The fire crackled and gradually burnt out, the few remaining candles flickered. The light from the kitchen provided the majority of the illumination in the room.

Buffy and Spike lay entwined on the faux fur rug, surrounded by the detritus of their night of passion. Shredded towels and pieces of brightly colored wrapping paper littered the floor. Buffy’s knife was carefully nestled in its sheath, cushioned by the blue silk of Spike’s shirt.

Gold and white limbs were entwined as the lovers slept, finally succumbing to the pull of Morpheus. After the wax had been removed, Spike had rolled Buffy to her back, embedding himself once more in her warm center before dropping off to sleep, unwilling to leave his mate’s body for a moment. Buffy’s legs were wrapped around his and she cradled his limp form on her body.

Outside, the night began to fade into day.

The sound of birds woke Buffy. She let out an unladylike snort and stirred, waking Spike.

“Waa…” he glanced around warily checking for the Fyarl demon that just snorted at him.

Buffy wapped him on the shoulder, their intimate contact intensifying the claim bond. “There is no Fyarl in here, Blondie!”

Spike levered himself up and groaned as his soft cock left its comfortable resting place in a rush of fluids. “Sorry, pet, but your snoring is positively Wagnerian!

Buffy pouted up at him. “They’re cute little snores!”

Spike ducked his head and kissed her lips, hiding a grin. “Yes dear, very cute, though I think the neighbors may have something to say about ‘em…”

“Pig!” Buffy exclaimed playfully and pressed a kiss to Spike’s nose. “Argh! My muscles… Lemme up, Spike. I need to stretch.”

Spike rolled off of her and lay on his back with his arms tucked behind his head, watching his Slayer stretching.

Buffy arched her back and raised her arms, stretching happily. Every muscle she had throbbed, and she was pretty sure that Spike had found a few muscles she hadn’t known existed.

Buffy tingled all over. Reaching down, she touched her toes, presenting Spike with a very interesting view.

Her glistening center peeked out from between her legs. It was slightly swollen and raw from their earlier activities. ‘But it was effulgent…’ Spike hardened as his eyes devoured her most intimate secret. She peeked at him from between her legs, grinning at his use of the word effulgent. He growled in disappointment when his mate straightened and began to run her hands through her hair.

Buffy eyed the living room with dismay. “Oh my God, Spike! It looks like a hurricane hit in here. We so need to clean this up!” She looked over at her visibly aroused mate and rolled her eyes. Buffy kept her distance, knowing if she got within arm’s reach, nothing would get done. “Hey Erecto-Boy! Focus!”

Spike leered at her as he stretched sinuously. “Boy, pet? You sure about that?” He stretched again, thrusting his hips up, drawing her attention to his roaring erection.

At his noticeable lack of action, she decided to try another tact and resorted to the oldest trick in the book. “Spike, you will never touch me again unless this mess is cleaned up.” Before she could continue, Spike was on his feet.

“Right, then. No need to threaten!” The blond vampire shook his finger at Buffy and, with a burst of vampiric speed, began to clear all the debris.

Buffy blinked, ‘Man, even if I didn’t love him, I’d have to keep him round for cleaning day!’ This thought earned a childish tongue sticking out from her mate.

Spike neatly placed their opened presents under the tree alongside the many untouched packages and turned to the piles of wrapping paper. He carefully extracted his four Bronze vouchers and put them on the mantle before stoking the fire. After building it back up, he gathered the paper and pieces of shredded towel and threw them on the small flames.

“Back in a sec, gorgeous.” Spike disappeared into the kitchen, returning with a bucket.

“What’s that for, Spike?” Buffy cocked her head in confusion.

“Gotta get rid of the water,” he explained as he filled the bucket from the tub. Peeking to see that the sun was still under the horizon, Spike opened the front door and tossed the cold water onto the porch. Water ran between the boards and into the dirt under the house.

“Why don’t we just take the tub outside to dump it?” Buffy grasped the side and nodded for Spike to grab hold of the other side. Together they carried the massive tub to the door.

Spike paused and glanced at his mate. “Better cover up first, luv.” They walked back into the living room, stopping only briefly for a kiss before returning to the door; Buffy in her pajamas, Spike in his jeans. They lifted the tub and maneuvered it out the door, spilling massive amounts of water onto the floor.

“Might not have been the best idea,” Buffy admitted. They tilted the tub through the door, pouring the rest of the water onto the porch. “There, much quicker. Spike, what are we gonna do with this?” She patted the brass tub with one hand.

“No idea, luv. Might take it back to the crypt and get it plumbed in there so you can have a soak after patrol,” Spike suggested, his mind filling with images of Buffy soaking in their tub by candlelight. “For now, we’ll stick it back in front of the fire. I’ll do that, you go get towels for this mess.” He indicated the pool of water covering the foyer.

“Love both of those ideas.” Buffy reached over and pecked him on the lips, again surprised at his sweetness and consideration. She ran upstairs to get towels, returning quickly and mopping up all evidence of her disastrous idea. She looked at Spike who was sitting on the edge of tub, watching her. “Kitchen now?”

Spike nodded.

They both padded into the kitchen. Buffy reddened at the sticky mess covering the counter and floor.

Spike noticed her change in color. “Now then, none of that, pet…” He kissed her gently; amazed at her innocence despite all that they had shared during the night.

He sat her down on one of the stools, handing her a sponge from the sink to clean the counter. He stole another quick kiss before sinking to his knees and cleaning the floor, using one of the many damp towels Buffy had carried into the kitchen.

