Day Three (Part One)


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She woke early and jumped a little when she became aware of the arm still tightly wrapped around her waist. Her heart thumped a little harder and she let herself enjoy Spike’s embrace for a few minutes longer before the call of nature had her wriggling out of his arms. He let out a little disappointed moan in his sleep and rolled onto his back and she smiled warmly down at him, surprised by the sudden burst of feeling that looking at him sent through her.

She quickly sneaked up to the bathroom and when she had finished, she crept out into the hallway and almost collided with Xander.

“Xander!” she got out in a loud whisper.

“Sorry. My bad.”

They fell silent and she bit her lip, eyes falling to the floor. Xander stepped forward a moment later and she looked up at him quickly.

“How about we get some breakfast?” he suggested quietly and it took her a minute to conquer her surprise and agree. He smiled and gestured for her to precede him down the stairs and she did so almost in a daze.

In all honesty, she was amazed that her friend was still talking to her. He had never been quiet about his feelings towards Spike and she was just waiting for the inevitable eruption. He settled on a stool and she watched him, wondering miserably how long he would draw this out.



“So, how are you this morning, Buff?” he asked pleasantly and she slid onto a stool opposite him, sure this had to be some sort of trick.

“Okay,” she answered and then decided to risk a little honesty, “Still embarrassed.”

Instead of the eruption she had expected, she received only a small smile and she stared at her friend in bewilderment. He dropped his eyes to the counter for a short second and then raised his honest, open gaze to her.

“You know, I’m the first to admit that I’m totally guilty of misjudgement. And I’m sorry. But I just wanted to tell you… Spike’s a… he’s a great guy.”

Her eyes went impossibly wide at her friend’s words and she could make no sensible reply to him.

“You what?” she choked out after a long pause.

“I know I was always getting at him before… but even I have to admit that he’s different now. He was different as soon as…”

He trailed off, pain flashing through his expression and she took a deep, calming breath.

“I mean, the guy was… he was broken,” he got out in wonder, “Totally broken.”

“He was?” she whispered.

“Yeah. I didn’t want to see it at first… but even I’m not that blind,” he joked with a wry smile and she smiled back halfheartedly.

He reached out then and placed a hand over hers.

“I know I’ve been the most outspoken against the guy in the past but I want you to know that I just want you to be happy. And, I guess, I just wanted to tell you that I, at least, am okay with this.”



She said nothing for a long time and then she gave a choked laugh.

“Are you? That makes one of us.”

She slumped against the counter and smiled at her friend as he gave her a worried look.

“Did he do something?”

“No, no,” she reassured her friend, “I just… I’m totally confused. And you saying all this stuff just made me feel even more confused.”

She gave him a sheepish smile and he laughed softly, before turning seriously.

“Let me ask you a hard question then… What do you feel for him?”

She paused before answering, trying to analyse these feelings burning deep inside her.

“I don’t know. I know that I really like spending time with him… that he makes me feel… safe. But I…”

She trailed off and then took a deep breath, preparing herself for an act of bravery.

“You wanna know the truth?” she asked her friend.

“Sure.”

“I think I might be in love with him,” she admitted quietly.

Xander was quiet for a moment but then he smiled and covered her hand with his once again.

“And there’s nothing wrong with that.”

“I’m just so… I haven’t felt like this in so long, Xander. It scares me.”

“There’s nothing to be scared of. And this comes from a man of great experience. Getting married, you know.”

She smiled warmly at her friend and he squeezed her hand, giving her a grin in reply.

“Look, Buffy, I think there’s someone else you should be telling this to.”

“Oh no!” she got out, eyes going wide with panic, “I can’t tell him.”

“Why not?”

“I can’t. What if he doesn’t believe me? Or what if he doesn’t feel that way anymore?”

“Buff, do I have to remind you of that little episode in the bathroom last night?”

She flushed bright red and her friend smiled again, squeezing her hand.

“He loves you,” he said softly, “Doesn’t that make it worth taking a leap of faith?”



She was silent for a short pause and then she smiled softly.

“You know, I think everyone really grew up this summer,” she joked.

“We had to.”

She nodded and swallowed hard before squeezing her friend’s hand in hers.

“Thank you.”

“So, you’re going to tell him?”

“I… I guess so.”

Xander smiled widely and she couldn’t help but smile back. Pushing herself to her feet, she moved around the counter and hugged him tightly.

“You really are a great friend.”

“Well, I know,” he answered with a laugh.

“Interrupting something?”

She spun out of Xander’s hug and met Spike’s gaze, barely noticing her friend’s quick exit from the kitchen – too lost in the blue of his eyes.

“Morning,” she finally choked out.

“Morning.”

“It’s still raining,” she got out almost mechanically.

“I noticed. Water looks to be going down though.”

“Yeah.”

Their awkward conversation finished, they fell silent and she looked around the kitchen nervously, unable to meet his eyes any longer. She could hear Xander’s words echoing around her head and could hear Spike’s own declarations of love mixed in with them.

“Breakfast?” she asked.

“Sure.”

