In the meantime I can’t see me and Bleachboy watching football together on Sunday afternoons, but I’ll at least try to keep my mouth shut when I can’t think of anything nice to say." He took the coffee she poured for him and pulled out a notepad and pen from his jacket pocket.

"So, basement?" he queried.

Buffy went through what she and Spike had discussed with one minor difference. Xander raised his eyebrows when she mentioned soundproofing, but he conceded the point when she asked how he would feel if Anya and he had to share a house with a fifteen-year-old sister.

"I see what you mean, Buff, but if no-one upstairs can hear you, then you can’t hear them either. So, when the next bad guy breaks in the front door and attacks Dawnster how’re you going to know. You’re going to need to either forget the soundproofing or install panic buttons.

You’ll probably want to replace the staircase with something more substantial or at least get all the rails finished off and stuff. Rough wood’s okay for what you’re using it for now, but if you’re going to be trooping up to the kitchen in your jammies and bare feet…

You’ll need to put in a door leading outside for a fire exit, but it’ll make it easier for slipping in after patrol without disturbing anyone. It’s probably easiest done at the back, that way you’re not digging under the porch.

If you pick out a bathroom suite before we finalise the plans, then we can work round that for the dimensions. I can take you round a couple of the trade places for a look, but once we know what you want, we best sort out planning permission before you buy anything.

That said, I can’t see any reason for it to be refused and I know a guy at town hall we deal with who might be able to speed up the application."

Buffy managed not to have her mouth hang open. "I guess I see now why you got that promotion. You’ve really got a handle on all this construction stuff."

"It’s my kind of problem solving. All practical, no complicated math and no-one’s feelings get hurt if you make a mistake. Let’s go take a look at what we’ve got to work with."

"You got any idea how much this is going to run to?" Buffy asked as they headed downstairs.

"Can’t say for sure. There’s too many variables at the minute. I’ll cost out a few different options and get back to you. It’s not going to be cheap, Buff. It might cost more than it adds to the value of the house, but hopefully not."

"Not much to be done about Sunnydale property prices. It’s not like I’ve got the option to move. Or Spike any more, either, not now. We’ll worry about buying Dawn out when she wants to get her own place, wherever that ends up being."

"I would ask how Dawn felt about this whole thing but I think I got her answer at the Bronze."

"Yeah, I think she can cope with the novelty of not having to live off Double Meat Burgers and having Spike at her beck and call. He’s totally whipped, but she loves him back, though I don’t think she’ll be saying the words any time soon. And she knows if anything happens to me, that he’ll be there for her."

"I guess." Xander made short work of measuring up. "Right, I think I’ve got everything I need for just now. I’ll be heading back to the Magic Box, so if you want a lift into town speak now or forever… you know."

"Yeah, why not? I was going to start by phoning round some places, but I may as well see Anya then go along in person. How long do you think this’ll take? The basement I mean. We kinda want it ready before the wedding."

"Buffy, if I have to come over every night after work for a month to get it finished in time, I will, but as long as the planning permission isn’t held up, we should get it done just working on weekends." He gave her a goofy grin. "Chill. This is my field of expertise. You will have a subterranean studio apartment to share with your honey by the time you’re legal. Scout’s honour …as long as you don’t organise the wedding for some time in the next month."

"I don’t think even I’m that crazy, though I don’t think Spike would complain. Back in a minute." Buffy ran upstairs and grabbed her DMP uniform pushing it into a convenient backpack.

"You do realise that if I’m over here and the Magic Box is closed Anya will probably come with me and I expect you all to keep your platinum baby out of my hair while I’m working."

"Eww. Less with the Harmony speak." Buffy grabbed her coat from the stand by the front door, which she pulled wide for Xander to go through. "After you."

"So anyway, hear tell you’ve been in LA the last couple of days. Wanna make with the news? Willow said it would be worth waiting to hear it from the horses mouth."

"I think I’ll wait till we get to the Magic Box. That way I only have to go through it once. Think you can go past DMP so I can hand this in?"

"Sure. How come you’re not working this week anyway?"

