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Sunshine and Shadows by slaymesoftly
 
Chapter Twenty-Three
 
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CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
 
To Buffy’s surprise, Snyder kept out of her way most of the day. It wasn’t until Willow tentatively mentioned that Buffy was looking “very slayerish” every time they saw Snyder, that Buffy realized he seemed to be afraid of her. Between his having apparently hooked up with the Mayor in some way, thus probably now knowing more about Buffy’s other life than when he’d just assumed she was a delinquent student, and her own inability to hide her reaction to what she now knew about him, their roles had somewhat reversed. 
 
On those rare occasions when they found themselves in the same hallway, instead of trying to avoid his notice as she normally did, the look Buffy focused on him now was the cold, hard stare of a Slayer. It was enough to send him scuttling off to harass students elsewhere in the building.
 
“I think he’s afraid of me,” Buffy said to Giles when she joined him and Xander in the Library. “That’s kind of cool.”
 
“I’d be afraid of you too, if you looked at me the way you looked at him,” Xander said.
 
“How did I look at him?”
 
“Kinda like you do when you’re about to go all Kung Fu Buffy on something,” he said with a nervous grin. “Or like when somebody says something negative about Spike.”
 
“Oh. Well. Too bad.” She shrugged. “If he doesn’t like the way I look at him, he should probably stay out of my way.” 
 
She bit her tongue and didn’t add that so should anyone who said anything bad about Spike, but the look on Xander’s face told her he had filled in the missing words. He held his hands up in surrender.
 
“Giving him the benefit of the doubt for now,” he said. “Willow filled me in more on what went down last year and how he helped you get home and pass your exams. At least this vampire doesn’t just show up with cryptic prophecies and then leave without helping you.”
 
“Exactly. Well, not exactly, I guess, but yeah. When Spike thinks I could use some help, he, you know, helps. He’s really nothing like Angel or Angelus.”
 
“For which we are all very grateful.” Giles followed his dry comment with a nod toward his office and a “May I see you for a moment, please, Buffy?”
 
Willow and Oz had joined Xander and Buffy, and all four teenagers stared at Giles who said nothing to enlighten them, only walked into his office, expecting Buffy to follow. She exchanged puzzled looks with her friends, then trailed Giles into the small room. He shut the door behind her and gestured to his desk. Faith was sitting in his chair, rocked back with her feet on the desk as she toyed with a stake.
 
“Did you know your honey was hanging out with one of the vamps that came here with Kakistos? The old one that got away from us and that’s gone to work in the Mayor’s office?”
 
Buffy frowned at the implication in Faith’s voice, but shook her head. “I know he was heading for Willy’s to see if he could find some minions to interrogate. If that guy is really working for the Mayor, he’d have been a good choice.”
 
“They were going to kill me!” Faith said, lowering her feet to the floor with a crash. “They came walking around the corner as chummy as can be and started talking about which one was going to get to kill me!”
 
Buffy’s stomach clenched, but she kept her voice calm as she said, “And yet, here you are, all alive… again.” The reminder that Spike could have killed her before and hadn’t wasn’t lost on Faith and she flushed.
 
“Well, that’s because I ran away while they were still arguing over which one was going to kill me,” she blustered, her voice trailing off as knowledge dawned in her eyes.
 
Buffy crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows, waiting patiently while Faith visibly reviewed the incident and accepted that she’d been able to get away because Spike had made it possible.
 
Faith slumped back in the chair and cursed. “Fine,” she said with a growl. “Spike let me get away and he did it without blowing his cover.” She shook her head. “I missed what was going on at the time, but I see what he did.” She rolled her eyes. “He must think I’m really stupid.” She looked a question at Buffy, who just shrugged.
 
“I haven’t seen him since we talked to Clem. I’ll catch up with him this afternoon or later tonight.” She gave Faith a small smile. “I’ll be sure to tell him you said thank you.”
 
“I’ll say it myself,” Faith muttered as she stood up and looked at Giles. “Meeting tonight?”
 
