Chapter Three


When she returned from a quieter-than-normal patrol, Buffy ran upstairs and took her hair out of the utilitarian ponytail in which she’d worn it while searching for something to slay. She brushed it out and applied blush to her cheeks; then reached for her flavored lipgloss. She froze with her hand almost to her mouth as she realized what she was doing.

Oh my god! I’m getting made up to go out with Spike! Not that we’re going out – out, but I’m going to see him and here I am primping like it was date. What is wrong with me?

She stared at her reflection in the mirror, still holding the tube of gloss and trying to decide what to do with it. With a shrug, she brought her hand up and ran the slick applicator around her mouth, finishing with a flourish.

This has nothing to do with wanting Spike to kiss me again. I’m just trying to get back into the swing of being pretty Buffy. It’s time I started taking care of myself and...and.. She lost her ability to deny what she was doing and sighed with surprisingly calm acceptance. I do want him to kiss me. He’s amazing and I...oh, god, I want to kiss him again. But I can’t. I won’t.

Grabbing a red sweater to put over the black tee shirt she’d worn for slaying, she quickly ran down the stairs, waved at a puzzled Willow and Dawn, and left the house before they could ask her where she was going. Keys in hand, Spike was waiting beside the car, leaning against it in that loose-limbed way he had that went so well with his bad boy good looks. She held out her hand, then hesitated.

“Are you going to drive us back to the school?” She eyed the keys that he was tossing up and down and wondered how he had gotten them. “And, what are you doing with my car keys?”

“The ones you left sitting in the ignition, you mean?”

“I did no—I did?”

“That’s where I found ‘em when I got here.” He gave her a look she associated more with Giles than with a vampire. “Are you daft, Slayer? You, of all people, should know better than to leave any kind of vehicle unlocked in this town.”

“I forgot,” she said meekly. “It’s not like I’ve ever had to worry about where the keys were before. Nobody ever asked me to drive them anywhere.”

“We’re gonna change that, Slayer,” he said, tossing her the keys and walking around to the other side.

She caught the keys deftly and opened the door to climb into the driver’s seat.

“Aren’t you going to check the back before you get in? What if there was a vamp waitin’ back there?”

She just looked at him and made a face.

“The only vamp in this car is you. I don’t have to look in the back to know that.”

“That so?”

“Yes, that’s so. Don’t try to act like it isn’t. If there was another vampire here, I’d feel him and so would you. And, anyway, you would have dusted him before I even got outside.”

“You’re bloody sure of yourself, you are,” he muttered rebelliously. “Might just let you find out the hard way, you know.”

“No, you wouldn’t,” she said cheerfully, skillfully maneuvering the big vehicle out of the driveway and into the deserted street. “I did that good, didn’t I?”

“Wasn’t bad,” he admitted grudgingly. “Except for not lookin’ before you pulled out in the bloody street!”

“Oops?”

“You can’t do ‘oops’ in a car, Buffy. You’ll get yourself killed. Why can’t you get that through your head?”

“If you’re going to yell at me, you’re going to make me nervous and I’ll mess up!”

“If you’re not going to look before you pull out into a street, you’re going to make me nervous!”

“It’s not like a car wreck is going to kill you,” she muttered, even as she carefully stopped at the intersection and looked both ways before turning in the direction of the old high school.

“Head for Willy’s” Spike instructed before she could build up much speed.

“Why? Do we need information?”

“No, one of us needs something to drink – and I don’t feel like payin’ Bronze prices.”

“How are you going to teach me to drive if you’re drunk?”

Spike ground his teeth together and stretched his neck until it gave an audible ‘pop’. “I’m not plannin’ to get drunk. I just want a drink – now, do as you’re told.”

Her lower lip sticking out further than should be humanly possible, Buffy said, “You just said you’d teach me to drive so that you could boss me around and yell at me, didn’t you?”

“Yes, Buffy. I just said I’d teach you to drive because I wanted to yell at you. Unlike the rest of the time when I never yell, even when you’re being a giant pain in my arse!”

“You’re yelling again,” she pointed out primly as she pulled into the parking lot of Willy’s bar without actually hitting anything but two large, green demons. “Ha! Look at that!” she exclaimed triumphantly.

“Wonderful, pet. You only hit two people.”

“They were demons! Big demons! I didn’t hurt them – and even if I did…”

“Yeah, they were demons. Got it.”

He got out and slammed the door, walking towards the bar as quickly as he could. Which wasn’t quickly enough, as the two demons, which were still nursing bruises and sore toes, grabbed him and began to toss him back and forth to the accompaniment of snarls and punches.

“Oh, for...!”

Buffy jumped out of the car and ran towards the now full-fledged fight. “Leave him alone, you bullies! He wasn’t driving, I was!”