Taking the coward’s way out, she threw herself into making breakfast and kept the talking to a minimum.


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~


Xander seemed to have taken it upon himself to play matchmaker and every time she caught his gaze that morning, he would look at Spike and then give her a pointed look. Despite this encouragement though, she had absolutely no courage when it came to the possibility of opening up her heart. She would look at Spike and would feel that gush of feeling inside her, but she could not bring herself to pull him aside and tell him.

It didn’t help that Xander wasn’t the only one watching them: she could see her friends – and Dawn – watching every little move they made and it was making her even more nervous. She needed to get away and so she soon escaped to the relative quiet of the kitchen for a few moments.

True to form though, Spike soon joined her, hovering behind her and setting every hair on end.

“You alright?” he murmured, his soft voice sending a little shiver through her.

She turned round to face him quickly and forced a wide smile.

“I’m good. You?”

“I’m fine,” he answered slightly bemusedly, watching her with a gentle smile that didn’t do anything to ease the butterflies in her stomach.

“Look, Buffy,” he started quietly, eyes darting to the door and back to her before he took a step forward, “We need to talk.”

“We do?” she asked nervously, swallowing past the lump in her throat.

“You know we do,” he replied with a tiny smile.

“I do?” she got out, unsure what she was saying, distracted by the way he was looking at her. He smiled affectionately and took another step forward, reaching out for her.



“You guys have got to see this!”

They both jerked back at Dawn’s exclamation and turned to the doorway in unison.

“What is it?” Buffy asked worriedly.

“Come look!” Dawn cried, gesturing for them to follow her as she disappeared into the hallway.

She gave Spike an apologetic smile and quickly slipped past him in pursuit of her sister. Dawn hadn’t gone far though and she had her face pressed to the small windows in the front door.

“Dawnie, what are you doing?”

“Look!” Dawn called, without taking her eyes from the scene outside.

With a frown – shared with the vampire close behind her – she moved to her sister’s side and peeked through the small window. She did a double-take and stared in wonder at the sight before: finally, after three days, the water was starting to recede.

“Spike!” she called, turning and beckoning him towards them with a bright smile.

He joined them and looked through the window next to her and smiled ever so slightly.

“It’s finally going down!” she cried, “Thank God!”

Dawn, getting louder by the minute in the midst of her excitement, had dashed into the living room to share her enthusiasm with the others, leaving slayer and vampire alone.

“Looks like you’ll have your house to yourself soon,” he murmured, darting a look at her.

“Looks like,” she echoed absentmindedly, flicking her own shy glances at him, every nerve sensitised with him so close.



“Isn’t it great?!” Willow exclaimed, bounding over to them and breaking the heated moment between them.

“It is,” Buffy agreed, turning to her friend and trying to calm her racing heartbeat.

“I can’t wait to get out!”

Willow soon disappeared back into the living room and the two followed her somewhat reluctantly, knowing that now was not the time for private conversations. Several pairs of eyes watched the ever-dropping water level in anxious anticipation and Dawn gave them a status update every few minutes.

“It’s halfway down the garden now!”

“I can see that kid over the road’s bike now!”

“It’s almost at the street now!”

Finally, no-one seemed to be able to bear it much longer and by some tacit agreement, they were all on their feet and heading for the door simultaneously. They bundled through the door and some bounded down onto the wet lawn, looking in wonder at the dwindling floodwaters.

Buffy hung back in the shade of the porch with the vampire, watching the excitement on her friends’ faces with a half-smile. Dawn turned and grinned at her and she smiled back widely, her sister’s joy infecting her.

“I never thought I’d be so happy to see my garden again,” she commented and Spike chuckled beside her.

“M’even happy to see that sun again.”

She turned towards him and they shared a soft smile.

“Just stay back. Wouldn’t want you burning up into a crisp.”

“No?” he whispered, eyes burning into her.

“No,” she answered softly, caught up in his gaze once again.



“I have to get to the shop!”

Anya’s sudden exclamation was quickly followed by her barging past them into the house and stunning them out of another heated moment. The others soon followed and slayer and vampire were caught up in a flurry of movement as a trip to the shop was planned. Anya, eager to survey the damage to her precious shop, was ready before anyone else and hurried Xander along as he got ready.

“It’s not like it’ll be washed away, Ahn,” he soothed – but in vain, as Anya scowled at him and hurried him along even more.

“The sooner I get there, the sooner I can clean up and get it open again.”

No-one decided to point out to Anya that people might not be so desperate to buy magical supplies after a huge flood and she continued to order Xander around. Finally, the group was ready to go – the delight of being able to go outside evident in everyone’s face – and they gathered by the door, looking out on the wet but no longer submerged lawn.

“Let’s go!” Anya encouraged and the group went to move.



With one quick look, Buffy hung back and seeing this, Xander drew to a stop, waiting for the others to leave before he turned to her with a smile that was just short of sly.

“I should stay,” Buffy spoke up, not daring to look at Spike, “You know, it’s sunny and all and someone should stay with Spike.”