He nodded. “My apartment, around seven.”
 
“I’ll be there.” She went out of the office and, without speaking to anyone else, left the Library and took the closest exit from the building.
 
“What do you think?” Buffy asked Giles as they rejoined the others.
 
“I’m cautiously optimistic that she learned something from this. This is the first time she has asked about a meeting and volunteered to be there.”
 
“I hope so,” Buffy said. “Life will be a lot less stressful if I don’t have to worry that somebody on our side is going to try to take Spike out.”
 
“Could she do that?” Xander appeared almost hopeful, and Buffy gave him one of the stares he’d been trying to avoid. “I mean, not that I want her to, but I thought he already kicked her ass?”
 
Buffy rolled her eyes, grateful for the glare Giles sent in Xander’s direction.
 
“She couldn’t beat him in a fair fight, but if he trusts her, he wouldn’t be watching his back, and I can’t watch it for him while we’re in the middle of a battle.”
 
Xander looked surprisingly thoughtful. He glanced at Giles as if for verification, then, “So how many times has he not killed her?”
 
Buffy sighed. “Twice, I guess, if we count last night when he stalled that other vamp—”
 
“Trick,” Giles put in. “His name is Trick and I am researching his history.”
 
Buffy nodded and continued, “Anyway, he hasn’t killed her himself when he could have, and last night he kept somebody else from trying to kill her. And I wouldn’t have known about it either time, so it’s not just because I’d have to stake him.”
 
Giles interrupted again. “And he also saved her life last night when she was too busy fighting vampires to notice the demon behind her. Which I believe I made clear to her at the time. It remains to be seen if these actions will soften her attitude toward someone who could be an important asset to us.”
 
“Well, if you don’t have anything for us now, I’m going to go check on that important asset and see what he learned from Trick last night. We’ll see you at seven.”
 
Buffy waved her good-bye and left the building by the same door Faith had used.
 
Xxxxx
 
As Buffy wandered toward Crawford Street, she thought she could feel eyes upon her. She changed her route to go in another direction that allowed her to go in and out of shops along the sidewalk. It took only a few stops for her to spot the man stalking her as he stopped every time she did and watched the door of the store. “Yay for watching lots of cop and spy movies,” she muttered to herself as she slipped out the back door of a shoe store where they knew her as a good customer. Her story that an old boyfriend was following her brought sympathy and a quick agreement to letting her out the back.
 
Buffy checked the loading dock and peered up and down the alley before smiling her farewell and running down the alley to emerge several streets away. She hid in a shadowed doorway, but when she saw no sign on the stalker, she circled around to come at the mansion from another direction.
 
She found a shirtless Spike already up and having his breakfast when she finally got to the house.
 
“Mornin’, love,” he said. “Not for you, I guess, but I just got out of the shower.”
 
She made note of his wet hair and laughed. “I’m glad I got delayed. Naked you would have been a shock.”
 
“Naked is brilliant,” he said. “We should try it some time.”
 
Buffy blushed and paused with the kitchen island between them, unsure if his no kissing rule meant she couldn’t say hello the way she wanted to. Apparently reading her mind, he grinned and crooked his finger at her.
 
“Come give us a hello, Slayer. I promise to keep it PG.”
 
“What do you know about PG?” she murmured as she leaned in to meet his lips. “You watch porn.”
 
“Know it means, if it was anybody besides you, it’d be boring,” he said, holding the kiss just long enough to make it real without leading to anything more.
 
“It’s boring?” She pulled back with a pout.
 
“Would be if it wasn’t you. Nothing’s boring when you’re involved. Trust me.” He gave her one more chaste peck and went back to his blood.  “So, you’re a bit late. School was out a while ago, wasn’t it?”
 
“Oh yeah, but there was this guy….” Buffy went on tell him about the man tailing her and how she’d ditched him.
 
He growled, but smiled at her pride in her actions.
 
“Wonder what that was about?”
 