They turned narrow yellow eyes on the small human woman yelling at them, taking in the large sword in her hand and the angry look on her face. With disgusted snarls, they threw Spike at her feet and continued into the bar. Dropping the sword, Buffy knelt down and reached a tentative hand towards the groaning vampire.

“Are you okay?”

“Do I look okay to you?”

“Um...no. Actually, you look kinda...beat up.”

“Get back in the car, Slayer.”

“You called me Slayer – does that mean you’re mad at me?”

He sighed deeply, wondering which of his evil deeds he was paying for by falling in love with the Slayer.

“I’m not mad at you, Buffy,” he managed to get out between gritted teeth. “But I can’t very well go in there for my drink now, can I?”

“Oh,” she said in a small voice. “I guess not. Where do you want to go, then?”

He waved his hand around randomly. “Doesn’t much matter. Go wherever you want, jus’ try to stay away from places that might have a lot of traffic.” He leaned back against his seat and closed his eyes, not moving even when he felt the car begin to move again.

Buffy pulled out onto the street, turning right for no other reason than that it was much easier than making a left turn into traffic. At the next corner, she turned right again, and then again, until they were soon back in front of Willy’s.

“What are you doing?” Spike’s eyes were still closed, but his nostrils and his sense of direction told him where they were.

“I’m practicing,” she said quietly. “I’m just practicing the easy stuff because you have your eyes closed and can’t tell me what to do next.”

With a sigh, he straightened up and opened his eyes – or the one that wasn’t swollen shut, anyway.

“Fine. I’m watching. Do something else besides circling the bloody block, will you?”

“Maybe we should just go home, if you’re going to be all bad moody,” she muttered. “I won’t be able to drive if you make me nervous.”

He stared at her incredulously. “For three years, I tried to kill you every time I had a chance, without so much as a shiver from you; now you tell me all I had to do to make you nervous was put you behind the wheel of a car and yell at you?”

“You sound like you’re mad at me,” she pouted.

“I am mad at you! You’re driving me bloody insane.”

“I haven’t done anything!” Buffy’s voice was quickly taking on the same frustrated and angry tone as the vampire’s. “I’m just trying to learn to drive. You promised you could teach me and all you’re doing is sitting there all pissed off because you didn’t get a drink.”

Spike was uncharacteristically quiet for several minutes, turning his head to look out the window at the slowly passing streets of Sunnydale. When he realized that Buffy was actually heading for Revello Drive, he sighed.

“I’m sorry, pet. Don’t go home yet. You need to get more practice driving in traffic and maybe work on some parking. You were right; I promised to teach you to drive and all I’ve done is be a self-centered git.”

Buffy turned at the next intersection and started slowly back towards the only part of town likely to have traffic this late at night. She was silent until she realized Spike wasn’t going to say anything else, then said, “I’m sorry, too. I shouldn’t have gotten mad at you when you’re trying to help me.”

“Who are you, and what have you done with the Slayer?” he snarked, earning a glare that was quickly followed by a small grin.

“Very funny,” she growled. “I was nice to you last year when you started helping me. You said so. You said I treated you like a man.”

“I did, love. And you were – nice to me. Guess I just don’t know how to handle it when you forget and treat me like a real person. Like someone you could...”

He stopped, reluctant to say that her flirty behavior was confusing him; said confusion contributing mightily to his shorter-than-normal temper.

Dozy bint has her hair down, got those lips all glossy like she wants them to be noticed...How the bloody hell is a vamp supposed to know what to think or do?

With a loud sigh, he pushed any thoughts of Buffy’s unusual behavior to the back of his mind and tried to concentrate on teaching her to drive safely in traffic. He had her practice using turn signals, pulling in and out of alleys and parking lots - with the occasional pause for her to jump out and slay something lurking in one of the alleys - and driving on streets that had a moderate amount of traffic for a late night in Sunnydale. Although her knuckles occasional whitened, and he wasn’t sure that he didn’t once see the steering wheel bend just a little, she managed to do everything he asked without hitting anything.

Finally, with a pleased smile, he told her she had earned a reward and he asked her to drive to a strip mall near the Sunnydale University campus. She successfully maneuvered the big car into the parking lot and drove headfirst into a parking spot some distance from the stores.

“What are we doing here?”

“Told you, you deserve a reward for workin’ so hard tonight. I’ll be right back.”

He stepped from the car and walked towards the all-night deli that was operated by a half-demon friend of his. Buffy watched his cocky strut across the parking lot, marveling at how someone who knew he would be completely helpless against any of the humans watching him could appear so disdainful and unafraid.

It seems to be working for him. That cocky,’ don’t mess with me’ attitude has all those fraternity boys thinking he’s too dangerous to bother. You can tell they want to – they want to—oops. Looks like they worked up their courage while he was in the deli; that one must have said something...