Buffy blushed. "Long story. One I don’t intend to tell."

Once again Buffy relayed her tale of recent events in LA. After she had answered all the questions the Harrises had, she and Anya moved onto other topics. Anya gave Buffy her key for the flat.

"Spike said you should have that once I finished moving my things out."

"Wait a minute," Xander interrupted. "What’s Spike got to do with this?"

"Honestly, Xander, who did you think would be moving in at such short notice? How did you think I managed to have someone to sub-let to by Monday morning when we only got back from Vegas on Sunday?"

"Spike? In a proper flat?"

Buffy sighed. "As soon as we officially started dating he wanted to have somewhere Social Services could check out if they started asking questions."

"Guess he isn’t as much of a waste of space as I thought," Xander commented.

"If that surprises you, then you don’t know half as much about him as you think you do," Buffy answered.

"Okay. Truce. Spike’s a sweetie-pie and butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth. Even if he didn’t have his electronic leash he would never even hit a human much less suck their life-blood from their helpless body." All but Xander’s request for a truce came out heavily tinged with irony.

"Yeah, very funny, but you have just reminded me that Giles wants him to hit you. But we’ve got to work it out. Ooh, and Giles says not to use the orbs unless you’re expecting trouble or helping patrol, because they’ve never been used by a human before and we don’t know what side-effects there might be."

Xander and his wife both responded simultaneously, Anya proving the more persistent of the two.

"Rewind to the bit about–"

"Wait, are you saying we’re not allowed to use them when we’re having sex. I mean they make things a bit uncomfortable but Xander could never do the cascade thing before."

"Anya, I’m just repeating what Giles told me, maybe Xander should speak to him directly if he wants advice on his sex life… I didn’t mean that the way it sounds, not that I’m saying Giles would be without valuable experience to impart… okay, shutting up now," Buffy babbled.

"What were you saying about Giles wanting Spike to hit me?" Xander asked.

"Giles wants to see if Spike’s chip still detects you as human when you’re using the orbs, but he can’t know you’re using them when he hits you or it won’t work because if he knows he can’t hurt you the chip won’t fire. So we have to do it sort of like a taste-test thingy."

"Great. I should have known that a present from Spike would have strings attached," Xander sighed.

"Look, all I know is Giles said don’t use them unless it’s important and watch for any odd behaviour either when you’re using them or after.

I’ve got some stuff to do round town. I’ll catch up with you guys later. Maybe we could have a video night tonight or something, if Dawn finishes her homework early enough. I’ll call you." Buffy walked backwards toward the door as she spoke, casting only occasional glances over her shoulder. She ducked through the door with a feeling of relief. She should have time to make it to the college and speak to someone before lunch if she didn’t take too long getting there.

Thursday Mid-afternoon

"Whatcha doin’?" Buffy asked.

"Well, I was putting together furniture, but now I’m too busy chattin’ up some bird on the phone to bother with that," Spike replied.

"D’you think you could have your place fit for polite company by tomorrow afternoon?" Buffy asked cautiously.

"Probably. How polite are we talking?"

"Em… well… tea with the minister."

"Bloody hell! You’re not asking much, are you? And will you be joining us for this little soirée?" Spike’s tone was sarcastic but good-humoured.

"I’ll be there. Look, normally we’d have to go to a load of services. He just wants to meet you before he’ll make a decision on whether he’ll perform the ceremony."

"If he’s trying to work out whether I’m a fine upstanding Christian he’s going to have problems, pet."

Buffy sighed. "I don’t know what exactly it is that he wants, but he’s at least prepared to consider doing it. You can’t blame him for wanting to meet you. Even in Sunnydale it can’t be every day someone tells him they want to marry a demon."

"It’s okay, love. I’ll be on my best behaviour, provided he doesn’t pull a stake on me."

"Need a hand with that furniture?" Buffy asked.

"M’ all but done, pet. Put together one of the bookcases and the normal desk and I’m just finishing off the computer desk. Really just the swivel chairs to do. All the rest can go in the cloakroom for now and wait till the basement’s done. But, if you wanted to come over I’m sure we could find some other things to fit together, though I should be leaving for your place in about an hour to be there for Bit getting home."

