An interlude after the end of Muzzled and before Oz comes back.
 
 
Some Spells Have Lingering Effects…
 
Part One
 
 
It had been a couple of weeks since Willow sent Oz back to pursue his quest in Tibet, and Giles had agreed that Spike appeared to be harmless and should be permitted to find his own place to live. He assured everyone that it had nothing to do with his out-of-town company who was expected to arrive the next day. Buffy had rolled her eyes as she excused herself to go to the bathroom,  and Spike just laughed at him.
 
“Right, Watcher. So I guess if you’ve got a bird comin’ to visit, you won’t be wanting to continue our nightly chess games?” Spike grinned as he asked, already knowing what the answer was going to be.
 
“Uh… that is correct. I expect to be otherwise occupied in the evenings.  But perhaps Buffy—”
 
“Perhaps Buffy what?” she said as she came back from her quick trip.
 
“Rupert is kicking me out tomorrow night so he can shag his visitor.”
 
“I was going to say,” Giles ground out between clenched teeth, “that perhaps Buffy would help you find a place to live. Surely you can do better than my couch.”
 
“It is a bit lumpy,” Spike said. “What do you say, Slayer? I’ll help you slay tonight, and you can help me find a place to live.”
 
Buffy shrugged. “Sure. Whatever. Do you want him back tonight, Giles?”
 
He shook his head. “Only if you haven’t found an acceptable place for him to stay. I’m sure he’s perfectly capable of being on his own.”
 
“Okay, let’s go, Spike. While I’m slaying, you can be looking around the cemeteries for empty crypts or something.”
 
“Or we could check out the cave. If Harm hasn’t filled it with unicorns again.”
 
“I think she finally got the message and left Sunnydale. But, yeah. If you want to see it, we can go there. Maybe we can find some more of your stuff.”
 
 
XXXX
 
Three cemeteries later, Buffy agreed it had been a good night’s work. They were working their way toward the wooded area that concealed the cave entrance when they came around the cemetery wall and almost ran into Riley.
 
“Buffy!”
 
“Riley.”
 
He stared at Spike, his eyes narrowing.
 
“Step away from the vampire, Buffy. I’ll—”
 
“You’ll what? Recapture him and put him back in a cage so your boss can torture him? Oh wait. You can’t. She was arrested. And the Initiative was shut down.” She frowned, keeping her own body between Spike and her ex-boyfriend. “Why are you still here?”
 
“The Army wants to keep a presence here for a while. They think we do a good job with the… subterrestrials.”
 
“Really? How many vamps did you get tonight, Riley?”
 
“Um… me personally? I haven’t seen any—until just now.” He glared at Spike who was making faces at him over Buffy’s head.
 
“Ooofff!” Spike’s grunt when Buffy jabbed her elbow into his middle was accompanied by her, “Stop it!”
 
“Spoil sport,” he muttered, but schooled his face into a blank mask.
 
“Never mind Spike,” Buffy said. “How many vampires has the Army been responsible for dusting tonight?”
 
“I think my squad got one, and the other squad got one. So that’s two less to worry about.” He made a face. “I suppose you’re going to tell me you took care of more than that?”
 
Buffy looked back over her shoulder at Spike. “How many?”
 
He stared skyward and pretended to think as he held up his fingers to count on. “Let’s see, two just out of the ground in Sunnyside, the three trying to drag that woman away just outside Restfield, and the five we got in here… That comes to… ten total, Slayer. Bit of a slow night, wasn’t it?”
 
Buffy tried to smother a grin at Riley’s expression. “Actually, it’s only nine, ‘cause you got that one that tried to hit me with a rock. So, nine, Riley.  Of course, I’m not quite done yet. Sometimes I find them on my way home or back to the dorm.”
 
“I don’t believe you,” Riley said flatly.
 
Spike growled, but Buffy’s hand on his arm quieted him.
 
“It doesn’t matter if you believe me or not, Riley. You asked. I answered.” She shrugged. “The point is, you aren’t needed here. You should tell the Army to send you someplace where there is no Slayer.”
 
“We don’t get to choose where we’re posted, Buffy. My duty lies here until they tell me otherwise.”
 
“Fine. Just stay out of my way, huh?  And forget about Spike… and Oz. They’re off limits.”
 
“Oz, I understand. I wouldn’t do that to Willow,” Riley said, never taking his eyes off Spike. “But why this one? Why haven’t you staked him yet?”
 
