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More Toil and Trouble by slaymesoftly
 
Thirteen
 
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Chapter Thirteen
 
Spike and Buffy made their way, him limping, but refusing any assistance, Buffy fighting the urge to try to help him. When he seemed about to lose his balance, she muttered, “Screw your masculine pride,” and put his arm over her shoulders, taking much of his weight and using the arm around his waist to keep him upright.
 
“Could be I underestimated how much blood I lost,” he admitted, leaning on her with a relieved sigh.
 
“Few more steps,” she said. “Then you can rest and eat.”
 
She left him leaning against the wall while she opened the heavy doors to the crypt. It seemed like a very long time ago that they were all talking and going off in different directions to plan the attack on Adam.  She helped Spike inside, leaving him slumped on the couch while she re-closed the doors and put a stone plinth in front of the inner door.
 
“Expectin’ company?” he asked, his voice barely able to register any curiosity.
 
“No. But I don’t want any surprises.  Too many people know where you live now.”
 
“Need to make a lock for that door – or a heavy bar across it.”
 
“Yeah, well, in the meantime... I think that’s heavy enough to slow most people down.” She walked past him, ignoring the hand he put out, and searched the refrigerator for the newest blood.  She frowned at the bags of human blood with hospital expiration dates on them, but sighed and brought two of them over.
 
“We’re going to have a talk about all this, once it’s done its job and made you well enough for me to yell at.”
 
“It’s all expired, love. They weren’t going to use it anyway. “
 
“I have a hard time believing that a Sunnydale hospital doesn’t use up every drop of blood it gets,” she muttered, handing him the first bag.  She watched with interest as he punctured it with one fang and then upended the bag and let if flow into his mouth. His throat flexed from time to time as he chugged the entire bagful of old blood.  “I’m pretty sure I should be more disgusted by that than I am,” she said, taking the limp bag from him and handing him another full one.
 
He smirked at her and disposed of the new bag just as quickly. “Ta, love,” he said as Buffy took the empty bag.
 
“More?”
 
Spike shook his head.  “Let that do its work for a bit.”  He shut his eyes and leaned against the back of the couch, patting the seat beside him.
 
“Why don’t you just go downstairs? You’ll be more comfortable, and I can always bring you more blood when you need it.”
 
He opened one eye and peered at her. “Where are you plannin’ to be?”
 
“Well, I thought I’d... but... unless you don’t want me to stay?”
 
“Don’t be daft,” he said, struggling to his feet. “Wasn’t asking you what I want, was asking what you wanted to do.”
 
“I want to get you fed, rested, and healed.”  She watched him carefully as he made his way to the ladder, but refrained from trying to help when he gave her a glare.
 
“And what are you going to be doing while I’m doing all this resting and healing?”
 
“I was thinking I’d just catch up on some missing sleep—watch out!” She grabbed his good arm just in time to keep him from tumbling down from where he was sitting on the floor at the top of the ladder. “Let me go down first,” she said, going around him and starting down. She glanced up from the floor below. “Now you can come.”
 
Grumbling about bossy women and being a perfectly capable vampire with super powers, Spike lowered himself, one careful rung at a time until his feet were on the ground and he could turn around to face Buffy.
 
“See. No problem. I’m better already.”
 
She cocked her head and studied his paler than usual face and the way he was leaning on the ladder for support. “No you aren’t. Get over there and get into bed, I’m going to get you another bag of blood.”  Without waiting for a response, she stepped around him and half-climbed, half-jumped up the ladder.  She bit her lip as she stared into the fridge, shook her head, and took out two bags instead of one.
 
By the time she got back downstairs, Spike’s jeans and torn shirt were on the floor and he was lying, face down across the bed.  With a sigh, Buffy set the blood down on the floor beside the bed and smacked him on his bare ass. He rolled over with a growl.
 
 “I’ll teach you about spanking when I’m up to it, Slayer. Now is not the time.”
 
She rolled her eyes and handed him one of the bags of blood.  “I’ll let you sleep in a few minutes. I want you to get more blood into your system first.”
 
Spike drained the bag as quickly as he had the first two, dropped it on the floor and fell back against the pillow. “Can I rest now, Doctor Slayer?”  He patted the empty space beside him. “Think I’d heal faster if I had something to keep me warm....” Even as he spoke, doing his best to leer at her, his eyes were drifting shut. Buffy leaned down and kissed his forehead before pulling the duvet up over him.
 
