Bite Down
Home
Pattyanne 's Fic
Kings of Mercia
LoobyLoos' Fic
Jen's Fic

 

Part One: Wednesday evening...

 

 

"Hi..thanks for coming so soon."

 

Joyce smiled as she pulled the door open wide.

 

"No problem," Spike replied, stepping into the foyer. "What's up?"

 

"Come into the kitchen," she said softly. "Buffy's upstairs and I don't want her to hear us talking."

 

Placing her hands on his shoulders, she began nudging him in the direction she wanted him to go.

 

After pulling two chairs away from the kitchen table, Joyce sat down. "There's beer in the fridge," she said. "Help yourself."

 

"All right...you want one?"

 

Joyce declined and waited for him to sit down.

 

"So," he said, popping the cap off the bottle of beer. "What's with all the cloak and dagger?"

 

"I need you to do me a favor."

 

Spike spoke without hesitation. "Name it."

 

The slayer's mother beamed at him, and Spike realized once again that Buffy wasn't the only Summers girl with a knock-out smile.

 

He liked Joyce, and he knew that despite their initial introduction..when he'd found himself on the business end of a fire ax..she liked him too.

 

Joyce Summers always went out of her way to be pleasant and friendly to him whenever he showed up at the door.

 

She had told him more than once how pleased she was at the way his relationship with Buffy had sorted itself out, and that she was grateful to him for accompanying her on her patrols of the cemeteries and back alleys of Sunnydale.

 

Spike had spent a great deal of time and a considerable amount of effort redeeming himself in Buffy's eyes, and it had paid off.

 

Gradually, one baby step at a time, she had begun to trust him, and they had become a practiced and smooth working team, anticipating each others moves and watching each others backs.

 

Of course, Buffy had downplayed their turbulent beginning, and how fervently he'd tried to kill her, figuring that the less her mother knew about THAT, the better off they would all be.

 

"Here's the thing," Joyce began. "I have to go out of town for a few days, until Sunday in fact, and Buffy has a dental appointment on Friday."

 

"Mm-hmm," he nodded.

 

Joyce sighed. "The problem is that Buffy hates going to the dentist, ever since she was a child."

 

Spike grinned. The top gun slayer, one who had gone toe-to-toe with more horrifying monsters than you could shake a stick at...scared to go to the dentist.

 

"The first time she went," Joyce continued, "the dentist had to extract two abscessed teeth and she's never..."

 

"Forgiven him?" Spike ventured.

 

"Exactly."

 

"You want me to take her, then?"

 

"If it's not too much trouble." Joyce favored him with another smile. "I'm afraid that if I'm not here, she'll cancel the appointment..or just not show up."

 

Spike tilted his chair onto it's back legs, leaning against the wall. "You know I'll do anything for you, Joyce, but don't youthink she'd rather have one of her friends take her?"

 

Joyce pinned a level gaze on him. "You're one of her friends..aren't you?"

 

He hesitated.

 

WAS he one of her friends..JUST a friend..or was he something more? 

 

He wanted to be something more. Wanted it more than  he'd ever wanted anything.

 

But 'wanting' and 'getting' were two totally different things.

 

He'd WANTED for so long now that he couldn't clearly remember NOT wanting, as though it had always just been, and always would be.

 

Wanting had become yearning..yearning had become craving..and craving had become needing.

 

Sometimes that need was unbearable, almost physically painful.

 

These were the times when he had to isolate himself from her, fearing that he might buckle under the oppressive weight of his need and simply take what he wanted..whether she offered it or not.

 

His desire for Buffy had been a constant undercurrent when they had been enemies, a secret he'd protected by burying it so deeply into his subconscious mind that even HE wasn't really aware of it.

 

Now that they were no longer enemies, that desire had taken on a mind of it's own.  It was becoming difficult to control, fraying at all it's seams.

 

<How long can you want and not have before you lose your mind, before you have to turn your back and walk away forever? How long can I put up with it?>

 

It was a valid question, and the answer was as clear as glass; For as long as it takes.

 

Because there was no way that he could EVER walk away from Buffy. No power on earth could make him leave.

 

Not without her..

 

No matter how loudly his brain screamed at him to put as much distance between them as he could, his heart would never allow it.

