Not Your Ordinary Walk in the Park by Sandy

Chapter #1 - Chapter 1

A/N: Many, many thanks to my wonderful beta, avidrosette. This story started out in my mind as a PWP, but as I started writing, it grew. It wasn't until I sent it to avidrosette, however, that it became much more than I ever anticipated. Her insightful comments and suggestions run throughout the story. This story is set Season 4 post A New Man, however, I'm taking a whole lot of liberties from that point on. ~~~~~ It all started because Buffy decided to make a sweep through Sunnydale City Park before heading back to the dorm and getting in a little study time. Just a nice little walk in the park to round out patrol. She'd dust whatever vamps were hanging about waiting for necking teenagers to show up, and then call it a day. So when Buffy saw the oddly dressed little demon making its way across the playground, she was less than happy. Still, it wasn't very big so killing it should have been easy enough. Things didn't quite work out that way. Two hours earlier. "You sure you can't make it to Xander's after patrol tonight?" Willow asked as the two girls strolled down the sidewalk from their dorm. "There'll be Jackie Chan, free pizza, and quality Xander time." "And Anya," Buffy added dryly. The two girls exchanged a look of mutual commiseration. "I wish I could, Willow, but I really need to start studying for that lit exam, and with Riley and the rest of the Initiative out on that military thingy, I might as well do it tonight." "I thought you were all tight with the Initiative now," Willow said. "How come you're not with them?" "Riley said it was a regular Army thing," Buffy shrugged. "So I'm single Slayer tonight." They reached the street and Willow stopped. "Well, here's my stop," she said. "Xander's supposed to pick me up." "Tell Xander I said hi. Maybe we can all go to The Bronze this weekend." "That'd be great," Willow said enthusiastically. "Have fun studying," she added with a grin. Buffy made a face at her friend and walked away to start her patrol. Finishing a sweep of the last of Sunnydale's many cemeteries, Buffy glanced at her watch and saw that she had time to make a quick patrol through the park. Tonight's patrol had been one of the more boring ones. She hadn't run into very many vampires, certainly none that had given her any problems, and she was feeling impatient to finish when she reached the playground in the center of the park. And then she saw the demon. *** The creature was about three feet tall and nearly as wide. It had a round toad-like face with bulging eyes and a wide thin-lipped mouth. A long, hooded cloak of a grayish-green color almost the exact shade of its skin was draped over its body. It stood stolidly before the Slayer, brushing off each punch, each kick, and each jab with the ease of a mountain lion fending off the attack of a house cat. One of Buffy's punches managed to get through the demon's defenses and connect with its face. It turned its head, absorbing the punch with no visible effect, and then swept out its arm, knocking the Slayer back fifteen feet. She landed on her back with a loud grunt and the clip that held her hair popped loose and fell to the ground. She brushed her hair out of her face, flipped upright, and executed a series of handsprings that ended with both feet kicking the demon in the head. She followed up her attack with a punch, a backhanded slap, and then, twirling around, another kick. Her sturdy half boots landed solidly on the demon's head. The demon barely reacted. Gritting her teeth in frustration, Buffy renewed her attack, raining blow after blow on the indifferent demon. Completely ignoring her, the demon began moving forward in a queer not-quite hopping movement. Buffy stood in front of it, placed both hands on its chest, and shoved. The demon grabbed her by her upper arms and hurled her out of its way. She landed hard on her backside and silently cursed when she heard a familiar chuckle. She turned her head to see Spike leaning nonchalantly against the swing set, cigarette hanging from his mouth, thumbs hooked in the waistband of his jeans and a look of immense enjoyment on his face. She paused only long enough to glare at him before returning to the fight. She kicked out, landing a blow on the demon's chest. It stumbled back a step, but then continued its forward progress. "What the hell is this thing?" Buffy gritted out breathlessly as it casually pushed its way past her. "Damned if I know, Slayer. Whatever it is, I hope it kills you." Sweeping her jean-clad leg against its ankle, she attempted to trip it. "I thought you wanted to kill me yourself," she said as she watched the demon easily hop over her leg. "I do," Spike said. "But I got this chip in my head, remember? So since I can't kill you myself, I'll just have to settle on watching some other lucky bloke do the job." Buffy stood still for a moment while she caught her breath. Nothing she'd done so far had made the least bit of difference, and she didn't think her stake would be of much use either. "I don't suppose you have anything sharp and pointy in that disgusting coat of yours," she said, her eyes never leaving her opponent. "I might. How much you willing to pay me for it?" Buffy looked at him in amazement. "You want me to pay to borrow a weapon from you?" Spike shrugged. "Supply and demand, Slayer. You want me to supply you with a weapon, I demand to be paid." She knew that she could just beat him up and take the weapon from him, but she was getting tired from her mostly one-sided fight against the toad demon and didn't feel like bothering. "Ten bucks." Spike just snorted. "Try again." Buffy watched the demon's slow progress across the playground. Well, if she had to pay, she was going to get her money's worth. Turning back to him she said, "Fifty dollars and you help me fight this thing." Spike raised his scarred eyebrow, considered for a moment, and then nodded his head. "Deal." Moving forward rapidly, he handed Buffy a long, heavy knife with a razor sharp blade as he passed her. Slipping into game face, he stopped in front of the demon, his coat swinging dramatically around him. "That's far enough, Kermit," he said with a smirk. "You're not playing with little girls anymore. The Big Bad's here, and I'm going to..." He never got any further than that in his speech. The demon reached forward, picked him up as easily as a child and threw him. Right into Buffy. They tumbled to the ground, a mass of arms and legs entangled together. Buffy had part of Spike's coat under her pinning him to her. "Get off me, you oaf," Buffy snapped as she tried to push him away from her. The demon temporarily forgotten, they worked at separating themselves. They'd almost succeeded when a blinding white light enveloped them. Shielding her eyes, Buffy just caught a glimpse of the demon holding out its hand with a shaft of light pouring from it before she felt a wave of dizziness overcome her. When her head cleared, she and Spike were in the middle of a sunlit meadow surrounded by a vast forest. Spike rolled away from her with a yelp of distress, jumped up and began beating at his arms and chest. Buffy watched at first in horror, and then with eyes widening in astonishment. Spike stopped slapping at himself and held his arms straight out in front of him, staring at them with a frown creasing his forehead. He looked up at the sun blazing high in the sky above them and then down at his arms. "How come I'm not burning up?" he asked in confusion. Buffy rose shakily to her feet. Her fight must have worn her out more than she'd realized, she thought as a wave of weakness washed over her. "Good question." Her eyes swept across the meadow and stopped at a low-growing shrub not far from where she stood. Walking over to it, she knelt down studying the plant closely. Tiny odd-looking flowers hung limply from thick thorny branches. "You ever see a flower like this before?" she asked. When she got no response, she turned to look at Spike. He was standing stock-still, head thrown back, eyes closed, face tilted to the sun. Something about the pose, an almost innocent, child-like quality, brought a tiny hitch to Buffy's breathing. She quickly quashed the reaction and snapped, "Spike!" He lowered his head, opened his eyes, and frowned at her. "What? Can't you see I'm catching a few rays?" "Yeah? Well come over here and catch this," she said, pointing at the bush. "I'm no vegetarian, but I don't think I've ever seen a flower like this before." "Botanist." "What?" He walked over to stand next to her, pausing only long enough to pick up the knife lying on the ground where they'd landed. "Botanist," he repeated with a hint of scorn in his voice. "Not vegetarian." "Whatever," she said impatiently. "Have you ever seen a flower like this or not?" Spike studied the plant. Shrugging, he surveyed the surrounding area. "It's new to me, but then I'm no botanist either, Slayer." Buffy stood up and glanced into the sky, observing for the first time that instead of the blue she was used to, the sky had a pinkish tinge to it. Turning in a semi-circle, her eyes tracked across the sky. Stiffening suddenly, she reached out and tightly grasped Spike's arm. "Look," she said with a breathless voice. When he didn't respond, Buffy glanced back at him. He was looking down at the hand she had clamped on his arm, a small frown creasing his forehead. "Dammit, Spike, look," she insisted, giving his arm a shake and pointing up at the sky. He turned his head to follow the direction her finger pointed, and Buffy felt his start of surprise. A large moon hung low in the sky. It was so close that Buffy felt as if she could jump up and touch it. It was obviously not the moon she was used to. Staring at it Spike said, "I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore." Buffy glared at him. "What gave you the first clue, Dorothy? The weird flowers, the pink sky, the humongous moon, or the you not burning up?" Spike smirked at her. "There's another clue, too." "What?" Spike glanced around and then walked over to a largish rock a few feet away. Picking it up, he measured its weight and tossed it to Buffy. "Here, catch," he said. Buffy sidestepped the rock, which landed with a dull thud on the ground by her feet. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" she snapped. "Pick it up." "And I want to pick up that dirty rock, why, exactly?" "Call it a test." "Spike, we don't have time for whatever stupid tricks you're up to. We need to find out where we are and figure out how to get home." He walked past her, bent over and picked up the rock. Holding it out, he challenged, "Take the rock, Slayer." "Oh for...fine, Spike. I'll take the stupid rock. Maybe after I hit you in the head with it we can actually start..." She stopped talking abruptly as she took the rock from Spike's hands and immediately dropped it. She stared at it in shock. Swallowing, she bent down and picked the rock up. It was a struggle, but she finally held it in her arms -- arms that were now trembling under the rock's weight. Dropping it again, she brushed dirt off her jacket with shaking hands and watched as Spike reached down and picked the rock up, casually tossing it from hand to hand as if its weight were negligible. "Someone's lost her strength," he singsonged.

Chapter #2 - Chapter 2

"No!" Buffy exclaimed. "That's not... That's impossible." Holding the heavy rock out in one hand, Spike smirked, "Yeah? Want the rock again, Slayer?" Buffy stepped back. Her heart was pounding and she felt droplets of sweat trickle down her back. Memories flooded her mind, memories of a time when her strength had been taken from her. Memories of an insane vampire, a locked house, and her mother tied and helpless. She'd forgiven Giles, eventually, but she'd never forgotten the feeling of helplessness she'd had. But she'd survived then, she assured herself. She'd survive now. "How..." "When you grabbed my arm. Didn't hurt, and I know how much you like to hurt me." He waggled his eyebrows, his tongue peeked out from between his teeth, and his eyes gleamed maliciously. Spike casually tossed the rock aside and swaggered up next to Buffy. "You know, Slayer," he said silkily, "with all these differences, I can't help wondering what else has changed." "What are you talking about, Spike?" Buffy asked, lifting her chin with a bravado she really wasn't feeling. She'd be damned before she'd let on how much his proximity was unnerving her. "Well," he said, looking up at the bright, hot sun. "I'm not burning up, and you've lost your Slayer strength, so it just makes a fellow wonder." Slipping into game face with a shake of his head, he finished, "What else has changed?" Buffy hurriedly stepped back away from him and fumbled for her stake, but her speed was gone with her strength, and Spike had her arms trapped before she could free her weapon. "Ah, ah, Slayer, none of that now." Buffy struggled, but he held her easily in place as his head began its slow descent to her neck. His mouth opened, his fangs touched her skin, and he doubled over with a loud cry of pain. Spike writhed on the ground clutching his mangled manhood in his hands. Finally managing to pull her stake from her pocket, Buffy leapt on him. Straddling him, she raised the stake in the beginning of a killing stroke. Spike reached up in time to wrench the stake from her hand and toss her off him. Buffy rolled several times before she was able to stop and sit upright on the ground. Spike sat up as well, still rubbing his smarting balls. "Did you have to knee me so hard?" he whined, his face back to human. "You were going to bite me, Spike, so yeah, I did." "Wasn't going to bite you...hard," he muttered sullenly. "I was just conducting an experiment." "An experiment in eating me?" "An experiment to see if this sodding chip would go off. Which," he added with cool satisfaction, "it didn't." Buffy swallowed and eyed the discarded stake. Spike reached over and claimed it, slipping it into his duster pocket. "I think I'll just hold onto this for the time being," he said. Buffy cast a quick glance at the woods behind them, wondering if she could outrun Spike in his current condition. There would be plenty of staking material there. She heard him sigh. "Look, Slayer, I wasn't going to bite you. Really." "Of course you weren't," she told him with a bright false smile. "I mean, I know you wouldn't really bite me. We're best friends." "No, we hate each other. But we're all we've got right now, and we might just need each other to get back home." Buffy looked at him dubiously. "Why would you want to get back home? I'd think you'd want to stay here. No sun allergies. No chip zapping you. This place is Spike heaven." Spike stared at her for a second and then said, "Tell me, Slayer. Have you noticed anything strange about this meadow?" Buffy rolled her eyes. "Did you get brain damage when I kneed you in the nuts, Spike? We've already had this conversation." Spike gave her a disgusted look. "No, this is a whole new conversation. Look around you, Slayer, and think about something other than yourself. What do you see?" Buffy glared at him, but looked around the meadow. She didn't see anything she hadn't seen before. Turning back to him she said, "I see flowers, shrubs, grass, rocks, stones, and dirt." "Yeah. See any bees, Slayer? Hear any birdsong? See one sodding butterfly fluttering around out there? Has one insect crawled on you?" Buffy went perfectly still as his words struck her. Listening carefully, she noticed for the first time the complete absence of any sound other than the wind blowing. No buzzing, twittering, chittering, or scrabbling noises reached her ears. There were absolutely no sounds of animal life. Buffy swallowed as she immediately realized what that meant. "So, if there are no animals here," Spike said as if reading her mind, "I'm going to get real hungry real fast. And you're so small you wouldn't last more than three, four days tops." Buffy glared at him. He smirked back. Getting up, she brushed the dirt from the back of her pants. "Can you walk yet?" Spike jumped up, only a slight wince betraying the pain that still throbbed through his groin. "Yeah. You have a plan, Slayer? Buffy shrugged and glanced across the wide empty meadow to the forest that surrounded it on all sides. "We need to try to find civilization and locate somebody that can help us get back home. And we need to find food. Maybe there are animals in the woods. If nothing else, there may be water and some fruit or nuts." Spike nodded. "Yeah, let's try to keep you healthy just in case I do need to eat you." Buffy stomped forward muttering to herself about finding a nice pointy stick and ridding herself of one annoying vampire. She could hear Spike chuckle as he followed her. As soon as she stepped into the woods, Buffy came to a sudden halt and slapped her hand over her nose and mouth. "Ewww," she said with a muffled voice. "It stinks in here." Spike drew in a deep breath and then made a gagging noise. "God, it smells like Xander's underwear!" Buffy choked back surprised laughter and turned away from him so he couldn't see her amusement at his gibe. "I think we just found out why there aren't any animals around here," he continued, oblivious to her laughter. "This is the Bog of Eternal Stench. They can't get past this sodding smell." "Yeah," was all Buffy could muster in response. "So, what do you want to do, Slayer? You're the one that has to breathe." Buffy looked back the way they'd come. She really didn't see much choice. There was open meadow and there was forest. They could leave this bit of forest and hike the five miles or so across the meadow to the other side only to discover the same smell. Buffy was nervous at the thought of being stuck in this weird dimension without her Slayer powers and with only Spike for company. He was dangerous and unpredictable and she was vulnerable, and it was going to take all the strength she had left to hide her unease from him. She needed to find help and fast. Buffy cautiously removed her hand from her face. If she breathed through her mouth, she thought she'd be able to stand the smell. She wasn't going to like it though. *** The forest was thick with tall leprous-looking trees whose broad foliage blocked out most of the sun and thick scrubby bushes. Buffy noted that none of the plants looked very healthy, probably owing to the foul stench in the air. Or perhaps they were the cause. Despite the fact that the forest appeared to be as devoid of animal life as the meadow had been, Buffy and Spike were able to spot several trail-like openings leading in different directions. They picked one of the wider ones and headed deeper into the woods. It'd been fairly smooth and obstruction free, and at first Spike had moved at a pace that had Buffy wheezing from the bad air. It surprised her when he seemed to notice and slowed up. As they moved deeper into the woods, Buffy found that she was becoming used to the fetid air that hung like a miasma throughout the woods. They'd been walking through the cool, dank woods for a couple hours when she realized that she could breathe easier. Spike was several feet ahead of her when he stopped suddenly and tilted his head as if listening intently. "What?" "Come on," he said, moving off the path and pushing his way through the bushes. "Spike, why are we leaving the path? Spike! Dammit!" Buffy was furious as she fought her way through the undergrowth, yanking her hair and jacket clear of clutching branches while trying to protect her face from jutting tree limbs. If I had the energy and breath, she fumed, I'd catch up with him and slug him. Well, if I had the energy and breath and my Slayer powers, she thought miserably. When she pushed through the last bit of brush she stopped in disbelief, her anger at Spike immediately dissipating. "Oh." He had led her to a sparkling stream. The clear water rushed past them splashing forcefully over rocks. Droplets from the spray glistened like rainbow-colored jewels in the bright sunlight. The sight made Buffy's throat ache with thirst, and she walked to the stream's edge. "Do you think it's safe to drink?" Spike moved up beside her, hands casually stuffed into his coat pockets, and looked down at the water. He shrugged disinterestedly. Buffy licked dry lips. "Guess we won't know unless I take a drink, huh?" "Yeah, go ahead, Slayer. I promise that if it poisons you, I won't let you suffer. I'll just eat you right quick-like." Buffy gave him her millionth glare of the day, knelt down and scooped a bit of the water into the palm of her hand. Leaning forward she took a small sip. "Tastes okay," she said. Her thirst was really raging now, so she scooped up more water and took a deeper drink. As the cool, fresh water slid down her dry throat, she moaned softly. Bending over once more, she brought more and more of the refreshing liquid to her mouth. Her thirst finally satisfied, she took a double handful of the water and splashed it on her face. When she sat back, tiny streamlets ran down her neck dampening the top of her blouse. A few glistening drops slid down her chest and into the vee of her neckline, trickling down into the valley between her breasts. When the cool breeze hit her damp skin, her nipples hardened into peaks. Buffy heard an inarticulate sound coming from Spike's direction and looking up saw that he was staring at her. "What?" she asked challengingly. Spike turned away, bent down and rubbed some of the water over his own face and across the back of his neck not answering her. Standing up again, he avoided looking at her and asked, "You ready to go?" Buffy nodded and stood up. "Yeah, I guess." As she followed Spike, she gazed anxiously around. So far, they still hadn't seen any signs of animal life, and Buffy was beginning to become concerned. How long would Spike wait until he decided he was hungry enough to attack?

