Chapter Seventeen


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“Hi,” she said quietly as she reached the bottom step, her eyes locked on Spike’s as he sat up. Thankfully, the ridiculous bandage was gone from his head. Her heart was pounding and her stomach was filled with butterflies but she would not trade this moment for the world.

“Come here,” Spike called softly, holding out his hand to her.

Without hesitation, she moved towards him and sank to the cot at his side, her hand linked in his. He brushed his hand over her hair as he took her in, his eyes searching hers.

“I’m gonna guess that you being here means it went okay with the Watcher,” he murmured, his knuckles stroking over her cheek.

“What do you think?” she whispered, her eyes locking with his.

He smiled ever so slightly and then leant in to kiss her, his hand slipping behind her neck and drawing her close. He drew her back with him and she spread out by his side, her hands coming to rest on his chest, their knees touching. He pulled back from their kiss and regarded her for a long moment, his fingers stroking down her arm.

Finally, growing nervous under his inspection, she shrank back.

“What?” she whispered with a smile, “Do I have a spot on my forehead or something?”

He laughed lowly and pulled her close once more.

“I was just savouring the moment,” he murmured, dipping his head and kissing her, his hand coming to rest on the small of her back. She twined her arm around him, her fingers splayed across his back as she leant into him, relishing the short, teasing kisses he was bestowing upon her.



He gently drew her closer and she rested her head on his arm as his mouth hovered over the skin of her neck. She closed her eyes and felt all the tension of the day seep from her as he placed a kiss on her neck, his nose nuzzling her hair.

“Love you,” he murmured between a kiss, his lips skimming over her skin, raising the hairs on the back of her neck.

She wanted to say it back, she did, but the words somehow got stuck in her throat and then he was kissing her again, peppering her lips with tantalisingly soft kisses.

“Spike,” she moaned against his lips and she heard him chuckle.

He tightened his hold on her a moment later and then he was kissing her properly, his mouth slanting over hers as she pressed herself against, aching for his closeness. His fingers twisted in her hair as he tilted her head, changing the angle and deepening their kiss, his tongue darting out and teasing hers. So it was going to be like this. She should have guessed. After all the months of loneliness and the months before that filled with hurried intimacy, it only figured that Spike would want to take his time. And for once, she was okay with that.

She let him set the pace, losing herself in his kisses, moving to lie on her back and wrapping one arm around him as he leaned over her. His mouth parted from hers only to drop to her neck, his tongue passing over her skin and causing her to let out a low moan. Her hands worked their way up to his head and she drew him back to her mouth, kissing him at the same unhurried pace, exploring his taste, relishing it.



His hand slid down her side, moulding her closer to him as she leaned into him, her leg hooking over his. They parted for a moment and his eyes met hers, his expression flooded with emotion. She trailed her fingers over his temple and smiled, shifting away from him to wriggle out of her top. He came to her aid and threw her top to the floor, his eyes devouring her, his hand stroking over her bare stomach. She brought her hand back to his face once more, guiding his lips to hers once more.

He kissed her harder then and she slid her own hands round to his back, tugging on his T-shirt and pulling it out of his jeans. He pulled away from her abruptly and drew the T-shirt over his head, throwing it to one side and settling over fully, his mouth finding hers again. Clutching his shoulders, she kissed him back hungrily, her body arching towards his, calling out to him. Parting from her – just as breathless as her – Spike slid his mouth to her neck, nipping at the skin gently and drawing her skin into his mouth. She let out a whimper and her nails dug into the flesh of his shoulders, urging him on.

“Love you,” he almost growled, his mouth dropping lower, his tongue trailing over her collarbone.

She squeezed her eyes shut and clung to him, hardly able to bear his sweet torture.

“I missed this,” he murmured huskily, his hands running over her bare skin.