"How about you leave now, pick me up outside Starbucks and we get an hour together before Dawn’s due home?"

"What about the witches?"

"I don’t think they’d be interested in joining us."

"Far be it from me to waste time arguin’ then, pet." Buffy snorted at the other end of the line. "I’ll pick you up in five or ten minutes. Don’t fancy pickin’ up a large espresso while you’re waiting, love?"

"Sure. See you soon."

The DeSoto cut through the afternoon traffic like a shark moving through a shoals of unwary fish. When it pulled over, Buffy opened the door the narrowest possible amount and squeezed through, a coffee cup balanced in either hand. She had to suppress a smile when she looked over in Spike’s direction.

"Yeah, I know it lacks a certain sartorial elegance, but it makes the neighbours less suspicious than wandering around with a blanket."

The ‘it’ in question was a super-thick black hooded sweatshirt, several sizes too large for him so that he had to push back the sleeves to free his hands for driving. She suspected with the hood up he would merely need to look downwards for his face and neck to be hidden in shadow.

"Not really you, but like you say it beats the blanket." She sat the coffees on the floor and leant toward him, her hands framing his face, for a kiss, which he was quick to return. The tender touch of his soft lips against hers sent flares of heat along her nerve endings. Their hands roved all over the other’s bodies in search of bare flesh, but Buffy was recalled to her senses when she felt a cool hand on her inner thigh and moving slowly upward.

"Not in the middle of Main Street. Home. Now. Fast," she said as she pulled away from his questing hands, picking up the coffees once more. For a second, Spike looked as if he might protest, but then he just seemed to cast a glance through the minute cracks in the paint at a mirror she hadn’t been able to use without rolling down the window and pulled out into the traffic.

Five minutes later they pulled up in the shade next to the house. Spike was out the car and across the bonnet so quickly that he had her door open before she could put down one of the coffees to work the handle. He took one of the cups from her and grasped her newly freed hand pulling her toward the house. She strained against his grip long enough to push the car door shut with her foot before following him.

The front door opened at his touch and as he pulled her in he asked, "what is it with you lot and the watcher? Nobody ever teach you to lock your doors?" She pushed the door shut with her foot only to find herself sandwiched between it and an extremely hard male body. His lips pressed against hers with sufficient pressure that she had to open her mouth to prevent her teeth cutting into the inside of her mouth. Her hands, one still holding the coffee snaked around his neck and she lifted one leg her knee hooking over his hip as if it were possible to pull him even closer.

"Hey, Buffy …Spike."

Willow stopped dead for a second after she came out of the dining room to greet her friend before deciding it was best to pretend she’d been on her way to the kitchen. The pair pulled their lips apart for long enough to manage a "Red," and a "Hey, Will," in return.

Spike took a half step back and slipping one arm behind Buffy’s knees and the other around her back somehow managed to pick Buffy up without breaking off the kiss again.

As he carried her to her room Buffy managed to call out, "we’ll be back down before Dawn’s due in from school!"

Willow had to smile at the comment. Buffy had looked more than a little embarrassed at Willow’s appearance. On the other hand, Spike just didn’t give a damn for propriety and yet a fifteen-year-old had him so twisted round her little finger that in three quarters of an hour he’d be back downstairs, properly dressed and playing the English tutor. He was whipped.

For an instant she almost felt sorry for them. It was like they… well, they did have the kid before they got the honeymoon. Then when she thought about how they both felt about Dawn she realised neither one would want things any different.

Chapter 4.05

Spike leant against the door to push it closed. He lowered Buffy’s feet to the ground and started to shrug out of his clothes as fast as he could. Buffy followed his lead. All the while their lips only parted for seconds at a time when forced to by necessity.

It took each of them less then a minute to strip. It was fortunate that Buffy hadn’t gotten around to removing the blankets she had put over the windows when he had last stayed the night because sunlight was the last thing on either of their minds.