She watched anxiously as Spike paused and turned to stare at the boy who had spoken to him. The boy swaggered away from his friends, continuing to talk to Spike as he approached. The vampire remained perfectly still, his gaze fixed on the human who was clearly hoping for a fight. He made a response that Buffy couldn’t hear, followed by an unmistakably rude British gesture, then continued to walk towards Buffy. He handed her the ice cream cone he’d got for her, and shook his head when she started to get out of the car.

“I’ve got it, pet,” he growled. Buffy’s eyes widened as she saw the belligerent boy rushing towards them.

“Spike! Behind you, he’s…”

“I hear him comin’.” He winked at her and shifted into game face, whirling just in time to raise his arm and block the punch aimed at his head. The blood-curdling snarl that accompanied his change in demeanor sent the boy stumbling backwards so fast that he lost his balance and fell to the ground, scrambling to get away from the monster now stalking him.

The boy’s friends had started towards him when he fell, but one look at what was threatening their friend and they waited to see what would happen rather than rushing the frightening creature standing over him. Spike stood over the still scrabbling man long enough to be sure he wasn’t going to forget how his attempt to bully someone smaller had backfired, then turned away, his contempt plain to see. He shifted back into his human face and calmly opened the door on the passenger side, sliding in with a satisfied smile.

Buffy silently handed him her cone while she pulled forward and drove carefully, but with increasing confidence, out of the parking lot and onto the street. She drove to the other side of the campus, then parked again in a deserted faculty lot and held out her hand for her ice cream.

She watched as Spike ran his tongue around the melting ice cream, catching the drips and bringing them into his mouth with exaggerated motions of his lips and tongue. In spite of herself, she couldn’t take her eyes off his mouth as he swallowed and then licked his lips. She absently took the offered cone, still staring at his moistened lips. Only when he pointed at the once-again dripping ice cream, did she tear her eyes away and begin her own frantic licking.

When she had rescued her clothes from any danger of melting ice cream stains, she stopped licking again to study the vampire now lounging against the door with his hand out the window.

“Why did you do that, back there?” she asked with genuine curiosity. “You couldn’t know for sure that those guys weren’t going to jump you. They might have been ex-Initiative or something.”

“Don’t like bullies,” he responded quietly.

When he didn’t elaborate, Buffy went back to eating her ice cream, mulling over the enigma that was William the Bloody. She had almost eaten the whole cone when she impulsively held it out and asked Spike if he wanted to finish it. He smiled and took it from her, their fingers touching briefly as he did so.

“Thank you, love. Can’t think of anything I’d like more than to be putting my tongue where yours just was.” He gave her a modified version of his trademark leer and she gave him the expected, “Ewww, Spike.” They smiled at each other, comfortable in their roles as macho pig and the disgusted object of his affections.

He finished the ice cream with much smacking of lips and flourishing of tongue, continuing to run his tongue around his lips and watching Buffy’s eyes darken as she followed the path his tongue was taking. He moved towards her, his own eyes now focused on her lips, which she licked nervously. When his face was right in front of hers, only inches separating them, he raised his eyes to hers and murmured, “Yes or no, Buffy. What do you say? Don’t want to overstep any bounds, but you’re killin’ me here.”

“Y...yes,” she whispered, closing her eyes and leaning closer. “I say ‘yes’.”

With a heartfelt groan, he closed the distance between them and fastened his lips on hers, exerting a gentle pressure until she sighed into his mouth and opened hers to his still cool and ice cream-flavored tongue.

The kiss went on for long minutes, neither of them willing to break it, and each afraid to move to another level. Buffy was grateful that the big vehicle had bucket seats in the front, making it difficult for them to be touching anywhere but their mouths and the hand that Spike was resting lightly on her shoulder.

Difficult, but not impossible, she realized when she found herself pulled across the opening and onto Spike’s lap. Unlike the times she had sat on his lap while he worked the pedals of the car, this time she was draped across him, his right arm behind her back and his left wrapped around her waist, holding her against his chest.

The kisses went on, Buffy the aggressor as often as the vampire, and it wasn’t long before Spike’s hands were moving along her back and sides in long strokes. He ran his hand from her shoulder blade down her back, over her hip and down her thigh; then up again. Over and over, his hand traveled the same path. The motion was soothing and exciting at the same time, giving Buffy nothing to object to and yet becoming more sensual with every stroke.

She whimpered into Spike’s mouth when his hand slid around to caress her rib cage. As he ran it back up her body, over her ribs again, he stopped just beneath her breast and hesitated there. His thumb was just touching the bottom of her breast and she felt it begin to rub lightly against her sweater. Emboldened by her lack of resistance, he cupped her breast in his hand, moving his still-stroking thumb to the nipple that hardened beneath his attentions.