“Oh, definitely,” Xander replied, struggling to suppress his smile, “Anyway, there will be too many people at the shop already and it’ll just make Anya mad.”

“Yeah. I mean, we wouldn’t want to be in your way.”

“No. So you just relax.”

“Yeah,” she got out, throwing a quick glance at the silent vampire and turning back to her friend.

“Well, I better get going,” Xander announced, “Have a good day and we’ll see you later.”

He gave her a pointed look and then smiled widely and bounded out of the door. Buffy stepped forward to shut it behind him and then stopped, not having any idea what she was going to do now.

“Buffy.”

Just the sound of her name in his low, husky voice made every nerve tingle and she tensed, turning towards him slowly, one steadying hand against the door. She turned to find him only a few inches away and her breath hitched as he looked down at her with dark, hungry eyes. A moment later, he was kissing her and she was lost.


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~


She wasn’t entirely sure how they had ended up sprawled on the sofa but she let out a low, contented sigh and curled up to him, pulling the duvet closer around them. He brushed a hand over her hair and let out his own sigh of content.

“That was mind-blowing,” she murmured lazily and he chuckled, the vibrations passing through her.

“Glad I could be of service.”

“Oh, very very good service,” she mumbled, tilting her head and finding his mouth with hers, kissing him hungrily. He cradled her face, holding her close as he kissed her back, his other arm wrapped around her back tightly, holding her on the sofa. He pulled back to look at her and brushed a hand over her cheek.

“You’re so bloody beautiful.”

“You’re biased,” she whispered shyly and he laughed, pulling her against him and pressing a kiss to her hair.

“Doesn’t matter. Always knew you were beautiful.”

“Yeah, I’m sure you were thinking that when you were trying to kill me.”

His silence had her turning and staring at him in surprise.

“You’re lying.”

He smiled softly, but it quickly turned lascivious as he brushed a hand over her bare shoulder.

“Sure made fighting you interesting. Loved watching the things you could do with that hot little body.”

He curled his tongue behind his teeth and she felt a rush of warmth between her legs that brightened his eyes even more.

“Always got me hot, fighting you.”

“I don’t know whether to be creeped out or flattered,” she whispered with a shaky smile as he leant in close, piercing blue eyes fixed on hers. He only smiled and dipped his head to kiss her gently.



When he pulled back, she settled against his chest and closed her eyes, breathing in his scent and enjoying this treasured peace. She had a feeling Xander would delay her friends’ return as much as possible and she planned to make the most of their absence. If only she had the bravery to reveal what lay in her heart. Every time she thought she might try, she tensed up and couldn’t go through with it. She was almost afraid to bring some new element to the uncertain foundations of this new, closer relationship. And Spike had so many wonderful ways of distracting her that over an hour passed without her getting her chance.

When her stomach started to rumble though, she forced herself away from the comfort of his arms and dragged him with her through to the kitchen. Dressed in nothing but his shirt, she tiptoed around, searching for something to eat as he watched her with a hungry, almost predatory gaze. She couldn’t ignore him for long – especially with his deliciously sinful appearance: wearing nothing but a low-slung pair of jeans and a smirk, he was a sight to behold. There was something else too, something so relaxed, so contented about him that it made her smile even as the sight of him heated her blood. Abandoning her plan for food, she moved towards him and hooked her fingers in his belt loops, leaning into him and pressing a gentle kiss to his lips.



She pulled back with a smile, basking in the way his eyes seemed to worship her. He drew her close again and wrapped his arms around her and she gladly slid her arms around his waist, holding onto him tightly.

“Love you so much,” he murmured into her hair, his voice choked – as if he couldn’t bear not to say it.

“I know you do,” she whispered back, her chest tightening with emotion.

Taking a deep breath and summoning every bit of courage she had ever possessed, she finally took the plunge.

“And I love you too.”

The silence seemed to surround her for long moments after her whispered confession and if not for his sudden tensing, she might have thought he hadn’t heard her. After long seconds, he pulled back, hands trembling ever so slightly as they fastened around her arms. He studied her face for a long time, eyes searching for an answer and then he spoke.

“What did you say?” he got out in disbelief.

“I said… I… I love you.”

He was stunned into silence once more and it made her grow even more uncertain. Finally, she couldn’t bear it any longer and she turned away from him.

“So, I thought for lunch-“

“Buffy.”

He cut her off and caught her by the arms, holding her still. His hand came to her chin and he guided her hesitant gaze to his.



“Do you mean it?” he whispered desperately.

The lump in her throat made it impossible to answer but she nodded jerkily and he raised a shaking hand to her face, tracing his fingers over her skin.

“Say it again,” he pleaded, his eyes never leaving hers.

“I… I love you.”

Somehow, it was even easier to say this time round and she even managed a shaky smile.

“You love me,” he whispered in disbelief and his utter loss for words spurred her on. She reached up and pressed her hand to his cheek.

“I love you.”

She leant up and kissed him softly but their kiss quickly grew hungry and she succumbed to him completely, her heart singing with joy as she repeated her love in hushed whispers over and over again.