A/N: This was written for the current round of seasonal_spuffy on livejournal. It's complete in two parts. Thanks to Sotia for beta reading!


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And Round Again

Part One

Buffy stared at the screen, the fame-hungry Survivor contestants completely failing to capture her interest. The sun was just beginning to set, and she probably should have been getting ready to patrol, but she just couldn’t muster the energy. With a sigh, she clicked the television off and slumped back into the couch.

Willow and Tara had left the house earlier, laughing together as they planned their night out: catch a movie at The Sun and then find a cosy little restaurant for dinner. Xander and Anya were probably off having sex somewhere. And Giles? Who knew. He hadn’t been around much lately. Buffy hated the resentment that welled up inside when she thought about her friends and what they had done. She hated it, but it was there, simmering under the surface, tainting her every interaction with them.

A deafening rumbling noise, followed by the squeal of tires and an odd creaking, broke her from her thoughts, and Buffy stood to peer out of the window. She rolled her eyes, but a little bubble of anticipation built in her stomach anyway, when she saw that it was Spike pulling up in the driveway in that hunk of junk he liked to call a car.

Moments later, the door swung open and a slightly steaming vampire presented himself to her with a grin. “All right, Slayer?”

“Spike.” She tried not to smile, she really did, and these days very few things made her smile anyway, but the sight of him standing there, smoke furling from his shoulders and black–paint? Grease? Whatever the stuff was, it was all over his face and hands and making the hilarity of his appearance too much to resist. “What’s with the tribal look?”

“What?” He frowned and glanced at his hands. He made his way to the kitchen and soaped up in the sink. “Oh. Car wouldn’t start, had to play around with her innards. She clearly doesn’t like being abandoned in favour of the bike.”

Buffy was about to ask why he was using the DeSoto instead of the motorbike, anyway, when thunderous footsteps came from the stairs and Dawn burst into the room, huge smile on her face.

“Spike! You came!”

Buffy raised her eyebrow when Spike narrowed his eyes at her sister, and shook his head almost imperceptibly.

Hands on hips, she glared at the both of them. “Okay, what’s going on here?”

“Nothing,” Spike was quick to reply, eyes wide with faux-innocence.

Dawn snorted. “Come on, Spike. Tell her! It’s not like she won’t find out soon, anyway.”

“Tell me what?”

Spike rolled his eyes and mumbled under his breath. “Was just gonna lure her to the car and drive.” He reached into his pocket and withdrew a crumpled sheet of paper, which he handed to Buffy with a grimace. “Here.”

She took the paper suspiciously. It was a flyer, advertising a carnival on the outskirts of the next town over. Understanding dawned, and she glanced at her sister and Spike, not quite believing that this was the big secret plan. “A fair?”

“Can we go? Please?” Not even giving Buffy time to reply, Dawn continued, huffing. “I hate you. You never let me do anything.”

“Might give big sis a chance to actually say something, Bit.”

Buffy shot Spike a grateful look before turning back to Dawn. “You really want to go?”

“Yes!” Dawn paused. “You too. And Spike’s gonna drive us.”

“I dunno.” She wasn’t sure that she was up to it… all the people, flashing lights, loud noises. Things that she preferred to avoid, these days. On the other hand, if she went, it would be a distraction and a chance to have some fun, for once–and she wouldn’t be home when her friends got in, wouldn’t have to put on the façade of normality. Still, she couldn’t give in too easily. “I should patrol…”

“Give the nasties a night off, Slayer.” Spike took a step towards her, head ducked and persuasion in his voice. “Let’s go have some fun.”

Buffy tried not to let it show how much Spike’s words affected her. More than just his words: the low tone of his voice, the slight pout to his lips, the sinuous way his hips moved as he came that little bit closer. She swallowed and turned away, to face Dawn instead. “Okay! Carnival goodness, here we come.”

***

There was a strange atmosphere in the car and it was almost enough to make Buffy uncomfortable. She didn’t feel that she could properly talk to Spike with Dawn in the car, and she got the impression that her sister didn’t want to chat to him whilst Buffy was there either. What was more, it had been a long time since she and Dawn had had a casual conversation.

If he noticed the tension, Spike didn’t comment on it, choosing instead to turn the music up and tap on the steering wheel to the beat. After five minutes of that, Buffy felt like she was going insane.

“Stop tapping!” She winced at the shrill tone of her voice and shrank away from the sidelong glance Spike sent her. She didn’t have the energy to fight with him. “Um, I mean, please?”