“He hasn’t given me any reason to,” Buffy said. “And sometimes he helps—” She stopped when Spike growled again. “Sorry, Big Bad,” she said too low for Riley to hear, but with a giggle in her voice. “Didn't mean to spoil your reputation.” Raising her voice again, she continued, “And he and Oz are friends. Oz wouldn’t like it if I dusted his friend.”
 
“Speaking of Oz…” Riley frowned. “Willow told me he’s not around anymore.”
 
“He went to Tibet to learn how to control the wolf. So if you see him back here, it means he learned how to control it and he’s not dangerous anymore either.”
 
“So, the girl who’s supposed to be keeping humanity safe from evil, has a vampire and a werewolf in her little gang of weird people.”
 
“The ‘girl’ and her little gang of white hats have been keeping Sunnydale safe for ordinary humans like you since well before you came here. And she’ll be doing it long after you’re gone, wanker.” Spike stepped up beside Buffy, apparently forgetting he was no longer able to defend himself as he met Riley’s angry glare.
 
“I’d stay quiet and behind Buffy, if I was you, Hostile 17,” Riley said, moving toward Spike.
 
Buffy got between them and put one hand on each chest. When Riley continued moving forward, raising the hand that held a taser, she shoved in both directions, sending each one stumbling backwards. She kicked the device out of Riley’s hand, then stared him down.
 
“Stay away from my friends, Riley,” she said, her voice almost as growly as Spike’s. “And me. Don’t think I’ve forgotten that Professor Walsh wanted me brought in too. If the Council hadn’t stepped in and gotten that place shut down, she might have been torturing me by now. Or trying to,” she added in a manner that had Riley flinching away from her.
 
“I thought we had something, Buffy,” he said, still backing away from the suddenly dangerous-looking girl. “I don’t understand you.”
 
“No. You don’t. And I don’t think you ever will.” She looked wistful for a moment, then sighed and began to move away. “Don’t follow us.”
 
Spike paced by her side, keeping his hearing tuned to what was going on behind them. Showing she knew what he was doing, Buffy asked, “Is he leaving?”
 
“Sounds like his buddies have joined him… he’s… wait… Bloody hell! Let’s go, Slayer. They’ve decided to try to take us in.”
 
“Assholes!” She was already moving as she spoke and they quickly outdistanced the soldiers trying to sneak up on them. Without discussing it, they’d run in the opposite direction from their intended destination, moving slowly enough at first that they could tell the soldiers were being drawn away from the woods and back into town. Once they were sure of that, they’d nodded at each other and put on a burst of speed that soon had them too far ahead to be tracked with any of the Army’s equipment. 
 
“So, now what, Slayer?” Spike glanced at her as they stopped to rest on a bus stop bench well away from anyplace the soldiers might expect to find them.
 
She sighed. “I guess I need to let Giles know what’s going on so the Council can lean on whoever they need to lean on to get those guys off my—our—backs.”
 
“You were right the first time, Slayer. The Council of Wankers will want to keep them off your back so you can do your job. I’m pretty sure William the Bloody isn’t on their list of vampires to be protected… assuming there is such a list. Which I doubt. I’d bet even the great poof isn’t on it.”
 
Buffy made her usual face at his disrespectful name for Angel, but it had become so automatic by now for Spike to call Angel something snarky, and Buffy to pretend to be annoyed by it, that neither one of them even noticed it.
 
“I wonder what made them decide to try to capture us?” she said. “I thought that was all worked out for them—that I’m the Slayer and they have to leave me alone to do my job.”
 
“Think you know bloody too well what set them off, luv,” Spike said with a nudge of her arm.
 
She huffed her agreement and sighed again. “You’re probably right. It’s you they want, I just got in their way.”
 
“You’d probably be a lot safer out doing your job without me,” he said, watching her from the corner of his eye. He was happy to see her face fall at his words.
 
“But… I like patrolling with you. And fighting with you and sometimes you even… not that I need it… you even help me.”
 
“Not that you need the help,” he agreed with a grin. “I’m sure that rock you almost stopped with your head tonight wouldn’t have even made a lump on it.”
 
“I said thank you,” she mumbled. “Don’t push it.”
 
He chuckled and nudged her again. “I was born pushing it, Slayer. Don’t know how not to.”
 
She laughed and nudged him back. “I believe that. You can’t help yourself.”
 
“It’s all part of my charm,” he said, wriggling his eyebrows at her.
 
“Charm? Is that what you call it?”
 
Their arms and shoulders were now brushing, and Spike waited for Buffy to move away, but she seemed quite content to remain touching him as they bantered. Finally, she nudged him again, but focused her gaze on the slats of the bench as she spoke.
 