“In a sec,” she promised, realizing how tired she was herself. In spite of all the extra strength borrowed from her friends, fighting their way into the lab and then exchanging blows with Adam while keeping away from his weapons had not been all that easy on her. She’d noticed her fatigue when all the borrowed power drained out, but had thought the sudden loss was magnifying the sensation of weakness and she would be fine. Feeling much less than fine now that the battle was over and she and Spike were safe, she quickly shed her shoes, socks, jeans, and shirt, frowning in thought when she was down to her underwear.
 
“All of it,” Spike said, peering at her through barely-open eyes.
 
She blushed, but did as he asked, dropping her underwear on the floor with her other clothes and quickly sliding into bed and under the covers. Spike extended one arm and pulled her in until her leg was draped over his and her head was lying on his chest. With a happy sigh, he fell asleep, Buffy safely in his arms.  She paused to enjoy the feeling, but soon drifted off to sleep herself, content to share her warmth with him.
 
XXXXXXX
 
“So, there are auras, huh?”  Willow ignored Giles’s muttered remark about what power she’d used in the tunnels and spoke only to Evelyn.  “I met a girl at a Wicca meeting who talked about auras. She was surprised I couldn’t see them too.” Willow bit her lip. “We’re going to practice doing spells together.” She glared at the back of Giles’s head as if expecting an argument.
 
“She must be quite well-connected with the earth magic to see them easily at such a young age,” Evelyn said with a smile. “I’d like to meet her.”
 
I’m young. You thought I should see them.”
 
“Just Buffy and Spike’s – because we’d pulled so much power from the earth to work the spell. I’d have expected some of it to linger for awhile, given what you seem to be capable of doing on your own.”
 
The car was silent as everyone carefully avoided mentioning that Willow may have been using another source of power by the time they were on the way out of the Initiative. They got out of the car in the parking lot and Xander waved his good-bye as he entered his own car to go home.  He offered Willow a ride back to the dorm, and after another look at Evelyn and Giles, she accepted.
 
“Maybe I’ll bring Tara with me tomorrow night,” she said as she got into Xander’s car.
 
“I’d like that,” Evelyn said. “Perhaps she’d like to join us for your next lesson?”
 
“We’ll see,” was Willow’s noncommittal response as she closed the door.
 
The older couple watched them drive away, gave matching sighs, and entered the apartment building.  By mutual agreement, they decided to wait until morning to discuss Willow and her possible reluctance to accept Evelyn’s guidance. They said their goodnights and went to their respective rooms.
 
XXXXXXXX
 
“I take it you’re feeling better?” Buffy giggled as she felt Spike’s cock poking her rather insistently.
 
“Been waiting for you to wake up forever,” he breathed into her ear, smiling when she shivered against him.  He slid one leg in between hers and pressed himself even closer. 
 
“Forever, huh?”
 
“Seems like.  ’S possible it wasn’t quite that long... but I woke up wantin’ you and it was just getting’ harder and harder to keep my hands off.”
 
Buffy snorted.  “I’m pretty sure that hard thing poking me isn’t one of your hands. What if I didn’t want to wake up yet?”
 
“Knew you were awake. Breathing, heartbeat... can’t fool a vampire, love.”
 
“Mmmmmm,” was her noncommittal response as she squirmed around to face him. He immediately rolled onto his back, pulling her with him to lie stretched out on his body.  She dropped her legs to either side of his hips and wriggled against him, smiling at his throaty growl.  “So, now that I’m awake, what are you gonna do about it?”
 
“That’s got to be the dumbest thing you’ve ever said to me,” he said, pulling the skin on her neck into his mouth and beginning to suck.  Buffy’s whimper as she felt her blood being pulled to the spot escaped without her intending to let Spike know exactly how much he was turning her on, and she felt him smile against her skin.
 
“You’re going to give me another hickey,” she murmured, tilting her head to give him better access.
 
“I am,” he confirmed, his tone smug. “And then I’m going to demonstrate my sucking skills somewhere else.” His lips popped off with a soft plopping noise and he rolled her off so as to able to nibble and kiss his way down her body.
 
“Promises, promises...oh!”  It took only a minute of his attention to his next sucking target to send Buffy’s hips rocking up off the bed while she gasped her appreciation. As soon as she was lying bonelessly still, he moved up and slid into her. Instead of beginning to thrust, he pushed himself up with his arms and gazed down at her sated expression.  He kept his eyes on her face until she met his gaze with a puzzled frown. “What’s wrong?”
 