“I dunno. I didn’t want anybody to see me coming here, so I got away.” She frowned. “It’s going to be hard keeping this a secret, isn’t it?”
 
Spike nodded. “I ‘s’pect it will, love. Don’t imagine I’ll get away with it for very long. Too many chances for us to be caught out. Hopin’ I can get some more information before that happens, but a vamp as old as Trick is bound to crafty.”
 
“Maybe you shouldn’t do it? We already know the important stuff—that it’s the Mayor and he’s planning to do it at Graduation.”
 
“I’ll be careful, love. We know the main thing, but we don’t know exactly how it’s going to happen, or what he might need to do yet to prepare. Aside from trying to take you and Slayer number two out of the picture. Could be there’s some important ingredient he needs for the ascension that we can locate first and put a stop to the whole thing before it ever gets goin’.”
 
Buffy snorted. “We should get so lucky. But I don’t like it. If something happens to you….” Her expression changed from disbelief to a worried pout.
 
He smiled softly and pulled her closer, nuzzling her neck and leaving light kisses as he whispered in her ear.
 
“I love that you worry about me, Buffy, but I’ve been taking care of myself for a long time. I know how to be careful.”
 
“I just don’t want anything to happen to you,” Buffy mumbled into his neck. She froze as the truth of her words sank in. She pulled back to meet his puzzled gaze. “I really, really don’t want anything to happen to you!” she said, making no attempt to hide her own wonder.
 
‘That’s good, yeah?” he said with a worried smile. “I don’t want anything to happen to you, and you don’t want anything to happen to me. What’s wrong with that?”
 
“Nothing! It’s wonderful!”
 
“It is indeed wonderful, but I’m not sure—”
 
“Don’t you get it?” When he just continued to stare at her as if she’d started speaking in tongues, she sighed and rolled her eyes. “Why don’t you want anything to happen to me?”
 
“Because I love you, you silly…..”  He trailed off as she began to grin at him. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” He grabbed her by the shoulders, staring at her with a mixture of joy and trepidation.
 
“I think so. I’m pretty sure I am. I mean, I missed you when you were gone, I’m happy you’re back, I want to be with you all the time, I worry about you, I’d be heartbroken if you left again, and when you kiss me I—”
 
There were no more words for several minutes as they fell into more of those kisses, this time without any need for restraint. When Buffy’s legs were once again wrapped around his hips, this time with more success than the night before, he pressed her back against the refrigerator and used the leverage to provide the contact she was seeking. Her increasingly frantic whimpers and cries spurred him on until she collapsed against him, gasping for air.
 
As she recovered herself, she realized he was still hard and still nestled between her legs.
 
“Why did we do that here when you have a perfectly good bed right down the hall?” she asked as she nudged him away so she could put her feet back on the floor. She kept her head down so he couldn’t see her flaming face.
 
“Because I wanted you to get off on me at least once, just in case you were going to change your mind. You haven’t , have you?” He gave her a worried nudge with his nose as she continued to keep her face down.
 
She shook her head. “Nope. Just feeling guilty for getting my happy before you did.”
 
He laughed and picked her up again. She automatically put her legs around his waist as he began walking toward his bedroom.
 
“No worries, love. I’ll never get tired of watching you come. Or hearing it. Or feeling you against me. And I expect to get my own share of happiness as soon as I get you naked.”
 
“Don’t you have to be naked too?” She hid her blush against his chest, unable to resist inhaling the scent of his skin or the urge to kiss it.
 
“Oh, I plan to be, sweetheart, never doubt it. Figured you understood that.”
 
He carefully maneuvered through the door to his bedroom, managing not to bump her knees against the jamb as he did so. When he reached the bed, he turned around and sat down, leaving her now sitting on his lap, her legs still around his waist. As they began kissing again, Spike slid his hands under her shirt, unhooking her bra and pushing it and the shirt up to her shoulders. He interrupted the kiss to push the shirt and bra off over her head and, while Buffy’s arms were up in the air, he fastened his mouth on one nipple and began sucking on it.
 