Chapter #3 - Chapter 3

They walked for several more hours following a path that paralleled the stream until the darkening of the woods gave evidence that the sun was at last setting. They'd not spoken to each other more than was necessary, and Buffy knew their truce was tenuous at best. She still didn't understand why he didn't attack her. It was possible, she supposed, that he really did want to get home as much as she did and didn't want to take the chance that killing her would jeopardize that. The forest had been much cooler than the meadow, and with the lengthening shadows the temperature dropped considerably. Buffy shivered slightly and pulled her jacket closer to her body. The path they were now on was narrower than the first one, and tree roots and rocks made the footing uneven. Buffy was stumbling a bit, tripping over the obstacles as her weariness increased with each step she took. She was loath to ask Spike to stop however. The last thing she needed was to remind him that she was weak now. Not that she believed for one second that he'd forgotten that little fact. It was when she tripped over yet another root that Spike said in disgust, "You know, Slayer, if there were any animals around, you crashing about like a herd of wild Braxall demons would've scared 'em right off." Buffy flashed him yet another glare. "It's getting dark, you know," she snapped, hoping to disguise the real reason she was stumbling. Spike raised an eyebrow and said, "So, night vision's gone with the rest of the slayer powers, eh, Summers?" Buffy sighed and sat down on a large exposed tree root. "Yes, Spike. And I'm tired too. Can we just stop and rest for a bit?" Spike looked around and pointed to a spot deeper in the forest. "There's a bit of a clearing ahead. We can spend the night there." Not waiting for her, he headed in the direction he'd pointed out. Buffy wearily got to her feet and followed. The clearing boasted a bit of grass and fewer tree roots and rocks for which she was grateful. Spike was already sitting against a tree smoking a cigarette when she entered the glade. Buffy sat down as far from him as she could get and leaned against her own tree. The temperature seemed to be dropping rapidly now and Buffy shivered again. She had dressed appropriately enough for a mild Sunnydale night. The brown jacket she wore was lightweight, but it was long enough that it gave her some protection as she sat on the hard ground. The jeans she wore were old and comfortable, and her socks and half boots of dark-brown leather were keeping her feet warm. As it grew colder, she began to wish she'd worn something warmer than the peasant blouse she had on. The natural colored blouse trimmed with bright blue and red embroidery was one of her favorites, but the thin cotton gauze material did nothing to help keep her warm. "It's cold." "Yeah. So?" "So, you have a lighter and we need a fire." "You need a fire, Slayer. I can do without it." "Okay," Buffy said with increasing irritation. "I need a fire. Will you help me build one?" Spike sighed as if he were being much put upon. "Go get the firewood and I'll light it," he said reaching into his pocket for his lighter. Buffy closed her eyes and groaned. She was exhausted, but of course Spike wouldn't do the chivalrous thing and gather the firewood for her. Angel would have. Riley would have. Xander would have. Hell, even Parker would have before he'd shown himself to be a complete jerk. Pushing herself to her feet, she went back into the forest and began to gather up dead wood. She guessed she was lucky he'd agree to light it for her. When she'd gathered as much as she could carry, she returned to the clearing and was surprised to see that Spike was setting down the last stone in a circle surrounding an area he'd obviously cleared. Buffy walked over to him and dumped the wood. Spike eyed the pile and said, "Where's the kindling?" "Where's the who?" He gave her a disgusted look and said, "Christ, Summers, didn't your Watcher teach you anything about survival?" "Yeah, Spike," she snapped, her irritation and fatigue overcoming her good sense. "He taught me how to put the pointy end of stake A into the dried-up heart of vampire B. You want me to show you my survival skills?" He stood up shifting into game face. Buffy involuntarily took a step back. Oh shit, she thought. Before she could react he grabbed her, trapping her arms behind her back and her legs between his thighs. If he hadn't been holding her so tightly, she would have fallen over. "Show me your skills, Slayer," he growled in her ear. "Stop it, Spike." "Or you'll do what? Seems you're pretty much helpless right now, aren't you, pet?" "Let me go." He slid his fangs down her neck. She stiffened but didn't struggle, refusing to show fear. The moment seemed to last for an eternity and then she was free and he was back kneeling beside the wood she'd brought, sorting through it. "Kindling," he said calmly as if nothing had happened, "is dry twigs and small sticks or anything that will catch fire easily and get the larger pieces burning. Go get some." Buffy turned and reentered the forest, more to get away from him than to obey his order. *** Buffy would never admit it in a million years, but she was pretty impressed by the competent ease with which Spike worked at building the campfire. She just couldn't imagine why a vampire would need to know how to build a campfire. And then she could imagine a hundred different ways a vampire might make use of a campfire. And then she wished she'd left her imagination parked at the curb. To change the direction of her thoughts, she asked, "How long do you think we've been here?" Spike shrugged. "About twelve hours, I suppose." "I wonder if time moves the same here as back home." Spike shrugged again and continued building a little teepee of sticks in the center of the circle. "If it does, everyone must be getting pretty worried by now," Buffy said quietly. Spike cast a quick glance at her and said, "Imagine they are. Which means that your Watcher has everyone working on finding you. Maybe Willow can cast a spell, find us, and bring us home. Unless she buggers it up." "Hey! Don't talk about Willow like that." Spike just gave her a steady look. "We were engaged, Slayer." "There were circumstances why she messed up that spell, and you know it," Buffy defended her friend. "She's getting better." "I hope so," Spike said dryly. "I don't want another horrible experience like that again." "The feeling's mutual," Buffy said huffily, dropping the conversation. She sat silently, her arms wrapped around her knees, doing her best to keep warm until the fire was ready. She frowned a bit when Spike leaned down and blew gently on the tiny flames. "What are you doing?" "Feedin' the kindling a bit of oxygen to help it catch," he told her as he carefully fed more sticks to the tiny flame. "You can't do that." He looked at her, his forehead creased in confusion. "Can't do what?" "Breathe." "'Course I can breathe. Just 'cause I don't need to breathe doesn't mean I can't." "But Angel said..." "Oh, Angel said," Spike mimicked. "Well, if His Holiness the Poof said it, it must be true then." Bending down again, he angrily blew a large breath of air into the fire causing burning twigs to fly up and land on him. He jumped back with a curse and beat at the small fires on his coat. Buffy barked out a laugh and Spike scowled at her. Standing up he snarled, "Build your own sodding fire, bitch," and returned to the tree he'd been resting against when she'd first come into the glade. Buffy stared wide-eyed at the tiny fire that was now very much in danger of dying. Hurrying around to where Spike had been, she began shoving more twigs and sticks into it. She knocked over the little pile of sticks he'd built, and the fire went completely out. She sat back on her heels and looked at the wisps of smoke - all that remained of the fire - with dismay. She turned to the sullen vampire and said, "Uh, Spike?" He was smoking another cigarette and ignored her. When she called his name again he turned cold blue eyes on her. "What?" "The fire went out." "Yeah? Too bad for you." "Spike, please. I'm, uh, sorry?" He rolled his eyes. "Don't strain yourself with the apology, Slayer." "Well I don't know why you got so mad. All I did was say that..." "Don't!" Spike snapped, pointing his cigarette at her. "Do not mention his name again, Slayer, or I swear I'll bite you right now." It was Buffy's turn to roll her eyes. "Fine, Spike. No mention of he-who-must-not-be-named. Now, will you come here and start the fire again?" He stared at her through narrowed eyes for a few seconds, then stood up, walked over to the campfire and flicked his cigarette into it. Bending down, he began the ritual of coaxing the fire to life all over again. Buffy moved out of the way and watched. After what seemed forever to the freezing Buffy, the larger pieces of wood were at last burning brightly. "There's your fire, Slayer," Spike said as he stood and walked away from her. He cleared a patch of ground with his foot and lay down wrapping his coat around him. A wave of total exhaustion crashed over Buffy and she followed his example. The ground was hard, cold, and uncomfortable, but she was so worn out that she fell asleep almost immediately. She wasn't sure if it was the chattering of her teeth or the shivers racking her body that woke her up. The fire had burned down to embers. Buffy stiffly got up and stumbled over to it. "What are you doing, Slayer?" "What's it look like, Spike?" Buffy said through chattering teeth. "I'm trying to get the fire started again. I'm freezing." Her hands were stiff and shaking from the cold, her breath came out in little white puffs. "Come here and help me." "No, sorry. Used up my full complement of good deeds for the day. Do it yourself." He closed his eyes again and went still. Buffy looked at him in frustration and then said, "You could at least give me your coat." "No." "Why not? It's not like you need it." "And what makes you think I don't need it?" "Hello, Spike. You're a vampire, remember? You don't feel the cold." Spike opened his eyes again. "Where'd you get a daft idea like that? No, wait, don't tell me. Professor Bulging Forehead included that in his lessons for not-too-bright Slayers. Am I right?" "And you're trying to tell me vampires do feel the cold?" "'Course we do. Not as much as humans do, but we feel it. So I'm keeping my coat, Slayer." "But you said you didn't need a fire." Buffy hated the hint of whining she heard in her voice. "Don't. Doesn't mean I'm giving up my coat." Buffy turned back to the fire, but in the time her conversation with Spike had taken, it had gone completely out. "It's out," she said dispiritedly. "What?" "The fire's gone out." "Oh for... Come here, Slayer." She looked over at him to see him lying on his side holding open one side of his coat. "What are you doing?" "I'm offering to share my coat with you." Buffy's eyes widened. "You want me to sleep with you?" "Not particularly," he answered. "But I don't want to hear you whine about the bloody fire for the rest of the night either. I need my beauty sleep. So you come here, wrap yourself up in the coat with me, and we can share body heat." "You don't have body heat, Spike." "Then we can share your body heat." "Forget it," she said flatly. Spike shrugged, wrapped his coat tightly around himself once more, and shut his eyes. "Your loss, Slayer. Have a good rest." Shivers racked Buffy's body as a breeze blew through the clearing. Another glance at the lifeless fire helped Buffy make up her mind. Standing up, she walked over to where Spike lay and knelt down. Fingering the small, sharp piece of wood she had secreted in her coat pocket, she asked, "You won't bite me?" "Told you I wasn't going to, didn't I?" "Yeah, but that doesn't mean I believe you." Spike opened his eyes and just looked at her. Another breeze, another shiver, and Buffy gave in. "Okay." He opened his coat again in invitation. She lay down next to him and he wrapped his coat and his arm around her drawing her body up close to his. She stiffened and tried to pull away. "For god's sake, Slayer, would you relax?" She tried, but as soon as she pressed up against him, it felt as if his body was leeching what little warmth she had left away from her. She was just about to pull away again when a strange thing happened. His body began to reflect her heat back to her and she began to warm up. She was just on the edge of sleep when Spike said, "Slayer?" "Hmmmm?" "If Willow does manage to pull you out of here and she doesn't grab me too..." Buffy felt the tension in his body and finally believed that he really was as worried as she was about being stuck here. "If she misses you, I'll have her do another spell," she told him softly. She felt him relax. "Yeah, okay," he said nonchalantly. "Go to sleep, Slayer." Within minutes, she was sound asleep again.

Chapter #4 - Chapter 4

Buffy pressed herself more tightly against Riley. Wow, that was a weird dream, she thought sleepily. More a nightmare really. She wondered what it meant - her losing her Slayer powers and having to depend on Spike like that. The weirdest part was Spike being free-range again and not even trying to kill her. She wiggled her body until she was lying on top of her boyfriend and started to nibble at his neck. Her legs slipped to either side of his hips and she began to rock against the bulge that prodded at the juncture between her thighs. His hands grasped her hips, pressing her down, increasing the friction. Her breathing sped up, and she reached up to run her hands through his hair while her mouth worked its way toward his. Her fingers encountered thick, tightly-curled hair that felt nothing like Riley's. Her eyes flew open and she stared into bright blue eyes - eyes that were hooded with sexual desire. "Morning, Slayer," her nemesis said throatily. "Interested in a wake up shag, are you?" Buffy gasped, rolled off Spike, and scrambled to her feet. She could feel the heat blazing her cheeks. "I-I..." She tried to speak, but her embarrassment choked the words out of her. "I thought you were... I have to go..." She pointed vaguely into the woods, turned, and ran off. She could hear Spike's chuckle as she smashed through the underbrush. When she could no longer hear him, she stopped and slumped against a tree. God, that was humiliating, she thought. And Spike would never let her forget it either. Great, just great. How could she have ever thought for one single second, even sleep drugged, that Spike was Riley? They felt nothing alike. Riley was big and strong and muscular. And Spike was not. Okay, he was strong and, well, yeah, muscular. Very muscular. And firm. Very firm. But he was so not Riley, she thought fiercely. She banged her head against the tree she was leaning against. She really, really wanted to go home. *** When she made it back to the glade, Spike stood up and took a step forward. "Ready to finish what you started?" he asked, his eyes raking her body. Buffy held up a hand. "Don't, Spike," she said firmly. "You know I was more than half asleep and thought you were Riley." Spike snorted. "Yeah, 'cause we're so much alike and all. I can see how you made the mistake." Buffy flushed again, but refused to be baited. "It was a mistake and it'll never happen again. The thought of touching you like that-" Buffy shuddered. Spike stiffened. "Then keep off me in future, Slayer," he snarled. Turning away from her, he walked out of the glade heading back toward the stream they'd been following the day before. They proceeded in silence, the quiet interrupted only by the growls coming from Buffy's stomach. At long last they came to the end of the forest and stepped into another meadow. To Buffy's great relief, as soon as they stepped away from the trees, the foul smell dissipated. A range of mountains and rolling hills rose about fifteen miles distant. On the other side of the stream, the forest began again. "So, you want to go running through the meadow singing "you're out of the woods" or go through more forest?" Spike asked. They were the first words he'd spoken to her since they'd left their glade. Buffy stared at Spike. "Just how many times have you seen The Wizard of Oz?" He glared at her and she sighed. "What I really want is to find something to eat," Buffy answered as her stomach gave another loud growl. "Yeah, me too. I'm starting to feel right peckish." Buffy braced herself to keep from reacting to the look he was giving her. She was opening her mouth to tell him to stop looking at her like she was wearing a sign reading "eat me" when a plopping sound drew their attention to the stream. Spike walked over to the bank and stared into the water with narrowed eyes. Wading into the middle of the stream, he stood perfectly still looking down with intense concentration, and then with lightning fast speed he reached into the water and grabbed something. Standing upright again, he held a large, silver-scaled fish in his hand. "Congratulations, Slayer. You get breakfast." Wading out of the water, he went over to a large rock and smashed the fish against it, killing it. Walking past Buffy, he handed her his catch and his knife and said, "Here, clean this while I get a fire started." "How..." He waved a hand in the air as he walked back into the forest. "You're on your own there, Slayer." Buffy looked down at the fish and sighed. She was so hungry she could tear into it right now, scales and all. Wrinkling her nose in distaste, she raised the knife and prepared to clean the fish. *** Buffy licked her fingers, capturing the last crumb. The fish had tasted terrible, burnt in some places and raw in others, but it felt so good to have food in her stomach again that she didn't complain. Spike had disappeared across the stream after getting the fire started. When she'd called after him, he simply told her to enjoy her meal. She'd worried a little when he disappeared from sight and then lectured herself for acting so stupid. She was the Slayer; she didn't need Spike. She could take care of herself. Except here she wasn't the Slayer, she didn't seem to be doing a very good job of taking care of herself, and she did need Spike. She didn't really think he was abandoning her, not after what he'd said last night. But then they'd had that fight this morning. But then again, they'd had lots of fights. It's what they did...fight. And he did catch that fish for her. And built her a fire so she could cook it. Buffy silently shook her head. He was completely confusing her with the way he was acting. Maybe he was just keeping her healthy in case he needed to eat her like he'd said yesterday. Buffy's heart gave a little lurch at that thought, and she couldn't help but worry what it'd mean if they didn't find anything but fish. She didn't dare let down her guard. She may temporarily need Spike, but she would never trust him. Except she had let down her guard and she had trusted him last night when she'd crawled into his arms and slept soundly. Buffy's head began to pound. Come on, Giles, she whispered desperately. Get me out of here. Buffy made sure the fire was completely out - a lifetime of Smokey Bear commercials and California wildfires having left their mark - and then washed her face and hands in the stream. The water was cold and she found herself longing for a real bathroom complete with toilet and shower and lots of hot water. And soap. Lovely, fish-stink-removing soap. When she finished washing, she decided she'd better try and track down Spike. After taking off her boots and socks and rolling up her pant legs, she waded across the stream. Buffy braced herself to enter the foul air of the forest. To her surprise, however, the air smelled fresh and clean. As she looked around for signs of Spike, she noticed that the trees were different. Where the trees on the other side of the stream were gnarled and twisted as if sickened from the bad air, these trees looked strong and healthy. But it wasn't just the health of the trees. The entire forest just felt different. Friendlier. She pulled her socks and boots back on and walked deeper into the woods. "Spike?" When he didn't answer her, she called again. "Spike!" "Miss me, Slayer?" Buffy whirled around to see him leaning against a tree behind her, a roguish smile on his face. There was blood on his mouth. "There's blood on your mouth." He lifted his hand and wiped his mouth with his thumb. "Yeah. Guess what? There're animals in these woods." Buffy sighed in relief. He reached into his duster pocket, pulled something out and tossed it to her. Buffy caught it and looked at it in surprise. It was reddish-brown in color, round, and about the size of an apple. "There're fruit trees here too," Spike said unnecessarily. Buffy wiped it on her jacket and brought it to her mouth. Hesitating for just a second, she parted her lips and sank her sharp, white teeth into it. Juice dribbled down her chin as she bit down and tore off a piece of the fruit's tangy-sweet pulp. The flavor burst over her tongue as she chewed and she closed her eyes in pleasure. She swallowed and the tip of her tongue darted out to lick at the corner of her mouth. "Good, is it?" Spike asked. His voice held a deep, sensuous timber. "Mmmmmmm," was all Buffy could answer, biting once again into the juicy treat. When she finished the last bite, she threw the core down and smiled at Spike. "Thanks." He shrugged; his eyes dark and unreadable, his face impassive. "Didn't grow it, Slayer, just picked it." She nodded, feeling unexpectedly shy under his gaze, and said, "Just let me wash up and then we can go on. I'm all sticky." His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed suddenly, and she felt his eyes following her as she walked back to the stream. *** "I don't get it," she said as they walked side-by-side down a wide path cushioned with a thick coating of leaves. "Why does the air smell better here and why are there birds and animals and fruit and stuff on this side of that stream and not on the other?" "I'm assuming that's a rhetorical question, Slayer?" Spike asked dryly. "Well, yeah. It's just so weird, that's all." "Could be that the air kills the animals in this world even if it didn't hurt you." Spike said. "Don't know why the air stinks across the stream and not here though. I'm sure there's a logical explanation." "Yeah, thanks, Mr. Spock." Spike looked at her and raised one eyebrow causing Buffy to laugh. Feeling uncomfortable over the sense of connection she'd just felt, she looked away. The woods were full of bird song and the rustling of undergrowth as the forest inhabitants went about their business. Out of habit Buffy kept an alert eye out for danger, and she was aware that Spike was doing the same, but they traveled unmolested. They continued their journey for several more hours stopping occasionally so that Buffy could rest or take care of personal business. Surprisingly, Spike never complained about the breaks, probably because he used them to smoke his smelly cigarettes, Buffy mused. She had warned him once the day before about being careful with his cigarettes. He has rolled his eyes and said, "Combustible vampire here, Slayer. I think I know enough not to set the bloody woods on fire." As the hours passed, Buffy began to feel fatigued and glanced up at what bits of the sky could be seen through the thick foliage. "It's getting dark." "Yeah, that's why I've been watching out for another camping spot." "Oh." "You really do know chuff all about roughing it, don't you, Slayer?" "I know...stuff," she said defensively. "You may know how to kill vampires and demons, Slayer, but you'd be dead before long if I weren't with you, and you know it." "Would not," Buffy insisted. "Would too." "Geez, Spike, think much of yourself?" He gave her a look that spoke volumes before heading off the animal track they'd been following and right into another small glade. They prepared camp much as they had the night before. The connection Buffy had felt with Spike on the trail returned, and they talked easily together as they worked. Spike taught her how to make a proper campfire, although he made sure to pick at every mistake she made. They insulted each other, though without rancor, and Spike made her laugh again. And occasionally a niggling worry would pop into her brain that she shouldn't be feeling this comfortable in Spike's company. After they got the campfire going, Spike left the glade without a word to Buffy. She wished he'd taken her with him on his hunt. She was feeling hungry again but didn't think it would be a good idea to go searching for one of the fruit trees alone. The woods were completely dark outside the range of the firelight, and Buffy wasn't sure she'd be able to find her way back to the campsite. And even though they hadn't seen any yet, there might be predators out there. Besides Spike. Her own personal predator. Buffy sighed and huddled closer to the fire - the air may be sweeter here, but it wasn't any warmer after the sun went down. Spike had only been gone about ten minutes when a rustling in the brush brought Buffy to wary attention. She visibly relaxed when Spike entered the glade. "That didn't take long." Instead of answering her, he tossed a fruit at her. "Bon appétit, Slayer." She caught it and looked at Spike in surprise. "You went to get me food?" "Figured you'd be hungry again," he said casually. He sat down next to her handing her two more fruits. "I'll hunt in the morning." "Uh, thanks." Buffy ate her dinner casting occasional glances at Spike as he smoked a cigarette and lounged by the fire next to her, apparently content to remain silent for a change. Once again, his consideration of her had taken Buffy by surprise. Since they'd come into this world, their relationship had subtly begun to change. Where before it had been defined by what they were, Slayer and vampire, now they were...something else. The casual way he went about finding her food and water and making sure she could keep up and that she rested when needed confused her. She wished she could figure him out, but Spike was the poster child for a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. But it was the nagging thought that she was beginning to trust him that worried her most. He really wasn't trustworthy, was he? When it came time to sleep, Spike lay down and opened his coat again. "Slayer?" "I'm not sleeping with you, Spike," Buffy said warily. "Afraid you can't keep your hands off me?" he mocked. "As if." "Then there's no reason why we can't get all cuddly and keep warm. Going to be right cold again tonight." Buffy hesitated. The temperature was dropping dramatically again, just as it had last night. "Just don't try anything, Spike." "I wasn't the one getting groiny this morning, pet. You were." Buffy glared at him. "I told you..." "Yeah, that you thought I was your soldier boy." Spike snorted. "You'd be wise to keep insults like that to yourself, too." Buffy sighed, admitted to herself that she wasn't going to get much sleep if she was freezing, and came over to Spike. She lay down and allowed him to draw her body up close to his. She shifted around a bit trying to find a comfortable position until Spike ground out, "Keep wiggling like that, Slayer, and you're going to find yourself on your back after all." Buffy immediately went still. "Oh, now that's disappointing," he said with wicked amusement in his voice. Buffy elbowed his ribs. "Just shut up and go to sleep, Spike" He grunted from the impact of her elbow, and then molded himself around her, muttering in her ear, "Bossy bint." They were quiet for the rest of the night.