 

So, he would stay, and he would be her friend. He would love her..and he would protect her..he would do anything at all for her.

 

Even if she never offered him anything more than friendship.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

"Spike?"

 

He tuned back in to the conversation, wondering how long he'd been gone and what he had missed.

 

"I'm listening," he assured Joyce, setting his chair back down on all four legs.

 

She gave hima doubtful look, then said, "The reason I want YOU to take her is because.. well, because you're the only one strong enough to MAKE her go...if it comes to that."

 

<MAKE her go? Strange way of putting it..>

 

"You aren't asking me just to drive her there, are you?" he asked. "You want me to wrestle her into the office, too."

 

"No!  No, not at...um...yes," she finally admitted. "But only if it's absolutely necessary."

 

Spike paused. "You DO know that she's just as strong as I am, don't you."

 

Joyce nodded.

 

"Well, what makes you think that I'll be able to do what you want?"

 

"Let's just say that out of all her friends, YOU have the best shot at it." She gazed appealingly into Spike's eyes. "So, will you help me?"

 

He looked at her, nodding his head in surrender.

 

<Summers women...what is it about them that makes me do anything they ask?>

 

"You know I will," he said. "Give me the details."

 

Joyce reached into the back pocket of her slacks and pulled out a business card.

 

"This is the address," she said, handing him the card. "Her dentist has evening hours on Friday so I made the appointment for six o'clock."

 

"Sun will be down by then," Spike said. "Good thinking."

 

"Even if it wasn't down, there's underground parking and an elevator straight to the office."

 

Spike's sharp ears detected the padding of small feet coming down the stairs. He slipped the appointment card into his shirt pocket just as Buffy walked in to the kitchen.

 

She looked surprised to see him, but not displeased. "Hi," she said brightly. "How come you're here?"

 

"I dropped in to see YOU, sunshine," he replied, watching her open the refrigerator door. "You patrolling tonight?"

 

Buffy sighed and opened a can of Coke. "What else?" she shrugged.

 

"Fancy some company?"

 

"Sure," she answered without hesitating.

 

"Go and get your things, then," he said.

 

As Buffy turned and left the kitchen, Joyce caught his eye and mouthed "Thank you", giving him one last lovely smile.

 

<Oh, yeah...there's something about these Summers women that gets me very damn time.>

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

"Mom...your cab's here."  Buffy stood at the bottom of the stairs, inspecting her recent manicure. Without looking up she hollered again. "MOM!!"

 

"I heard you the first time, Buffy," Joyce scolded.

 

"Sorry." Buffy smiled, as she reached for the suitcase in her mother's hand.

 

After stowing it in the trunk of the cab, she threw her arms around Joyce and kissed her cheek. "Have a safe trip."

 

"Before I go," Joyce said, pulling back to look directly into Buffy's eyes, "do we need to go over the rules again?"

 

"Nope," Buffy assured her. "Got all the rules and regulations safely tucked away."

 

Joyce arched her brow, waiting.

 

Exasperated, Buffy rolled her eyes. "No parties, no living on junk food, in bed by a reasonable hour, remember to bring in the mail every day, don't take candy from strangers, blah-blah-blah."

 

"Very amusing,"Joyce said, sounding anything BUT amused.

 

"Mom...I KNOW the rules, okay? I'll be fine."

 

"I know you will, honey." As casually as she could manage, Joyce added, "Don't forget about your check up on Friday."

 

"Right. Like I even COULD forget with your little hints every half hour. Not to mention the big ' X marks the spot ' you drew on the calender. Kind of overdoing it, don't you think?"

 

"No," Joyce replied. "I don't."  She opened the door of the cab and got in.

 

"I'm not a baby, you know," Buffy said irritably. "Don't worry about me."

 

Her mother smiled. "I beg your pardon, but you're MY baby...and it's my job to worry about everything when it comes to you..including your teeth."

 

Buffy closed the cab door with a loud clunk, hoping for a quick get away, then sighed when her mom rolled down the window.

 

"I'm serious, Buffy. You're already three months overdue for this check up."

 

"You'd better get going, Mom. You're gonna miss your flight or something."

 

"Buffy..."

 

"I won't forget!" Buffy said loudly. "Geez, what do I have to do? Slit open a vein and sign it in blood?"