“By the way, remember what I said when the spell broke?”
 
“About likin’ me more and admiring my kissing technique?” He snorted. “Yeah. I think you could safely say that stuck with me. Why?”
 
“Well, you said you could work with that.”
 
He made a non-committal sound, but moved just a bit closer to her. “I did say that. What’s your question?”
 
“Why haven’t you?”
 
“Why haven’t I what? Worked with it?” 
 
Buffy nodded, still not looking at him.
 
“To be honest, pet, I thought it might still be the spell talkin’. Figured if I tried to take advantage of that influence right away, I could end up on the wrong end of a stake. I thought it would be safer to let you see how likeable I can be before I push for anything else.”
 
“Oh.”
 
He touched her chin and lifted it until he could see her face. “But if you’re clear on that part of it, I’d be happy to remind you that you like my kissin’.” 
 
He fastened his lips on hers, letting her set the pace and decide how deep the kisses were going to get. In spite of what she’d been doing with him when she thought they were in love and getting married, he was well aware that she hadn’t exactly said she wanted to jump into bed with him after the spell broke.  When she opened her mouth and her tongue darted out to touch his, he breathed a mental sigh of relief.
 
Tearing his mouth away long enough to pull her onto his lap, he began another kiss that soon had them both breathing hard. The impending arrival of a late night bus interrupted what had threatened to turn into a public display of what he wasn’t sure, but something he didn’t expect Buffy would want to continue on a street side bench.
 
“Incoming, love,” he breathed in her ear. “Unless you’re planning to catch this bus, we need to move.”
 
“Eep!” Buffy jumped up in time to see the oncoming lights. “Let’s get out of here.”
 
They faded back into the shadows long before the bus driver had any idea there may have been anyone waiting for him. 
 
“Time to head home?”
 
“We didn’t find you a home yet,” Buffy said with a yawn. “But yeah, it would be nice to get some sleep tonight.”
 
“Let’s go then. I’ll walk you back to the dorm.”
 
“Like hell you will. They’ll be looking for us there. We’re going to wake Giles up and tell him he has to call the Council again tomorrow. Besides, who knows if I'm safe in my dorm room now?”
 
“We both know who they were really after tonight, Slayer. If you’re not with me, they’ll leave you alone.”
 
“They don’t get to decide who I can spend my time with or who I can be friends with. Riley’s as ass if he thinks just because we dated for a little while, he can run my life.”
 
“Much as I appreciate it, love, the Council of Wankers isn’t going to give a bloody fig what the US Army does with me. And I don’t think your watcher is dumb enough to tell them you’ve add me to your little circle of friends. Doubt they know about Wolfboy either.”
 
“They know about Willow.”
 
“Red’s human. Witches aren’t inherently evil or dangerous. I doubt they would have objections to you having someone adept at magic to help you. They have their own coven that helps them out when they need magic.”
 
Buffy stopped her march toward Giles’s and stared at him. “How do you know so much about the Council?”
 
“Know your enemy, love. Why do you think I spend so much time around you?” In spite of his words, he hoped the arm he wrapped around her and the look on his face told the truth. Which they apparently did.
 
“I thought it was because you like me,” she whispered, going up on her toes to bite his lip.
 
“That too. Never doubt it,” he whispered back, dipping his head to fasten his mouth on hers again.  Once more, the rest of the world faded away as they stood in one spot kissing until Buffy’s knees began to give out. Spike held her in place for a few moments, but was having his own issues with remaining upright, and he finally broke off the kisses.
 
“Got to either stop, or find a room, love,” he groaned, pulling her against his body even tighter. Buffy’s response was to leave the ground and wrap her legs around his waist. “Not helping, Slayer,” he growled, looking around for something to brace himself against, but seeing nothing, not even a tree sturdy enough to hold up a vampire and a slayer.
 
Buffy whimpered against his throat, but dropped her legs to the ground and let go of him.
 
“Sorry,” she said breathlessly. “I’d kinda forgotten exactly how good a kisser you are.”
 
“Find us a place to stay—that isn’t occupied by a stuffy old watcher—and I’ll spend the rest of the night reminding you.”  He nibbled on her ear, smiling when her heartrate went up again. “Maybe we should go back to the cave.”
 
Buffy sighed and pushed gently on his chest. He immediately released her, but kept one hand on her shoulder. To his surprise, she took his hand and rubbed her face against it briefly before letting it drop to his side.
 
“I think maybe we should take cold showers… “When his eyes lit up, she quickly added, “Separately!”
 
Spike adjusted himself, making no attempt to hide what he was doing from Buffy, who rolled her eyes and glanced away.
 