Chapter #5 - Chapter 5

When she awoke the next morning there was no confusion as to whose body she was pressed against. She'd rolled over again in the night and lay half on top of him; her head resting on his shoulder, her bent leg snuggled between his thighs, her knee resting on his crotch. He was lying flat on his back and his right arm was wrapped around her, holding her securely to him. She opened her eyes and looked at her hand resting on the black-clad expanse of his chest. His hand rested on top of hers with his fingers curled under her palm, his thumb across the back of her hand. Buffy's breath caught in her throat when his thumb began to slide lightly across her skin. She felt as if an electrical charge was passing through her body and her heartbeat accelerated. Tilting her head slightly, she looked up at him. He was awake and looking at her with a hesitant, watchful, slightly vulnerable expression on his face. It tugged at her mind that she'd seen that expression on him before, but she couldn't quite grasp when or where. They stared at each other, the only movement the sensuous motion of Spike's thumb brushing her over-sensitized flesh and the rapid rise and fall of her chest. And then she felt his arm tighten around her. Felt him pulling her to him. Saw his head moving toward her, his eyes darkening, felt his cock springing to life beneath her leg. Buffy gasped and pulled away from him, jumping to her feet. "What do you think you're doing?" she exclaimed breathlessly. The expression on his face changed immediately. The sultry look was gone, replaced by a mocking smirk. "What, no snog this morning, Slayer?" "God, you're such a pig, Spike," Buffy exclaimed as she turned away from him and left the clearing. She was trembling as she made her way deep into the woods to relieve herself. From anger, she told herself. He made her so angry. That was why her hands were trembling as she pushed her way through the brush. *** He was gone when she returned to the campsite. Not knowing whether to stay put or attempt to follow him, Buffy dithered a bit, checking to make sure the campfire was out and that they hadn't left anything lying around forgotten. Not that they actually had anything to leave behind. She was making one final sweep of the area when she heard a thrashing in the underbrush and a horrible squeal. Pushing her way through the thick growth, she came upon Spike, fangs sunk deep into the neck of a struggling animal about the size of a fawn. She watched in fascinated revulsion as the animal's struggles slowed and then stopped. Spike lifted his head and gazed at her, his golden eyes feral looking, his face stained with blood. Buffy shuddered and turned away, trying to push down the nausea that threatened. "Not going all girly on me, are you, Slayer?" he asked mockingly from behind her. "Not going to faint?" She turned to face him. He wore his human face again and he'd cleaned the blood from around his mouth. She lifted her chin. "No, Spike," she answered with forced calm. "Nothing you do could make me faint." He raised one eyebrow, a speculative look coming over his face. "That a challenge? Because I'm up for it if it is, and I can think of at least one thing I could do that would make you faint." His expression became darkly sensual and he leaned in closer. "Something you'd enjoy," he added his voice a deep husky whisper. Buffy felt her face flush and her heartbeat speed up. She turned away from him. "Where's the fruit tree?" she asked, changing the subject. She was quite proud of the fact that her voice barely trembled. She felt him come up and stand close behind her. She was afraid he was going to touch her and didn't understand the flash of disappointment when all he did was point to an area to her left. "Right over there about a hundred yards." Buffy nodded and walked away from him, drawing deep gulps of air into her lungs once she was out of his presence. What was wrong with her? She hadn't wanted him touching her. That was the last thing she wanted. Really. It was. *** The terrain began to rise sharply and the going became rougher. Buffy was sweating from the exertion of the climb, and she'd tied her jacket around her waist. Her stamina was flagging again and she kept losing her footing, slipping and falling to her knees. Spike led the way and seemed determined to ignore her, not even commenting on all the noise she was making. They were climbing up over a steep rocky patch when Buffy lost her footing completely. With a cry, she started to slide back down the path, crashing into rocks and sharp stones. One of the rocks she hit ripped a gash into her upper arm and Buffy cried out from the pain. She finally came to rest against a tree trunk. Spike skidded to a halt beside her almost immediately, a look of concern on his face. "Slayer! You all right?" Buffy managed to push herself into a sitting position and pulled her tattered sleeve aside revealing a long bloody gash. "Let me see," Spike said, grabbing hold of her bleeding arm. She tried to tug away from him, but he wouldn't let go. "Doesn't look deep," he said thickly. Her eyes widened in shock when he lowered his head and ran his tongue up the length of the gash. Buffy gasped at the touch of his tongue on her skin and she felt heat flare through her body. Her heart started racing and her breathing sped up, but then she remembered what he was, how dangerous what he was doing was, and she began to panic, pulling her arm, struggling to get away from him as he licked again. "Stop it, Spike! Stop it!" He raised his head and looked at her through eyes gone gold. Buffy's hand located a rock and she brought it forward, intending to smash it into his head. He grabbed her arm before the rock made contact. Angry blue eyes stared at her. "What the bloody hell are you doing?" "Protecting myself," she snapped as she finally tugged her arm loose from his grasp. Spike rolled his eyes. "How many times do I have to tell you, you stupid bint? I'm not going to eat you." "Yeah? Well, excuse me, but it sure looked to me like you were about to go all bloodlusty," she exclaimed, scooting away from him and holding her wounded arm. "Christ, Summers, it was a tiny taste. I didn't hurt you. I didn't even change faces." "Your eyes changed." "What?" "Your eyes. They went all demony." He looked at her in surprise. "Oh. Well, I still wasn't going to bite you. Just don't see the sense in letting good blood go to waste, is all." "Well, keep your tongue to yourself, Spike. My blood is off limits." Spike sighed. "Right. We need to bandage that cut. Don't want it to get infected." Buffy looked at her wound. He was right that it wasn't deep, and if she had her slayer powers, it would be almost healed already. But she didn't and it wasn't so a bandage was probably a good idea. With a sigh of regret, she raised the hem of her top to reveal the silk camisole she wore underneath. "Cut a piece off of this to use," she instructed. Spike grinned and reached into his coat for the knife. "I was wondering when we'd get to the part of this adventure where the lady sacrifices an undergarment." After he had her arm bandaged, he made her proceed in front of him. "Just do it, and don't argue with me for once. If you fall again, I can catch you, and if we both fall, I can cushion you. I don't want to have to carry you if you break a leg, Summers." It was the last sentence that made her turn away from him and take the lead. She gritted her teeth every time they came to an especially steep part of the path and Spike had to put his hand on her butt to give her a boost. She couldn't help but think that he was enjoying that just a little too much. When they finally reached the top of the hill they'd been climbing, Buffy collapsed, sucking breath into her lungs as she wiped the sweat from her brow. "Here." She looked up to see Spike holding out a flask. Buffy wrinkled her nose. "Ew. I don't think so, thanks." "It's not whiskey," Spike said in exasperation. "It's water. I drank all the whiskey and filled the flask back at the stream." Buffy's eyes widened. "You've had this all the time and you didn't tell me? I've been dying of thirst!" "You'd have drunk it all up by now if I'd told you. Drink it now and then we can start down. I want to get off this hill before sunset." Buffy snatched the flask from him, twisted off the cap and drank deeply. When she lowered it again, he reached into his duster pocket and pulled out another fruit. He held it out to her wordlessly. Buffy flushed, realizing how ungracious she'd just been. Taking the fruit from his hand, she lowered her eyes and said softly, "Thanks, Spike." "'s okay, Slayer." She looked up at him again, their eyes met, and they smiled at each other. Lowering her eyes again, she brought the fruit to her mouth and began to eat.

Chapter #6 - Chapter 6

The trip back down the hill was accomplished without further incident. Spike led the way glancing back occasionally to make sure Buffy was following with no problem. Buffy wasn't sure whether to be touched, irritated, or squicked by his attentiveness. There were still a couple hours of daylight left when they reached the forest floor again, but Buffy's legs were shaking with fatigue. "Spike, do you think we could make camp early tonight?" "I thought I saw water a couple miles in. You think you can walk that far?" "Sure," she said tiredly. "Want a piggy-back ride?" Buffy rolled her eyes. "Uh, no." He smirked at her, turned and led the way back into the forest. They found the water and a place to camp. When they came to the stream, Spike had insisted that they bathe Buffy's wounded arm. He used gentle care as he washed the gash and patted it dry, stopping if he saw her flinch and asking if he was hurting her. She always answered no, and their eyes would lock before one of them looked away. When he was satisfied that it was clean, he carefully rewrapped it. When he had finished, he said, "Look, you just rest and I'll get the firewood." Buffy was surprised and touched at his offer and considered it – for about two seconds – but then her stubborn Slayer pride kicked in. "I can get the firewood, Spike. You just get everything ready for it." He shrugged and she went in search of wood. *** By the time they had the fire going, the sun had set and the temperature had dropped. Buffy ate more fruit for her dinner and warmed herself in front of the roaring fire while Spike went out to hunt. She was getting tired of fruit, but the thought of eating the meat from one of the animals that Spike had drained made her slightly nauseous. Maybe tomorrow, she thought as she stretched out in front of the fire, she'd ask Spike to go fishing for her again. She awakened when she felt a body wrapping around her. "Spike?" she murmured sleepily. "Yeah, Slayer, go back to sleep," he said softly. Buffy twisted around until she was facing him. She rested her head on his shoulder, wrapped her arm around his waist and entwined her legs with his. His arms tightened around her enfolding her in his coat, and as Buffy was drifting off to sleep again she felt the briefest brush against top of her head. She sighed contentedly, snuggled closer, and slept. The next day when she awakened, she felt so tired and sluggish that she had to struggle to open her eyes. She wasn't surprised to find that she'd once again wrapped herself around Spike. In fact, she was pretty sure that this was how she'd fallen asleep last night after he'd joined her. "You awake, Slayer?" "No." His chuckle rumbled in her ear. "Want to sleep a bit more?" She sighed and rolled over onto her back. He rolled onto his side and propped his head up on his hand, watching her. "I hate not having my strength." "Yeah, I understand." She looked over at him. "Is this what it's like for you? Back home, I mean. Feeling all weak and helpless and useless?" "Well, I'm not useless, but yeah, that's how I feel. The Big Bad's just a big neutered puppy. 'ts not fun." She turned onto her side and propped her head on her hand, mirroring him. "I'm not sorry you can't kill, Spike." He reached out his hand and brushed her hair back from her face. "Not surprising. You being the Slayer and all." The touch of his fingers as they skimmed over her cheek made her shiver, and she felt a pulse between her thighs. She was unnerved by the intimacy of the gesture and her response to it. "Why haven't you killed me yet?" she asked suddenly. "Or just taken off and left me?" He went still, his hand frozen in midair. "Told you. I may need you to get back home," he said lowering his hand to his side. "But you can live here, Spike. There are animals here for you to eat." "A bloke could go insane with only himself for company, pet." Buffy grinned wickedly. "Yeah, I could see how having only you to talk to would make ya crazy." One eyebrow rose. "I don't notice you being any dafter than usual, Slayer." "That's because half the time we aren't talking to each other," she quipped. "And that's because half the time you're a giant pain in the arse, Slayer," he said with a smirk. "Hey!" she said rising up on her elbow. "I am not. Take that back!" "Make me." "Oh, I'll make you all right," she said as she lunged at him knocking him over onto his back. She straddled him and although she knew he could have easily overpowered her, she captured his wrists and pinned them over his head. "The mighty Slayer has beaten the evil vampire once more," she crowed. "Now, take back what you said." "Bugger off," he said, laughter sparkling in his eyes. Breaking free of her hold he twisted until she was trapped under him, her wrists pinned above her head. "Now what are you going to do, Slayer?" he asked with a smirk. She wiggled under him, laughing and demanding release. It was all fun and games and squeals and laughter until their eyes met. Buffy felt the now familiar current thrum through her body. Spike looked from her eyes to her lips and Buffy's breath caught in her throat. Slowly, so very slowly, he lowered his head. A tiny voice in the back of her mind was screaming, Don't let him kiss you! but Buffy's heart was pounding so loudly that it was drowned out. She wasn't sure what she expected, but it certainly wasn't what she got. The kiss he brushed across her mouth was feather light. He nibbled gently on her lower lip, tugging it into his mouth and sucking it tenderly. Releasing her lip, he circled her mouth with his tongue, barely touching her. She gasped as shivers coursed down her body and she opened her mouth to him. He resisted her silent plea and continued his gentle assault, brushing his mouth lightly across hers, nipping at her bottom lip, licking her lips with flicks of his tongue. When she moaned, he covered her mouth with his, slid the tip of his tongue over hers and then withdrew. He made his way from her mouth to her jaw with light, teasing kisses, and when he reached her neck, she turned her head to allow him access. The tiny voice in her head screamed at her Vampire! but she ignored it again as his mouth caressed her skin. He nibbled at her neck and his tongue darted out sending pulses of pleasure throughout her nervous system. Buffy moaned again and thrust her hips up. Her body was racked with chills and longing and desire. She opened her legs and allowed him to nestle between her thighs. Spike raised his head and Buffy was mesmerized by the desire she saw reflected in them. He whispered her name and brought his mouth to hers. This kiss was deeper, more demanding. She kissed him back ravenously and began tugging frantically, trying desperately to free her arms from captivity. He released the hold he had on her wrists and rolled over so that she was on top of him. She grabbed handfuls of his hair and eagerly opened her mouth to his questing tongue. Buffy was beyond thinking now. She only wanted, needed. She pulled back and now it was her turn to tease and taste his skin. He moaned when she kissed her way down his neck, sucking and nipping and licking, learning each pleasure spot on the way. Buffy could feel the hardness of his arousal as he thrust up against her, and the ache between her thighs was becoming painful. She wanted him to touch her. His arms wrapped tightly around her, and he rolled them over so that he was on top again, his mouth slipping to her neck. Pain tore though Buffy's body and she began pushing at his shoulders, trying to break away from him. He raised his head, looking at her with passion-glazed eyes. "Buffy?" "Get off, Spike. Now! Get off!" He stiffened and rolled off her, springing to his feet. She jumped to her feet rubbing at her left buttock. Kicking out, she knocked away the sharp rock that had dug into her flesh. "Stupid rock," she muttered still rubbing at the pain. "That's why you stopped me?" His voice was quiet behind her. She glanced at him and then blushed red to the roots of her hair. "Yeah." Spike chuckled. "Poor Buffy. Come here, love. I'll make the hurt go away." He reached out to her, but she stepped away. "Don't, Spike. This is so not a good idea." The smile faded from his face. "You thought it was a good idea a minute ago." "A minute ago I wasn't thinking at all." "Buffy..." But she held up a hand and stopped his words. "Don't. Let's just get going, okay?" He was silent for a long while and Buffy thought he was going to argue with her, press her. Instead he simply nodded his head, his face cold and remote, and walked away from her. *** Buffy felt miserable as she followed Spike. He maintained a substantial distance between them, his anger and frustration emanating from him in almost visible waves. She didn't blame him for his anger. She'd allowed this whatever-it-was that was brewing between them to get out of hand. She didn't even blame him for trying to get in her pants because a) he was a guy and b) he was evil and soulless so he couldn't see why this was such a bad, bad thing. Oh, and c) he was a guy. Buffy sighed. And what was her excuse? Because the teeny, tiny voice in her head that she hated to listen to - the one that told her only the truth – was telling her that she wanted in his pants every bit as much as he wanted in hers. And how had that happened? They were mortal enemies. He was a killer, a vampire, her natural prey. She wasn't supposed to find vampires hot. She was supposed to dust them. And she was good at it. But then Angel came along, her tall, dark, and handsome mysterious stranger – who at least had a soul, she comforted herself – and now, Spike – who did not have a soul and was only held in check by a chip in his head. And who had not tried to kill her since they'd come to this dimension where she wasn't the Slayer and his chip didn't work. And who had caught her a fish and picked fruit for her and gave her water and bandaged her wounds, and made her laugh, and kept her warm at night and didn't try to bite her even when she'd offered up her neck to his mouth. Buffy shook her head. It was wrong. She knew it. Really. She did. And what about Riley? the teeny tiny voice asked. Buffy closed her eyes at that thought, tripped over a tree root, and opened her eyes again. Riley was a good man, strong and honest and brave and all the other boy scouty things that every woman wanted in a man. He was a nice guy. The kind of clean-cut, all-American guy her friends wanted her to be with. The kind of guy with whom she could have a somewhat normal life. The kind of guy who loved her. And what do you feel about him? I love him too, Buffy thought stubbornly. Do you? You love him so much you mack on the first vampire that comes along? Oh, that is so not true, Buffy thought defensively. It was a-a thing. That was all. A response to the stress I'm under here. I see. And you always respond to stress by having make-out sessions with your mortal enemies? Not enemies! One. One mortal enemy. Spike. Yeah, Spike, Buffy sighed. The worst of her mortal enemies because for some reason she never could seem to kill him. You don't seem to have any problem kissing him though. Well, the kissage thing isn't going to happen again, she thought forcefully. You sure about that? Shut up! The voice went silent, but Buffy was troubled. What did it mean, really, that she'd kissed Spike this morning? And really, really enjoyed kissing Spike this morning? She did care about Riley, but he hadn't crossed her mind when she'd been kissing Spike. In fact she hadn't thought about him since she'd sleepily mistaken Spike for him. Deep inside herself, Buffy knew that her feelings for Riley were never going to be any deeper than they were now. Riley was the kind of guy she could care about but never really love. Was it fair to him to keep dating him now that she knew she was never going to be able to give him what he wanted? What he deserved? She was going to have to break up with him. Crap.

Chapter #7 - Chapter 7

Between Buffy's oversleeping and the snog-o-rama (tmBuffy), they'd started out late that day, so when the sky began to get dark Buffy assumed that it was later than she thought. She was so absorbed in working out a way to tell Riley she was breaking up with him - Riley, you're a really great guy, and the past few weeks have been some of the best in my life. But it turns out I'm really just a big ole skanky vamp ho and you deserve someone better than that, so I have to break up with you now. Sorry. - she didn't notice Spike had stopped and was gazing up at the sky. "For Christ's sake, Slayer, watch where you're going," he snapped when she plowed right into his back, almost knocking him off his feet. "Sorry, I didn't realize you'd stopped." "Well get your head out of your ass and pay attention." "Don't talk to me like that!" "I was trying not to talk to you at all." "Yeah, I noticed you being all sulky and stuff." "Sulky? For your information, Slayer, I'm not being sulky. I'm trying to resist the temptation to bite you a good one." "Oh, now your true colors are showing, aren't they? I won't sleep with you so you're going to bite me?" "News flash, Blondie. You've been sleeping with me. It's the cockteasing that's got me feeling a bit fangy." Buffy flushed in both shame and anger. "I wasn't... what you said. I-I just remembered it was wrong." Spike took an angry step toward her. "Guess it's just lucky for you that you remembered before I had the chance to get your knickers off then, isn't it? Wouldn't want to be the cause of you doing something wrong and enjoying it." Buffy's chin went up. "You seem awful sure I'd enjoy it. Well, maybe I wouldn't have." "Don't fool yourself, Slayer. You'd have enjoyed it. More times than you could count." Buffy swallowed and she felt her whole body flush. She decided the wisest thing to do was change the subject. "Why'd you stop?" "I didn't stop; you did. Remember?" "No! I-I mean now. Why'd you stop walking?" He pointed up. "It's getting overcast. I think we're going to need to find shelter pretty soon." She looked up and saw that indeed it wasn't getting dark because it was late. Peering up through the thick ceiling of leaves, she could tell that dark clouds were gathering overhead. She looked around the forest and had a sinking feeling that they were going to spend a very cold, wet night. "There is no shelter, Spike." "We're almost to the mountains. With any kind of luck we'll find a cave or something." She nodded and he started off again. Buffy followed noticing the stiff set of his shoulders where before he'd moved with the grace of a panther. And why was she being so obsessive because he was upset? This was Spike. She didn't care how Spike felt. She'd done the right thing in stopping before things got more out of hand, and if that made Spike mad, well too bad. Buffy didn't care how he felt. Really, she didn't. Really. Buffy sighed. Well, that was less than convincing. Crap. *** Thunder was rumbling in the distance when they exited the forest and stood on the rocky terrain that surrounded the foot of the mountain. Spike stood scanning the area ahead. The base of the mountain seemed to consist mostly of rocks, hard-packed dirt, short, stunted trees, and thick, thorny bushes. Pointing up he said, "There. I think I see the opening of a cave about two hundred feet up." Saying nothing more, he proceeded on. Buffy hoped that he really had seen a cave. The temperature was already dropping, and she really didn't want to get caught in an icy downpour. The going was hard and treacherous from the steep incline and the loose rocks covering the ground. The stubby trees stuck out at odd angles from the hard packed ground and they had to go around them, making the climb even longer. Buffy almost called out to Spike to help her over a few of the harder bits, but pride kept her mouth shut. She might not be super-strong right now, but she was still the Slayer, dammit. She'd get herself up this mountain. The sound of the thunder was closer, the flashes of lightning were more frequent, and the wind was making Buffy's hair whip around her head like a Gorgon's snakes by the time Spike stepped onto a narrow ledge. Buffy could see the hole set back in the mountain's side, and breathed out a silent thank you as she followed Spike inside. The interior of the cave was so dark Buffy couldn't see very much. Spike vamped out and looked around, then said, "I'm going to bring in some wood for a fire. Stay put." "I can help get wood," she said following after him. He glared at her. "Just stay here, Slayer. I can move faster without you tagging along." Buffy glared back. "Fine. Do it yourself then," she snapped. "I will," he said, storming out of the cave. "Good!" "Fine!" She walked out of the cave and stood on the small ledge. A loud crack of thunder reverberated over their heads. "I hope you don't get hit by lightning and go all dusty," she called after him waspishly. He glared back. "And I hope you don't fall off of that ledge and bash your brains out on a rock." "Pig!" "Bitch!" She whirled around and reentered the cave, brushing tears from her eyes. It was the wind that had brought the tears to her eyes, she insisted to herself. Stupid wind. He was soon back with an armload of dry wood, dumping it on the floor of the cave without a word to Buffy. Buffy had tried to clear a spot for the fire just as he'd been doing, but it was even darker now and the interior of the cave was far too dim for her to see much. She could just make out Spike, once more in game face, clearing an area, arranging the wood and then flicking his lighter to get the fire started. When it was finally going and light filled the cave, Buffy noticed what looked to be another opening. Standing up, she walked over and stuck her head through. She wasn't sure, but she thought it felt warmer on the other side. "What's in there, Slayer?" His voice was normal again as if their last shouting match had burned his anger from him. "Can't tell. It's dark." She pulled back from the opening and turned to see Spike carefully pulling one of the pieces of firewood out of the fire. "Let me look," he said coming to her with the torch. She stepped out of his way and he thrust the brand through the opening. The flickering fire revealed a narrow passage. Spike entered it and Buffy followed him. The passage curved after about fifteen feet and Buffy lost sight of Spike as he rounded the corner. The passage turned pitch black again with the loss of the torch's light and she had to put out her hand to guide her the rest of the way. Turning the bend in the tunnel, she saw a glow up ahead. The passage ended after a short distance, and Buffy exited into a cavern that caused her to catch her breath. The walls were glowing in places with an eerie green phosphorescence. The cavern was large, much larger than the one they'd just come from. And warm. Buffy peered around in awe. She'd never seen anything like it before. Huge stalactites hung like chandeliers from the ceiling and gave off the same ghostly green light as the walls. The floor was mostly flat with rocks of dark gray stone dispersed throughout the cave. Most of the rocks were ordinary looking, but a few were long and flat and reminded Buffy of the benches that could be found in Sunnydale's cemeteries. She was still taking in her surroundings when she heard Spike's voice. "Well, lookie here, Slayer." "What?" Buffy asked as she turned to walk toward him. He stood next to a large natural pool. Steam drifted off the surface of the water. "Looks like we got us a hot tub," Spike said. Buffy gazed as if mesmerized. Kneeling, she carefully reached down and skimmed her hand over the water's surface. It was hot, but no more so than a freshly drawn bath. Buffy sat back and twisted around to tell Spike to leave the cave while she took a bath. Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped opened when she saw him. "What do you think you're doing?" she practically shrieked. Spike was sitting on one of the bench-like rocks tugging a boot from his foot and placing it beside its mate. Standing up, he shrugged the duster from his shoulders and then his red button-down shirt. "What's it look like? I'm going to take a bath." "You can't do that," Buffy cried out, jumping to her feet. "Yeah? Why not?" he asked. Leaning over, he tugged his black T-shirt over his head and then threw it on top of the rest of his clothes. Buffy stared at him. Oh my, she thought. She'd been aware of his muscles. She'd been curling herself around him for the past three nights, after all. A girl got to know if a man had muscles or not in those circumstances. She just hadn't been aware of the whole package. Oh my god, Buffy thought, look at that stomach. "See something you like?" His voice held a sultry note. Buffy started at the sound of his voice and looked into mocking blue eyes. She flushed in embarrassment and irritation. "Not really," she lied, lifting her chin proudly. "So, you going to tell me why I can't take a bath?" "Because I want to take a bath." "Not stopping you, Slayer," he answered her as he began to unbuckle his belt. "I can't take a bath with you here, Spike, so you need to go back to the other cave until I'm finished." His belt was unbuckled and he began to pull it slowly though the belt loops. Buffy watched spellbound. "No." "Huh?" "I said, no. I'm not leaving the cave so you can have a nice soak. I'm taking a bath now. You can join me or you can leave. Your choice." His hands went to the button of his jeans and popped it open. "Come on, Spike," Buffy said with just a hint of desperation in her voice. "I'm all stinky. Just let me go first, okay?" Spike grinned wickedly. "I always let the lady go first," he said. His fingers went to his zipper and he slowly pulled it down. The sound of his sliding zipper seemed to echo throughout the cave. Gathering her wits about her one more time, she said, "But if you always let the lady go... Oh." Damn! She could feel her face burn again. Why was she blushing and stuttering like someone's maiden aunt? If Spike wanted to be a pig about this and take off all his clothes in front of her like a Chippendale's dancer, well just let him. Buffy didn't care. And it wasn't making her in the least bit excited. Spike's thumbs hooked into the open waistband of his jeans and he slid them down over his hips. Leaning over, he stepped out of them. He stood up holding the jeans casually in front of him. Buffy could see strong, lean legs and the smooth white flesh of his hips. He hesitated, as if wondering just how far to take his little striptease act, and then, as if making up his mind, he turned to his discarded pile of clothing and tossed down his jeans. Buffy stared. He had an impressive chest and stomach; she couldn't deny that. But he had a truly beautiful ass. The firm white globes tempted her in ways she didn't even know she could be tempted. She really wanted to bite that ass. And then he turned around. And Buffy was lost.