Buffy was ready marginally before Spike and she took advantage of the fact pushing him back against the door as he threw his jeans across the room. Pulling her mouth away from his and dropping to her knees she licked her way sloppily up his erection before she took him into her mouth.

She used one hand to grip the now wet base of his dick pumping slowly up and down swallowing in rhythm with each downward hand motion taking him just a fraction deeper into her throat each time. Spike’s hands curled into fists at his side because he wanted to twine them into her hair and force her to take him even deeper. He moaned deep in his throat, unable to withstand her ministrations for more than a minute or two in silence.

"Buffy, I can’t take much more of this," he gasped. "If you don’t stop soon I’m gonna come."

In response she met his eyes and kept right on with what she was doing. Spreading her knees wide she slid her other hand between her thighs. Opening her nether lips she rubbed her index finger up and down until it was coated in the juices which spilled freely from her core. His eyes widened slightly as he watched her and he struggled even harder not to spill into her throat, so much so that his palms were pierced by his talons and his facial features morphed from human to demon.

"Buffy," he half-growled with an edge of warning in his voice. Her eyes glinted mischievously and she reached behind him sliding her lubricated finger into his ass. She paused for a couple of seconds and then matched thrusts with her other motions pressing each time against the sensitive spot within.

"Bu-ffy!" He came with a scream that was almost a roar spilling his seed in one long gush into the back of her throat.

When she released him from intimate contact he fell to his knees and clasped her tightly against him as his features changed back to his normal human form.

"Jesus, Buffy, I swear if I wasn’t dead already you’d have given me a heart attack."

"If you weren’t dead already you’d be due for one, seeing as you’re getting on for a hundred and fifty, Old Man," Buffy retorted.

"Not so old I can’t get my own back, wench," Spike said by way of a rejoinder.

Buffy lifted an eyebrow and gave a passable imitation of a Spike smirk. "Prove it."

Spike rapidly tipped them both over to one side and then rolled them until he straddled her hips. Lifting her arms over her head he held them in place at the wrist using one hand. If she put some effort into escaping his grasp then there was no question that she could. However, the grip would be more than enough to quell the involuntary movements he expected.

His lips moved first to her mouth using teasing gentle touches on the area that he had earlier claimed so forcefully. The sensitised flesh tingled as he barely brushed it with his lips or when he blew softly on them. It seemed as if there was a direct connection between her mouth and her core as the tingling was accompanied by a tightening of the muscles in her lower body. Spike scored his first small victory as a low moan escaped her.

His mouth moved lower and he nibbled a trail along her jaw line and down the unmarked side of her neck finally moving along the line of her collarbone. He used the tip of his tongue to trace the route in reverse and then gently blew on her damp skin until the moisture dissipated. She shivered beneath him tremors flowing through her whole body and she knew that whatever sensation she experienced would be enhanced at least tenfold when he repeated it on the side where she bore his marks.

As she had anticipated he repeated the same pattern on the marked side of her neck. It turned out that she had underestimated the power of his claim. She had been right that first time he had shown her what they could do. Without any deliberate contact anywhere else, though her hardened nipples grazed against his chest, she found herself screaming his name as she bucked beneath him.

Even as the last quivers of her muscles died away within her, he moved lower on her body. He rained kisses on the firm curves of her upper breasts. His free hand teased her, his fingertips tracing the lines where her breasts met her ribcage. She arched her body towards him and he acquiesced, taking one taut nipple into his mouth and rolling the other between thumb and forefinger. His tongue traced circles around the swollen bud and she couldn’t help but moan again as the nerve endings relayed their message of exquisite torture to the pit of her stomach. She could feel his member, hard and ready, the tip brushing against her lower lips and she moved beneath him trying to push against him to force him to enter her body, but Spike had other plans.

He sucked as hard as he could on her captive nipple, delighting in the fact that this only caused her struggles and moans to increase. He switched, to hold her wrists with his other hand and gave her a playful nip before he kissed his way over to her other side. She expected his free hand to move to her recently relinquished breast. Instead his nails grazed feather-light caresses up and down her outer thigh before shifting underneath her as she pushed her hips upward. He stroked and massaged her bottom as his lips, tongue and teeth on her breast brought her close to a frenzy.