“Alright, love. I won’t push you, but just so you know…. I would have been happy to spend the whole night just kissing you and nothing else.”
 
Buffy snorted and raised her eyebrows at him, making him laugh as he responded.
 
“Okay, maybe happy’s not the right word. But willing. I’d be willing to do that. Never thought I’d get to touch those lips again without magical help.”  He ran his fingers gently down her cheek, then tugged on a loose piece of hair. “If that’s all I ever got, it would still be more than I have any right to expect.”
 
Buffy blushed and looked away from him. He sighed and dropped his hand. “Right then. We’re off to the watcher’s.”
 
XXX
 
When they’d told a sleepy Giles about meeting Riley and being chased by his squad, and that Spike had heard them say they were going to capture Buffy as well as their escaped vampire, he grumbled, but agreed they should stay indoors for the rest of the night. As it was already the beginning of the work day in London, he made his call to the Council and received assurance that they would follow up to verify that Buffy was not interfered with in any way. When they questioned why Buffy had been with William the Bloody, Giles reminded them that Spike had been effectively neutered while in the hands of the Initiative and that he’d been helping Buffy in her duties in return for her protection from the soldiers.
 
“I am going back to bed,” Giles said. “You are welcome to the guest room, Buffy.” He looked at Spike and sighed. “And as the sofa still has an imprint from your body, you may as well remain safely here tonight.”
 
“If I do that, I’ll be stuck here in the morning,” Spike pointed out.
 
“You can’t go back out there without me,” Buffy said.
 
“It’s you we’re tryin’ to keep safe, you stubborn bint,” Spike snapped back.
 
Giles stared back and forth between them as they went nose to nose in a glaring contest over who was keeping whom safe.
 
“Bloody hell…” he whispered, not low enough that Spike didn’t catch it. He shot Giles a quick look, in case he needed to dodge a stake, but relaxed when the man just shook his head and walked toward the stairs.
 
“What?” Buffy looked back and forth between Spike and Giles, who was trudging to his bedroom muttering to himself about unnatural frenemies.
 
“Think your watcher just noticed we don’t exactly hate each other anymore, love.”
 
“Just now? That’s dumb. I mean, he’s known that since… Oh. You mean he—”
 
“Figured out we might be better friends than he knew? Yeah. I think so.”
 
“Well, he didn’t stake you, so that’s good. Right?”
 
“Didn’t exactly give us his blessing, but I’m not dust, so I’m calling it a win.”
 
“So now what?”
 
Spike shrugged. “You need to get some sleep. Much as I’d like that to be next to me, I know it would earn me a proper beheading. You go on to bed. I’m going to watch the telly until near dawn, then run to hide in the cave for the day.”
 
“Okay.” Buffy looked disappointed but she couldn’t help yawning. “I should be objecting to that, but I can’t keep my eyes open.”
 
He pulled her close and kissed the top of her head. “Gets some rest, Slayer. We’ll catch up later.”
 
“I have to go Christmas shopping with my mom tomorrow,” she murmured into his chest. “I won’t see you until tomorrow night.”
 
“You won’t see me then either unless we know your ex has given up trying to make an example of me. I think I’m going to make myself scarce for a bit.”
 
“What?” Her head flew up and she fixed a glare on him.
 
“Don’t be gettin’ your knickers in a twist there, love. I won’t go far, and I’ll be back as soon as you or the watcher can tell me it’s safe. Got some things to take care of and may as well do it while I can.”
 
“Things?” Buffy narrowed her eyes at him, suddenly seeming much more awake. “What things?”
 
“Do you trust me, Slayer?” He held her gaze while she switched mental gears, watching the fear flicker in her eyes before she gave a reluctant nod.
 
“I trust you not to lie to me,” she said, studying his face. He gave her a sad smile.
 
“So, if I promise you I’m not going to be gone long, I won’t do anything you’d have to stake me for while I am, and I’ll be back well before Christmas, are we going to be alright?”
 
She sighed and nodded. “I guess so—” Her eyes narrowed again. “As long as it doesn’t involve unicorns or… unicorns,” she finished lamely.
 
“You don’t seriously think I…. Don’t be daft. It’s got nothin’ to do with another woman. I just want to pick up some extra dosh for the holidays, and stay undusty until I can get the cave fixed up properly.”
 
“‘Properly’? What does that even mean? It’s just a cave.”
 
He dipped his head to plant light kisses on her face and mouth, never pausing long enough for them to turn into anything lengthy. “It means… given the time of year…  hanging mistletoe… from every available spot… possibly including one… right over the bed….”
 