“I missed you,” she breathed, drawing his mouth back to hers, unable to go without his kiss any longer. His hand slid down her front and found the zip to her trousers, deft fingers unzipping them as he kissed her passionately. She pushed him away abruptly and she saw him freeze for a moment, but then he was helping her to wriggle out of her trousers, his own following soon after.



As he dumped his trousers on the floor, he turned back to her, his eyes burning with desire, boring into her. She settled on her back and beckoned him closer, one hand on the blanket. Like the stealthy predator he was, he stalked up her body and settled over her, watching her with a heated gaze as she pulled the blanket over them, her hands coming to rest on his shoulders.

“Please,” she whispered, “I want you.”

Any hesitation she thought she might have sensed coming from him was gone and he kissed her again, his tongue delving inside her mouth as he positioned himself and then slid home. She let out a helpless moan as she finally felt him inside her and he pulled back to look at her, his blue eyes filled with wonder.

“Please,” she begged breathlessly, urging him to move, “Make love to me.”

His mouth found hers again but his kiss stayed surprisingly light as he began to move against her, more tender than he had ever been before. She arched her neck and he dived in there, his mouth suckling on her skin.

“God, I missed you,” she moaned, her hands fastened in a tight grip around his biceps.

His hand came to her chin and he guided her gaze back to his, his eyes locking with hers in a blaze of blue. She couldn’t look away after that, her eyes fixed on his, watching the different emotions that flooded them as he moved with her: awe, love, desire.

“I need you,” she whispered, “Need this.”

“Yeah?” he breathed, seeking reassurance.

She nodded and leaned up to kiss him, her hand tangling in his hair.



It couldn’t last long – not after all this time apart – but she didn’t want to end, wanted to stay locked in this moment forever. She had never felt this connection with anyone before, had never been this in the moment with the person she was with. But everything was different with Spike, now she had truly let him in.

She couldn’t tear her eyes from his, couldn’t bear to look away and miss a second of his reaction to her closeness. His reaction fuelled hers and when he picked up the pace, she kissed him hungrily, her nails digging into his flesh again. She could feel her release building and she let out a strangled moan, clinging to him, desperate to prolong this moment.

“Buffy,” he groaned, his movements growing jerky, wild, “God, Buffy.”

He sank against her, his arms around her, his head buried against her neck as she pressed kisses to his temple, her fingers clawing at his back.

“Spike,” she breathed, “Oh God. Oh God.”

“I love you,” he groaned into her skin, jerking against her.

“Love you. Love you,” she panted, her body seizing up and a strangled cry spilling from her lips, “Oh God.”

Her body seemed to spasm for minutes, until finally it began to calm, although she could still feel her heart thundering in her chest. She let out a little moan and stroked her hand over the vampire’s hair, savouring this closeness too. He finally shifted, pushing himself up on his elbows to look at her.

“Do you mean it?” he whispered, his voice strained.

She swallowed hard and gave a jerky nod.

“Yes,” she whispered, “I… I love you, Spike.”

His expression softened into a look of awe much like the one she had witnessed when he had seen her alive again for the first time.

“I love you,” she repeated, her voice thick with emotion, “And I should have told you a long time ago.”

She saw him blink back tears but she could not stop her own.

“I love you, William.”

He closed his eyes for a second and then opened them again, his eyes meeting hers, flooding her with warmth.

“I love you, Buffy. Always.”

She couldn’t hold back any longer and she leant up, pressing her lips to his tenderly as a tear traced down her cheek.



For this moment, nothing mattered. Not the upcoming apocalypse, not the fear of losing the vampire she had finally learned to love, not the thought that everything she knew might be lost in the upcoming fight. All that mattered was that she was wrapped up in Spike’s arms.

After everything they had been through, after everything they had put each other through, they had somehow found their way to this place, this time where they could finally be together properly. It turned out that all they needed, all along, was a little tenderness.



THE END



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A/N: If you thought that ending kinda of snuck upon you... join the club. It kinda surprised me too. :-) But it works, so... yeah... Hope you enjoyed!