Her surprised gasp, followed by her increased breathing as she arched into his mouth, made him smile against her flesh. He switched to the other breast, massaging the first one with his hand while he sucked the other nipple to a rosy peak. Buffy’s head was thrown back, her eyes shut, and her hands grasping his hair and holding his face against her chest. When he stopped sucking and began to kiss his way back up to her mouth, she brought her head forward and met him eagerly, pressing their nude upper bodies together.
 
Matching moans as they were skin to skin for the first time sent Spike onto his back with Buffy lying on him. He gasped against her mouth, “Was hoping to take my time, love, but I want you so bloody bad….”
 
Buffy’s response was to roll off his body and pop the button on his jeans. She was tugging on his zipper when he nudged her hand away, gently pushed her onto her back, and began to kiss his way down her torso. He unbuttoned her jeans and pulled the zipper down with his teeth, breaking away to slide down the bed and pull them down her legs. He reached up with one hand to snag her underwear and drag it down with them. Buffy had already kicked her shoes off, so nothing impeded his goal of stripping her naked, which he accomplished very quickly. He stood up and shoved his own jeans to the floor before getting back onto the bed on his hands and knees. 
 
He began kissing his way up her legs, pausing when he got to her neatly trimmed curls, abandoning his first thought when she gave a shocked gasp and pulled her legs tightly together.
 
“Alright, love. We’ll get to that,” he murmured, continuing up her body until they were face to face and his fingers were stroking her to the accompaniment of more of the whimpers he was beginning to recognize as signals for more. Her legs fell apart to give him more access, and he continued his actions until her hips were moving of their own volition. When he’d spread the moisture around and her body was telling him she was more than ready, he pressed his cock against her entrance, whispering, “May I come in, love?”
 
Her response was to grab his ass and pull on his hips. He worked his way into her, taking his time to allow her to adapt to the unfamiliar sensation. “Are you ready for this, love?” Buffy could feel him trembling with the effort to go slowly within her almost virginal body, and she wrapped her legs around his, pulling him even deeper.
 
“News flash, vampire. I’m a slayer. High pain threshold, and I’ve been ready for this since I walked in the door this afternoon.”
 
He gave a strangled laugh and began to move his hips against her, smiling when she moved with him and they fell into an easy rhythm. The easy rhythm grew very quickly into something else, his thrusts becoming stronger and faster while Buffy’s cries and gasps urged him on. His roar of completion when Buffy shattered around him told her she didn’t need to worry about having been selfish this time, and she gave a satisfied sigh as he collapsed on top of her.
 
When he tried to roll off, she held him in place. “Where are you going?”
 
“Jus’ going to let you breathe, love.”
 
“I’m breathing just fine. You stay put. We’ve got another hour before I have to get home for dinner.” She kept her legs around his and her arms around his back to emphasize her words.
 
“Bloody hell, Slayer,” he said in an awestruck voice. “If I didn’t already love you, that would have done it.” She felt him begin to swell inside her and gasped in surprise, feeling him shake with chuckles as he said, “Have I mentioned how quickly vampires can recover?” 
 
“Must be one of those things you were going to share with me with I got old enough,” she said, beginning to move against him. “What else don’t I know?”
 
“Did you know you can drive?” He rolled them over so that she was lying on him, his hands holding her hips in place. She pushed herself up so she was sitting, catching her breath when that position forced his cock farther into her.
 
“Did I hurt you, love?” His hands were preparing to lift her away, but she shook her head.
 
“Not hurting!” She wriggled against him to emphasize her words, smiling when his eyes rolled back in his head. “Do you like this?”
 
In reply, he began to raise his hips, slowly at first, and she realized he was letting her set the pace.
 
“How long did you say we have?” he asked as their pace increased and she began experimenting with using different muscles and rhythms.
 
“Long enough!” She leaned down to kiss him, finding another position that was worth exploring. “Maybe long enough…”
 
 
 
 
 
 
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