“Mmmm. Kisses.”
 
“Lots of kisses. All over ….” He smiled as her heart rate went up and she pressed herself against him.  He continued his light kisses, moving from her face down her throat and pushed her shirt open to kiss her collarbone. She gave a soft moan, then sighed and pushed herself away.
 
“Okay, you’ve just totally ruined my ability to get any sleep tonight,” she grumbled, blushing at her own admission and his answering chuckle. He pulled her back against his body and ran one hand down her side, teasing the skin just inside the waistband of her pants. “Could fix that for you, if you’d like. Send you off to bed all relaxed and happy….”
 
“No! We can’t… not here.”
 
“Not saying we’re gonna get naked and roll around on the floor, sweetheart. Just saying I could get you off before you go to sleep.”
 
She frowned and shook her head, but his senses told him her body thought it was a great idea. “No… that would just be….” She peered up at him. “You could do that?”
 
“Could. Would if you let me.”
 
He continued to stroke the skin of her abdomen as he brushed his lips across hers before fastening them on her eager mouth. Without breaking the kiss, or moving his fingers away, he sank into the chair they’d cuddled in when under the spell. With Buffy across his lap, he unbuttoned her jeans and slid the zipper down so as to be able to move his fingers down farther. While he kept her mouth occupied with kisses that had her making small whimpering noises, he dipped his hand into the moisture he knew he’d find and began to stroke her until she was almost vibrating on his lap.
 
When he plunged his fingers into her, using his thumb to roll her clit back and forth, it took all the strength in his free arm to keep her still while he used his mouth to swallow the sounds she was making.
 
“Come for me, sweetheart,” he murmured against her mouth when he paused for her to gasp for air. “Let me feel you come on my hand.”
 
He fastened his mouth back on hers just in time to muffle a small scream as she arched up and shuddered around the fingers she’d been moving against. When she collapsed against him to regain her breath, he released her mouth and pulled his hand out. He quickly licked his fingers, then rezipped her jeans, leaving them unbuttoned.
 
“Feel better now, love?” he said, trying to hide his satisfied smirk. “Ready for beddy-bye?”
 
“Can’t move yet,” she said, keeping her flaming face pressed to his neck. His chuckle made her poke him in the ribs, but she laughed softly and sat up with another yawn.
 
“Off you go, then, Slayer. Go rest those pretty eyes. I’ll see you in a few days.” He lifted her off his lap onto her feet.
 
Buffy stared at his crotch which was bulging alarmingly. “What about you?” she asked, frowning.
 
“I’ll be fine, love. Thanks for worrying, but nobody ever died from a boner, and it’s easily handled once I get some privacy.”
 
“Wha—oh. TMI, Spike!”
 
“You asked,” he said with a shrug. “Now kiss us good-night and go to bed.”
 
She nodded, yawning again as she leaned down to kiss him. “See you soon,” she whispered against his mouth.
 
“You can count on it, Buffy. I promise.” With a last nip at her lower lip, he let her stand up and head for the guest bedroom. “I promise,” he repeated under his breath as she disappeared down the hall.
 
He waited until her breathing and heartbeat told him she was fully asleep, they quickly undid his pants and took care of his aching cock. It took very little time to get himself off with Buffy’s scent still lingering and the sound of her whimpers still ringing in his ears.
 
 
Part Two
 
With the semester break underway, Buffy was staying with her mom for the holidays. Every day she woke up wondering if Spike was back yet, and every night she went to sleep disappointed that she hadn’t heard from him.  Giles assured her the Council had put both her and Spike, as well as Oz, should he return soon, off limits for Riley or any others of the small squadron of soldiers left in Sunnydale. The military men were now housed away from campus, occupying a small barracks near the armory, so Buffy’s path hadn’t crossed Riley’s since the night Spike left.
 
When she ran into Riley and two of his men one night while patrolling, she stopped and eyed them warily, putting one hand on the handle of the sword hanging down her back.
 
“Relax, Buffy,” Riley said with obvious distaste. “We’ve been told to stay away from you and your sub-terrestrial buddies. I don’t know what kind of strings you can pull, but it seems your contacts are more effective than mine.”
 
“Don't feel bad, Riley. The Council of Watchers has been in existence a lot longer than the US Army. They probably have people places you don’t even know are places.” She cocked her head at him. “Does that mean Spike is safe around you now?”
 
“Yes,” he said tersely. “I’m not interested in being court-martialed for not following orders.”
 
“Well. Good. That’s… good. Thanks for telling me.”
 
