A/N: A new update! Hope you're not too annoyed at that. ;)

All4Spike and BloodyHell beta'd this. Obviously, they rock.


Chapter 4


“Don’t use up all the hot water!” he called and slumped back against the bed.


She came out half an hour later wrapped in a towel, water dripping from her hair. “We need to go back.”


“Can’t,” he said.


“What? Why?”


“The sun’s up and I don’t feel like getting a tan right now,” he said with an arched eyebrow.


“Fine. Then I’ll go alone,” she said moodily.


Spike chuckled. “Now that would be a sight for sore eyes. The Slayer strutting down the highway in her knickers. Wager you could make some trucker give you a ride.” He grinned at her with his tongue tucked behind the front teeth.


Buffy glanced down at herself and at the bloodied remnants that used to be her T-shirt discarded on the bed. She still had her sweats, though there was blood on them too. Then her face lit up with a wicked grin. “Then I’ll just have to take your car.”


Spike shot to his feet and growled. “You’re touching my baby over my dead body!”


“That piece of junk? Please. And hey… you’re already dead,” she said with a smile and dived towards the car keys that were lying innocently on the bedside table. Before she could make it, Spike tackled her and they tumbled to the floor in a flurry of limbs. They rolled around, each trying to gain the dominant position when Buffy found herself straddling Spike’s hips. Her towel had come undone during the struggle and the only thing that covered her were two scraps of underwear. Not even sexy underwear but the kind one wears when they know nobody will see it. They didn’t even match. Her eyes widened in mortification.


Spike graced her with one of those evil smirks and raked his gaze from head to toes. “Nice, Slayer. Never pegged you for the boy shorts. I thought you’d be more of a thong kinda girl. I gotta say the whole Disney motif on the knickers doesn’t exactly instill much fear in me. Like the bra though. Black lace, eh? Hoping to flash someone, were you? Now that’s more like the Slayer I love to hate.”


“Oh God,” she said and shot to her feet, snatching the towel from the floor to cover herself. “Stop smirking! It was laundry day and anyway, it wasn’t like I was expecting anyone to see me half naked,” she muttered and tried to gather the tattered remnants of her dignity.


Spike sprang gracefully to his feet and snatched up the car keys before putting them into the front pocket of his jeans. And why couldn’t he cover himself up? His chest was distracting her. Because it was white, not because of any other, more perverse reason.


“You don’t say. Don’t worry, it’s not like the sight made me all aquiver. Seen much more beautiful women in my time.”


Okay, why did that remark hurt?


She scowled to cover her insecurity as the humiliation and lack of confidence swept over her.


“Well, excuse me if I don’t have fake boobs,” she muttered.


Spike just leered, inconspicuously drinking in her natural and very perky looking breasts. It wouldn’t do to let her know his hands itched to cup them, to take off that bra and lean down to…


There goes my sick obsession with the Slayer’s body parts again. I really gotta stop doing that. Damn, now she’s putting the towel back on.


Spike pouted.


********


As the sun disappeared below the horizon two hours later, Spike ducked a telephone flying at his head at the last second. How he loved the expression of pure rage on the Slayer’s face. All flushed, blood pumping, chest heaving.


“You really ought to watch that violent streak of yours. Someone might think you were abusive.”


“One more word from you and I swear I’ll put a stake through your heart!”


Nobody could really blame him for working her up into a snit with a few well placed remarks. Better to watch her spit fire than witness another hour of her sniveling.


Spike grinned, just because he’d noticed how it made her eyes narrow in ire. “Nobody’s forcing you to stay here. You’re more than welcome to have a stroll outside in all your… glory.”


He eyed her bare legs with a leer. The Slayer had taken his red shirt without asking; arguing he still had the black one to wear since he’d washed the blood out. She never neglected to complain how it stank of him. Bitch she might be, but the sight of her wearing his clothes made him hot.


“You said I looked like a stick!” She threw her hands up in the air to express her agitation.


“I was just stating a fact. Look at how skinny you are. It’s a surprise the slightest wind doesn’t blow you away.”


“Like you’re one to talk… you’re barely taller than me and… you have a scrawny butt.”


Spike merely arched his eyebrow. “Been watching my arse, have you? Should I be worried you’ll misbehave?”


“Oh please-”


“Come on… you know you want to pinch it and squeeze it-”


“Agh, you’re such a pervert!”


“Never said I wasn’t. At least I know how to have fun.”


“Yeah, maiming and killing… the regular fun hobbies,” Buffy said with a scowl.


“Don’t forget shagging.”


Buffy sputtered and threw her hands in the air. “You’re such a… male.”


Spike bit his lips and slowly traced his hand down his torso before resting it at his crotch. The way she blushed and averted her eyes made him chuckle. “Definitely got the parts.”



She made the trademark eye-roll though her cheeks were still red. “If that’s your pick up line, I doubt you ever get laid.”


“The Amazon chick from earlier would disagr-”


“Wait… what?” She stared at him. “Amazon chick? Like the ones that were chasing after us and nearly got me killed?”


Spike winced at the high pitched volume of her voice. Did she have to screech like that? Vampire with sensitive hearing here. “What? Of course not-”


“You’re such a bad liar! Oh my God… I’m gonna kill you, Spike!”


“But it wasn’t my fault. The daft bint threw a fit when I said y-… umm… let’s say she didn’t fancy me calling out a different name.”