He rolled his eyes but stopped the tapping, and silence fell once more, broken only by the beat of the song on the radio.

***

“We’re lost,” Dawn announced, trying to see through the blacked-out windows of the car.

“We’re not bloody lost,” Spike said in a growl, tightening his grip on the steering wheel. “I know exactly where I'm going.”

Dawn leaned forward, her head resting on Buffy’s seat. “We're lost,” she repeated, tone conspiratorial and her voice a whisper in her sister’s ear.

Buffy bit her lip to stop from laughing at the annoyed expression on Spike's face. It felt surprisingly good that she wanted to laugh. “I think she might be right,” Buffy commented. “I’m not so good with the sign-readage, especially through all this black paint, but I'm pretty sure we passed the exit a couple miles back.”

“And you couldn't have said anything at the time?” Spike said, scowling. With a squeal of the brakes and a sharp twist of the wheel, he turned the car around.

“Spike!” Dawn shrieked, the force throwing her back against the seat.

“Sorry, Bit. Not used to havin' passengers.”

“You, mister,” Buffy said with a glare, “are a bad driver.”

“Am not,” he grumbled. “Sorry. Know I've got precious cargo.” He shot Buffy a contrite smile that told her he wasn't just talking about Dawn.

Tentatively, she smiled back and the rest of the journey was made in a companionable, rather than uncomfortable, silence.

Apart from Spike's tapping, of course.

***

Buffy could smell the fair before she saw it. The thick, cloying sweetness of cotton candy, the heavy dough-smell of funnel cake and the stink of engine oil filled the air.

Spike was at her side, hands shoved deep in his pockets and lips pursed around a cigarette. Dawn had hurried ahead, the excitement of the outing overcoming the 'I'm so mature' façade she liked to display of late.

They rounded a corner and the sights and sounds of the fairground hit with full force. A frenetic, messy and noisy sight: flashing lights, people milling about everywhere, roller coasters rolling and tilt-o-whirls tilting.

Buffy took a step back, the sudden onslaught of pulsing life a little too much for her to take. A strong hand gripped her elbow and she turned to see Spike standing close to her side, concern on his face.

“'All right, Buffy?”

She nodded, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. When she opened them again, her surroundings didn't seem quite as overwhelming, and she gave herself a mental shake. She was the Slayer; surely she should be able to handle a little noise, even after what she'd been through.

Dawn chose that moment to come skipping back and start tugging on Buffy's arm, pulling her towards the admission booth. “Come on, come on!”

Buffy fumbled in her pocket for some money, but, before she could find it, Spike gently pushed her aside and handed the greasy-looking attendant a twenty.

“Three?” The man behind the counter snorted, the movement agitating his heavy moustache. He grinned nastily and indicated the note. “You’ll want to triple that, then.”

“Sixty dollars for going to the bloody fair?” Spike grumbled, but reached into his pocket nonetheless. “Daylight bleeding robbery.” He slammed the money down with a glare and snatched the wristbands away without another word, handing one each to Buffy and Dawn before snapping the third around his own wrist.

“Ooh,” Dawn said, waving her arm in the air. “They glow in the dark. Neat!” She grinned and slid one arm through Spike’s, the other through Buffy’s. “This is gonna be so much fun.”

***

After the third time round on the roller coaster, Buffy had to bow out. She had forgotten how hyperactive fairground rides made her sister; it had been the reason their parents had stopped taking them to Disneyland when they were children.

She sat down on a bench in front of the ride, waiting for Dawn and Spike to finish their fourth consecutive go on the roller coaster. Surprisingly, she was having fun. She hadn’t expected to, not with the way she’d been feeling lately: out of touch, living day-to-day because she couldn’t, and didn’t want to, foresee any long-term plans.

Here, just for one night, she could be Buffy the girl and not Buffy the Slayer. She could pretend that her sister was just that, and not a mystical key. And Spike? She sighed. Well, it’d take some thinking before she could pigeonhole him into normal-Buffy’s life.

Reluctant ally? Acquaintance? Friend? More than a friend? She didn’t know, and didn’t want to think about it either.

Spike’s voice broke her from her thoughts and she looked up to see him approaching, Dawn by his side. “…see what Buffy has to say, all right?”

“What’s that?” Buffy stood up, shook herself slightly, and made her way over to meet them.

“Dawn’s spotted a couple of her mates from school,” Spike said.

“Can I go hang with them, Buffy?” Dawn cut in. “Please?”

She felt slightly put out that her sister wanted to go off without her after having insisted Buffy come along.