“Nothing, love. Not a bloody thing. Was just thinking how lucky I am and how much I love you.” When she shifted her eyes away, he gave a sad smile and leaned down to rest his forehead against hers.  “Not lookin’ for the same back, Buffy. Know I’m not what you want in your life. Know I don’t deserve you. Got no right to expect you to love a demon. But that doesn’t change how I feel about you, and sometimes I’m just gonna have to say it out loud.”
 
“Spike... I....” Buffy’s conflicted expression and the way she wrapped her arms and legs tightly around his body put a hopeful glint in his eyes as he lifted his head.
 
“Shhh, love. Didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. Got better things to do now than suss out who means what to who, yeah?”  He wriggled his hips, grinning when she clutched him even tighter. 
 
“Much better things,” she gasped, moving with him in a way that was already familiar to them both.  They fell silent except for occasional moans and the inevitable sweet obscenities from Spike that made Buffy whimper and tighten her grip around him.  When he crooned, “Come for me, love. Let me watch you, let me feel you around me—” she gave a little shriek and spasmed under him. With a shouted “yes!” he thrust into her until he had nothing left.
 
They rested, his face in her neck, her legs still wrapped around his hips.  When he moved to roll off, she shook her head, holding him in place and smiling when she felt him harden within her. “My turn,” she said, flipping them over so that she was sitting on him and staring down at his grinning face. 
 
“I’m all yours, love. Have at it.” 
 
XXXXXXX
 
Spike’s head was resting on Buffy’s abdomen when her stomach growled and she groaned with embarrassment.
 
“Guess that means I need to feed you,” he said, dropping a kiss on her bellybutton as he sat up.
 
“Sorry,” she mumbled, blushing and putting her hands over her still-complaining stomach. “I’m just really hungry.”
 
“Should have said something,” he scolded. “There’s food upstairs. I put away that stuff the watcher brought that he wouldn’t let you stay here to eat.”
 
“I wonder what time it is?  Maybe we—I should get dressed and check in with Giles.  And Willow, to see if she’s... feeling okay.”
 
“You don’t think it was the earth helpin’ her toss those rocks around?”
 
“I don’t know.” Buffy frowned and glanced over at him. “Do you?”
 
“Do I think she’s got over her little power trip so easily? No. Magic can be pretty addicting – the dark stuff can, anyway. And I don’t think bein’ on everybody’s shit list for a few weeks made a big enough impression on her to change that.”
 
“Awesome. So I still have to worry about Willow.”  She sighed and began looking for her clothes.  “Did you take my underwear again?”
 
“No idea what you’re talking about, pet,” he replied with a grin. “Should jus’ do like me and skip the knickers.”
 
Buffy shuddered. “No thanks. Give me my panties!”
 
“Spoil sport.” He tossed them to her, then got up and pulled his own jeans on. “I’ll go up and get you some food while you finish hiding all your goodies from me.”
 
By the time Buffy got to the upper level, Spike had opened a can of soup and warmed it in the old microwave he’d found.  He handed her the warmed bowl and a spoon, then began to spread peanut butter on a piece of mostly fresh bread, saying, “If you’re going to be hungry all the time, I’m going to have to put grocery shopping on my things-to-do list.”
 
Buffy hmphed at him and set the too-hot soup down on a table. “Hey, it’s not my fault that I end up staying here long enough to get hungry. Anyway, it’s only happened twice.” She took the slice of bread and peanut butter he handed her.  “If you don’t want me here that long, just say so. I can always find some other—mmmph!”
 
Spike’s sudden embrace that plastered her and the bread against his chest was accompanied by a snarl.
 
“That’s not funny, Slayer,” he said, his mouth close to her ear.  “You know I’ll never not want you here. Not that I don’t think you deserve something better than a crypt, but I’ll do my best to make it as comfortable for you as I can. Just haven’t had a lot of time yet, what with—”
 
Buffy interrupted him by turning her head to kiss him.  “I was kidding, you big dope.  You’re the one who was complaining about how I’m always hungry.”
 
“I wasn’t complainin’, just stating a fact. I need to keep food here for you so you don’t ever have to go scampering off because you’re hungry. Or for any other reason. Gonna fix the toilet situation, maybe add a shower—”
 
“Spike....” Buffy nudged him with her nose to make him look at her. “I’m not going to be living here. I can’t do that.”
 
He sighed and released his tight grip, keeping his arms around her loosely. He ignored the peanut butter-covered bread now stuck to his bare chest.
 