Buffy’s breathing was loud and ragged as she surrendered to the sensations he was creating. She barely noticed when his hand slipped under her shirt and his fingers began stroking her bare skin, knowing only that the sensations had increased in intensity to the point that she completely forgot that they were in a semi-public place.

Her hands were around his neck and her body turned awkwardly towards his, seeking more contact even as her brain was screaming that she had to make him stop. When he released her mouth to run his lips down her neck, murmuring things she didn’t want to hear as he pushed her shirt up higher, she came back to herself enough to gasp, “We...you...stop...there are people...”

“Nobody close enough to see us, love,” he crooned, kneading her breast with one hand while the other held her closer. “It’s dark, they can’t see us anyway.”

Buffy could feel his erection pushing against her bottom. As much as she tried to ignore it, the way his hips were subtly tipping against her made it impossible. I’ve got to make him stop. Now, before we...before he thinks that I want...Now, while he isn’t kissing me and turning my mind to mush...

As if he could read her mind, he fastened his mouth back on hers, letting his lips and tongue tell her everything that he wasn’t permitted to say aloud. His vampire senses made him more than aware of the effect his kisses were having on her, but his own unbelieving awe at having her in his arms, kissing him willingly with passion and what he couldn’t prevent his poet’s heart from feeling was affectionNot love, maybe. Not yet. But surely she couldn’t be reactin’ to me like this if she didn’t care...at least a little bit., prevented him from taking advantage of it. All he wanted to do was to continue to kiss her and have her warm body in his arms for as long as she was willing to stay there. Completely lost in the scent and feel of the woman he loved and never expected to have, he didn’t hear the approaching footfalls.

When the car door was yanked open, he almost fell out, only his lightning reflexes and Buffy’s own adrenaline-fueled response keeping them from tumbling out onto the asphalt.

“Don’t worry, miss. We’ll save you from this monster.”

Rough hands dragged Spike from the car, flinging him to the ground. Buffy watched in horror as the formerly cowed group of boys leaned over the helpless vampire, make-shift stakes in their hands. Before they could make good on their obvious intention to overwhelm the vampire with numbers and dust him, Buffy was out the door and throwing them back from Spike’s snarling form.

“I don’t need saving, you morons!” She glared at them, fury shaking her body. Her fists were clenched behind her back in an attempt to keep herself from punching one of the would-be rescuers.

“You don’t understand; he’s a vampire. He was biting you.”

“He was kissing me, you oaf. And I know he’s a vampire. Do I look stupid to you?”

“Hey, maybe she’s one too,” a boy Buffy recognized as the one Spike had frightened so badly outside the ice cream shop said, peering at her suspiciously. “Did you see how easy she pushed Bobby away? That’s not normal.”

Spike had taken advantage of their distraction to kip to his feet and now stood glaring from safety -- over Buffy’s shoulder. His position behind the small woman wasn’t lost on his attackers.

“Guess that guy was telling the truth. The one that said this vampire couldn’t bite... No wonder she wasn’t worried about him killing her. He has to hide behind her skirts.”

Grinning unpleasantly, the original attacker began to stalk towards the vampire, saying, “Hold her, will you guys? This won’t take long.”

Spike’s low growls were born as much of frustration as anger or fear. He fell into a fighting stance, hoping that his willingness to fight the larger man might be taken as evidence that they’d been lied to. Buffy’s face was a study in contradiction, her mission to avoid harming humans at odds with her desire to keep Spike safe. When two of the boys grabbed her arms and pulled her away from Spike, she gave up worrying and simply pulled her arms out of their grip. While they were still staring at their suddenly empty hands, she stepped in front of Spike and said calmly, “If you want to dust him, you have to go through me first.”

With a nasty laugh, the boy backhanded her across the face, blinking a bit with surprise when she didn’t fall down, but rather allowed a grin to spread across her face.

“I want to thank you for that,” she said cheerfully as she punched him in the jaw, knocking him to the ground. “For a minute there I was feeling bad about having to hit you.” She whirled to meet the other boys, now recovered from their surprise and expecting to overwhelm her with numbers. Although they were big and fairly strong, for humans, they had taken on a warrior who fought supernaturally fast and strong creatures every night. A much happier Spike perched on the hood of the car - the better to cheer her on.

“Good one, Slayer! Take that, you wanker! Watch your shoulder, pet, you’re telegraphing your punches a bit. Oh, nice bit of work! Good job. Behind you, love – ah, that got it...Good girl.”

Buffy quickly ran out of opponents, leaving all four boys lying on the ground, groaning and barely conscious. She dusted her hands with satisfaction and walked back to the car where Spike tried to pull her between his knees so that he could kiss her again. With a shake of her head, Buffy gently but firmly removed his hands from her shoulders and walked around to the driver’s side door.

“Come on, Spike,” she said as she opened the door. “It’s late. I need to get home.”