As if she read her mind, Dawn said, “Just for a couple of rides and then I’ll come find you, okay?”

Buffy sighed, and nodded. She felt like the evening had been one demand after the other from Dawn, but she really couldn’t be bothered arguing.

“Fine. Go.” She waved her hand in a shooing motion. “Meet us in an hour by the concession stand.”

“Yay! Thank you!” Dawn gave her a swift hug and hurried over to a group of teenagers, without looking back.

“Don’t know why she wanted me to come,” Buffy grumbled.

“Ahh, don’t let it get to you, Slayer.” Spike said, lighting a cigarette. “She’s young. Flighty.”

Buffy nodded, swallowing when Spike tossed the barely-smoked cigarette to the ground and moved closer. “Besides,” he said, eyes flicking to her lips and back to her eyes. “When the kid’s away…” He moved even nearer and ghosted the palm of his hand down the side of her face. “Adults get to play…”

“Play?” Buffy replied, voice wavering and an odd, twisty-turny sensation in her stomach.

“Yep,” Spike said, stepping away and trying to hide a smirk. “Fancy a game of hook-a-duck?”

***

“If Anya saw this, she'd have a fit,” Buffy said, hoisting the giant pink bunny under her arm, not letting the thought of her friends dampen her spirits.

“Funny bird, that one,” Spike remarked, snagging a tuft of her cotton candy and popping it in his mouth.

Buffy bit off a piece of the pink fluff and let it dissolve on her tongue. She watched, fascinated, as Spike licked the sugar from his lips, deliberately slow and sensual.

She swallowed, eyes widening when he leaned in close and stole another piece of candy floss, his tongue curling around the sweet sugar. Buffy knew that he was doing it on purpose, and she didn’t want him to see how affected she was by his actions.

She turned away and there was an awkward moment of silence while she took a deep breath to calm herself. Spike had no right to make her feel things for him. Since she’d been back, he’d been all friendly-guy, there when she needed someone to talk to. Now he was getting all flirty, and the lines were blurring, and that just wasn’t fair.

Pasting a semi-forced smile on her face, she turned back to face him. “Okay. What’s next?”

Spike pursed his lips and looked slightly put-out for a moment, before narrowing his eyes and looking around the fairground. His eyes lit up at something in the distance and he grabbed Buffy’s wrist to pull her towards the back of the field.

“Oh, no,” Buffy said, when they came to a stop in front of the biggest Ferris wheel she’d ever seen. “No way.”

“Scared?”

“No,” she retorted, defiantly. “Just… not so keen on heights anymore, after…”

“Oh,” Spike said, biting his lip. “I didn’t think of that.”

“No reason you should,” she replied, avoiding his gaze. She craned her neck to take in the size of the wheel. “And it doesn’t look very sturdy. Not sure I’d trust it.”

Spike nodded to the man in the booth. “It’s safe, right?”

“Oh yes,” the man replied. “Safest fair in all of California.”

“See?”

“Of course he’s going to say that; he works here,” Buffy grumbled, but made her way to the bottom of the ride, anyway. “And if it’s so fun, why are we the only ones going on it?”

Spike shrugged and waved his wristband at the attendant. “All right, mate?”

The man narrowed his eyes and raised his head, almost as if he was sniffing the air. A moment passed and a slow smile spread across his face. “Of course, of course. Please, get on.”

The attendant grasped Spike’s wrist as he stepped into the gondola and did the same when Buffy followed. She suppressed a shiver, trying not to flinch at the feel of the man’s oily hands on her skin. He closed the door to the car and looped the chain around twice. “Enjoy the ride,” he said. “Everyone does.”

A few moments later, the car swayed slightly as the machinery jerked to life, and then they were rising into the air. Buffy kept a firm grip on the handrail, looking anywhere but out of the window. She hadn’t been lying when she’d told Spike that heights bothered her a little now. Nothing she couldn’t overcome, but being up high took her back to the last few moments before she’d jumped into Glory’s portal, and it wasn’t something she liked to relive.

Spike on the other hand, was peering out of the gondola with glee, an odd, boyish expression on his face. He looked… happy. Free. She hadn’t seen him look so content since long before she’d died.

The wheel was moving slowly, stopping every few seconds as each car passed through the loading platform. Strange, when there weren’t any more passengers, but Buffy supposed that it was a preset program.

Suddenly, the car set to swinging back and forth wildly because Spike stood up and moved across to sit next to her.

“Spike!” she shrieked, grabbing the handrail on one side and his knee on the other to steady herself.