 

She leaned down to kiss her mother goodbye again, then stood back and watched as the cab pulled away.

 

When it turned the corner, she smiled and pulled a cell phone out of the pocket of her overalls.

 

"Hi, it's me..She just left..Play time, boys and girls..What's that supposed to mean?..I said that I KNEW the rules, not that I would FOLLOW them..You worry too much for someone your age..."

 

Still chatting, she went back into the house and closed the door.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

End of part 1

Part Two

Friday evening.

 

"This is just stupid," Buffy grumbled, supremely irritated at her predicament.

 

"Why's that, kitten?" Spike asked casually from the drivers seat of Joyce's Blazer.

 

Buffy glared at him. "Because I don't need someone to take me to the dentist. I'm perfectly capable of getting there on my own."

 

He smiled. "Yeah. I heard ALL about how capable you are."

 

She folded her arms across her chest, scowling. "My mother has a big mouth."

 

"Now, I thought those stories were cute, kitten. Don't be embarrased."

 

Joyce had asked Spike back to the house the next day and gave him an insurance claim form to take with him.

 

As they sat at the kitchen table and sipped hot cocoa, she had regaled Spike with amusing stories of Buffy's past attempts to avoid the dental chair; everything from hiding in the top branches of a tree in their yard, to calling the office pretending to be her mother and cancelling the appointment.

 

"I'm not embarrassed," she snapped. "I'm totally pissed off!"

 

"I can see that. But why?"

 

"Because," Buffy ranted. "She doesn't trust me!"

 

Spike looked at her. "Has she got a reason NOT to?"

 

"She..no, she's just..." Buffy stammered. "..of course not!"

 

"I was just asking."

 

Buffy sat in angry silence for a minute, then said, "It was pretty sneaky of her not to mention ahead of time that you were coming with me."

 

Spike shook his head in mock sympathy. "Poor little slayer."

 

"What?"

 

"Must be frigging awful to have a mother who cares so much about your teeth," he said. "Good God, what a nightmare."

 

"Oh, shut up."  With her scowl still in place, she slid down in her seat and didn't say another word for the remainder of the drive.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Buffy glanced at Spike as he stood leaning back against the rear wall of the elevator, watching the green digital numbers change.

 

When they passed the fifth floor, she reached out and pushed the "Stop" button on the panel.

 

Inside he was smiling broadly, but he kept his facial expression neutral. "The office is on the seventh floor, kitten."

 

"Yeah, I know. I just..."

 

"Just what?" he asked.

 

"Well, I'm HERE now. There's really no reason for you to waste your time hanging around."

 

Buffy was trying to sound casual, as though it made no difference to her whether he stayed or not, but she didn't think she was pulling it off very well.

 

She should have known better. Although she had no problem snowing her friends and, to a lesser degree, her mother..Spike always saw through her right down to the nucleus of her being. She couldn't put anything over on him.

 

Looking at him now, she could see that this time was no exception, and she'd have to handle things differently.

 

Spike was smiling indulgently as he reached to start the elevator moving again.

 

"That's all right, kitten," he said, pinching her cheek. "I'm free all evening, and I can't think of anyone I'd rather spend it with."

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

The sign on the door of Suite 710 informed them that there were four dentists practicing there; a general Dentist, an oral surgeon, an orthodontist, and a periodontist.

 

"Got all their bases covered," Spike said as he pushed the door open.

 

Once inside, he glanced around the waiting area. "Very nice."

 

His feet sank into plush carpeting in a muted shade of blue. There was a small sofa and several arm chairs upholstered in a contrasting color.

 

Three or four oak tables held a selection of magazines, and one wall consisted of an oak shelving unit holding at least thirty books, as well as porcelain and brass figurines.

 

As he examined his surroundings, Spike couldn't help comparing them with the dental parlors that had been around back when he was still mortal.

 

Now, THEY were something to be afraid of.

 

Stepping up to the counter, he tapped lightly on a pane of frosted glass that separated the front desk from the waiting room.

 

The pane slid open immediately, revealingthe receptionist..a good looking redhead with a nice figure and a toothy smile that was a fantastic testimony to her employer's skills.

 

"Hi, can I help you?" she asked.