“And now they’re after us because you’re still all hung up on your crazy ho ex-girfriend! As soon as the sun goes down, I am so going to turn you over to them. I’ll even cheer them on!”


“You still need me to get you home. Can’t very well steal my car if the keys get dusted with yours truly,” he pointed out.


“Why did you have to come to me… again? Is it your hobby to complicate my life? What-”


Her rant was interrupted by an arrow crashing through the window and embedding in the wall next to Spike’s head.


“Bugger. We’ve got company.”


Buffy graced him with a murderous expression. “You think?”


Spike shrugged. “There’s a window in the bathroom.”


The last thing she registered was Spike disappearing into the bathroom in a swirl of leather before another set of arrows whizzed through the front window. She cursed and followed him as the vengeful demon women started to pound on the door.


********


“What’s taking you so long?”


“Hold your bloody horses, I’m trying here!”


The stolen car sputtered to life when he finally managed to hotwire it just in time to see half a dozen tall skimpily clad women dash after them.


“Couldn’t you pick a faster car?” she whined.


“And here I thought you’d be bitching that I stole it.”


“It’s not like we’re keeping it.”


“I sure as hell am not. It’s a wonder that this piece of junk is still running. I hope they didn’t do anything to my baby.”


Buffy rolled her eyes. He thought it would be funny if they got stuck that way. That would show her.


“Has anyone ever told you that your obsession with that black monstrosity you call a car is bordering on sad?”


“You shut your trap when you speak of my car!”


“What? Is that like a compensation for your penis? Did I just offend your manhood? Because ‘go me’ if I did.”


Spike stepped fully on the gas, cursing under his breath about snail like cars and ungrateful Slayers. “Yeah, sorry for disappointing, but I think we both know I don’t need to compensate. You looked awfully flustered sitting on top of me a few hours ago.”


Her eyes widened, a tantalizing flush colouring her cheeks. Was she angry or just embarrassed? Either way, he liked it.


“I was not flustered. And for your information… didn’t seem that impressive to me.”


“At least try to look convincing when you’re lying,” Spike said smugly and the corners of his mouth curled upwards as she turned away from him, cheeks as red as the shirt she was wearing.


They drove down a narrow deserted road as quickly as the old car would allow. It was then that she realized she didn’t recognize any land marks. There were only occasional bushes. “Wait. Where are we going?”


“Changing the subject, are you?”


“Spike! I’m serious. Where the hell are you taking me? I thought you were supposed to take me home!”


“Believe me, nothing would make me happier than to get rid of your constant yammering, but I’ve got no clue where we are, have I? Don’t have a sodding map!”


“Gee, chill out. Just stop at the nearest gas station and we’ll ask. Then you take me home… after I kick your ass of course… and we’ll hopefully never see each other again.”


Spike let out a sigh and nodded.


********


“Would you stop hitting me? I’m trying to drive here!”


“I just remembered that this entire situation is your fault,” she said indignantly. “Besides, I like hitting you.”


“Bitch,” he muttered.


“Did you say something?”


“Me? Not at all.”


“The leather is sticking to my skin. Do you know how uncomfortable that is?”


Spike’s eyes flickered to her bare legs and he gulped. Impossible to be around she might be, but the Slayer had a decent pair of legs on her. All smooth and tanned. He could just imagine the way they would tighten around his hips as he…


“Spike, watch the road!”


“Huh?”


He returned his gaze to the road just in time to see a stray dog sitting in the middle of the road. He couldn’t care less if he ran over the blighter, but the Slayer seemed to have other ideas as she yanked the steering wheel to the side. Spike cursed as the car swerved sharply to the right. Stepping on the brakes with all his might saved them from getting flattened along with the car, but it didn’t prevent the car from leaping off the road and into trees. The force of impact made him jolt forward before his head hit the windshield.


Blackness threatened to engulf his vision as little stars exploded behind his closed eyelids. Touching his forehead, he could feel the wetness of blood trickling from the wound just as well as he could smell it. Steam rose from behind the smashed hood.


So much for giving the car back.


For some completely screwed reason, Spike’s stomach dropped at the sight of a pale bleeding Slayer. He reached over and gently ran his fingers down her cheek. If anyone asked, he would deny it fervently, but when she stirred and groaned, he felt relief flood his entire being.


She stared at him with a dazed expression and frowned. “Oh God, two Spikes. Have I died and gone to h-” Sharp pain raced through her brain. “Ow.”


“Bollocks. I think you’ve got a concussion. Barmy woman touching the wheel. What the hell where you thinking? You could have been killed because of one scabby dog. Now if it was a cat, that I could understand, but a dog? Really? You’ve got issues, Summers. No wonder the Great Poof’s puppy eyes worked so well on you. Don’t you fucking dare fall asleep!”


Buffy jumped in her seat, obviously not expecting him to shout so loudly in her face. “W-what?”


“Right. That’s it. You need to go to the hospital.”


“No! No hospital!”


“This isn’t up for discussion. And stop pouting. Doesn’t work on me, sweetheart.”


Spike stepped out of the car and rounded it before he yanked open the door of the passenger seat. Despite her protests and weak blows to his chest, Spike managed to sweep her into his arms with a sigh. Now to just get to the nearest phone booth.


Why was it that every time he returned to Sunnyhell, his unlife got turned upside down? Why can’t I stay away?


TBC


A/N: Let's hear your thoughts, kind readers. Did you like?