His hand moved to cover hers, squeezing lightly. He met her eyes, a sheepish grin on his face. “Sorry.”

She held his gaze, mouth becoming dry at the intense look in his eyes. “It’s fine,” she whispered. Spike leaned in closer and Buffy felt herself become dizzy, though if it was because Spike was about to kiss her, or from the motion of the Ferris wheel, she didn’t know.

The first touch of his lips to hers was gentle, hesitant, and a surprise, even though she’d known it was coming. The second kiss was bolder, the insistent press of his mouth sending little sparks of heat through her body.

Buffy looped her free arm around Spike’s neck, her other hand still held captive at his knee, and kissed him harder, taking charge. This had been building for a while, and now that it was happening, she wanted more, damn the consequences. She ran her tongue along the seam of his lips, coaxing his mouth open and tasting the sweetness of the cotton candy they’d both eaten earlier.

The sudden jolt of the Ferris wheel and a horrible squeal of metal broke them from their haze. They stared at each other for several moments, eyes wide, breath heaving.

“Buffy–” Spike began, but she held up a hand to quiet him while she looked past his shoulder and out of the gondola window. He turned to see what had caught her attention and his mouth dropped open. “What the hell?”

Below them the field lay empty and silent. The busy, frenetic fairground, and everyone in it, had disappeared.

-TBC-

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And Round Again

Part Two

“What the bloody hell is going on?” Spike’s eyes darted wildly around the empty field. He slipped into his vampire face, his enhanced senses allowing him to see that there was nothing of the fair left. He said as much to Buffy, who gripped the handrail of the car so hard she put a dent in it.

Moving quickly, she snapped the chain holding the door closed and pushed it open. “We have to find Dawn.”

Climbing down from the Ferris wheel was more difficult than she’d anticipated; the metal framework was greasy with engine oil and there wasn’t very much to hold on to.

The attendant’s booth lay empty, and the stuffed toy she’d won earlier that evening had disappeared. The field was silent, bare, not even a hint of the fairground that had been there just moments before.

“Dawn!” she yelled and ran out into the field. “Dawn!”

She spun around at the feel of Spike’s hand on her arm. “She’s not here. Can’t sense her–can’t sense anyone.”

“It doesn’t make sense!” Panic filled, she broke free from Spike’s grasp. “We need to find her!”

“And we will.” Spike’s voice was calm. “We’ll head back to the car park, see if the old girl’s still there. Then we’ll figure out what to do next, all right?”

Buffy nodded, knowing that there was nothing else she could do but agree.

***

“About what happened back there,” Spike said, matching his stride to hers and gazing at her in earnest. “On the Ferris wheel.”

“Not now.”

“But–” He ran ahead a little and turned to face her, stopping directly in her path. “We kissed, Buffy.”

“I said, not now! We have to find Dawn and figure out what the heck is going on. How can a whole fairground just disappear?”

Spike shrugged and fell back into step. He put a cigarette between his lips and lit it, taking a long drag before speaking. “Transference to another dimension, time slip, magic spell, who knows? But we kissed, you and me. What was that?”

“Temporary insanity?” Buffy replied. “What we did is done. We–” She held up a hand when Spike opened his mouth. “We can discuss it later. After we find Dawn. That’s what’s important right now.”

He nodded and threw his cigarette to the ground, shoving both hands deep in his coat pockets. They rounded the corner and saw the parking lot looking exactly as it had earlier; full of the cars of the people at the fair.

Haphazardly parked in the corner was Spike’s DeSoto.

“So the fair moved, not us,” Spike said as they made their way towards the car. He fumbled for his keys and pulled them out of his pocket, a crumpled sheet of paper falling to the ground as he did so.

Buffy leaned down and picked it up; it was the flyer advertising the fair. “Del Goro’s Amazing Travelling Fairground,” she read aloud. “You’ll never want to leave.”

“Let’s see that.” Spike leaned over her shoulder and peered at the leaflet. “Look here. List of the places the fair’s going to stop at.” He tapped the second name on the list. “Seems like we’re going on a little road trip, Slayer.” Spike opened the car door and smirked across at her. “Hope you packed your toothbrush.”

***

Buffy let her head rest against the cool glass of the car window. She closed her eyes, wondering how things could have gone so wrong so fast.

Her mind was spinning, the events of the evening catching up with her: Dawn persuading her to go to the fair, hope shining on her face; winning the stuffed toy at the hook-a-duck stand and the jubilant smile she’d sent Spike when she’d won; sharing her cotton candy with the vampire and… and the kiss.