Chapter #8 - Chapter 8

"Magnificent" was not a Buffy word, but in this case it was the only one that fit. He was fully erect, his cock long and thick. Buffy swallowed, her eyes locked on him as he began walking toward her, his cock slapping lightly against his flat belly with each step he took. When he reached her, Buffy stood frozen, knowing she should move away from him but locked into stasis by the force of her desire. He lifted his hand, and Buffy was sure he was going to pull her head to his to give her one of those mind-numbing kisses that they'd shared that morning. Her heartbeat sped up in anticipation. His index finger captured her chin, lifting her eyes to his. "You can join me or you can leave. Your choice." His hand dropped away from her face and he walked over to the pool. Buffy felt bereft and disappointed before the tiny voice in her head began telling her Come on. Let's leave! Don't watch him anymore. She ignored the voice as Spike slipped into the pool. The water near the edge came to just above his hips. As he waded farther out, the water rose until it reached mid-chest. Stopping, he turned around until he was facing her and began to wash. He sluiced handfuls of water over his face and chest sliding his palms in circles over his nipples and then slipping his hands under his arms. His movements were slow and his muscles flexed hypnotically as he washed. His eyes never leaving her, he slid his hands down his chest and belly under the water. When his hands began to move in a rhythmic back and forth motion, Buffy had no doubt what body part he was washing. She felt her face burn even as her inner walls clenched painfully and the crotch of her panties became drenched. The tiny voice in the back of her head was probably still screaming at her to leave, but it was completely drowned out by the repeated litany of IwanthimIwanthimIwanthim. His voice echoed in her head, Your choice. She remembered another time she'd been confronted with making a choice. She'd made a horrible mistake with Parker. Turning away from him, she walked to where Spike had removed his clothes. Turning back around she was surprised to see that his arms were hanging limply at his side and he'd shut his eyes. There was a look of such utter dejection on his face that it touched Buffy's heart. He must have thought she was leaving, she realized. She sat down on the bench-like rock and removed one of her boots letting it fall noisily to the ground. Spike's eyes flew open in surprise and then a look of astonishment crossed his face. He watched as she removed the other boot and her socks and then stood up slipping her jacket from her shoulders. Taking hold of the bottom of her blouse, she pulled it over her head and dropped it on top of his pile of discarded clothing. Undoing the fastening of her jeans, she wiggled her hips until they slid down her legs. Tossing them to join her top, she slowly walked to the edge of the pool clad only in her camisole and panties. Their eyes stayed locked as she grasped the ragged hem of her camisole and slowly pulled it over her head. When it was off, she allowed it to float to the ground at her feet. Spike's eyes turned a smoky gray as he looked at her. Buffy felt a slight tremor pass through her body when she saw the look of hunger on Spike's face. She allowed him to look his fill for several seconds and then slipped her fingers under the elastic waistband of her panties and slid them down her legs until she could step out of them. When she stood upright again, she heard a soft growl come from Spike's direction as he waded through the water toward her. When he reached the pool's edge he lifted up both arms to her. She stepped forward, leaned down slightly, and placed her hands on his shoulders. He wrapped his hands around her waist and lifted her up pulling her toward him. He slowly lowered her but stopped when her breasts were level with his mouth. Buffy's breath caught in her throat and she arched her body when he engulfed one breast with his mouth. He sucked and flicked his tongue over the hardened nipple until Buffy was moaning with need. Releasing her nipple with one last hard pull, he switched breasts and began all over again. Buffy couldn't remember ever wanting someone as much as she wanted Spike. When at long last he began lowering her again, she was ready to take him inside her. He had other plans, however, and she found herself straddling him, his cock rubbing between her thighs. Her fingernails dug into his shoulders as the sensation of his cock on her clitoris made her gasp. She saw her own desire reflected on his face and she reached up to pull his head to her. The kiss was deep and intense. When they broke the kiss, Buffy rubbed against him begging, "Please, Spike. I want you so much." He moved his mouth to her ear and whispered, "I'm going to eat you now, little girl." A thrill of fear flashed through Buffy and she tried to pull away, but he held onto her and began pressing kisses down her throat, across her collarbone and down to her breasts. He suckled at each one again and then continued his downward journey. His head disappeared below the surface of the water and Buffy closed her eyes, her head dropping back as he kissed his way down her thighs. When he applied pressure to separate her legs, she willingly, eagerly, complied and his mouth began its journey back up her leg, this time on her inner thighs. Her legs almost buckled and she had to grab hold of the rocky wall of the pool when his mouth latched onto her clit. His tongue flicked lightly over the swollen nub and then he pulled it into his mouth and began to gently suck. Tiny, needy noises came out of Buffy's throat as he laved her with his tongue. He lifted one leg over his shoulder and Buffy's nails dug into the rough rock as the sensations of his mouth on her intensified. She was so near her climax that when he inserted a finger into her slick opening, it was too much and Buffy came with a cry. He slid her leg from his shoulder and then caught her to keep her from falling under the water as her legs collapsed. His head broke the surface of the water again. He ran his hand through her hair and pressed his forehead to hers. "Did you like what I just did to you, love?" he asked in a voice thick with passion. "Oh god, yes," Buffy gasped out. He got a pleased, self-satisfied look on his face. Pulling her mouth to his he kissed her. Buffy could taste herself on him, and it was a very strange, erotic sensation to taste her own release. As if reading her thoughts, he whispered, "Can you taste yourself on my tongue, love? I knew you'd taste like that. All sweet and tangy. I knew I'd love eating you." The feel of his cock pressing against her reawakened Buffy's need and she pressed tightly against him. "Spike, please," she whispered. "You want me in you now, Buffy?" he asked in a thick voice. "Now," she panted, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck. "Please, Spike, I don't want to wait any longer." He reached down and grabbed the back of her thighs lifting her up. She wrapped her legs around his waist and lifted up as he guided his shaft to her opening. When the tip was in place, Buffy lowered herself, taking him slowly in. Their eyes met again and Buffy knew that the look of wonder that was on his face was reflected on her own. When she'd taken him all the way in, they stopped, arms wrapped around each other, adjusting to each other, taking pleasure in the intimacy. Finally Spike positioned his arms so that he protected the tender skin of her back. Leaning her into the pool's wall, he began to move. Buffy had never felt anything like it before in her life. It was as if he'd been made just for her. Every nerve, every muscle responded to his touch, his skin, his movements, his taste, his smell, his voice. He started slowly but increased his pace until he was pounding into her. The way he moved his hips caused shocks of pleasure throughout Buffy's body. She could hear his own gasps and moans and when she tightened her inner muscles, he cried out, "Oh fuck, Buffy! I'm going to come. Come with me, baby." His voice, the frantic pounding her was giving her, all the sensations of this coupling came together in the hardest climax Buffy had ever experienced in her life. She felt herself convulsing around his cock and then his own cry echoed in her ear as he exploded in her. They held onto each other tightly as they recovered. She could feel Spike's legs trembling and knew that he'd been every bit as affected by what they'd just done as she had. At last he raised his head from where it rested in the crook of her neck and looked into her eyes. A joyous smile creased his face and he began to swing around in a circle in the water with her as he laughed. "Oh god," he exclaimed laughingly. "I should have known it'd be like this. I should have realized that the only thing better than killing a slayer would be shagging one." Buffy gasped and pulled back. "What?!" she cried out in shock. He stopped twirling around and looking confused asked, "What's wrong?" "What's wrong? God, you son of a...." She might not have Slayer speed and strength in this dimension, but her aim was true. Spike cried out in pain and his hands flew from around her back to grab at his bleeding nose. Buffy began to fall backward into the water and she twisted around. He was still inside her and when she twisted around she twisted him as well. Spike cried out even louder as he clutched at his wrenched manhood. Buffy made her way through the water as quickly as she could. She pulled herself out of the pool and ran up to where her discarded clothes lie. "Fuck, Buffy," Spike choked out, wiping at his bloody nose and bending over in pain. "What'd you do that for?" Buffy held her bundle of clothes in front of her as a barrier to his eyes and stared at him in fury. "I can't believe what an idiot I am," she spat. "That's all it was to you, wasn't it? Bagging another Slayer?" Her eyes were filled with tears, and she wasn't sure if they were simply tears of anger. "Well here's a news flash for you, Spike. I'm not a Slayer here, remember? I'm just a girl." Turning, she ran from the cavern making her way through the dark tunnel, scraping her skin as she careened into the tunnel walls. She could hear Spike calling out her name as she fled, and it made her move even faster in an attempt to get away from him. When she at last reached the outer cavern, she had to wipe the tears from her eyes so that she could see. The fire Spike had started was still burning, though it had burned down considerably. She carefully added more wood to the fire and then stood in front of it shivering as she pulled on her clothes. She hadn't grabbed her boots in her haste so she had to walk carefully across the rocky floor to stand in front of the cave's entrance. The storm had hit with a fury while they were in the inner cave, and rain was lashing down accompanied by ear-shattering peals of thunder and blinding flashes of lightning. She didn't even hear him enter the cave until he was right behind her. "Buffy," he said placing his hands lightly on her arms. "Don't touch me!" she spat out, jerking her arms away from him. "Buffy, look. I didn't mean that the way it sounded." She turned around and glared at him. He hadn't bothered to put on any clothes, but Buffy ignored his nudity. "No? Then just how did you mean it, Spike? I'm really curious." He sighed and rubbed his hand over the back of his neck. "Look, when I..." he hesitated and then sighed again. "When I killed those two Slayers, it was in honorable combat." She stiffened even more at his words. "Yeah, I know. You don't think there's anything honorable about me, but I defeated them, Buffy. In one-on-one unarmed combat. Well, the Chinese girl did have a sword," he added thoughtfully, lightly touching his scar. "And defeating them gave me the most intense feeling of satisfaction I've ever had." Buffy turned away from him again, unable to look at him as he talked about killing her sister Slayers. "It was the most intense feeling of satisfaction I've ever had until just a few minutes ago," he added softly standing close to her back. She could feel her nerves begin to hum again from his nearness and the sound of his voice. "Making love to you was the most amazing thing I've ever done. But you're right. It wasn't the Slayer I just made love to. It was the girl." He placed his hands on her arms again, pulling her back until she rested against his body. Leaning down, he whispered in her ear, "So I guess that means it's not your Slayerness I crave. It's your Buffyness." Buffy felt her knees go weak at his words, and she closed her eyes when he began to nuzzle at her neck sending chills down her spine. His hands slid down her arms and when they roamed back up it was to cup her breasts. Buffy gasped as his thumbs flicked over her nipples and his teeth nibbled at her earlobe. She could feel his erection pressing against her back. She leaned back into it, but when Spike's hands moved down and began to work at the fastening to her slacks, she listened to the tiny voice in her head and pushed him away. "No, Spike," she said in a breathless voice. "We're not doing that again." "Buffy," Spike began, reaching for her again. "No!" she said, batting his hands away desperately. "It's not going to happen again. It shouldn't have happened the first time, but I was weak. And I forgot. What you are. Who you are. I don't know why I keep forgetting," she said in small voice racked with confusion. Then she tilted her chin up and said in a stronger voice, "I'm not interested in taking another vampire lover, Spike. I loved Angel more than anything in this world and it turned into a disaster. People died. I'm not going through that again, especially with a vampire I don't love." Spike stiffened and the expression on his face quickly changed from beseeching to hurt to unreadable mask. Buffy almost faltered, but she forced herself to ignore her reaction to his obvious hurt and pressed on. "I think it's best if we just keep away from each other as much as possible while we're here. And I think that once we get back home, you should leave Sunnydale." Spike stared at her silently and then laughed cynically. His eyes narrowed and the color of his irises turned from sparkling blue to slate gray. Buffy could feel his barely restrained anger. "Is that right, Slayer? You want us to keep away from each other? Remember that the next time you get cold," he said with a sneer. "But I'll keep away from you while we're here, just like you want. We had a bit of fun back there, but it was just sex. Just another notch in your bedpost, yeah?" He took a step closer, and Buffy felt her heartbeat accelerate in alarm. "I just hope I was better in the sack than your last one-night stand." Buffy flushed at this reminder that he had seen her humiliation with Parker, and his next words tore at her heart though she tried to ignore the pain she felt. "And don't worry about when we get back home, Slayer. You're not so special I'll think twice about you once we're back in good old Sunnyhell. I just hope you don't chase after me the way you did that Parker git, because that's really pathetic." Buffy swallowed but refused to show how much his words had hurt and shamed her. "But I'm not going to leave town," he continued with a hint of a threat in his voice. "Not until I get this sodding chip out of my head. And when that happens, Slayer, you'll be the very first to know." He turned to leave, but stopped and turned back, his eyes glacial. "And by the way, you knew exactly who I was in there, pet. It was my name you screamed when you came." With those final words, he turned on his heel and walked away. Buffy wrapped her arms around herself and pushed down the hurt his words had caused. She assured herself she'd done the right thing. Getting involved with Spike would be the biggest mistake of her life, but her feelings for him were a jumble right now, and she just didn't understand why. She brushed yet another tear from her eyes. Maybe it was this crazy dimension and once they were back home, she'd go right back to hating him again. Things would be back to normal then. She shivered and hugged herself tighter. It was from the cold air in the cave, she told herself. Not from the sudden feeling of loss she had.

Chapter #9 - Chapter 9

Buffy stayed as long as she could in the outer cave, adding the remaining firewood to the fire and huddling next to it as cold wind and rain blew past the entrance. When the cold finally drove her back to the inner cavern, she saw that Spike had gotten dressed and was now lying down, his eyes closed, perfectly still. She couldn't tell whether or not he was actually asleep. She took a wide path around him and found her own place to curl up. She tried to sleep but too many thoughts kept running through her mind; the way she was unable to control her attraction to Spike, his care for her since they'd come to this world, and, no matter how much she tried to not think about it, the feeling she'd had as they'd... Her mind shied away from calling it making love. You made love with someone you cared about. She'd made love with Angel and Riley. Hell, at the time she considered it making love to Parker. But she wouldn't - couldn't - call it making love with Spike. It was a thing. A bad thing. A really bad thing. A really bad thing that'd felt really, really good. Buffy rolled over with a groan. Okay, it really wasn't anything worth obsessing over. She'd already decided to break up with Riley, so she hadn't cheated, technically. Besides, lots of people have sex with people they don't even know and they enjoy it and it's no big deal. They get off, get dressed, and go home without a second thought. That's what this was. No big deal. Spike had been right about one thing. It was just sex, nothing special. Buffy pushed down the hurt the memory of his words caused. At least Spike wasn't a stranger, Buffy continued with her rationalization. She'd known him longer than she'd known Riley, even if it was in a "we're mortal enemies and I'm going to kill you now" kind of way. Anyway this whole mess was probably the fault of their being in this dimension, or maybe they were suffering a hangover from that stupid spell of Willow's. After all, she really hadn't felt much like staking Spike since then. Buffy blinked as that realization hit her. Okay, that's what this was all about, she thought with a sigh of satisfaction at solving the mystery over her sudden, overwhelming attraction to Spike. It was all Willow's fault. She closed her eyes just knowing that now she would fall asleep. She felt soft lips on her mouth, a tongue slipping past her lips to caress her tongue, hands gliding wraith-like over her skin, passing lightly over her breasts, teasing her and bringing her body to readiness for him. Her eyes flew open to find that she was alone. She was trembling in frustrated longing, her heart pounding and her breath coming out in little panting gasps. Sitting up, she ran a shaking hand through her tangled hair. She looked at the gently steaming pool and decided to take her aborted bath. The water would help relax her, calm her down. Glancing at Spike, she saw that he still lay in the same position he'd been in when she'd returned, obviously asleep. As quietly as possible she removed her clothes and slipped into the pool. The water felt glorious and she luxuriated in it, allowing the heat to soak away her tensions. As quietly as possible she swam across the pool using the exercise to calm her, concentrating on each stroke of her arms and blocking out any thoughts of Spike. At last tiring from her swim, she found her footing and stood upright. She cautiously glanced at Spike again. He'd rolled to his side facing her, but he still appeared to be deeply asleep. Buffy began to rub lightly at her body with her hands, washing as best she could without soap. When she was finished, she allowed herself to float, shutting her eyes and drifting aimlessly. As her body drifted, so did her mind, and she was back in the pool with Spike, his hands and mouth touching her in ways she'd never known before. She relived every touch, every whisper, the feel of him as he entered her, the taste of his mouth, the texture of his skin. She was aching with the memories when a small noise disturbed her reverie. Her eyes flew open to see Spike crouched at the edge of the pool, his eyes glowing hotly as he watched her. Buffy gasped, righted herself and crossed her arms over her chest in an effort to cover herself. She wanted to yell at him to stop looking at her, to go away and leave her in peace, but her body betrayed her and she found she couldn't speak. Her heart was pounding so loudly she was amazed that the sound didn't echo off the cave walls. Her gaze remained locked to his, and though she tried to turn away from him, she took one step forward instead. He didn't move, didn't speak, but Buffy could feel him pulling her toward him. She took another step forward. He stood up and extended a hand toward her. Buffy hesitated, trying to fight the pull. He still didn't speak, just stood there with hand extended. As if drawn to him by an invisible cord, she waded though the water on shaky legs. When she reached him, she held up her hands. He grasped them and pulled her out of the water. With a growl, he pulled her tight against his body plundering her mouth with his own. Buffy could feel his clothes becoming soaked from the water that drained from her body, but neither paid attention to it. She wrapped her arms around his neck and answered his kiss with her own desperation. He swung her up in his arms and headed back to where his duster lay like a pallet on the cave floor. He placed her gently down and then moved back to hurriedly remove his clothing. Spreading her legs, he positioned himself to enter her, and then hesitated. "Who am I, Buffy?" he said in a tight, strained voice. "Spike," she whispered. "What am I, Buffy?" "Vampire," she gasped as the tip of his penis slipped into her. He smashed his mouth to hers once more as he plunged into her, cutting off the words that were on the tip of her tongue. Much later, when Buffy was able to think coherently again, she was glad he'd silenced her before she'd let slip words she wasn't ready to say. They made love for hours. He taught her things about her body she never knew and things about his body she'd never suspected. His body became marred with scratch marks and love bites; hers with bruises caused by his strong fingers and sucking mouth. At last, they fell into an exhausted, sated slumber. It was the discomfort of her insistent bladder that awoke her several hours later. She was wrapped tightly in Spike's arms and had to wiggle her way out of his embrace while he slept on like, well, the dead. Buffy picked up his discarded shirt and pulled it on, buttoning it up as she walked to the tunnel. The outer cave was even colder than before and shrouded in complete darkness when she reached the tunnel's end, the fire having long since burned out. A dim light from the cave mouth guided her to the entrance. The lightning and thunder had passed, but rain still poured down. Buffy slipped outside allowing the overhang of the mountain to shelter her a bit and relieved herself. Shivering from the cold, she stepped back into the cave's entrance and stuck out her cupped hands to gather some of the rainwater. She brought her cupped hands to her lips and greedily drank down the water then thrust her hands out again. "Buffy? What are you doing out here, love? You'll catch your death." Buffy turned to see Spike, once again nude she noted with amusement, walking toward her. "I had to pee," she said. "And I'm dying of thirst." The cold rain blew in on her and a shiver tore through her body as she finished speaking. "Yeah, well, tell you what. Let's get you back inside where it's warm, and I'll bring the flask back, fill it up, and you can have a nice drink. How's that then?" Buffy stared at him in amazement. Every time he did something like this, thought about her comfort, brought her food or gave her water, it surprised her. Spike just wouldn't fit nicely into the Vampires, All Evil All the Time mold. He held out his hand to her and she took it. He pulled her to him for a kiss and then led her carefully through the cave and passageway and back to his duster. Searching through the pockets of the coat he pulled out his hip flask and started to rise when her stomach growled loudly. He grinned at her embarrassment and then reaching into another pocket, he brought out a slightly bruised and battered fruit. Handing it to her he said with a shy smile, "Sorry, love. I was going to give this to you last night, but then, well..." He gave a one-shoulder, half-apologetic shrug. Buffy reached out and took the fruit. "Thank you, Spike," she said around the lump in her throat. He looked embarrassed now and quickly stood up. "Right, I'll get you some water to go with your breakfast." He walked rapidly across the cave and disappeared into the tunnel. Buffy wiped the fruit off on Spike's shirt and took a bite. Chewing slowly, she tried to make her meal last as long as possible. By the looks of things, the rain wasn't going to stop anytime soon so there was no telling how long it would be before she got anything else to eat. Spike was back before she'd gotten half the fruit eaten. Sitting down next to her, he opened the flask and held it out. Buffy took it gratefully and drank several refreshing swallows before handing it back to him. He recapped the flask and laid it aside, watching as Buffy took another bite from the fruit. She swallowed and was bringing the fruit back to her mouth to take another bite when Spike said, "You've got a bit in the corner of your mouth, love. Let me get it." Buffy expected him to wipe it off with his thumb. Instead he leaned forward and licked the corner of her mouth with the tip of his tongue. Buffy's heart started thumping, and when their eyes met Spike's mouth descended, his arm slipped around her back, and he pulled her to him. The fruit fell from Buffy's hand as she wrapped her arms around him. He removed his shirt from her and lowered her back down onto his duster, his hand cupping her breast, his thumb flicking across the nipple, his cock pressing against her thighs, his mouth capturing her sighs and groans. Buffy opened her legs to him and threaded one hand through his hair while they kissed. God, she loved kissing him. He could be savage and tender and teasing, all in the blink of an eye. He moved his hand down between her thighs separating her outer lips so he could slide his cock over her clitoris. Buffy moaned and bucked under him while sparks danced under her closed eyelids. "You like that, baby?" Spike grunted, his mouth sliding over her mouth and neck. "Oh god, yes," His mouth returned to hers kissing her deeply as they continued to rub together. Finally he lifted his head gasping out "Need you, Buffy. Need you now." Buffy raised her legs, inviting him in. He slipped inside her and she wrapped her arms and legs around him moving to his rhythm until once again they cried out in release. He collapsed on top of her, drawing in deep lungfuls of calming air. Rolling over, he pulled her on top of him. Her thighs tightened around him keeping him trapped within her. He was still hard and Buffy knew that if she wanted to, she could ride him until they both came again. But Buffy truly believed that if that happened, she'd become a gibbering idiot from orgasmic overload. At last he softened enough that he slipped from her and Buffy sighed and laid her head on his chest. She wanted to sleep. She wanted to get back in the pool and bathe. Her stomach growled. "I lost my fruit," she murmured sleepily. She could feel his lips curve into a smile as he kissed the top of her head. "I'll get you more fruit, love. I'll get you anything you want." She lifted herself up slightly and looked into his eyes. "I want to go home." Spike frowned slightly and pushed her hair back from her face. "Can't wait to get away from me, eh, Slayer?" Now it was Buffy's turn to frown. She pushed herself up further, inadvertently giving Spike a lovely view of her small breasts. "It's not that, Spike. I'm the Slayer. I have responsibilities. While we're here making..." her voice trailed off and she blushed. "While we're lost here, anything could be happening in Sunnydale. Who knows what that little toad demon that sent us here is up to? And we've been here, what? Four days? My mom and my friends must be worried sick by now. I need to get back home." Spike ran a finger over the silky skin of her collarbone. "And what happens to us when we get back home?" Buffy rolled away from him and stood up. Grabbing up his red shirt again, she slipped it on and walked to the pool. She stood with her arms wrapped around herself, her back to him, staring into the steaming water. "I don't know." "So this is what? A holiday shag?" Buffy just shrugged. "I don't know what this is, Spike, except something that shouldn't be happening." She glanced over at him and away again. "Anyway, I thought you said I wasn't anything special." He stood up and walked over to her. He slipped his arms around her waist and drew her back until she was resting against him. "Yeah, well I was lying, and you know it. You keep saying that this shouldn't be happening between us, Buffy, but do you think this'll all go away once we're back home?" "It has to, Spike," she said in a barely audible voice. He turned her around then, took her face in his hands and kissed her. She resisted for about three seconds and then her arms slid around his waist and she opened her mouth to his insistent tongue. His hands slid down and grabbed the rounded globes of her ass, pressing her tightly against his rapidly hardening cock. Lifting his mouth from hers, he asked, "Do you want me again?" "No," she lied. He recaptured her mouth and pulled one of her thighs around his waist. Bending his knees, he found her slick opening and easily slipped inside. Buffy gasped, wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and allowed him to pull her other leg around his waist lifting her up until she was wrapped securely around him. Turning, he walked back to their nest, knelt down, and lowered her onto his duster. Still kneeling, he raised her hips with his hands and began to thrust, his eyes never leaving her face. "Look down, Buffy," he ordered softly. "Watch what I'm doing to you." Buffy obediently looked down and watched his long, thick cock slowly sliding in and out of her body. It was the most erotic thing she'd ever seen and she felt her stomach muscles clench in reaction. "We're perfect together, Love," he continued, his words coming out in rhythmic grunts. "And when you have your Slayer strength back, we'll knock Sunnydale down to bedrock." Lowering her hips, he pressed closer to her, thrusting harder, holding her head and kissing her fiercely. Buffy responded in kind. She was getting sore, and she was tired, but she couldn't resist him. And when he brought her to climax yet again, she cried out his name and hugged him to her riding out the shudders that ripped through her body. As they recovered yet again, Buffy really began to worry about what would happen once they were back in Sunnydale again. And that was assuming that they could get back to Sunnydale again.