His eyes moved to her face as he released her wrists, and her freedom prompted her to open her eyes and look into his pools of midnight blue desire. She watched as he shifted lower still, his tongue leaving a thin trail of moisture down the centre of her body. Lower and lower he moved until his tongue swirled around her navel. As he shifted backward his hands trailed under her thighs, tickling gently the sensitive skin behind her knees before he lifted her legs and pushed them forward bringing her hips up off the floor. He parted her knees and dipped his head between her thighs.

His tongue traced a delicate circle around her dripping entrance and her muscles responded by opening to welcome his anticipated invasion. He made one deeper more forceful swirl barely entering inside her but then in one slow sure lick he laid open her outer lips. Moving back to entrance he worked his way forward again this time with cat-like rasps against her sensitive flesh and when he reached her inner lips he parted them, seeking out her swollen bundle of nerve endings. She flinched as his tongue circled it and when he latched onto it sucking on it as he had sucked on her nipples earlier, she once more gasped her way to a breathless climax, feeling strangely light-headed as her partially inverted position caused her blood to go to her head.

Even as the waves of pleasure pulsed through her he pushed his tongue inside her, probing hard as her muscles drew him in, savouring her salty taste.

He followed her upper wall until he found her G spot and then he flicked his tongue rapidly back and forth over it until she gasped and shuddered unable to control her body. He kept it up for minutes that seemed like hours or seconds before he lowered her to the floor once more, her body limp and boneless.

He crawled along the floor until he could lie next to her, his front against her side. Propping himself on one elbow he reached to smooth her hair from her sweat-drenched face.

"Proof enough, pet?" he asked in a husky whisper. She nodded her head unable to find her voice. His free hand wandered up and down her body, cool against her heated flesh.

Without moving her head her gaze sought out her alarm clock. "Dawn’s nearly due back. We’d better get dressed and cleaned up. We’ll finish this tonight?" Her tone turned the statement into a question and Spike nodded his assent.

She started to run a hand through her hair, stopping when it came away wet. "I need a shower." She kissed him lightly on the lips before getting up on wobbly legs and grabbing her robe. "Once you’re dressed why don’t you grab your coffee and come keep me company till Dawn gets back?"

She slipped out the door leaving him to search for his scattered clothing.

After a brief detour to the bottom of the stairs where he had left his now lukewarm coffee he made his way to the bathroom, dressed but still barefoot. Lowering the cover over the toilet he took a seat to watch while Buffy rinsed lather from her body before washing her hair.

"So, love, what time tomorrow is our visitor coming over?"

"Half past two. I’ll come over for about two. That way I can help with any last minute tidying up."

"Sure you don’t want to make it earlier?"

"I would, but I don’t want the flat to be in the same state your crypt was that time Xander came looking for me. This way we’ve got time to tidy, but not enough time to mess it up… much.

"Anya gave me a key to your place… I didn’t know whether I was meant to give it to you or keep it."

"‘S yours, pet." He gave her a remarkably innocent looking half-smile.

"Makes me think it’s time you had a key for here. Not that the door’s often locked, as you so rightly pointed out."

"Got one. Had to have it for the times the witches had to work late at college and I had Dawn duty."

"Oh… Xander’s going to do the basement, with some help, as long as we entertain Anya and keep you away from him."

Spike smirked. "I know you think I’m insatiable, but that’s all for you. I’m not sure I could entertain Anya as well. It takes a lot out of a guy keepin’ up with you… but, if you insist." He dodged the sponge that flew across the room, picking it up off the floor and tossing it back underhand.

"Behave. You know I didn’t mean like that, pig!"

She tipped her head back to rinse the shampoo from her hair before she continued.

"I said if Dawn finished her homework early enough, which she should do if she does it when she gets in, that they could come over tonight and watch a couple of vids." She reached over and grabbed a towel to wrap around her hair before donning her robe.

"I can live with that I suppose if I get to sit with my two favourite women on either side of me."