“Yeah,” he replied, then turned and walked off with his men without any more conversation.
 
“Merry Christmas to you too,” she muttered as she turned to go into Restfield Cemetery. She’d only gotten a few yards inside when she felt a vampire’s signature on her neck, and pulled out her stake.  “Come and get it,” she said, staring in the direction of the vibe.
 
“That’s the plan, love.”  Spike stepped out of the shadows and smiled at her.
 
“You’re back!”
 
“That I am. You gonna show me how glad you are to see me?” He grinned and spread his arms wide, the grin fading and his arms dropping when she didn’t jump into them.
“Or maybe you aren’t happy to see me?”
 
“Duck!”
 
In spite of his obvious disappointment, Spike hadn’t lived as long as he had by ignoring advice like that. Especially when it was shouted by a sword-swinging slayer who vaulted over him to take the head off an approaching Fyral demon. From his spot on the ground where he’d ended up after dropping and rolling away, Spike smiled up at Buffy.
 
“Good call, love. Now are you glad to see me?”
 
She didn’t respond verbally, but left the ground and threw herself at him. He caught her easily and fell backwards, bringing her down to rest upon his body. They smiled at each other before falling into a kiss that went on for long enough for Buffy to have to break it off to breathe.
 
“Still a good kisser,” she said, resting her forehead against his chin.
 
“I’d tell you I’ve been practicin’, but then you’d probably stake me before I could tell you I was kidding,” he said, his chest shaking with his chuckle.
 
“Not funny,” she said, sitting up and settling herself on his thighs. “Where have you been?”
 
“Here and there,” he said, shifting his eyes and making her wonder if she should press the question. “Did some holiday shopping, made sure I had some money to spend to take my lady out for a good time. Nothing important.” He sat up and pulled her legs around him the way he had when they were bespelled. “Mmmmm,” he said, pulling her closer. “There she is.”
 
Buffy gave her own moan of pleasure as she felt him against her already-damp center. They ground against each other for several minutes, frustrated by the layers of fabric separating them. By mutual agreement, they fell apart and lay on their backs on the ground, hands linked but not touching anywhere else.
 
Spike took a deep breath and got to his feet, still holding her hand. He tugged on it until she joined him.
 
“I don’t want to presume, love, but I think we’d be a lot more comfortable back in the cave.”
 
“Is it all ‘proper’ already?”
 
“Come and see for yourself, Buffy. If you don’t like it, you can always leave…”
 
She kept her hand linked with his as they moved into the woods. “It’s dark in here,” she said, “Can you see?”
 
“Can now.” He spoke around his fangs and had no trouble finding the faint deer trail through the woods.  When they reached the even less discernable turn off to the cave, Buffy gave up trying to see and just grabbed his belt and followed in his footsteps. When she was no longer being whacked by leaves and twigs, she realized they had entered the cave. She continued to follow him until Spike stopped and removed her hands from his belt. “Just stand here, love, until I get some light for us.”
 
She heard the snick of his lighter and watched as he lit the first of several candles around the big room. She stared around in amazement. What had been a rustic-looking underground room with a few pieces of rough furniture now had rugs covering the dirt floor and soft fabric draped over the walls in the bed alcove. The bed was neatly made and looked spotless, there was a large, polished wooden bookcase on one wall, a round oak table in the middle of the room, a couple of chairs, some small tables, and candles on every flat surface.
 
“Whoa…” she breathed. “When… how…?” She glared at him. “How long have you been back?”
 
“Got in early last night. Had time to get what I needed and spent the day putting things together and setting it up.” He walked over to her and raised her chin so he could kiss her. “It isn’t that I didn’t want to see you the minute I got back, but I really wanted to have someplace nice to take you, and there was no time to find a house or an apartment.” He released her chin and cocked his head at her. “Is it alright? Know it’s not what you deserve, but—”
 
“It’s beautiful,” she said, putting her hands around his neck. “The only thing missing is the mistletoe.”
 
“Look up,” he said with a grin.
 
She did and found she was standing directly under a spring of mistletoe dangling from the ceiling. Laughing with delight, she let her gaze go over the rather high ceiling to see greenery hanging from it in dozens of places – including, as he’d promised, over the inviting looking bed.
 
“Shouldn’t you be kissing me now?”
 
His response was to pick her up and kiss her until she was breathing hard, then carry her around the room, pausing under each sprig of mistletoe to kiss her again. By the time he reached the bed, they were both moaning with frustration, and he didn’t even slow down as he knelt on the bed and placed her in the middle.
 