Chapter #10 - Chapter 10

They fell asleep again, and when they awoke they made use of the pool to bathe. Both of them were getting very hungry, and a trip to the outer cave showed that darkness had once again fallen and the rain had finally stopped. "It'll be muddy as hell out there tomorrow, Buffy, but we'll need to leave and find food and water for you. And I need to hunt." Buffy turned to look worriedly at him. "You okay for now?" Spike smirked and ran a finger down her neck causing little goose bumps to break out over her flesh. "Don't worry, love. Any bites I give you will be purely recreational." As if to prove his point, he leaned down and lightly nipped at her shoulder. Buffy smiled and turned her face up to him. He obligingly kissed her. Turning back around to look out into the night, she couldn't keep a sigh from escaping. She was so tired of being here. She was tired of being hungry and cold and sleeping on the hard ground and being dirty. Bathing in the pool was better than nothing, but without soap, Buffy didn't feel clean. As if reading her mind again, Spike wrapped his arms around her and murmured. "Come on, love. Let's go back inside. In the morning we'll start searching for a way out of here again." She nodded and they returned to their haven to wait out the night. The next morning they made love, bathed one last time in their pool, and left the cave. Spike had been right; the footing was muddy and hazardous, made even more so by the thick mist that covered the hillside and valley floor. They returned to the forest, and Buffy discovered that the fog had no apparent affect on Spike's vampire senses as he led them unerringly through the woods to one of the fruit trees. The storm had knocked the fruits off the tree, and Buffy gathered as many as she could while Spike went off hunting for his own breakfast. Another stream was nearby, the current running fast with runoff from the storm. Buffy was thankful that the water wasn't muddy and drank deeply, then filled the flask Spike had handed her before leaving. She found a relatively dry rock and sat down to eat her breakfast. She was on her third piece of fruit when she heard a sharp animal cry in the distance. Spike had found his own breakfast. He returned to her, his cheeks flushed with the blood of his kill, and sat beside her on the rock, his arm around her waist. They had just started discussing which way they should travel when blinding light surrounded them. They cried out and clung to each other as a wave of vertigo overcame them. When the dizziness passed, Buffy looked around in amazement. Jumping up, she exclaimed, "Are we home?" Spike stood up more slowly, taking in the playground fixtures, the benches, water fountain, and hedges. "Looks like it." "How?" He shook his head. "Don't know, love. I'm just glad we made it back before sunrise." He nodded in the direction of the east and Buffy saw that the sky was beginning to lighten. "Spike, you better get home before you get caught in the sunrise," she said in alarm. "We'd better make sure this really is Sunnydale, love, and everything's back to normal." Moving close to her again, he set his body and stuck out his chin. "What are you talking about?" Buffy asked, confused by his actions. Spike sighed. "Hit me, Slayer. Make sure you've got your strength back." "Oh," she said in comprehension. Instead of hitting him, however, she walked over to one of the park benches and easily lifted it from the ground. "Yep, everything seems to be in working order," she smiled. "Now go on, Spike. Get home before it's too late." "I think I'd like to know how long we've been gone before we split up, Buffy." Buffy considered his words and then nodded. "Yeah, everything looks the same but it's best to know. Come on, there should be a newspaper vending machine at the end of the corner." They took off running, and Buffy delighted in her returned strength and speed. They came to the corner just as the newspaper delivery truck was leaving. Walking up to the vending machine, Buffy read the date on the newspaper. "Spike," she exclaimed. "It's tomorrow. I mean, the date is the date of the day after the day we left." She saw Spike's amused look at her rather convoluted sentence and pouted, "You know what I mean." "Yeah, love, I do." She looked up at the rapidly lightning sky and turned to Spike. "We were there what? Five days? But here, it was only about eight hours." "So it seems." With each second that passed the sky grew lighter. Buffy glanced up again and said insistently, "Spike, you have to go now!" "Yeah, all right." He pulled her into his arms. "You coming by the crypt later?" No, Buffy thought. We're home now. It's all over and I can't be with you like that again. But when she opened her mouth she heard herself saying, "Yeah. As soon as I can get there this evening." Spike smiled, kissed her, gave her a swat on the ass and jogged off, playing chicken with the rising sun. Buffy sighed as she watched him disappear around a corner. When had her evil twin, Vamp Ho Buffy, completely taken over her life? But she knew exactly when. The first time they'd lain together on the cold hard ground in the other dimension and he'd wrapped her in his arms. Or maybe even before that, but she didn't want to dwell on the subject too much. Turning toward Sunnydale University, she headed for a hot shower and her own soft, warm bed. *** Willow was still sound asleep when Buffy crept quietly into the dorm room. Grabbing up her pajamas, toiletry bag, and towel, she hurried into the showers. She stood under the hot running water, shampooing, conditioning, shaving and scrubbing until her skin was pink and tender. Getting out of the shower, she toweled off, pulled on her pajamas and brushed and flossed until she finally felt clean. By the time she was finished, the stress and exhaustion of the past several days caught up with her and she stumbled back to the dorm room to collapse face down on her bed. She immediately fell into a deep, dreamless sleep. *** "Buffy? Buffy? Wake up now, Buffy." The words drifted into Buffy's consciousness and her eyes fluttered opened to see the face of a very concerned Giles. "Giles? What's up?" Buffy said groggily. "Buffy, thank god you're awake. You've given us quite a fright." "Why? What happened?" "I couldn't get you to wake up," Willow's voice said nervously. "You wouldn't wake up this morning, but I just figured you'd had a rough night battling the forces of evil so I just let you sleep in. But then you didn't wake up when I came back to the dorm at noon, and you were still sleeping when I came back from the library. I was afraid you'd been bitten by some kind of tsetse fly demon or something, so I called Giles." "Yes, we've been terribly worried. I have Xander and Anya back at my apartment doing research in what could have caused your condition. Willow stayed here with me in case I needed her assistance." Buffy sat up pushing her tangled hair out of her face. She hadn't even bothered to dry it before falling into bed last night. "What time is it?" she asked through a yawn. "Past six," Giles said. "In the evening?" Buffy asked shocked. "Yes, so you can see why we were concerned. Can you tell us what happened to make you sleep so deeply?" "Yeah," she said, wondering how best to stall the explanation until she was more coherent. She wasn't ready for them to know about everything that had happened while she and Spike had been away. "Look, I need to get dressed and get something to eat. I'm starving. Could we meet back at your place in say, oh, about an hour or so? Then I can tell you everything that happened. Okay, Giles?" "Well, yes, if you feel well enough now," Giles said stepping back away from the bed. "Willow will stay with you just in case you need her, all right?" "Yeah, sure. I'll see you later, Giles." Nodding, her Watcher left the dorm room. "You sure you're okay?" Willow asked nervously. "I swear I didn't do any spells that could have caused this, Buffy." Her guilt over the disastrous results of her last spell was still obviously preying on her mind. Buffy smiled at her friend as she began to gather her things together. "I know that, Will. It really has nothing to do with you." Once she had everything she needed she headed back over to the bathroom. Ten minutes later, she returned to the dorm room. She quickly dressed in a long denim skirt, scooped neck pale blue sweater and knee high boots. She pinned her hair up, put on her makeup and then turned to her worried roommate. "Come on. Let's go get some dinner." *** "That's it," Buffy said pointing at a picture in one of Giles's books. "That's the toad demon I was fighting." Everyone leaned over to look. Buffy had given them a carefully expurgated version of her adventures over the past several, to her, days. "Oh, that's a Todalious Demon, Buffy," Anya said. "You didn't need to attack it. They're non-violent." "Non-violent?" Buffy exclaimed. "Anya, it knocked Spike and me around like we were sock puppets and then sent us to another dimension. We didn't even know if we would ever get back!" Anya shrugged. "You attacked it, Buffy. Of course it defended itself. And it brought you back when it was finished with its business here." "What business, Anya?" Giles asked in concern. "Shopping, I'd imagine." "Shopping?" a chorus of voices inquired. "For what?"" Buffy asked. "Mushrooms." Giles removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes tiredly. "You're telling us that this, uh, Todalious Demon came here to buy mushrooms?" Anya nodded. "Portabello." "Why?" Buffy asked, a thoroughly nonplussed look on her face. "Because they like them and can't grow them in their home dimension," Anya answered reasonably. "A merchant who comes here and buys a few pounds of mushrooms would become moderately wealthy." Turning suddenly to Xander, she said, "Xander, you could do that. Then you wouldn't have to sell dry tasteless energy bars to your friends. You could make lots of money and buy me many nice things." "Yeah, good idea, Anya." Xander said dryly. "There's only the little problem of actually, you know, getting to the toad's dimension." "Oh," Anya said downcast. "Yes, that would be a problem." "Plus, I understand the currency exchange rate between Earth and the toad dimension really sucks right now," Willow quipped. "So this Toadalicious demon didn't cause any problems while I was gone?" Buffy asked ignoring the byplay. "Not that we are aware of, Buffy," Giles answered. "And in point of fact," he continued, "you were only gone a few hours by our reckoning." "Seemed longer to me," Buffy murmured. Giles gave her a small smile and made a little sidewise nod. "Yes, well having had to endure Spike's company for an extended period of time, I can sympathize. I can only assure you that one does eventually recover from the experience." Buffy stood up abruptly. "Yeah. Well, now that I know that the toad demon didn't cause any problems, I think I'll return to my regularly scheduled patrol." "If you wished to take tonight off, Buffy, I don't think Sunnydale would suffer overmuch." "Thanks, Giles," Buffy said as she headed to the door. "But I'm fine. I'm all rested, clean, and fed, and I really need to go burn off some energy. I'll see you guys later." With that, she slipped through the door closing it tightly behind her.

Chapter #11 - Chapter 11

Buffy drew in a deep breath and headed in the direction of Spike's crypt. During dinner, Willow had casually asked Buffy if she were going to see Riley that evening. Buffy had made the excuse that she didn't know exactly when Riley would be back. Which was true, even if it wasn't the reason she wasn't going to see Riley tonight. She knew that tomorrow, or the next day, whenever she did see Riley again, she would have to break up with him. It wouldn't be easy because she really did care for him, and she was aware of how much he cared for her. Plus, he had been her way into The Initiative, and she really wanted to know exactly what they were up to. But that was a worry for tomorrow, or the next day. The sun had set and the vampires of Sunnydale would be on the prowl, but for tonight, Buffy was concerned with only one particular vampire. Maybe, at some distant point in the future, Buffy would recover from the experience of Spike, but for now... Buffy's heart stared pounding and her body warmed at the thought of Spike, and she started walking faster. She was halfway to Spike's crypt when she started to slow up and finally stopped completely as the realization of where she was going, what she was planning on doing when she got there, sank in. Oh god, she whispered desperately to herself. I'm rushing to have sex with Spike. Not just sex, Buffy's irritating little internal voice told her. You want to see him, talk to him. You miss him, and it's only been a few hours since you were with him. Buffy groaned, leaned against a tree, and lowered her head to her hands. She couldn't argue with herself over that. She did want to see him, be with him. She was well aware that he was irritating and arrogant and, well, evil. But he could also be sweet and considerate and funny. She'd come to know a whole different Spike on their adventure. And when it came to making love... Buffy flushed at the memory of their lovemaking. But it all came back to one thing. Slayer - vampire. I can't do this, she thought miserably. I shouldn't do this. What would her friends think? What would Giles think? What would her mother think? She was seriously thinking about breaking up with a perfectly nice, normal guy so she could date another vampire. Well, okay, she was going to break up with Riley no matter what; she'd decided that even before she'd had sex with Spike. But she just couldn't continue with Spike. She was the Slayer. She knew what was expected of her. Being with Spike was wrong. She knew it. Not seeing him again was right. She knew that too. Why did she feel so miserable about doing the right thing? She pushed away from the tree, glanced in the direction she'd been heading, and determinedly turned in the opposite direction. She'd do what she'd told her friends she was going to do. Patrol. And when she was finished, she'd go back to the dorm, study, and go to bed. She'd put Spike and what had happened between them out of her mind. As for Spike, well surely he would realize she'd changed her mind when she didn't show up. When she found herself standing outside Spike's crypt thirty minutes later, she sighed. Okay, she felt guilty about just leaving Spike hanging, waiting for her to show up. She'd do the right thing and tell him she wasn't going to be with him. That way she wouldn't have her conscience nagging at her. Opening the door, she was surprised to see the interior of the crypt was pitch dark. "Spike?" "Down here, love." Buffy glanced around in confusion until her eyes adjusted enough to the gloom for her to make out a glow coming from the floor near the sarcophagus. Walking cautiously over to it, she saw that it was a trapdoor leading down to a lower level. "Spike? You down there?" "Yeah. Come on down, Buffy." When Buffy reached the lower level she saw Spike holding up a tape measure against one of the walls of a chamber that appeared to be carved out of the bedrock. "What are you doing?" He glanced at her with a smile. "Grab the end of this, will you, love? I'm measuring to see where it'd be best to put the bed." "Bed?" Buffy asked weakly. "Well, yeah. Don't expect you'd want to use that sarcophagus upstairs when you come to visit so I thought I'd fix this room up. Bring in a nice comfy bed. You'd like that, wouldn't you?" "Spike, look, we have to talk," she said uncomfortably. He looked at her and pulled the tape measure away from the wall. "Don't tell me," he said with a sigh. "Let me guess. You've changed your mind again. You're the Slayer; I'm a vampire. This is wrong. Blah. Blah. Blah." "It is wrong, Spike," Buffy said quietly, "and you know it is." "Yeah, I do know it, Buffy. And I don't care." He came up to her and laid his arms over her shoulders, clasped his hands together and leaned into her. "I don't care if it's wrong," he repeated softly. "I just want to be with you. And you want to be with me; I know it." "Spike-" But she got no further as he captured her mouth. Buffy's knees betrayed her once again and she grabbed onto him for support. His arms slid off her shoulders and he wrapped them around her waist, drawing her tightly against him. Their mouths parted and came together again as the frenzy of their passion grew. Spike lifted her up and pushed her against a wall, his hand trailing down to pull up her skirt. Buffy lifted her leg and wrapped it around his waist as his hand slid up her thigh and over her hip. His mouth caressed her neck and Buffy's gasping breath filled the small cavern. "Need you, Buffy," Spike whispered as his hand trailed around and pushed aside the crotch of her panties. Buffy gasped as his fingers slid over her clit and she titled her head to give him access as he nibbled at her neck. "It's been too long since I've had you, love." "This morning," Buffy panted. "It was morning there," Spike said is a growling, passion-driven voice. "Days have passed there since we were together. I can't be without you for days, Buffy." He pushed a finger inside her. She was so ready for him that he easily slid inside. He added another finger, stroking her swollen inner flesh until she sobbed in need. His hand left her then, and he fumbled at his zipper trying to free himself. The sound of the door upstairs slamming open and the shouts of male voices broke through the haze of their lovemaking. Their heads snapped to the side as a voice called out, "This crypt's occupied, men. Fan out and search for the HST." "Riley," Buffy whispered as she pushed Spike away. The sound of Riley's voice had immediately cooled her ardor. She straightened her clothes and then turned to Spike. "I'll get rid of them. You stay here and keep quiet." Spike nodded and glanced nervously up at the trapdoor. Buffy hurried to the ladder and then hesitated a second. She came back to Spike, took his head in her hands and kissed him. "Goodbye, Spike," she said softly with a hitch in her voice. "Buffy," he whispered, desperately grabbing at her, but she slipped from his grasp. She scrambled up the ladder and shielded her eyes when several flashlight beams blinded her. "Hey, guys! It's me." "Buffy!" Riley hurried over to her and held out a hand to help her out of the opening in the floor. "What are you doing here?" "I was going to ask you the same thing. I thought you guys were out on marauders." "Maneuvers," Riley answered with a smile. "And we were. We got back about an hour ago. We reported in and Professor Walsh had an emergency assignment for us. We're searching for a Polgara demon that was reported in the area. Have you seen it?" "Nope. Never heard of it," Buffy said casually leading Riley away from the trapdoor. "So what were you doing down there?" "Down there? Oh, uh, just taking care of the crypt's occupant. You guys don't have to worry about him." "Good. So, you want to join us in our hunt?" "No, thanks, Riley. I really need to get back to the dorm." Forrest was standing next to a small TV set and as he turned to leave, he lifted up his rifle preparing to smash the butt of the rifle into the TV's screen. "Stop!" Buffy shouted. Riley looked at her in surprise. "Uh, it's just that if that TV works, uh, Xander needs a new TV and maybe he might want it." "At ease, soldier," Riley officiously told Forrest. Forrest scowled at Buffy and left the crypt with the rest of the unit. "He really doesn't like me, you know." "Sure he does," Riley insisted. Buffy shrugged, not really caring if Forrest liked her or not, and followed the men into the cool night air. Outside the crypt, Riley stopped her. "I'm not sure how long we'll be tonight, but if you want to wait in my room..." "No," Buffy said a bit too quickly. Calming down a bit, she explained, "I really need to study tonight. Could we meet up tomorrow for coffee or something?" Riley gave her a pleased smile. "Sure, I have a free hour at ten. We can meet for coffee then if you like." "Yeah, okay. That's good for me too. I'll meet you at the cafeteria, okay?" "Okay." He glanced around to where his men were waiting for him. "Look, I've got to go. See you tomorrow." Buffy watched for a bit as the men moved away, and then looked once more at the door to Spike's crypt. It was hard to resist the desire she felt to return to Spike and finish what they'd started, but she pushed past her feelings and left. She walked through the cemetery with her arms wrapped tightly around herself as if holding herself together. Tomorrow she was going to break up with one boyfriend because she was afraid she would never love him, and tonight she'd broken up with another because she was afraid she would. Welcome to my life, she thought miserably.