"Given the lack of seating I might be sitting in your lap." She took his hand leading him back to the bedroom. They were half way down the hall when the front door slammed open. Spike moved to the top of the stairs to call down, knowing Dawn’s first stop would normally be the refrigerator, at least it always had been in the past when it had had food in it. "Hey, Bit. I’ll be in Buffy’s room, so knock when you’re ready for me to have a look at your homework."  

He was surprised to see another figure behind her in the hall.

"Hey, Spike. Janice just stopped by so she could see the dress you guys got me for prom."

"Yeah, well, don’t take too long getting round to doing your essay. Your sister’s asked Anya and her lesser half over for a video night later."

"Does that mean if we do our homework Janice could stay too? …If her mom’s okay with it?"

Spike raised his eyes heavenward and shrugged. "I’ll send your sis through to discuss it when you’re finished raiding the fridge." He padded back to Buffy’s room, informing her of the good news. "Bit’s brought Janice home with her. Wants to know if she can stay for the films. I told her you would let her know once they’re finished stripping the kitchen of all the junk food."

Buffy paused in the middle of pulling on a clean pair of jeans. "She would have to stay for dinner as well and I don’t know what we’re having."

"That would depend on what’s left from Monday’s shopping and who’s cooking, ‘cause it won’t be me or she’s going to start putting two and two together. Alone with my girlfriend in her bedroom there’s an obvious explanation as to why the curtains are drawn, shutting all the kitchen curtains… not so easy to explain. Or we order pizza, which might not be the way to impress her mom with our healthy lifestyle."

By now Buffy had squeezed into the jeans and thrown on a T-shirt. "I’ll go see what plans Will had and we can go from there." She scraped her hair back into a ponytail and headed off downstairs.

"Hey, Will." She darted glances in the direction of the kitchen, hoping Willow would take the hint. "Spike says he’s too tired to cook tonight. He’s going to have to lie down upstairs for a couple of hours." ‘Till sunset.’ "Is there anything healthy in the house we can throw together that’ll feed everyone if Janice stays for dinner or would we need to order pizza?"

"More Tara’s department than mine. I’d go with the pizza," the redhead replied.

"Pooh." Buffy sighed. "I need to learn to cook. It’s embarrassing that even Spike can cook and I can’t. I guess it’s going to have to be pizza then." She raised her voice hopefully as she continued, "unless Dawn and Janice fancy cooking, that is?"

"Hey, conscientious students stocking up on brain food, not child labour for evil older sisters. We’re going to be far too busy working on our essays," Dawn argued, following up with a very fake sigh. "Looks like it’s pizza again."

"And, Janice can stay provided her mom says it’s okay and she’s either picked up, or dropped off at her door or walked home and I want to speak to her mom when she rings her so there’s no confusion."

"Jeez, one time we’re not where you thought we were and you’re never going to let us live it down," Dawn grouched. "Like you were always at Willow’s when you were my age."

Buffy decided to ignore the jibe. It wasn’t like she could deny it or use the slayer excuse when Janice was around. Didn’t mean she had to tone down the big sister act. "And do the homework thing before you start with the dress …and wash your hands before you touch anything, no way am I trying to exchange anything that gets peanut butter on it."

"Ye-e-es, Buffy," the teenager sighed out the words as she headed upstairs, accompanied by her friend, peanut butter and chocolate spread sandwiches, a packet of cookies and ironically enough a couple of diet sodas.

"Thanks for the food, Ms. Summers. And for letting me stay over. I’ll ring mom when we’ve finished our snacks."

Words could not describe how unbearably ancient Buffy suddenly felt. Ms. Summers was what stuffy old people like Schneider called her in a sarcastic tone of voice when they were trying to make her feel insignificant, not what teenagers called her. And how much older was she going to feel when it was Mrs …Something?

Less than a minute passed before Dawn came rushing back downstairs. "Willow," she half whispered, "is it okay if we use your room to get Spike to help with our homework, ‘cause it doesn’t get the sun like the rooms at the front?"

"Sure, I’m busy on the computer down here anyway."

Buffy rolled her eyes at the redhead, as her sister bounded back up the stairs. "Does Janice call you Ms. Rosenberg or is it just me that gets the mom treatment?"