Lying beside her, he continued the kisses to which she responded by pulling him closer and wrapping one leg around his. He bent the leg and pushed his thigh against her, smiling when she began to rub herself on it. He moved his lips from her mouth to her throat, pushing her jacket off her shoulders and unbuttoning the blouse she had on.
 
“Promised to kiss you all over, didn’t I?” he murmured as he let her up so she could get out of her clothes. “Can’t do that with all these garments in the way.”
 
He helped her shed her blouse and jacket, then took his time with the lacy little bra she was wearing, sucking her nipples through the lace while his clever fingers undid the clasp. As soon as she was bare above the waist, he pushed her back down and began to unfasten her pants, tugging them off and then crawling back up the bed to stare down at her naked body, his face reflecting all he was feeling. When she began to feel embarrassed and started to cover herself, he stopped staring at her and began to keep his promise. While he was kissing his way around her upper body, Buffy’s hands were scrabbling at his tee-shirt, trying to push it off without separating herself from his magic mouth.
 
With a final nuzzle of her belly button, he sat up and shed his own clothing, hesitating at his jeans, until Buffy grabbed the button at the top of his fly and pulled it open.  With a grin, he flopped back on the bed to give her access to his zipper, which she quickly pulled down, allowing his cock to spring free.
 
When he tried to sit up, she shook her head at him. “Uh-uh, I owe you something.” She put a tentative hand on the head, smiling when he arched into her hand with a “yessss” of appreciation. “Take them off,” she demanded, removing her hand until he’d followed directions and thrown his jeans on the floor. She stared at his body, understanding for the first time why it felt so good to be pressed up against it.
 
She blushed when he grinned at her and ran one hand down his torso to his cock.  “See anything you like, love?”
 
“I don’t know yet, smartass,” she said, shoving him back down and wrapping her hand around his cock with a more confident grip. She played with him for a few moments, not sure, in spite of his encouraging groans and hisses, if she was going to be able to do for him what he’d done for her. She glanced up at him, flushing at the adoration on his face. “Am I… is this… can you show me what you want me to do?”
 
She could see from his expression when he suddenly realized that except for the one disastrous time with Angel, and the one night with Parker, Buffy was really a very inexperienced lover. She blushed harder and looked away from him.  “I’m sorry… I don’t…”
 
He had his arms around her pinning her against his body before she could finish what she was going to say.
 
“My dead body is sure it has died and gone to a Heaven I know it’ll never see,” he growled. “Don’t you even think about apologizing for anything. You’re touching me. You’re letting me touch you. Bloody hell, we’re naked together! In what universe is that something for you to be apologizing for? If you want to learn to give a good hand job, I’ll be more than happy to teach you, and you can practice on me all you want. But if all we did was lie here kissing with your warm little hand on my todger, it would be enough to send me shooting off like a teenager.” His hands slid down over her butt and pulled her against his very fine body.
 
Buffy temporarily lost track of her intended actions as she melted into another kiss that left her moaning and spreading her legs to allow his cock to press against her swollen clit. They both gasped at the sensation as Spike rolled her over so that he was on top and staring down at her flushed face.
 
“Wanted to take my time with this, sweetheart, but I think I’m going to spontaneously combust if I can’t feel you around me now.” Buffy’s response was to bring her legs around his hips and pull him closer. He put a hand between them and guided the head of his cock to her opening, running it up and down a few times to spread the moisture, then pushing into her a little bit at a time. 
 
Between the sensations he’d already created, and the slow slide into her depths, Buffy was tossing her head back and forth and almost crying with need. When he was finally seated all the way, they both sighed in relief, pausing momentarily to just enjoy the position.  When Buffy glanced up, he was staring down at her. “I love you,” he said, somewhat unnecessarily because she could read it on his face and in his eyes.
 
She mentally cringed, knowing she wasn’t close to being ready to say those words back to him, but desperate not to hurt him. As if reading her mind, he laughed softly and dropped a kiss on her nose.
 
“Don’t worry, sweetheart. Not expecting to hear it from you. It needed to be said, is all, and this seemed like a good time to do it. As long as you let me love you, I’m happy.”
 
He began moving his hips slowly and Buffy soon forgot about anything except the incredible sensations he was creating and the way his skin tasted when she fastened her mouth on his neck. Her first orgasm caught her by surprise as she’d expected to keep going longer. Which he did, pausing only long enough for her to stop shuddering, and then increasing the pace of his strokes until she was once again climbing to the peak and toppling over it while clinging to him with both arms and legs. This time, she felt him come with her, his guttural roar unexpectedly adding to the pleasure.
 