“Don’t expect it of you, sweetheart. That’s not really where I was going with that. It’s just that when you are here, in my home, I want you to be comfortable.  Don’t want any reasons for you to leave before you really want or need to.  Want it to be safe for you – which might mean asking Red to put up some wards to keep out other demons and vamps, now that I think of it....” His voice trailed off as he thought about how easy it would be for evil creatures to enter a tomb, no matter how warm and cozy he might make it.
 
“We’ll work it out,” she said, getting his attention back. “It’s not like I need to have a lot if I’m only going to be here when we’re—“ She plucked the bread from his chest and handed him a napkin from the bag of food and supplies. “Here. Be grateful Giles was so thorough when he went shopping.“
 
Spiked eyed the peanut butter off his chest. “You could just lick it off, you know. It was meant for you.”
 
“Good point,” she said, laughing at his surprised expression. “Hold still.”  Still smiling, she began to lick the peanut butter from his smooth skin, becoming distracted when his nipples pebbled up and he moaned.  She quit what she’d been doing to nibble her way down to his navel, but stopped when he reached for her.  “I think you’d better use the napkin or we’ll miss tonight’s Scooby meeting,” she said, somewhat breathlessly as she stepped out of reach.
 
“Ask me if I care,” he said even as he obediently finished wiping off his chest.  “And don’t think we aren’t going to continue this later,” he finished with a leer.
 
“Will there be chocolate sauce involved? Cause I like that a lot better than peanut butter.” 
 
She blinked at him innocently, giggling when his expression indicated his mind had gone elsewhere.  Before he could reply, she walked to the door and started dragging the plinth away.  With a sigh, Spike dropped down to his bedroom and quickly finished dressing, rejoining her at the now-open door.
 
“Alright, love. Let’s get this over with.”
 
XXXXXXXXX
 
When Buffy and Spike eventually walked into the apartment, Willow was watching with a bemused expression on her face as Evelyn and a sweet-looking blonde girl talked animatedly about earth magic and auras and “no-danger” spells.
 
“Hey,” Buffy said, walking up and nudging Willow. “Is that your new friend?”
 
Willow blushed and nodded. “That’s Tara. Turns out she and Evelyn have a lot in common. She never had any formal training, but her mom was a witch and she taught Tara a lot before she died.”
 
“Pretty bird,” Spike said, with a sidelong glance at Willow.  She frowned and chose not to respond to the words, or the smirk on his face. When she’d moved away to take part in the conversation across the room, Buffy turned to Spike.
 
“What was that all about?”  He shook his head.
 
“Not mine to tell, pet,” he said. He nodded toward the girls across the room from them. “Looks like it’s going well, doesn’t it?”
 
Giles approached them, clearing his throat to interrupt. “It appears that Willow’s new friend is quite knowledgeable for someone who had only her mother’s somewhat unsophisticated background to call upon. I gather she has done some reading on her own, but still....” He gave Buffy a pointed look. “I think Tara will be a good influence on Willow, who seems quite concerned that she not upset her new friend with any inappropriate use of magic.  It remains to be seen if she will be honest with Tara about what she’s done in the past.”
 
“So, you think Will’s going to be okay now?” The relief in Buffy’s voice was palpable and Spike and Giles exchanged looks.
 
“I believe she will be more amenable to learning how to use earth magic. It is very clear that Tara is aware of other sources of power and wishes to have nothing to do with them. So as long as Willow continues to value her opinion, I’m hoping she will avoid doing anything to damage the relationship.”
 
Spike looked at Giles again, raising his eyebrow, but got only a shrug in return. Buffy looked back and forth between them with a puzzle frown. “What? Are you guys doing that ‘we’re British and we know stuff’ thing again?”
 
While Giles coughed and looked embarrassed, Spike put his arm around Buffy and squeezed. “No, love. We were doing a ‘we’re older and know stuff’ thing. Nothing for you to get your knickers in a twist about.”
 
Although she remained tucked under Spike’s arm and snuggled into his side, Buffy looked to Giles for answers.
 
“So it’s going to be all right? Willow’s not going to go all evil on us again?”

When Willow waved her hand, inviting Spike and Buffy to come closer and meet Tara, Giles watched them go, hands joined and, if the smiles on Tara and Evelyn’s faces were to be believed, sporting joined auras that both witches found very appealing.  Too softly for anyone but Spike to hear him, he gave a belated answer to Buffy’s question.  “That is my sincere hope.”
 

 

 
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