"Honestly, it’s the first time I can remember Dawn bringing anyone home," Willow replied.

"Will, if things had turned out different do you think you and Oz would be thinking about getting married by now?"

"Getting the jitters already?"

"Just wondering if I’m ready to be that grown up," Buffy admitted.

"And if you weren’t getting married to the Hellmouth’s answer to Peter Pan or if you were planning on having 2.5 kids, I could see the problem, but I suspect in your case getting married and settling down are going to be two totally separate things."

"We still have to do the PTA type stuff and not like he did it five years ago either."

"And if you weren’t getting married you would just have to do it on your own. So maybe, it’s about letting him have responsibility for some of the grown up stuff instead of having to go it alone? So it could be you’re worrying about the wrong thing.

Are you in love with him?"

"I didn’t want to be."

"But you are?" Willow looked into her friend’s eyes as she rephrased the sixty-four million dollar question.

Buffy blushed as she nodded.

"Does he make you happy?"

"When he doesn’t make me want to kill him," Buffy softened her answer with a rueful smile.

"If he wasn’t here would you miss him?"

"How not here?"

"Doesn’t matter. Fled the country? Dust? Never to return. Whatever."

"I’d miss him. I think I’m only just beginning to see where he fits in, or how he can fit in. If something happened now, I’d miss him but it wouldn’t break me. The more I let him in, the more he becomes part of everything, the worse it could be. But, I don’t think he would ever leave me. He’s the one. The only one I can’t scare away. The only one that wants girly Buffy and Slayer Buffy and depressed Buffy and Dawn’s Buffy and kinky Buffy and bitchy Buffy and all the other Buffys."

"And still part of you is scared at the idea of letting him in far enough that it would break you if you lost him?"

This seemed to stall the slayer in her tracks. "Yeah …I guess."

"Do you think Giles ever wishes that he never met Jenny?"

"I don’t know. Probably, now, I don’t think he’d change things. Maybe at the time he’d have said something different."

"See, that’s the deal, Buffy. Sometimes life lets you find someone special and you can choose to dive on in or you can paddle about in the shallows or run for the shore, but the only real freedom is when you trust the water to support you, that’s when you can really start having fun. Sometimes you might get out of your depth and you might think you’re going to drown, but chances are you’ll flounder for a bit and then get things back under control.

No-one can guarantee that everything’s going to have a happy ending. Even vampires die, though you have to admit a hundred and twenty," Willow paused as she worked out how long it had been since he tried to eat her. "…eight is a pretty convincing track record. Frankly speaking I think he’s the one that should be worrying. Thing is, if you know in your heart that he’ll never voluntarily leave you then he’s already one up on every other guy in your life except possibly Xander. …And, correct me if I’m wrong, but spells aside, I can’t recall you ever getting as excited about Xander as you looked to be …I mean there’s obviously some major chemistry between you and Spike …and I’m bibbling and there’s way more to it than just sex.

Look, whatever Xander said to you that made you chase a helicopter, just substitute Spike wherever you originally had sneaky rat bastard farm-boy."

"Willow! Mee-ow!" Buffy interrupted, shocked at her friend’s description of Riley.

"I just don’t like it when me and my friends are manipulated. How long do that pair have to stand in front of the mirror every day to practice ‘wholesome’. Euch." Willow screwed up her face sticking her tongue out slightly before continuing.

"So, how did I do? You going to run like a big scaredy Xander or stick around for the whole show?" she asked the blonde.

"I doubt I could run fast enough or far enough to get away from this one. You were right first time. It’s just jitters, but thanks for helping me bounce things around in my head."

"No problem, best to do all the worrying now rather than panic on the day."

"I miss mom." Buffy looked down at her hands, picking imaginary dirt from behind her nails. "I never thought I’d be doing this without her."

"We’re all here to help – not in a magic way – but anything else…"

"Thanks, Will, but there’s a load of stuff I have to work out before I could even ask anyone else to help. I don’t even know how many bridesmaids I should have. I was just going to ask all of you until Spike pointed out there would be more people in the wedding party than in the congregation. We’re kind of sad. Nearly no-one to invite.