God, that kiss! She’d told Spike she didn’t want to talk about it, but it was almost all she could think about–other than her sister’s disappearance, that was. How was she going to deal with it, when they had found Dawn and returned to Sunnydale? She couldn’t date another vampire; it just wasn’t an option. And what would her friends think? There was no way it could work.

She opened her eyes and glanced at him. His gaze was slightly narrowed as he concentrated on the road ahead, one hand on the wheel and the other resting on his knee. Buffy bit her lip and looked away, frightened by how strong the urge to reach across and put her hand on his was.

Taking a deep breath, she tried to put it out of her mind. There would be time to think about her relationship issues when they’d found Dawn. Spike could wait.

She must have drifted off because the next thing she knew, Spike was shaking her shoulder. She sat up quickly, rubbing the crick in her neck and turning to look at the vampire.

“Are we there?”

“No,” Spike said as he opened the car door and climbed out. “Car’s almost out of petrol.”

“Oh.” Buffy followed him out, the bright fluorescent lights of the gas station making her blink. She glanced at her watch. Two in the morning. “How much longer until we are there?”

“Hour or so, I reckon,” Spike replied. His eyes never left the dial on the pump, the numbers rolling past too fast for Buffy to follow. “Should give us enough time to find Dawn before the sun comes up.”

“I hope so.” She stretched, her arms going up over her head and her back popping with a satisfying click. “I’m gonna go use the bathroom.”

Spike nodded but didn’t reply, and she walked through the forecourt towards the toilets, wondering what his problem was.

The bathroom wasn’t particularly clean and there was an odd smell in the air. Buffy wrinkled her nose and stepped in, avoiding the cracks in the tiled floor. She used the toilet and the flush sounded overly loud in the otherwise quiet bathroom. The flickering light cast an eerie glow across her face when she looked in the mirror. She grimaced at her appearance; her hair was a tangled mess and she had creases on her face from where she’d been sleeping in the car.

She fixed herself up as best she could without a hairbrush or make-up handy, but she wouldn’t be winning any beauty pageants in the near future. The girl staring at her from the mirror looked tired, drawn and worried. Nothing like the girl who'd shrieked in faux-fright on the roller coaster earlier, who'd kissed Spike with wild abandon on the Ferris wheel.

Sighing, she gave herself one last look over and left the bathroom, hoping that Spike would keep up the avoidy act for the rest of the journey.

***

When they arrived at Meadow Court Recreation Ground, Spike pulled up to the kerb and cut the engine. They could see the fair from the road. It was quiet, the rides not fully constructed and the booths shuttered. There were several travel-trailers towards the back of the field and a few of them were lit up.

Buffy glanced at Spike and pointed to the trailers. He nodded and, in silence, they made their way towards them. When they were close, Buffy raised a questioning eyebrow and put her finger to her nose. Spike shook his head. No Dawn-scent nearby, then.

One of the trailers was different to the rest, cleaner, less rundown. Its windows were lit up, but not with the white glow of artificial light–instead, there was a strange green haze emanating from it.

They crept towards it, coming up to the back window. Buffy peered in, her eyes widening when she saw a circle of very small, very purple creatures sitting around a large green crystal. Behind them stood a man, also purple-skinned and with a strange mottled texture to his scalp. He looked familiar, so it was no surprise when Spike whispered in her ear. “The ferris wheel attendant.”

She nodded and beckoned him away from the window. “On my count,” she mouthed and held up three fingers. “One. Two. Three.”

Together, they rushed the door of the trailer, pulling it from its hinges. The tiny demons stopped chanting, springing to their feet and attacking without warning, the attendant standing back and watching from the side.

They were small but numerous, and their teeth were sharp as they swarmed over Buffy and Spike. Buffy leapt from the trailer, dropping to the ground outside and rolling over, dislodging several of the creatures. She brought her foot down on the ones she'd managed to throw off and snapped their necks.

Spike was still inside, pulling the demons from his body one-by-one and squeezing their throats until they died.

After several long minutes of fighting the little snappers, silence fell, and Buffy realised that all the mini-demons around her were dead. She shook herself and tried to ignore the stinging their bites and scratches had left behind. Going back inside, she saw that Spike had dealt with his share and now had the attendant held up against the wall. To her surprise, the attendant wasn’t struggling, he hung limp and defeated in Spike’s arms, whimpering and moaning every so often.

“What's up with him?” she asked, moving closer and peering at the demon. It was definitely the man who had encouraged them onto the Ferris wheel, just a little more demony.