Chapter #12 - Chapter 12

Spike waited anxiously while Buffy headed off the goon squad that had invaded his home. He hated the fear he felt every time he saw one of the uniformed bastards, and he hated hiding behind the Slayer's skirts. One day he would be free again, and on that day he vowed he'd get his revenge. At last he heard them leave and he relaxed slightly. It was then that he began to worry about Buffy. Was she going to return to him? He knew she'd been as worked up as he was, but she was a stubborn little thing. She'd come to break up with him, but he'd been able to wear down her resistance with a single kiss. He just needed to keep her on her back until she was as addicted to him as he was to her. He cautiously climbed the ladder to the upper level, listening to make sure the soldiers didn't suddenly return, and crept to his front door. Pressing his ear against the thick wood, he tried to make out any sounds from outside. He heard the murmur of voices and sensed Buffy's presence. He decided to return to the lower level for a while until the commandos had time to leave the area. When he felt he'd waited long enough, he climbed up the ladder and hurried to his door. A quick listen assured him that no one was talking outside, and he couldn't sense Buffy's presence any longer. Carefully opening the door, he slipped out, listening, scenting the air. The commandos had gone one way but Buffy's scent led him in a different direction. Breaking into a loping trot, he followed the musky scent trail and soon caught sight of Buffy. He slowed up as he watched her walk. She had her arms wrapped around herself and was hunched in on herself. Poor lamb, he thought. Once she gives over, admits she wants me, she'll be happy again. With that thought in mind, he ran up to her and took her arm, turning her around. "Didn't think you could get away from me that easily, did you, pet?" he asked with a smile. He stopped smiling when she jerked her arm out of his grasp. "Go home, Spike. It's over between us." "It's not, Buffy. You were all over me back there before your soldier boy showed up." Buffy closed her eyes briefly. "You need to get over what happened in that other dimension. We were forced into a weird situation and it made us crazy, but we're home now and things need to go back to normal." She turned around and started to walk away from him, but he reached out and grabbed her arm again. The force of his body hitting a tree startled him more than hurt him, and he felt his temper rise. He jumped up, ready to hit back, but stopped. Not because the chip wouldn't allow him to hurt her, but because he saw the tears in her eyes. "Leave me alone, Spike," she whispered. "I don't want you anymore." He watched silently as she ran from his sight. *** Spike spent the next week or so in an alcoholic haze that he didn't come out of until he was beaten bloody by a group of demons at Willy's. They warned him against killing any more his own kind but left him undusted, at least for now. He managed to get home just before sunrise and spent several days healing. After that, he spent less time drunk and more time hunting. The first ones he tracked down were the demons that had beaten him up. The fights and violence helped him keep his mind off of Buffy. He saw her occasionally from a distance. Sometimes he'd follow her, watching her as she patrolled or hung out with her friends. The lack of Riley Finn in her entourage intrigued him, but he never approached her. The memory of the tears in her eyes tore at him, and he didn't want to cause her further pain. Sometimes though, he raged at himself for allowing the memory of tears to hold him back. Ever since he'd awakened to his new life, he'd taken what he wanted. Tears had never stopped him. He'd thrived on tears and pain and sex and fear and blood. But now he couldn't take the thing he wanted most. Not just because she was the Slayer he told himself, but because of the chip in his head. He'd do just about anything to get that hated bit of wiring out of his cranium. *** Winter passed into spring and the buzz in the demon community centered around two subjects. The first was that Maggie Walsh, the bitch in charge of The Initiative, had been skewered by a Polgara demon and was dead. He drank a silent toast in honor of the demon that had put Maggie Walsh out of everyone's misery. The second was that a powerful new unknown was killing and dissecting humans and demons alike. Since very few of the bar's patrons would associate with him - the rather gruesome deaths of the demons that had beaten him up had not gone unnoticed and he was given a wide berth wherever he went - Spike learned this news by overhearing the gossip in Willy's. Feigning disinterest, Spike listened carefully to the conversations going on around him. He didn't care about the deaths of either human or demon, but he knew that whatever the thing was that was doing the killing, the Slayer would be on the hunt for it. Hearing nothing that would either help or hurt the Slayer, he tossed back the last of his blood chaser, got up, and left the bar. ** It was late the next morning and Spike was snoozing on the sarcophagus in his crypt when footsteps slowly approached. Just as a hand was about to reach his throat, Spike grabbed it. Without opening his eyes he said with amusement, "From the sound of those massive mud flaps, I'd peg you as a demon. Which means you're in for a world of..." He opened his eyes to see a huge Frankenstein-like demon. "Pain," he finished, his eyes widening. He threw aside his blanket, jumped off the sarcophagus, and looked in shock at the massive monster. "Spike, I want you to come with me." "Do you?" he asked with a shrug. "Well, let's go then," he said agreeably. He acted as if he were turning to leave and then swung back to punch the intruder in the gut. It was like punching concrete. He shook his hand as it throbbed with pain. "Ow." "Come," the monster said taking a step forward. Spike jumped back. "You're going to help me with my problem." "Why is that, exactly?" It smiled in pleasure. "I'm going to help you with yours." *** The lights were on in Giles's apartment. Spike hesitated for a second, then straightened his shoulders, put on his Big Bad, and turned the doorknob. The door was unlocked and he walked in unimpeded by human or supernatural barriers. Giles sat in an armchair reading a book while music played softly from the stereo. A glass of amber liquid sat on a side table within easy reach. "I wouldn't say no to a drink, Giles. Thanks." Giles started up out of his chair and frowned when he saw Spike. Taking off his glasses he demanded, "How did you get in here?" "Through the door," Spike explained with a smirk. "It was unlocked. You should watch that. Someone dangerous could get in." "Or someone formerly dangerous and now merely annoying," Giles shot back. "What do you want?" Spike shrugged, walked over to the side table and took up Giles's drink. "This will do for a start," he said, saluting Giles and downing the whiskey. "Good stuff." "You've had your drink," Giles said coldly. "Now get out." Spike set the glass down and sighed. "Look, I didn't come here for drinkies, mate. I've got important information I thought you might like to know about. It concerns the Slayer." "And this information would be?" Giles asked distrustfully. "I know what's been mutilating the bodies that have been showing up." "Thank you, Spike, but we're already aware of what it is." "Oh. Then I guess you know what its plan is." Giles hesitated. "Are you telling me you do?" "Yeah, that's what I'm telling you." "And how would you know this information?" "Wouldn't mind another taste of your Scotch," Spike said with a smirk as he settled himself comfortably in Giles's armchair. "And I wouldn't mind driving a stake into your chest, Spike." Spike's smirk turned into a scowl. "So if you wish to avoid that fate, I suggest you tell me what you have to say and then get out." Spike stood up again, a look of anger on his face. "Fine, Rupert. You want me to leave; I'll go. And when your Slayer is lying dead at your feet, you can blame yourself." He headed toward the door with a swirl of black leather. "Spike, wait!" Giles called after him. Spike stopped and glanced over his shoulder at the Watcher. Giles sighed. "Come back here and tell me what you know. If it's useful, you'll be compensated." Spike turned back around and said simply, "I had a visitor at my crypt this morning." *** "So this creature is planning the complete annihilation of the human race?" Giles was sitting in his chair starting intently at Spike who was sitting is a chair across from him. "Yeah, nice, innit? No more of you lot clogging up the roadways." Giles glared at him. "Why are you telling me this, Spike?" "Think, Giles. I'm a vampire. I may be shackled right now, but eventually I'm going to get rid of my little affliction. And when I do, humans will be back on the menu, won't they? But if this Adam thing gets rid of all of you, it's pig's blood for eternity." "Why did Adam come to you and tell you his plan?" "He wants my help, doesn't he?" Spike explained. "He knows I was in with you lot, and he thinks I can lure the Slayer into a trap. Get her to lead the humans into a massacre." "What did he offer you for your help with his plan?" Giles asked shrewdly. Spike hesitated, and then decided to stick with the truth. "He said he'd take my chip out." Giles sat bolt upright. "Calm down, Rupert. If I was going to go along with him, I wouldn't be telling you all about it, now would I?" "Forgive me if I fail to put my full trust in your integrity, Spike. I don't see why you would come to me when there's an opportunity, however slight, to get your chip removed." "I've already told you, Giles. No people equals pig's blood for eternity. Not something I'm willing to sign up for." Giles looked at him suspiciously for a minute and then stood up and walked to his telephone. "You calling the Slayer?" Spike asked, also standing up. "Yes. She needs to know about this right away." "Look, hold off a second." Spike reached into his duster pocket and pulled out several computer disks. "Adam gave these to me as a lure for the Slayer. I was supposed to use these as a means to get back in good with you lot. There are supposed to be files, design schematics, all kinds of tidbits about The Initiative on 'em. He's says it's all good information about Maggie Walsh's little house of horrors. There's even supposed to be information about him in them." He shrugged. "I guess he's not too worried about anything you find out about him. You can have Willow look at them, and she can figure out if they're useful or not." He threw them down on the coffee table and started to walk to the door. "Where are you going?" "Me? I'm out of here. Mr. Bits is going to figure out I double-crossed him, and I don't want to be around when he does, so I'm off for parts unknown." "You'll stay here and tell your story to Buffy first." "Look, Rupert, I told you everything I know. Just tell Buffy exactly what I told you." "You can lead her to him." "If I do, she'll get killed." He ran his hand through his hair causing curls to pop up all over his head. "Look, you lot need to make a plan before she confronts him. I hit the bastard and damned near broke my hand. He's not your average demon, Giles." "So that's what this is all about, is it? You're frightened of him," Giles said derisively. Spike took immediate umbrage. "Sod off, Giles. I'm leaving because the Slayer wants no part of me. I told you everything I know. I gave you the disks, now I'm off." "And I'll send Buffy right after you. I don't know what you're up to Spike, but until Willow has had a chance to look over those disks and we've had a chance to investigate your story, you're not going anywhere." Giles turned his back and Spike glared impotently at him. This was not going according to plan. He'd known the Watcher was alone, that was why he'd come in. He was just going to tell his story, drop off the disks, and leave. He watched anxiously as Giles said into the receiver, "Joyce? Giles here. Is Buffy still there?"

Chapter #13 - Chapter 13

The door opened some ten minutes later and Buffy breezed in. "Okay, Giles, I'm here. What's the big emergency?" She stopped abruptly when she spotted Spike, her face paling visibly. "What are you doing here?" "Not my idea, Slayer," he told her in a toneless voice. "I told Giles everything I knew, but he wouldn't let me leave." Buffy looked over at her Watcher who stood in the doorway of his kitchen, a cup of tea in his hand. "Giles?" "Spike's met our friend Adam." Buffy's eyes flew back to Spike. "Are you okay?" she asked anxiously. Her eyes flew to her Watcher again and she added, "I-I mean, Adam's been killing everything he sees." Spike tilted his head to the side and studied Buffy intently. "Yeah, I'm fine." Giles came into the living room, frowning slightly. "Tell her what you told me, Spike." Spike repeated his story, answering Buffy's questions and finally pointing to the computer disks that lay on Giles's coffee table. "So, we need to get Willow on this ASAP," Buffy said. "ASAP, Slayer? Is that jargon from your soldier boyfriend?" The sneer was evident in Spike's voice. "Shut up, Spike." "Yes, please do, Spike," Giles chimed in. Looking at Buffy he said, "I left a message on the answering machine in your dorm room, Buffy, but she hasn't-" At that moment the phone rang and Giles went to answer it. Buffy and Spike sat in tense silence while Giles spoke on the phone. Buffy seemed nervous in his presence, which intrigued Spike. "Ah yes, Willow, good. We were just talking about you. We need your computer and your expertise. Yes, of course. Outside your dorm. Very well." He hung up and said to Buffy, "I need you to go pick up Willow." Buffy's eyes widened. "Me? Giles, you know that cars and Buffy are unmixy things." "Yes, well as much as I hate to turn the keys to my car over to Spike again, he can drive you." "Oh, no. That's really not a good idea," Buffy said with a hint of panic in her voice. "Why don't you go pick her up? I mean we. You and me. We could go together to pick her up." "I daren't drive right now, Buffy," Giles explained. "I've had a couple glasses of Scotch." "Yeah, you really should watch that, Rupert. Sitting here alone and drinking. Turn you into an alcoholic, that will," Spike mocked. "Shut up, Spike," Buffy said again automatically. He looked at her with a raised eyebrow, but remained silent. Grabbing her jacket up from where she'd thrown it across the back of the couch, she sighed. "Come on. Let's go pick up Willow." Spike eyed her as she walked to the front door and then took the keys that Giles was handing him. "Wreck this car, Spike, and I swear I will stake you." Spike smirked, snapped him a little two-fingered salute and followed Buffy out the door. He made the obligatory penis reference when he saw the sleek red convertible. Buffy just rolled her eyes and walked around to the passenger door and then tensed when Spike unlocked the door and held it open for her. "I can open my own door, Spike." "Yeah. Just get in, Buffy." She got in the vehicle, being careful not to brush against him, Spike noted, and buckled her seat belt. Spike closed the door and walked around to the driver's side. He got in, adjusted the seat, and slipped the key in the ignition. The car purred to life, and he caressed the steering wheel. "Not a bad car, really," he said in appreciation. "Don't even think about stealing it, Spike," Buffy said dryly. Spike grinned at her and put the car into reverse backing it out of the carport. He drove more slowly than usual, wanting to stretch out the time with Buffy. He hadn't wanted to see her tonight, hadn't wanted to put himself though the pain of being near her and not touching her, but now that she was here, he was going to take full advantage of his time with her. For her part, Buffy sat quietly looking out the side window. When Spike reached the stop sign at the end of Giles's block, she looked over at him and asked, "Why are you really doing this?" "Because you're a lousy driver and Giles is drunk." Buffy glared at him. "That's not what I meant and you know it. Why did you come and tell us about Adam?" He looked at her out of the corner of his eye and then returned his attention to the road. "I told you the first time we teamed up that I like this world just fine the way it is. I mean, come on, Slayer, have you ever seen a demon playing footie? Pathetic." He saw a brief smile cross Buffy's lips, but then it disappeared. "But you could get your chip out. I thought that's what you wanted." "Yeah, it is." He hesitated for a moment and then continued. "Let's say I went along with Adam - helped him annihilate the human race. After it was all over he would either keep his promise to remove my chip, or he'd decide I'd outlived my usefulness and dust me. I know demons, Buffy. They aren't big on making good on their promises. Now let's say he did remove my chip. The other thing about demons is they aren't big on letting go of minions unless they kill them themselves. And I have no desire to spend the rest of my unlife as a minion to Maggie Walsh's bouncing baby boy." "Oh." They were silent again until Spike said softly, "So, how have you been, Buffy? You look good." "I'm okay. You?" "Livin' la dolce vita, love." Quiet filled the car's interior once again until Spike said, "I've missed you, Buffy." "Spike, don't." "Look, I know there's no future for us. You've got your Captain Cardboard, and-" He stopped when Buffy looked at him in surprise. "What?" "We broke up." Now it was Spike's turn to be surprised. "You did? When?" Buffy shrugged nonchalantly, though Spike could sense her discomfort. "The day after, uh..." "The day after you broke up with me?" "The day after we got back from the other dimension," she said firmly. Spike smirked. "So soldier boy couldn't make the grade after me, eh? Buffy rolled her eyes. "You really aren't all that, you know." "Yeah? Want to put that to the test, love?" They had entered Sunnydale's business district, and Spike suddenly pulled the car into the lot of a drive-through branch of the Bank of Sunnydale. Ignoring Buffy's protests, he pulled around to the back of the bank where the car was hidden from the view of oncoming traffic. After he turned off the car engine, he twisted in his seat, reached over, and trailed the back of a finger down the side of Buffy's face. "Prove to me I'm not all that." "Spike, stop it." Her voice was slightly breathless. "Afraid, Buffy? You told me you don't want me anymore. Prove it to me." He felt a shiver pass though Buffy's body, and he could smell her reaction to his touch. Even all these weeks later, his slightest touch made her ready for him. "Don't touch me, Spike," she said in a quavering voice. She reached over to push him away, but he captured her hand and brought it to his lips pressing a tender kiss to the back of her hand. Buffy closed her eyes, and he could hear her heartbeat accelerate. He turned her hand over and pressed another kiss into the palm. Letting go of her hand, he found the button that released her seat belt and pressed it. The belt retracted and Spike slipped his arm around her waist. He lowered his head to her neck and lightly kissed the tender skin. Buffy gasped and moved her head aside giving him greater access. He trailed kisses up her neck, over her jaw and up to her mouth where he gently bit her lower lip. She moaned and opened her mouth for him to plunder. He accepted her invitation and kissed her deeply, his tongue entwining with hers. She grasped the sleeve of his duster and turned into him. His hand slid up from her waist to cup her breast, pinching the hardened nipple between thumb and forefinger. The tiny whimpers and moans that escaped from Buffy's throat drove him on and he unbuttoned her shirt. Slipping his hand inside, he pushed up her bra and lowered his head to take her breast into his mouth. His hand slid between her legs and he began to stroke her through her slacks. Buffy thrust up into his hand, keening cries of need filling the darkened interior of the car. Lifting his head from her breast, he gasped, "Let's get into the back seat, love." He knew immediately that he'd made a mistake. Buffy's eyes flew open and she pushed him away forcefully. Straightening her clothes and refastening her seat belt, she said with a trembling voice, "We're not doing this, Spike. Let's just go get Willow." Spike's hands curled in frustration, and his cock throbbed in painful need. He turned angrily in his seat, started the car, threw it into gear, and pressed down on the accelerator causing the car to fishtail as he pulled out of the lot. "Slow down!" Buffy yelled as he raced down the street. He slowed down not only because his chip was beginning to fire a bit, but also because, even as angry and frustrated as he was, he really had no desire to kill Buffy in a car accident. The remainder of the trip was made in frosty silence. When they pulled up in front of Stevenson Hall, Spike saw a blonde girl standing next to Willow. Buffy released her seatbelt and scooted forward, pulling the back of her seat up so that the two girls could get into the back seat. The blonde entered first and Willow followed. "Hi, Buffy! You remember Tara don't you? From my Wicca group? We were practicing some spells and-" She stopped babbling when she spotted Spike at the wheel. "Spike!" "Red." She looked wide-eyed at Buffy who explained tensely, "Giles couldn't come." "Oh." Spike's senses were still filled with the scent of Buffy's arousal, but as the girls settled in, another scent reached him. He looked from Willow to the girl she'd called Tara and back to Willow again. Willow cast a nervous glance at him and he raised an eyebrow. His eyes drifted back to Tara, and he gave Willow a knowing smirk. Willow paled under his scrutiny, cast a panicked look at Buffy who was refastening her seatbelt, and turned pleading eyes to him. "Spike! Are we going or do you plan to sit here all night?" Spike scowled at Buffy, but turned back around and drove off. As they drove, Buffy filled Willow in on the situation. By the time they reached Giles's apartment, Willow was eager to look at the computer disks. Spike followed the girls into the apartment and perched on one of the stools that stood in front of Giles's counter. Willow turned on her computer and slipped one of the disks into the floppy drive while Tara hovered at her side. As the files opened, Tara said, "It looks like gibberish." "Rats," Willow said in disappointment. "They're encrypted." Spike snorted. "You didn't think he was going to give you something easy, did you? You can fix 'em, can't you, Red?" "Crack a government encryption code on my laptop? Easy as really difficult pie." "How long is it going to take?" Buffy asked impatiently. "I don't know, Buffy. Hours? Days? Anyone suggesting months would not be accused of crazy talk." "Adam wanted us to have this information. It can't be that hard." Willow just shrugged. "I'll do the best I can, Buffy." Buffy had been pacing since they'd entered the apartment and casting furtive glances at Spike. The scent of her arousal was still strong and it teased at Spike so that his need for her never lessened. Realizing that it was probably going to take some time before Willow would crack the encryption code, Spike stood up gathering his coat around him to hide his bulging erection and headed for the door. "Where are you going?" Buffy asked sharply. "Home," he answered without stopping. "You lot don't need me anymore." He exited the apartment, slamming the door behind him.