“You hungry?” Spike asked.

“Nope. Just tired, wanna go to bed.” Buffy replied with a yawn. She was tickled that Spike was cleaning up after them and taking care of her.

“Right. Well, you go on up. I’ll sort this out and get back to the crypt.” Spike was crushed that she hadn’t asked him to join her. He knew she loved him, he could feel it, but his insecurities were renewed when she had spoken about going to bed. His shoulders slumped slightly as he finished mopping the Hershey and honey combo off the floor.

“Nope, not going!” Buffy chirped, catching his stray thought. “Not without you,” she added gently. She rolled her eyes at the delighted smile that crossed his face. “Yeesh, Spike, what were you thinking, ‘a righteous shag or two and then she kicks me to the curb’?” Her fake cockney accent was terrible but it made Spike grin even more.

“So you want me to stay?” he asked almost shyly.

“Yes, Spike I want you to stay. You are my mate and I love you. I will never want you to go.” Buffy spoke gently, aware that it was William, not Spike, who was asking. She reached over and took the towel from his hands. Tossing it towards the basement door, she turned and took his hand in hers. “Come on, gorgeous, let’s go to bed.”

With that, Buffy lead Spike out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

He paused at her bedroom door, pulling her gently into his arms. “I love you, Buffy. You know that, don’t you?” She nodded. “It means everything to me that you have given yourself to me, that you have invited me into your bed, into your body. You let me mark you, claim you as my own. You left your mark on me… twice. I’ve never had that with anyone else. Thank you. I pledge everything that I am to you, Buffy, everything…”

Tears filled her eyes as she listened to his heartfelt words. How could she not know how much love he was capable of giving? She’d been so blind.

“Oh, Spike,” she said, sniffing. “Come to bed. Let me show you how much I love you.”

She pulled him into her room, dropping her pajamas to the floor before pulling back the covers and sliding under them. She tossed back the covers on the opposite side, inviting her lover into her bed for the first time. “Maybe we should redo Mom’s room.”

Spike, who had been silently enjoying the show his mate was putting on for him, shook his head slightly before answering. “What? Why, pet?” He moved across the floor, unbuttoning his pants and allowing them to drop at the foot of the bed.

He was once again hard, aching to feel her warm caress. He looked around the girlish room, which seemed totally at odds with the warrior he knew so well. It was soft and feminine. Aside from the multitude of crosses that hung from jewelry tree, there were no outward signs of the Slayer.

As he climbed into the bed, he wrapped his arms around Buffy, pulling her tightly against him. “Well, we could fix it up, you know? Black-out curtains, a chaise lounge, a huge bed, a private bathroom…” She trailed off as she remembered everything that had happened in that private bathroom just a few hours before.

She groaned, also remembering that they had forgotten to clean that particular mess but deciding to worry about it later as she visualized his touch on her body.

Spike could smell her arousal and his body responded in kind. “You want to make over your mum’s room for me, pet?” He stroked the beautiful bruising on her neck with his tongue, soothing the tender area.

“Not for you, Spike. For us.” Buffy could feel her body respond to his light touch and she ached to feel him inside her again. Her body was so sore; she couldn’t understand how she could still crave him. Her turned her gently, drawing her back against his chest. He pulled her thigh over his.

“Relax, Buffy.” Lifting her slightly, Spike entered her tender heat, pushing deeply into her core. He once again pressed his mouth against his scarring mark, nuzzling against her neck. He rocked his hips slowly, never leaving her tight embrace.

She constricted her inner walls, squeezing him tightly. Spike gasped into her neck, his breath cool on her heated skin. She did it again, smiling at his reaction. She could feel him tense behind her, drawing in his breath. “Problem, Spikey?” Buffy asked innocently as she rippled her internal muscles again, delighted that she had found another way to tease her mate.

He pulled out of heat completely before thrusting back in, causing her to groan loudly. “Not nice, pet. ‘m trying to be gentle, take care of my girl.” Buffy reached behind him and dug her nails into his firm backside, feeling his muscles flex under her hands as he jumped. He pushed her away from his body, leaving an aching void between her legs. Spike rolled her to her stomach.

“You asked for it now, little girl.” Spike pulled her to her knees and, without any preamble, thrust into her in a single, hard, smooth stroke, burying himself completely in her warmth. He shimmed his hips, settling in. Spike’s movements caused Buffy to grasp her sheets tightly in her fists. Spike began pounding into Buffy’s aching and swollen cunt, making her moan his name.

“Oh, Spike… so hard… just for me…” She grunted at a particularly vigorous thrust from behind. Spike licked the sweat from her neck and pistoned harder into her grunting body. Buffy arched her back and thrust back as hard as she could. Her mouth opened in a silent scream as sweat began to run down her face.

“Buffy… so tight… my girl…” Spike could feel Buffy’s climax fast approaching. Her moisture was coating his thighs and balls as it streamed from where they were joined.

He reached under her, caressing her thigh with his fingertips, urging her legs further apart as he kept up his punishing rhythm. Spike’s left hand continued to trail upwards as the speed of his thrusts increased. He reached her swollen and reddened clit and stroked it lightly, feeling her soreness through the bond, desperately wanting to please, not hurt her.

Spike thrust into Buffy’s warmth twice more before his name escaped her lips, her inner walls quivering around him. Her sweet pleasure and intense excitement flowed through the bond, drawing out his almost gentle climax.

Spike fell to his side, pulling her limp body with him so that they lay intimately connected, spooned together as they drifted off into slumber.