He collapsed on her, neither of them willing to break apart yet. Buffy ran her hands lightly up and down his back, marveling at the feel of his skin and the muscles moving under her fingers.  When she felt him begin to swell inside her, she giggled.
 
“Again?” She wriggled under him, wrapping her legs around his so he couldn’t get off. That changed the angle and she found herself pressing against his pubic bone as hard as she could. “Oh! Oh…. Oh my god… I think I might…. Spike!”  She hid her face against his chest, embarrassed by how quickly she’d come and without any participation on his part.  
 
“You’d best not be gettin’ ready to say you’re sorry again,” he growled. “You can come on me like that as often as you like, whenever and wherever you want to.”
 
“But you… I… don’t you want….”
 
“Of course I do,” he said, giving his hips a little twist to remind her that he was fully erect and still buried in her. “Never doubt it. And I will. Trust me. Many times. But feeling you getting off on me, that’s the icing on the cake, love. And I always eat the icing first….”
 
He rolled them again, ending on his back with Buffy sitting up on him. He put his hands on her hips and pulled them down while he pushed up, causing her to give a surprised yelp.  “I didn’t hurt you, did I?” he said, quickly releasing her.
 
“No. It didn’t hurt… it was just… ahhh!” she said as he did it again. She squeezed in retaliation, smiling when his eyes rolled back in his head and he moaned her name. They were soon in a contest that had them both alternating between moaning and crying out until, with a final scream, Buffy collapsed against him as he thrust his hips up one last time and shouted his own release.
 
This time, when they could move again, Buffy rolled off and lay beside him, trying to get her breath back.
 
“Wow, wowie, wow, wow.”
 
“I’ll see your wow and raise you a bloody brilliant.”
 
“It was sort of amazing, wasn’t it?”
 
“Sort of amazing?” He growled, rolling over and pinning her to the bed. “It was the best shag of my whole unlife, and all you can say is you think it was sort of amazing? I should bite you!” He grabbed the skin on her neck with his lips and began sucking on it.
 
Buffy found herself responding in an unexpected manner to the way his sucking was pulling the blood to the surface, and she moaned and writhed under him. He left her neck with a soft kiss to the love bite and immediately fastened his lips on one breast, pulling the blood to the surface there too.  By the time he had worked his way down her body, leaving small mouth-shaped hickeys here and there, Buffy’s arms were over her head as she clung to the bars of the headboard. Only the weight of Spike’s body was keeping her legs still as she lifted her hips off the bed to follow the mouth he was still sucking with. Her scream as he bit into the clit that he’d sucked almost to the point of pain drowned out the sound of one of the bars breaking behind her.
 
While she gasped and tried to control her breathing, he finished his oral tour of her body by pulling the blood from her femoral artery to the surface just under her skin. He pricked it with one sharp fang and allowed the tiny amount of blood that escaped to coat his tongue, giving instant release to his aching cock. He sprawled across the bed, his face pressed against her lower abdomen, soft purring sounds coming from him. Buffy raised her head and stared down at him.
 
“Are you purring?”
 
“Might be. Probably. Should be.”
 
“You purr… and you bit me! I know you did.”
 
“Uh… which time are you referring to, love? This one?” He ran his tongue over the pinprick of a hole he’d made in the silky skin where her leg joined her hip. “Or this one?” He lifted his head far enough to lick her still-sensitive clit.
 
“Ah!” She twitched, then regained her focus. “Either! Both! Why did you bite me?”
 
“Felt good, didn’t it?”
 
“That’s beside the point.”
 
“Is not. Felt good to you. Felt bloody wonderful to me. It’s not like you’re going to miss that drop of blood I tasted.”  He raised his head and moved farther up the bed beside her. “Are you mad at me? Did I hurt you?”
 
“No,” she sighed. “I’m not hurt. And I’m not really mad, I just wasn’t expecting…. Why didn’t your chip fire?”
 
“Wasn’t trying to hurt you. Quite the contrary….”
 
“Hmmmph!” Buffy gave a non-committal snort and shivered, causing Spike to sit up and pull the bedspread and linens down so she could get under the covers and warm up. As he slipped in beside her, pulling the blankets over them and wrapping his arms around her, he whispered in her ear, “I love you, Buffy Summers. I’m yours forever. Whether you want me or not.”
 
“I… I can’t…tell you…. But I do want you, and I’m really happy that you love me. Is that good enough?”
 
“For now,” he said, kissing her shoulder. “I can work with that.”
 
They were both smiling as they drifted off to sleep.
 
The End (of this episode)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
king