Chapter #14 - Chapter 14

He hadn't gotten far before Buffy was beside him, grabbing his arm and pulling him around. "You're not leaving just yet, Spike." "Yeah, actually. I am. I have something needs taking care of." "What?" she asked suspiciously. "Another meeting with Adam to let him know his plan is working?" Spike glared at her. "I told you the truth, Buffy, so, no, I'm not meeting Adam. It's something personal I need to take care of." "What?" Instead of answering her, he grabbed her hand and placed it on his erection, curling his hand over hers so that her hand encircled it. "I can't stand this any longer, Buffy," he said in a strained voice. "I've got to go take care of it." He moved her hand up and down his length. Buffy's eyes closed and her breath sped up as she leaned into him. He dropped his hand away from hers, but her hand remained on him. "Oh, god, love," he moaned as he pressed his forehead against hers, his breath coming is panting gasps. Buffy lifted her face and he could see his need reflected in her eyes. She hooked her arm around his neck and pulled him in for a kiss as she continued stroking him. They stood only feet away from Giles's front door, but neither was aware of anything but their renewed passion. "Come with me to my crypt, Buffy, please," he begged. Buffy shook her head. Dropping her hand from his erection, she pulled away from him and said in an agonized voice, "I don't want this, Spike." "Yes you do, love." He pulled her back into his arms. She wrapped her arms around him and laid her head on his chest. "Why can't I get you out of my system?" she whispered raggedly. "I ask myself that same question every day." She tilted her head up and Spike kissed her. He molded his hands around her buttocks and pulled her hips tight up against him. She clung to him rubbing against his erection. Spike feared he was going to come right then and there. "Buffy, my crypt, please," he begged again. "We can't go to your crypt," she said breathlessly. "Adam might show up there." "Giles's car?" "You gave him back the keys." "I can rip off the door." A choked laugh escaped from Buffy. "You're not going to destroy his car, Spike. He'd kill you." "Then where, Buffy? You're not saying no again, are you? I can't take it, love." "No." He stiffened and started to pull away, but she held onto him. "I mean, no, I'm not saying no again. I'm tired of fighting it, Spike. As long as I didn't see you, I told myself I didn't want you. But being near you, touching you, having you touch me..." She looked into his eyes. "I want you." He pulled her to him, crushing her against his body. They kissed again and then he looked around trying to find a dark, private corner where they could go. "Not here, Spike. Willow's going to be tied up for a while. We can go to my dormitory." He nodded, kissed her again and pulled away. Together they ran through the streets of Sunnydale. The denim of his jeans chaffed against his hardened cock, but the knowledge that he would soon be making love to Buffy again spurred him on. Buffy's hand was shaking as she fitted the key into her room's lock. The door finally opened and they spilled in. Buffy shut and locked the door and then grabbed Spike by the lapels of his duster and shoved him up against the door pressing her body to him and kissing him. She pushed his coat off his shoulders and it fell to lie in a puddle at his feet. When she drew back for air he smirked, "I like a woman who takes charge." "Yeah? Then you're going to love this." Grabbing him by the shoulders, she tossed him across the room and onto her bed. He bounced and when he landed back on the mattress, Buffy leapt on top of him. She leaned forward, grabbed him by the hair, and kissed him hard. Leaning back she pushed at his shirt until it was over his head. She carelessly flung the shirt aside then ran her hands over his torso, stopping to lightly rub her palms over his nipples and then down to feather her fingers across his taut stomach. Her warm fingers felt like fire branding him and he arched his back. She leaned over to kiss his chest flicking her tongue over his nipples before scooting down his body so that she could kiss her way down his stomach to the area just above the waistband of his jeans. Spike's head was thrown back on the pillow and his Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed, lost in the feel of her mouth on his skin. He felt her hands on his belt buckle and lifted his head to watch her unfasten his jeans and tug them past his hips and down his legs. He breathed a sigh of relief when he was finally released from the tight confines of his jeans. She stopped long enough to remove his boots and then pulled his jeans the rest of the way off. Spreading his legs, she nibbled her way up his inner thighs until she reached the juncture of his legs. She gathered his balls into her hand and squeezed gently, then ran her finger along the skin between his scrotum and anus. Spike moaned loudly and bucked under her touch. Locking her eyes with his, she slid her tongue along the thick vein to the tip of his cock. She wrapped her hand around his length and then, taking just the head into her mouth, she began to suck and stroke him until he whimpered. Pulling back the foreskin, she twirled her tongue around the tip and dipped her tongue into the slit. Spike's head fell back on the pillow, and he almost sobbed when she took him full into her mouth. He was rapidly losing control. It'd been too long, and Buffy's hot, sweet mouth and warm, strong hand were almost too much for him. "I'm going to come," he warned as he thrust into her mouth. She lifted her head from him and he gasped when her thumb and forefinger encircled the base of his cock and squeezed. He looked at her with wide eyes. "I didn't teach you that." She smiled smugly. "Nope. Heard a couple girls talking on the quad at lunchtime one day." Spike grinned. "Gotta love a girl with a higher education." "Is it working?" "Yeah, but I want you to get your clothes off now." Buffy twirled her tongue around the head of his cock and sucked one more time, then rolled off the bed quickly pulling off her clothes. She straddled him, but before she could position herself over him, he grabbed her hips and pulled her up his body. "Not yet, love," he murmured. When he had positioned her over his face, he spread her open and licked. Buffy moaned and grabbed tightly onto her headboard. He pulled her clit into his mouth, sucking and flicking his tongue over the swollen nub while Buffy whimpered and writhed above him. His fingers found their way inside her and he stroked her in time with the flicks of his tongue. She was so wet, so hot. Spike lapped at her greedily, reveling in the taste of her sex, loving the music of her groans. When he felt her begin to tense, he pushed her back down his body until she hovered over his erection. He guided himself to her opening, and then grabbed her head, bringing her mouth to his. As they kissed, tongues entwining, teeth biting, Buffy slowly lowered herself onto him. When he was all the way in, she sat back, closed her eyes, and began to move. He held onto her hips and took in the view of her lovely nude body. Her small breasts bounced in time with her movements and sweat trickled down her breastbone. Unable to resist, he raised his hands to cup her breasts, pinching her nipples and squeezing the small, firm globes gently. Buffy hissed in pleasure and tightened around him, squeezing him almost painfully. The sight of her face tense with the pleasure she was getting as she rode him and the feel of her slick, tight walls grabbing him brought him close to climax again. He moved his hands back down to her hips and put his thumb on her clit, rubbing lightly. Buffy whimpered and leaned forward, gasping as she moved faster until she cried out. She rode out her climax and then collapsed on top of him. Spike wrapped his arms around her and rolled her over onto her back. He thrust deep and hard, twisting his hips, hitting her in all the right places until he brought her to climax again. When he could no longer hold out, he cried out with his own release. He lay in a boneless heap on top of her until enough strength returned to his limbs so that he could roll off her. She rolled onto her side and snuggled up against him, her head on his chest. He closed his eyes and ran his hand through her long, silky hair. The sex was even better than he'd remembered. Making love to Buffy the ordinary girl had been the most amazing thing he'd ever felt. That is until he'd made love to Buffy the Slayer. What that girl could do with a set of muscles... He couldn't help but start wondering where tonight was going to lead them. He knew he should wait before pressing the matter, but he was an impatient sod. He pressed a kiss into her hair and asked, "What's going to happen now, Buffy? Is this just a one-night stand?" Buffy lifted her head to look at him. "Way to dim the afterglow, Spike," she said dryly. "Do we have to talk about this already?" "Are we going to talk about it?" Buffy lay her head back down on his chest. "The problems are the same as they were before." "Yeah, Slayer - vampire. Helluva tag team if you ask me." He could feel her lips curl briefly into a smile, but then she sighed. "Is this just sex?" "No, pet, it's mind-blowing sex." She glowered at him and he smiled. "Teasing, love. It's more than sex. At least for me." Buffy sighed again, laid her chin on the back of her hand, and looked up at him. "Us getting together would be the biggest disaster ever, Spike. You know that. We're supposed to be mortal enemies, not boyfriend-girlfriend." "Do you feel like I'm your enemy now, Buffy?" Buffy gave him a wry look, glanced down at their naked bodies pressed together, and said, "Right at this moment? Uh, no." Spike smiled and ran his hand down her body. She drew in a ragged breath and pressed her hips into his leg. He could feel her wet curls dampening his thigh. They started to kiss, and it was some time later before they collapsed again in a sated heap. When Buffy's breathing had calmed again, he said, "I know why you're worried, love, but I'm not Angelus." Buffy stiffened and pulled away from him. One hand lightly grasped her arm and she stilled. "I don't want to talk about this, Spike." "I know you don't, but we need to. I don't want to lose you again, and you don't want to lose me." Buffy gave him a cold look. "You sure about that? For some reason, that infuriated him. He fell back on the bed and snapped, "Fine, Slayer. Then leave." "This is my dorm room, Spike. You leave." He glared at her, rolled out of the bed and picked up his jeans. Tugging them on, he said, "You know what you're problem is, Slayer? You're so afraid of feeling something for someone again because of that sodding poof, you push everyone away." Buffy knelt in the middle of the bed and snapped, "You don't know what you're talking about, Spike. You think because I don't want an evil boyfriend that I push everyone away?" Spike buttoned his jeans and yanked up the zip. Turning around, he searched for his T-shirt. He glared at her as he snatched it from Willow's headboard and pulled it over his head. "What about your little soldier boy, Slayer? You tossed him out on his ear. Was he evil too? Oh, wait, hold a mo, he worked for that Walsh bitch, so I guess he was." "Oh, he so was not! I broke up with him because, well, because!" Spike snorted and sat down on the bed to pull on his boots. "Oh, that's a good reason. Because," he mimicked. He went to pull on his boot, but stopped. "Are you going to let me leave, Buffy?" he asked softly, not looking at her. She was quiet for several seconds and then he felt the mattress move. Her arms encircled his neck and he felt her head on his shoulder. "This can't have a happy ending, Spike." "Happy endings are for fairytales, love. All we can hope for are happy moments." "Wow, you're really a cock-eyed optimist, aren't you?" He twisted until he faced her again and ran his fingers gently down her face. "I know more about this world than I hope you ever find out. And I know that happiness, real happiness, is rare. We have that, love, and not just when we're in bed. I want to give you happiness, Buffy. Let me." Buffy swallowed and whispered, "You came back to Sunnydale to kill me, Spike, and now you want to make me happy?" "I came back to Sunnydale because I couldn't get you out of my mind. I thought it was because I hated you. I was wrong. I learned that when that toad sent us to Oz. I don't understand these feelings I have for you, Buffy. I just know they're there and they're real." Buffy sat back on her heels and looked down at her entwined fingers. "I have feelings for you too, Spike. But I'm afraid. I can't make another mistake." "I know, love. But I promise you I'll be the best man I know how. And when I'm not, I'll have you to set me straight." "I don't want to have to set you straight, Spike. I want a man who already knows what's right." "I know I'm starting off with a handicap, being evil and all, but I can choose my own way, Buffy. I'm more human than you think. Even that great blue git, The Judge, said so. I was evil because I didn't have a reason not to be. Now I do." She looked at him, a myriad of emotions flashing across her face, and he was afraid she was going to turn away from him again. He took her face gently between his hands and pressed his forehead to hers. "Buffy, please, love. If you care about me at all, give us a chance." She pulled back and remained silent for an interminable time, but at last she said, "The gang is going to have a collective cow when they find out." Relief spread through Spike's body. "So I guess we just have to be careful. Keep our relationship quiet, yeah?" She shook her head. "I've learned the hard way that Buffy secrets always seem to come out at the worst possible time. If we're going to do this, Spike, it has to be out in the open." He grinned wickedly. "Well, I don't mind public sex, Buffy, but I'm surprised you're into it." "Oh!" she said in mock outrage and punched him lightly on the arm. He laughed and pulled her to him for a deep kiss. "So, you and me, yeah?" he asked when they broke apart. "I think I must be out of my mind, but yeah."

Chapter #15 - Chapter 15

Spike wanted to make love again, but Buffy insisted that they return to Giles's apartment. "Willow may have decrypted those disks by now." "We could call and if she hasn't, we can stay here a bit longer," Spike wheedled, pressing kisses along the back of her neck. His hands slipped around and cupped her breasts, pinching and teasing her nipples. Buffy allowed him to fondle her, but then pushed his hands away and got off the bed. "Later, Spike. Rule number one of the hero biz: kill the bad guy, then play." Spike sighed and stood up. "I can already see this hero stuff is going to be a pain in the arse." Buffy just grinned wickedly at him, grabbed her robe and wrapped it around herself. "I'm going to take a shower. You should too. I don't think we need to go back to Giles's smelling like, um..." "Smellin' like we just shagged ourselves raw?" Spike said with a smirk. Buffy blushed and handed him a towel and soap. Gathering up her own things, she exited the dorm room. Pointing to the men's shower, she entered the ladies bathroom and shut the door firmly in Spike's face. He grinned and made his way down the hall. When they were ready, they left the dormitory. As they walked down the sidewalk Buffy said hesitantly, "Maybe we should wait until after we take care of Adam before we tell everyone that we're dating." Off Spike's look, she explained, "I just don't want to get everyone all upset right now. We need to stay focused on the job." "Whatever you want, Buffy, but I know at least one of your little friends that'll probably be more open-minded than you might think." "Huh? Who?" Spike grinned and said, "Our little Willow has her own secret." "What're you talking about? Are you saying Willow is dating someone and not telling us? Why would she do that?" Spike shrugged. "Probably afraid you all would toss her out of the Scooby Squad." Buffy stopped, put her hands on her hips, and demanded, "Spike, just tell me what you're talking about." "Her little witch friend." Buffy looked confused. "Tara? What does Tara have to-" Her eyes widened in sudden understanding. "Oh. Oh! Oh, no, no, no. You're so wrong, Spike. If Willow was... No, she'd tell me." Spike shrugged again. "I smelled it when we picked them up tonight." "Smelled what?" "Them. All over each other. Just like I can still smell us all over each other." Buffy's eyes widened again. "You can smell us?" "'Course I can. Soap and water doesn't remove it that easily. Humans can't smell it, but demons can." "Oh my god. You could smell it whenever I..." Spike grinned wickedly and leaned into her. "My favorite time to smell you is when you're havin' your monthlies. Like you were the first time we fought." Buffy covered her eyes with her hands and groaned, "Oh, god." Spike opened his mouth to tease her some more when the bright beam of headlights and the toot of a car horn drew their attention. Spike looked up to see Xander's car pull over to the curb. The passenger side window rolled down. "Is that man bothering you, little lady," a voice called out from the car's interior. Buffy leaned down and said brightly, "Hi, Xander!" and then less enthusiastically, "Hi, Anya." "Buffy," came Anya's disinterested voice. "Where're you going, Xander?" "We're on our way to the Multiplex. Wanna come?" "We can't." "Uh, wasn't actually including Spike in the invitation there, Buff." "No, of course not," Buffy said quickly. "I just meant that, uh, none of us can. Spike brought us information about Adam. Willow's at Giles's and that's where we were headed. Want to join us?" "Heck, yeah. You don't mind, do you, Anya?" Spike could hear Anya sigh. "I guess not." "Good. Get in, Buffy." Buffy straightened up and opened the back door. "Come on, Spike." "Do we have to include Fangless?" Xander whined. Spike just smirked at Xander as he settled in beside Buffy. Buffy filled the couple in on Adam's visit to Spike and the disks Willow was working on. "So, you actually believe this story Spike's telling?" Xander asked Buffy. "Uh, no offense there, Spike." "Offense taken," Spike growled back. "Yeah, I do believe it," Buffy said, surreptitiously patting Spike's knee as Xander pulled to a stop in front of Giles's apartment complex. Everyone in the apartment looked up as the door opened and the quartet filed in. "Buffy! We were starting to get worried, you were gone so long." "Yeah, sorry," Buffy said with no further explanation. "How's the decryption coming along?" "Oh, pretty good. As long as pretty good means no progress at all." She sighed. "Spike, are you sure Adam actually wanted us to read these files." Spike shrugged. "I told you what he said." Willow sighed again and returned to typing furiously on her keyboard, mumbling words that made no sense to Spike. He headed to reclaim his seat on the barstool, but spotted a plate of cookies on the coffee table. Detouring, he snatched one up. Anya took a seat on the sofa and Xander sat on the coffee table so that he was facing into the room and within easy reach of the cookies. Buffy sat on a stool beside Spike and said to Willow, "I really hoped you'd have made more progress by now." "Sorry, Buffy. I told you this wasn't going to be easy. I'm doing the best I can." The last was said in a bit of a plaintive wail. "She's working really hard on it," Tara defended. Buffy and Spike exchanged glances. He wiggled his eyebrows and Buffy looked back at the two witches, a frown on her face. Spike raised his cookie to his mouth and had just fastened his teeth on it when it was suddenly snatched away. He looked with a scowl at Buffy who had grabbed it from him and was now chewing contentedly on her ill-gotten gains. A gurgling sound captured his attention and he turned to see Xander staring wild-eyed at them. "What?" "B-buffy just took that cookie. From your mouth. And put it into hers." Buffy's eyes widened and she looked at the cookie as if she'd never seen it before, then she looked at Spike, then at the cookie again, and then at Xander. "Oops." "Oops?" Xander's strangled voice asked. "Oops? What does 'oops' mean?" Giles, Willow, and Tara were all staring at them now, too. Anya had been leafing through a magazine she'd taken from her purse and looked up in curiosity. Buffy sighed, ate the last of the cookie, brushed her hands on her slacks and said, "Look, guys, I was going to tell you after we'd taken care of Adam." "Tell us what?" Xander demanded. Then, "No, don't tell us. Do NOT tell us what I think you're going to tell us because... because, just no." "I-I don't understand," Tara said. "Buffy and Spike are having sex," Anya said. "Spike is a vampire, in case you didn't know," she informed Tara helpfully. "That isn't at all what she said, Anya," Giles said in denial. Buffy and Spike exchanged glances that left no one in doubt that Anya had been exactly right. Buffy looked desperately at her Watcher. "I know you're probably not happy about this, Giles, but..." "Probably?!" Giles interrupted. "Buffy, have you completely lost your mind?" "Of course not, Giles. It's just..." "Willow!" Xander exclaimed in a voice of understanding. "Willow's done another spell." "No I haven't," Willow protested. "Tara, tell them. We've only been trying to float stuff and little things like that. Tell them, Tara. I haven't done any wacky spells." "She really hasn't," Tara assured everyone. "This has nothing to do with Willow," Buffy insisted. "It's just... Look, I didn't tell you guys everything that happened when that toad thing sent us to that other dimension. Spike and I got to really know each other, and well..." "Know each other?" Xander choked. "As in the biblical sense?" Spike grinned, "What do you think?" "Spike," Buffy warned. "Let me do this." Spike shrugged and leaned back comfortably on the stool. He was content it was out in the open. He'd have gone along with keeping it secret, for a while at least, but he liked the idea of everyone knowing that Buffy belonged to him. "Buffy, you really can't be serious about this," Willow said imploringly. "Spike thought you at least would be more open-minded about this, Willow. Guess he was wrong, huh?" Willow paled slightly and glared at Spike. "Why would Willow be more open-minded?" Xander demanded. "None of us are going to be open-minded about this, Buffy. This is...is... bad." "It's not that bad, Xander," Buffy insisted. "Spike's on our side now." "Oh, please, Buffy, you cannot possibly believe that," Giles said in exasperation. "Whatever tale Spike's spun for you that he's good now, I remind you he doesn't have a soul, and that chip is no replacement for one." "Well if you think I'm going to run out to the nearest gypsy and get one shoved in me, you're seriously mistaken, Rupert," Spike said. "See, Buffy," Xander said. "He doesn't even want a soul." "Why would I? So I can be all tortured and broody and then lose it the next time Buffy and I get together anyway? Forget it." "Spike's fine the way he is," Buffy insisted. Spike turned to her, captured her head in his hands and kissed her. "Thank you, love." Protests abounded throughout the room until Buffy stood up and shouted, "Enough!" When the room had quieted, she said, "Spike and I are dating. Deal with it. Now, can we get on to more important things, like how we're going to get rid of Adam?" There was general grumbling, but conversation returned to the impossible task of taking out a seemingly invincible monster. Willow returned to working at her computer and Buffy came over to her. Willow tensed slightly when Buffy asked quietly, "When were you going to tell me?" Willow glanced uneasily at her. "He told you, huh?" "Yeah. But he shouldn't have had to. I'm your best friend, Willow. You can tell me anything." "Like you told me what really happened in that other dimension?" Willow countered in a hurt voice. Buffy sighed. "I guess we've both been keeping secrets because we were afraid of what everyone else would think." She smiled at her friend. "I think now might be a good time to tell since nothing could upset everyone more than what I'm doing." Willow smiled at Buffy and then looked at Tara. "What do you think, baby? Ready to come out of the closet?" An hour later, everyone had come to grips with Willow's lifestyle change. Giles had gotten out the Scotch bottle and had made serious headway through its contents when Buffy decided it was time to leave. "We'll get a fresh start tomorrow," she decreed. "Let's meet here at three. Xander, can you make it then?" Xander agreed that he could. He offered rides to the girls, pointedly leaving Spike out of the invitation. Spike didn't care. He was of a mind to head to Willy's for a few drinks and a listen to the gossip. He never knew when a drunken demon would let slip something profitable. They walked out to the car and while everyone else got in, Buffy and Spike stopped on the sidewalk and wrapped their arms around each other. "You can make it to the meeting tomorrow, right?" "I'll be here, love. Just make sure Giles has the door unlocked and unspelled." Buffy smiled. "I will." They were kissing goodbye, tongues entwining, hands exploring, when the blat of Xander's car horn intruded. Buffy pulled out of his arms. "Gotta go. See you tomorrow." "All right, love. Sleep tight." He watched until the car had disappeared from sight then turned to walk to Willy's. He hadn't taken more than a half-dozen steps when a creature stepped into his path. Spike jumped back in surprise. It was obviously one of Adam's get, and, if Spike wasn't mistaken, based on the creature's clothing had once been one of the Initiative louts. He wasn't looking too good right now, though. The top of his skull had been cut off and replaced with a mottled-skinned demon's skull. Electronic gadgets were stuck on either side of his head and demon skin covered his chin and neck. His left arm and hand were human while the right had been replaced by a demon's arm ending in a long-clawed hand. "Adam sent me to find you." "Yeah? Well, you found me." "Come." It turned and walked away without another word, apparently confident that Spike would obey his master's order. Spike swallowed nervously, but followed. The creature led him into the hills surrounding Sunnydale and into a large cave that Spike immediately recognized as the one Adam had brought him to just that morning. Tunnels opened east and west. The creature didn't hesitate, but led Spike to a small cavern filled with banks of computers and a few pieces of moldy furniture. Adam was sitting at one of the computers. A cable ran from a port in the side of his head into the computer's hard drive. He glanced up when the two entered the cave. "Ah, Spike, good. I see Forrest found you." "He was with the Slayer." "Right, I was," Spike interjected quickly. "As per your orders." "He was kissing her." Adam looked at Spike curiously. Spike shrugged, smirked, and threw himself down comfortably on the ragged couch. Slipping a cigarette between his lips, he lit it, inhaled deeply, blew out a long column of smoke, and then rested his arms along the back of the couch, the picture of indolent ease. "Yeah, let's just call that a little bonus for me." "Bonus?" "For all the aggravation that bitch has given me over the past two years. I get to have a little fun with her," he ran his hand suggestively over his crotch, "and she thinks I'm besotted with her so she believes anything I tell her. The girl's a bit dim, you know. Then, when you give the word, I lead her like a lamb to the slaughter, and you take out this sodding chip." He took another drag on his cigarette and exhaled. "Now, can we call this little meeting to order? There's a drink with my name on it waiting for me at Willy's." Adam stared at him and then nodded. "Very well. I want to tell you the next phase of my plan."