 

"Yeah," Spike said. "Buffy Summers is here."

 

The receptionist looked past him into the waiting room. "Where?"

 

"Right.." Spike turned around and found himself staring at an empty room.

 

"Damn it," he swore softly, then turned back to the receptionist. "Hang on a minute."

 

He ran down the corridor, turning the corner just in time to see Buffy punching the "Down" button on the elevator.

 

He could hear her muttering, "Come on, come on," under her breath.

 

Buffy spotted her babysitter rounding the corner, and was about to lunge for the stairs when the elevator 'dinged' and the doors slid open.

 

"Ha!" she said triumphantly, placing one foot inside the car.

 

But in her hurry to be gone, she had forgotten how fast Spike could move when he wanted to. Before she saw it coming, he grabbed her by the scruff of her neck and yanked her back out of the elevator. "Ha!" he mimicked her.

 

Buffy yelped with surprise and turned to elbow him painfully in the abdomen, but he was prepared for it and deflected the blow without hardly trying.

 

"Let go of me!" she demanded, bringing the heel of her shoe down on top of his foot, another maneuver he avoided easily.

 

He ended her struggles by wrapping both arms around her wriggling body and lifting her clean off her feet.

 

"No, I can't do that, kitten."  Tightening his grip, he walked with her to a small bench next to a payphone. 

 

"You're just wasting your time and energy, you know," he said. "I'm the one you practice these moves with, remember?"

 

All the fight suddenly drained out of her. Wondering if she thought she could get him to let go by pretending to surrender, he kept his arms locked around her.

 

Buffy took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "Spike, please," she said quietly. "You're hurting me."

 

He didn't let go, but he modified his grip as he sat on the bench, holding her in his lap.

 

Spike was beginning to find her behavior worrysome. A little dental phobia was one thing, but Buffy looked positively green at the prospect of walking into that office.

 

Urging her to lay her head against his shoulder, he petted and stroked her hair, trying to soothe her.

 

When he felt her begin to relax in his arms, he said, "What's the matter, kitten? It's not like you to be so frightened. Are you afraid it's gonna hurt?"

 

Buffy shook her head. "Sort of, but..that's not why."

 

"Tell me," he coaxed her.

 

She took another deep breath, collecting her thoughts.

 

"When I was little..when we lived in Los Angeles..my mom took me to my first dentist appointment. I was kind of scared, but they wouldn't let her go in with me. I don't remember why."

 

"Mm-hmm...and?"

 

"Dr. Richards..that was his name..he was pretty nice at first. But he.."

 

"Your mother told me about the extractions."

 

"Oh. Well, anyway..she had given me the whole "dentist is our friend" pep talk, but I was just a little kid. I didn't want some stranger coming at  me, poking me with a sharp..."

 

When she realized what she was saying, she looked up and saw him smiling at her.

 

"Yeah," he said. "I don't like that, either. Ruins my whole day."

 

She giggled, and he gave her a gentle squeeze. "Go on with your story."

 

Buffy began playing distractedly with the buttons on his shirt. "Dr. Richards..."

 

"Hurt you?"

 

"...was mean to me."

 

"MEAN to you?" Spike stiffened. "How was he mean to you?"

 

She stopped fiddling with his buttons. "He...I was in the chair, and...and he..."

 

Spike pressed her more firmly against his shoulder, so she wouldn't see the expression on his face.

 

<No...do NOT let this be going where I think it's going..>

 

Anger was building slowly inside of him, but he kept his voice calm. "What did he do?"

 

"He was giving me a shot of novacaine in  my mouth...and it really hurt."

 

Not what he'd been afraid she was going to say, thank God.

 

"I started to cry...and I guess I was kind of squirming around in the chair. He got mad at me and he took the needle out..then he covered my mouth with his hand and pinched my nose."

 

<FUCKING HELL!....what kind of dentist pulls shit like that with a frightened four year old girl??>

 

Although he knew it was contrary to most vampires, Spike had always liked children.

 

If there'd been any soft spots to be found for humans anywhere inside of him, they were reserved for the little ones.

 

In fact, one of the few things he had genuinely disliked about Drusilla had been her penchant for hunting and devouring children.