Spike shrugged and tightened his hold on the demon's neck. “Dunno. He just started blubbering.”

“Set him down,” Buffy said, and Spike did so, but kept one hand tightened on the demon’s shoulder, just in case.

She leaned over him, her hands on her hips. “Talk.”

“You killed my children,” he said, tears gone and malice in his eyes.

“You kidnapped my sister,” Buffy replied, no sympathy in her voice. “And half the town with her. Now, are you going to tell me where they are, or am I going to let Spike torture you a little?”

“They’re gone. All gone. My children were feasting.” His eyes darted nervously, and he glanced across to the crystal, half of which had now turned grey. “You are too late.”

“He’s lying,” Spike said and slipped into his vampire visage. “If you don’t start telling the truth…” He bared his teeth and grinned nastily. “Start at the beginning.”

“All right, all right!” The attendant slid down until he was on the floor, propped up by the wall of the caravan. “My kind–we feed on fear… a thrillsome rush of adrenaline. It’s like nectar to us. And what better place to harness that kind of fear than the fairground?”

“So, what?” Buffy interjected. “You put people on roller coasters and feed on them? That doesn’t explain where my sister is.”

“In a way,” the demon replied. “The fair on this mortal plane is just a way to attract the crowds. When you try to leave, your admission wristband is activated and you are transported to another dimension. There, you will ride our roller coasters for days, weeks, months on end, compelled to enjoy, compelled to feel that rush of adrenaline until our hunger is sated. When I sensed that you were the Slayer, I knew I had to get you out of the way. I didn’t count on you following.”

“Yeah, well, you shouldn’t have taken my sister.” She glared at him. “Bring her back. Now.”

The demon waved his hand towards the crystal. When he spoke, his voice was despondent, tone weary. “Smash it. They will all come back. Your sister will be by the Flying Dutchman.”

As soon as he’d spoken, Spike had moved towards the crystal. He picked it up, lifted it high and threw it down to the floor, where it shattered into a thousand tiny pieces. There was a strange suctioning sound in the air, and the fair outside came to life.

Buffy shared a quick, meaningful glance with Spike before rushing out of the caravan. The fair looked just as it had before: booths open, though without attendants, and rides coming to a squealing halt.

She arrived at the foot of the biggest roller coaster, the Flying Dutchman, just as its riders were dismounting. They all looked disorientated and dizzy, some hunching over and vomiting into the grass as soon as they were away from the ride.

Buffy scanned the crowd, looking for her sister’s long hair. “Dawn!”

“Here.” Dawn was sitting on the edge of the platform, her head in her hands. When Buffy approached, Dawn looked up and her face was startlingly pale. “What happened?”

“Demon fairground,” Buffy said; no other explanation was needed. “Are you all right?”

“Dizzy. So, so dizzy.” She stood on wobbly legs. “I am never going on a roller coaster ever again. Ever.”

“Noted.” Buffy put her arm around Dawn and they started to walk towards the exit. Spike was waiting for them, his hands in his pockets.

“Did you–?”

“Yeah. The bugger won’t be harnessing any more fear now I’ve snapped his neck.”

“Good.” Buffy said and sent him a small smile.

He smiled back before clearing his throat and speaking again. “You all right, Niblet?”

Dawn nodded and shrugged Buffy’s arm from her shoulder. “Janice is over there, I should go check how she is.”

“See if she needs a ride home,” Buffy said. “We’ll be by the car.” She turned to Spike, the atmosphere suddenly awkward now that they had pulled off the rescue. “Um, thanks. For helping.”

“Any time, Slayer.” He smirked, and Buffy knew that quiet, helpful Spike had left the building and annoying, flirty Spike was back. “So… we slayed the bad guy, rescued the girl. Think it’s time you and me had a little chat.”

“Spike…” Buffy shivered when he ran his hand down her arm and linked his fingers around her wrist. She closed her hand around his and gently but firmly moved his hand away. She looked up and saw that the cocky grin was gone and his face had fallen. Something in her shifted and she knew that she couldn’t reply with her planned scathing answer. Didn’t want to. “Spike,” she repeated, and he looked up, full of hope. “I’m not promising anything. But you’ve been… you’ve been really great since I came back. I like spending time with you. So for now, can we say… friends?”

“Friends,” Spike echoed. “I like the sound of that.”

“Me too.” She frowned. “Except… maybe sometimes there could be kissing. Friends with kissing?”

“Even better.”

They shared a smile and walked back to the car in companionable silence, the tips of their fingers lightly brushing together.

-END-