Chapter #16 - Chapter 16

By the time Spike left the cave, there were only a couple hours left before dawn. He walked down the hill away from Adam's lair to the road that led into Sunnydale. As soon he was sure that he couldn't be seen from the cave's entrance, he began to run at top speed. He reached Stevenson Hall minutes later. A quick twist of the outer doorknob broke the lock and he entered the darkened lobby. Taking the stairs two at a time, he reached the second floor and ran down the hall to Buffy's room. His pounding stopped when the door was wrenched open by an angry Buffy. She blinked in surprise when she saw who was banging on her door. "Spike? What are you doing here?" She opened the door wider and stepped back, allowing him entrance. Willow sat up in bed, her face anxious and her hair a tousled mess. "Just came from another meeting with Adam, love. I know what his real intentions are." *** The sun was well up and the gang was once again assembled in Giles's living room. The Watcher looked the worse for wear; his indulgence of the night before was causing him grief this morning. "Okay, Spike," Buffy ordered. "Tell the others what you told Willow and me." Spike nodded. "Adam sent one of his minions after me last night. It led me to a cave in the hills where Adam has his lair. Adam isn't just planning on annihilating the human race. He plans on making an army of things like himself. A new life form, he called it. Better, faster and stronger than either humans or demons. Most of his army will just be drones mindlessly obeying orders, but a chosen few will be leaders. And the head of that group is going to be Buffy." "What?!" Xander asked, shocked. Giles looked as if he were going to be sick. "How?" Spike took a cigarette out of his pack and lit it. His fingers were trembling and no one protested as he inhaled a deep drag. "The Initiative's overflowing with demons right now. Those prats have taken in more than they can contain. Adam plans to release them tomorrow night at just the right time - the time I lead Buffy into his trap. Once Buffy's assured him of maximum carnage in the fight between humans and demons, he's going to make sure Buffy's killed." He took another deep drag on his cigarette, walked over to the kitchen counter, and drank the last of the Scotch that remained in the bottle. Crushing his cigarette butt out in a teacup that sat there, he turned back around. "There's supposed to be a secret laboratory in The Initiative. After she's dead, he's going to sweep up a few choice demon parts and build a better Buffy." He looked at his girlfriend. "Congratulations, love. You're going to get a new dad." Giles ran his hand through his hair and looked intently at Willow. "Willow, you must crack that code on those disks. There may be something of use in them." "I hope so, Giles," Buffy said. "But regardless, I have to stop Adam, and I need to do it today. I can't allow him to start his war so he can build his army." "Yes, Buffy, I'm aware of that." "No," Spike said emphatically. "No?" Buffy said. "You can't go up against him, Buffy. He's too strong; he'll kill you. Unless you want to become The Terminatrix, you have to stay away from him." "I can't stay away from him, Spike. I have to do my job." "Oh, don't tell me about your job, Slayer. I know all about your job. You've been trained to take on the monsters so a bunch of self-satisfied gits can sit on their fat asses and pretend they're the ones protecting the world. One Slayer snuffs it and another takes her place, right? You're just a renewable commodity to them, Buffy." "How dare you?" a cold voice said from behind him. Spike turned to see a look of icy rage on Giles's face. "What's your real plan, Spike?" Xander sneered. "Keep Buffy away from Adam so he can complete his plan?" "My real plan is to keep Buffy alive," he snapped back. "Unlike you lot, I'm not willing to sacrifice her for the greater good." "Hey!" Willow said angrily. "You just watch yourself, buddy. While you were busy trying to kill her yourself, we were on the front lines helping her." "Then help her now, Willow. Find a way for her to take out Adam without getting killed herself." "Do not presume to come in here and tell us to help Buffy," Giles said coldly. He took a step closer to Spike. "Personally, I think the best way to help her right now is to eliminate you." "All right!" Buffy shouted. "That's enough. Everyone just calm down." She turned to Spike. "I know you're just trying to protect me, Spike, but I'm going to face Adam. It's what I do. My friends will help me. It's what they do." "Buffy..." "This discussion is over, Spike." Looking at Willow, she said, "Get to work on that code, Willow." Willow nodded, opened her laptop and turned it on. Buffy walked into the kitchen and began to make coffee. Spike followed her. "Buffy, I'm sorry, love. It's just..." "Hand me the coffee out of the pantry." He knew she was upset, both by what he'd told her about Adam's plans and by the scene that had just played out. He knew he'd gone about it the wrong way, but these new feelings he had for her were overwhelming what little good sense he had. All he wanted to do was keep her safe so he could have her with him for a long, long time. He didn't care how many others died in her stead as long as she was safe. But he was beginning to understand that if he wanted the girl, he was going to have to tamp down his own natural selfish tendencies. Being with Buffy meant accepting the whole Slayer package: stubbornness, pride, self-sacrificing heroics and all. Well, if she was going to take on Adam no matter what he said, he needed to tell her everything. He could at least take one weapon out of Adam's hands. He handed her the coffee tin and said, "Buffy, there's something else you need to know." She gripped the counter and said in a slightly shaky voice, "What?" "When that Forrest creature..." "Forrest?" Buffy exclaimed, paling visibly. "Yeah. He was one of those Initiative gits. Did you know him?" Buffy nodded her head. "I didn't know he was dead." "Sorry, love," he said though in truth he wasn't sorry for anything that happened to any of the soldiers responsible for his chip. "Anyway, when he found me, he saw us kissing." Buffy looked at Spike in surprise. "Didn't he tell Adam?" "Yeah, almost the first words out of his mouth when we walked into Adam's lair. Look, love, I had to cover up the truth, so I told Adam I was just using you, getting some of my own back by having you on yours." Buffy swallowed and nodded. "Okay." He took her face in his hands. "That's not how it is, Buffy. I care about you. So much I've turned my back on everything I ever was. I just wanted you to know what I told him in case he says something to you when you finally go up against him. I don't want you doubting me, doubting us. All right?" Buffy nodded, and he leaned in to kiss her. At first she was stiff in his arms, but then she relaxed and opened her mouth to him. They held each other tightly until Tara said, "You did it!" They looked over to where Willow was staring in confusion at her computer screen. "I didn't," she protested. "I haven't even finished typing in the new code I was going to try." Giles walked over and read over Willow's shoulder. "Spike said that Adam wanted us to have this information. Apparently, it was programmed to decrypt on its own." "Well, poop! I almost had it," Willow pouted. Then looking up sheepishly at Giles, she amended, "I mean, yippee! We have the information." Giles smiled indulgently at her and continued to read. "Well, this confirms everything Spike just told us. Except the part about you, Buffy," he said glancing up at his Slayer. "Apparently Maggie Walsh's plan was indeed to build an army of cyber-demons. Adam is simply taking her plan and using it for his own ends." "Does it give us any information we don't have?" Buffy asked as she joined the others at the computer. "Wait," Willow said, rapidly typing. A schematic of a body came up on the screen with information regarding it to the side. "I think this is the blueprint for Adam. Oh, look!" She pointed to something on the screen. "Here's something we didn't know. His power source. It's a uranium core imbedded in his chest. There, see?" She pointed again, this time to an area on the body's schematic. "It's by his spine." "Great," Xander said. "We just ask him to lie down quietly while we do some exploratory surgery." "Maybe we could magic it out. A super-duper uranium core extraction spell," Willow offered. Then she sighed, "I know. I'm reaching." Giles straightened up. "Perhaps a paralyzing spell." He went over to his bookcase. "I know of one that might work." "Good," Buffy said. "How long would the spell last?" Giles found the text he was looking for and took it from the shelf. Riffling through the pages he said, "I don't know, Buffy. Against a normal human, the spell lasts nearly an hour. Against a creature such as Adam? Perhaps only seconds." "Which kinda tosses out the exploratory surgery plan," Xander said. "Yeah, but it would give me time to punch my way in and rip the core out." "That is if you could punch your way through his thick plating, love. I punched him and didn't make a dent." "Yeah, well Buffy's stronger than you are," Xander said. "Not by that much," he informed the boy. "We've always been pretty evenly matched in our fights." "Yeah, right," Xander snorted. Spike just rolled his eyes in disgust and returned his attention to Buffy. "Even if we both took him on at the same time, I don't think we could punch through his tough hide." "Too bad we can't give Buffy a power-up," Xander said. Giles looked up at him from where he sat leafing through his book. "Yeah, I know. Shut up, Xander," he said apologetically. "No, actually, that is a brilliant idea." "It is?" everyone said in unison. "Yes. There's a spell that we can use to temporarily increase her strength. The only problem is, we need to drain someone else's strength to give to her." "Mine." All eyes turned to Spike. "If you use me," Spike said, "then you'll nearly double Buffy's strength." Buffy looked at her Watcher. "Giles?" Giles removed his glasses and stared at Spike thoughtfully. "You'll be completely helpless while the spell is in effect," Giles warned. Spike just shrugged. "You're willing to make yourself that vulnerable?" "I just said so, didn't I?" Spike said in annoyance. "Very well then, Spike. I think that may just work."

Chapter #17 - Chapter 17

It took the rest of the day to get everything ready. Giles, Willow, Tara, and Anya worked out the adaptations to the spells that would temporarily paralyze Adam and imbue Buffy with Spike's strength. They also worked on the timing of the spell castings. Since Giles wasn't sure how long either spell would last, the power-up spell, as Xander was calling it, needed to be cast first closely followed by the paralyzing spell. It was decided that Giles and Anya would cast the paralyzing spell, and Willow and Tara would cast the power-up spell. To allow Buffy to have the maximum amount of time possible to extract the power core, Buffy and Spike needed to be in close proximity to Adam before the spells were cast. Both Spike and Buffy had been antsy through most of the day. They'd tried to help research by going through the reference books that Giles was using to adapt the spells, but they both quickly became bored. Xander at least had gotten to leave the apartment on several occasions for doughnut, hamburger, and, not without a scowl, blood runs, and had driven Anya and the two witches to the magic shop to pick up needed supplies. Spike did his best to hide his edginess. He'd said that he was willing to give Buffy his strength, and he'd meant it. He just hoped that whatever mucking about they were doing on the spell didn't bollix things up. *** Spike was standing at the window watching the light fade when Buffy came up to stand beside him. "They're almost ready." Spike nodded. "All right." "You sure you want to do this? Give me your strength?" Spike turned to her and ran the back of his fingers down Buffy's cheek. "I'd give you my soul if I had one, Buffy." She captured his hand and pressed a kiss to it. "Let's do this then." *** There was some discussion as to which route to take to Adam's lair. The tunnels from Spike's crypt offered more protection from early detection, but the route through the hills was much shorter. In the end it was decided to go with speed over stealth, and so everyone piled into the two cars for the trip to the hills by Kingman's Bluff. Spike was a little concerned that they'd run into more of Adam's soldiers, but to his relief, they managed to reach the cave without interference. Once they were inside the main cavern, Giles, Willow, Tara, and Anya quietly went about getting everything ready for the spells. Spike and Buffy waited tensely for the nod from Giles that would be their signal to enter Adam's lair. When the signal came, Buffy put her hand on Xander's arm. "I'm counting on you to watch over everyone out here, Xander." "Don't worry, Buff. I'll take care of everything here. You just go and kick Frankenstein's ass." Turning to her partner, Buffy said, "Come on, Spike. It's showtime." They burst into Adam's lair. Adam was once again seated in front of his computer console and looked up in surprise. "Spike, what is this?" "Little change of plans, mate. Instead of me leading Buffy to her death, I'm leading her to yours." Adam calmly stood up. "You surprise me, Spike. I don't like surprises. Forrest, kill him." "With pleasure." The cyber-solder lumbered up to Spike and swung his fist while Adam attacked Buffy. Spike ducked out of his way, twisted around and landed a hard kick on Forrest's stomach that sent him stumbling backward onto the ratty sofa. Buffy jumped up onto a nearby ledge and caught Adam in the jaw with the toe of her boot. Adam's head snapped back, but it didn't faze him, and he grabbed for Buffy. While Forrest struggled to get up, Spike turned to aid Buffy, kicking out and catching Adam on the side. It distracted Adam enough that Buffy was able to handspring onto the floor and out of reach. Finally back on his feet, Forrest came after Spike again. Spike threw a punch that caught him in the head. Shaking out the pain in his fist he grouched, "Goddammit, these things are tough." "Yes, which is why we'll win. Too bad you won't live to see it," Forrest boasted as he struck out. His fist caught Spike in the stomach, knocking the vampire against Adam's chair. Spike stumbled as the chair rolled away from him but quickly caught his balance. Grabbing it, he threw the chair at Forrest, who batted it away and came after Spike again. Spike ducked out of the way of another punch and swung around to find himself back-to-back with the Slayer as their opponents closed in on them. "How's it going, love?" "Not bad," Buffy said as she weaved out of the way of a punch. "You?" "Duck!" They threw themselves in opposite directions just as Forrest threw a punch. It landed solidly on Adam's solar plexus. Adam grunted and backhanded his subordinate sending him flying across the room to crash against the cave wall. A small rain of dust and rock cascaded down onto the soldier. "Good one!" Buffy called to Spike as she tumbled out of the way of Adam's swinging fists. Springing up behind Adam, she kicked him in the back of the knee, causing the large cyborg to fall to his knees. Snatching up one of the computer monitors and yanking it away from its power cord, she crashed it down on Adam's head. Spike grinned at her. "That's my girl!" "Thanks!" Spike threw another punch as Forrest got to his feet, this time aiming for Forrest's nose. The sound and feel of crunching bone and sinew made Spike laugh. "Ooh, that's gotta hurt," he smirked. Forrest bellowed in outrage and pain covering his injured nose with his hands. Spike jumped onto his back, locked an arm around his thick neck and tightened it in a choking hold. With another roar of outrage, Forrest reached up and grabbed Spike's head. Bending over, he threw Spike over his shoulder. Spike sailed over the sofa and landed in a heap behind it. "Spike! You all right?" "I'm fine, love," Spike called out as he bounced back up. Squatting down, Spike hooked his fingers under the couch and heaved it at Forrest. The heavy sofa hit Forrest on the chest, knocking him to the ground and trapping him under it. The demon arm flexed and Forrest tossed the sofa off him and out of the way. It landed upside down against the back wall of the cavern. Spike took advantage of the extra room to build up speed for a flying leap. Just as Forrest got back on his feet, Spike's boots connected with Forrest's face, knocking him back once again. He banged into a desk that held more computer monitors. The monitors and Forrest crashed to the ground with a horrendous sound of breaking glass and fried electrical components. The air was thick with the smell of ozone. Spike was aware that time was running out. He needed to finish this fight and soon. Bouncing back to his feet, he glanced over to see how Buffy was doing in her fight. He was just in time to see Adam grab Buffy and throw her against the wall of the cave. She hit hard with a grunt and landed in a heap on the floor. "Buffy!" He took two steps toward her, but she rolled instantly to her feet, unhurt, and began to toss punches at Adam. They had no effect, and Adam was able to land another punch that sent Buffy flying into the passage outside of the cavern. In his concern for Buffy, Spike had ignored his own opponent for too long. His inattention allowed Forrest to come up behind him and lock strong arms around his torso, trapping his arms to his sides. Spike struggled against Forrest's hold, but his feet left the floor as he was lifted up. With a heave, Forrest tossed him across the cavern. He landed on his back across the upturned couch, and his head cracked sharply against the wall. Before he could gather his wits and straighten up, Forrest was looming over him, his face a bloody mess. He wrapped his demon hand around Spike's neck. "I'm really going to enjoy pinching your ugly head off," the creature sneered and tightened his hold. Spike wrapped his hands around Forrest's fingers and tried to pry them away. Despite his efforts, Forrest increased the pressure on his neck. And then Spike felt his strength start to drain from him. Oh, bugger, he thought. "Oh, yeah!" Buffy yelled out and Spike could hear the sound of punches connecting solidly and grunts of pain from Adam. "That all you got?" Buffy taunted. "No, I've got more," Adam answered calmly. As Spike continued to weaken, he heard the snick of something sliding - like a sword from a sheath, the sound of heavy footsteps, a small grunt from Buffy, and then the sound of something snapping. "Broke your arm," Buffy gloated. The sound of Buffy's triumphant voice was followed by more blows and more grunts from Adam, and Spike knew that Buffy was taking advantage of her increased strength. His own strength was nearly completely gone now, and he could no longer struggle in defense. His hands fell limply to his sides, and he knew that Forrest would have his head off in a matter of seconds. He cursed the fate that had given him Buffy only to let him die twenty-four hours later. He could only hope that once he was dust, Buffy would keep his strength. It would be his last gift to her. "Spike!" A sound that could only be Adam being thrown against a wall and another grunt from Adam immediately followed Buffy's cry of alarm. Spike heard the sound of running footsteps, and then Forrest's eyes suddenly went wide and he stiffened. His hand slipped from Spike's neck and he fell to the floor, dead. The bone skewer that Buffy had snapped from Adam's arm was firmly imbedded in the back of Forrest's skull. Spike's legs could no longer support him and he began to slide off the couch. Buffy grabbed him and carefully lowered him to the floor. "Sorry, honey. Gotta go," Buffy said with a brief caress of his face, and then she was gone. Spike was as limp as a rag doll, his strength completely gone. He couldn't even turn his head to watch Buffy fight. He could hear the battle though, and by the sound of it, things were going well. Buffy was making quips and confused consternation came from Adam followed by the sound of grunts of pain from rapid-fire blows as Buffy's increased strength allowed her to dominate the fight. Then it went quiet. "What's the matter, Adam?" Spike heard Buffy say. "You're looking a little stiff." There was the sound of flesh meeting flesh and then a sucking sound. "Ooh, look," Buffy said. "Pretty." "How?" Adam gasped, and then there was a loud thud as he collapsed. "Through the power of love," she said softly. *** The two warriors sat side-by-side, resting against the wall of the cavern. The power-up spell had faded and both Spike and Buffy were drained from the experience. They watched quietly as the day's final spell was performed. "Are you sure this power core won't do any damage to the world we're sending it to?" Willow asked. "Positive," Anya said briskly. "There's no life on this world, and it has so much of its own radiation, this little bit won't even be noticed." "Sounds good, Will," Xander said. "Dial 'er up." Willow nodded and began chanting. A small portal was opened and Giles tossed the power core into it. Willow stopped chanting and the portal closed with a small popping sound. Everyone gathered their belongings and headed for the exit. Xander slung his axe over his shoulder and said as he headed out of the chamber, "I'm voting for Apocalypse Now and deep dish." "Not again, Xander," Willow wailed as she followed him. "I want Bedknobs and Broomsticks and thin-crust. And no anchovies." "Well, I don't mind deep-dish," Giles's voice drifted back to Buffy and Spike, "but I agree with Willow. No anchovies. And I think we should watch Branagh's Henry V, this time." "Guess it's time for the post averting of apocalypse ritual," Buffy said as she and Spike wearily pushed themselves up from the floor. Spike staggered a bit and Buffy caught him, wrapping an arm around his waist. "You all right?" she asked in concern. "I'm fine, love," Spike said, warmed by her concern. "Still just a little wobbly on m'pins." He laid an arm around her shoulder as they headed for the cave exit. "So, what's this ritual you were talking about, love? We go back to my place and shag ourselves silly? Because that sounds good to me." She shook her head and said with a tired smile, "Nope, sorry. Rule number two of the hero biz: always have pizza and a movie after every averted apocalypse." "You're joking." "Nope. And besides, you don't seem to be up for a shag right now anyway." "Give me a half-hour and a couple pints of blood and you'll see just how up for it I am." Buffy grinned at him mischievously. "Well in that case, after the ritual, I may be able to talk Willow into spending the night at Tara's." Spike raised an eyebrow. "Yeah? And just why would you want to do that?" "Well, I thought maybe my boyfriend might want to come to my dorm and spend the night." "I think that's a brilliant idea," he said, pulling her into his arms and crushing his mouth to hers. When they came up for air, Spike said with a devilish twinkle in his eyes, "If we're voting on movies to watch first, I'm voting for Deep Throat." "Ohh," Buffy said in mock anger, "I'll give you Deep Throat." Spike grinned wickedly and pulled her tighter against him. "That a promise, Slayer?" Buffy blinked when she realized what she'd said, then smiled her own wicked smile. Sliding her hand down his body, she found what she was searching for and gave him a squeeze. At his groan, she whispered in his ear, "Yes, Spike. That's a promise." They kissed again, but drew apart when they heard Xander yell for them to come on. Holding hands, they walked out of the cave and down the hill to Giles's car. Walking away from Adam's lair, Spike couldn't help but feel a pang of regret that he'd walked away from his chance to get his chip removed. Still, he was confident that one day he would, and that he'd be his own man again. But even if he knew he'd never have another opportunity to get the chip out, he wouldn't have done anything differently. He longed to be free of the chip, but if he had to choose between Buffy and the chip, Buffy was always going to come out the winner. It wasn't going to be easy for him, this hero biz. He'd loved his life as the Big Bad, and all his instincts led him in a direction completely opposite from the path of a hero. But it was the path Buffy trod, and so he vowed to walk it too. They were a team now. Strange how the smallest decisions could completely change one's life. If he hadn't decided to take a shortcut through the park all those weeks ago, if he hadn't gone to investigate the sound of fighting, if he hadn't stuck around to watch the Slayer's pas de deux with the little demon, things would have worked out very differently. He would have accepted Adam's offer and done his best to betray Buffy and lead her to her death, just to get the chip removed. The very thought sickened him. Buffy settled beside him in the back seat of Giles's car, and he pulled her close up against him. She smiled at him and laid her head on his shoulder. He remembered how he'd told Buffy that the most anyone could expect out of life were a few rare moments of happiness. He closed his eyes, nearly overwhelmed by one of those golden moments. And he knew deep in his being that for him, those moments would no longer be so rare. The end