I mean I’ve got my dad, an aunt and a couple of cousins. He’s got Angel and he doesn’t want to ask him because it could upset Giles. Then there’s the Scoobies and Clem, and that’s it.

And what are my family going to make of Clem? But he’s got more right to come than dad has. He’s been around more in the last few months for me than dad has in the last six years, let alone being there for Spike, so maybe I should just forget the family invitations?"

Willow shrugged. "I say let them take their chances. Your dad still hasn’t been in touch since your mom died. In fact, the only way we know he knows is that he stopped the maintenance payments. Chances are he won’t show, but you’d feel guilty if you didn’t invite him. And if he does come and he won’t buy the skin condition line what do you think he’s going to say? ‘Excuse me, honey, but is this demon a gatecrasher?’ Phht.

And your aunt. She’s the one your mom went to see way out east that Thanksgiving. If she’s prepared to make the trip, I don’t think Clem will faze her. Remember, people like to live in denial. I don’t think you’ll have a repeat of the Buffalo Lodge fiasco."

"Is that the official title now? The BLF?" Buffy asked with a half stifled laugh.

"Sounds good, don’t you think? So who are you going to invite?"

"Well, there’s dad and his shorthand trollop, Aunt Arlene and my cousins, Dawn, you, Tara, Xander, Anya, Clem, Giles and Olivia. Then there’s the big question mark over Angel and Cordelia and Stephen, maybe the other three he works with. Kinda sparse, especially on Spike’s side, and it doesn’t help that his best friend is my chief bridesmaid, possibly my only bridesmaid."

"Have you ever thought about asking Giles whether he minds Angel being there?" Willow asked.

"Wouldn’t that remind him about all the stuff we didn’t want to remind him about?" Buffy countered, her brow creasing in frustration, before she remembered another potential guest. "Ooh, Wesley, nearly forgot Wesley, but Angel and him are all not talking as well."

"I say ask them all and let them fight it out in the parking lot at the reception. Cheaper than hiring a band."

"Ooh, bands. Dingoes are still doing gigs, aren’t they? And maybe they would know how to get in touch with Oz. He might come, you think? Maybe? I mean, you would be okay with that, if he could come, wouldn’t you?"

"I think it’s more whether his wolf’s okay with me," the redhead answered.

"When did life get this complicated?"

"When you moved to Sunnydale. At least you don’t have any alcoholics or active vengeance demons to worry about."

"That depends whether the groom behaves himself and if Halfrek stays the hell away from him."

"Mmh, yeah, what is the deal with those two?" Willow asked.

"If I can judge by his dreams, he had a crush on her when he was human. When he got up the nerve to tell her and she shot him down like a total bitch. Not unlike someone else you’re acquainted with."

"But you changed your mind …after a couple of years."

Buffy smiled. "Well, the way she was playing with her hair at my party, she might have changed hers as well."

"Doesn’t make any difference," the Wiccan said, treating Buffy to her resolve face. "Spike isn’t going to be changing his allegiance any time soon. And he’s not a happy drunk. He only drinks lots when he’s miserable. He drank less than anybody else on Sunday."

"Will, do you actually like Spike?" Buffy asked.

"Sometimes, when I forget about the bottle in the face, and the wanting to kill me. When you see him with Dawn, when he was the one cheering people up last summer keeping everyone going, when Tara was really shy still and he would smile at her when he thought no-one was looking, when he makes my best friend happy, then I like him. Lately, that’s more often than not."

The pair fell into silence. There was nothing really to be added.

Finally, Buffy rose from her seat. "I’d best ring Janice’s mom before she starts to wonder where she is. Is Tara coming over tonight? It’s been …since Sunday …since we were all together. I suppose it’s not that long really, just a busy week. Anyway, if you’re up for it, Scooby video night."

"That might depend on who’s picking the videos," Willow answered.

"Well, how about we leave Spike in charge of the kids and head for Blockbuster once I speak to Janice’s mom and Xander."

"That could be a plan."

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