 

She had absolutely no qualms about plucking infants from their cradles and draining them dry, then tossing their corpses aside like so much trash.

 

Occasionally, she'd cap off the experience by lingering nearby to listen to the screaming and weeping of parents when they discovered the broken little bodies of their children.

 

He had never told Dru how he felt, but he'd always distanced himself from her for a while

after these episodes.

 

Spike considered vampires who specialized in killing children to be particularly revolting, and though he had tolerated it with Dru, he hadn't allowed any other vamp that worked for him to engage in the practice.

 

This had left him open for questions and comments as to why he gave a damn whether mortal children lived or died, but he hadn't cared.

 

Feeling no need to explain jack shit to any- body, he had simply laid down the rule and dared any member of his gang to break it.

 

Most of the vamps he'd associated himself with had followed his edict automatically. The rest of them, he bullied into submission.

 

But, sitting here now, holding Buffy in his arms as she relayed this nasty little story, reminded him that vampires weren't the only monsters menacing children.

 

"I'm sorry you had to go through that, kitten," he said, kissing the smooth skin of her forehead. "And I promise I won't let anybody be mean to you ever again."

 

Buffy sighed, making no effort to leave his lap. "Can't we just go home?"

 

"Sorry, kitten." He shook his head, no. "I promised your mother that I'd get you into

that office. You wouldn't want me to break my promise, would you?"

 

"I won't tell if YOU won't tell," she grumbled.

 

Spike chuckled. "I can't lie to your mother. I'm an accomplished liar at times..but she'll see right through me."

 

Slipping his arms beneath her, he stood up and carried her back down the hallway. As he set her on her feet, he smiled. "Let's try again."

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

The receptionist opened the inner door and gestured for Buffy to come inside.

 

The slayer turned to Spike with a last ditch appeal in her wide green eyes, as if begging him to please get her out of there.

 

He slipped one hand behind her neck and tugged her close to whisper in her ear. "Listen, you're a big girl now. If THIS one puts his hand over your mouth, feel free to break his fingers."

 

Buffy smiled and pulled away, surprising him by brushing the side of his face with her lips.

 

She stood up, and Spike had to consciously keep himself from grabbing her hand and pulling her back down to kiss her senseless.

 

"Be seeing you," she said softly.

 

He watched her cross the room, looking like a condemned prisoner on the way to the hanging tree.

 

As she passed in front of the receptionist, Spike jumped to his feet.

 

"Don't hurt her," he said firmly, a hint of a threat in his voice.

 

"We won't," she replied, closing the door.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

He hated waiting. He'd never had any real patience, even as a mortal, and after he'd become a vampire, he didn't really have to wait for anything.

 

So, he wasn't any good at it.

 

After thirty minutes, he moved from the sofa to an armchair. Five minutes more went by, and he began to prowl the room like a caged ferret.

 

He was nearly ready to kick the door in and demand to see that Buffy was all right, when it opened suddenly and a girl he hadn't seen before came out.

 

"Are you here with Buffy?" she asked.

 

"Yeah. Who are YOU?" he demanded. "Is anything wrong?"

 

She looked startled at his vehemence. "I'm Dr. Stern's asistant, and nothing's wrong. This is her first appointment with us, so we took a full set of x-rays, and Dr. Stern noticed an impacted third molar..a wisdom tooth..in both the upper and lower right quadrants."

 

"So what does that mean?"

 

"They have to come out."

 

Spike sat down hard on the sofa."What..tonight? Why? I mean...are they hurting her?"

 

The girl shook her head. "No, but if they don't come out, they can start to cause problems that WILL be painful. It's better to do it now and avoid the complications."

 

She sat down beside him. "Don't look so worried," she said. "It's an easy procedure."

 

"Really?"

 

"Yes, really. But..she's going to be sedated for it, so she'll need someone to drive her home and stay with her for a little while.

 

Spike felt his stomach tighten. "Maybe she should wait until her mother is.."

 

The assistant cut in. "She said she wants it done now, that you'll drive her home and take care of her."  She paused, then said, "She seems pretty certain..is this a problem for you?"

 

Spike shook his head. "No. No, it's not a problem," he said quickly. "She said that? That I'd take care of her?"

 

"Yes, she did. She said she wants YOU to be here for her..that you make her feel brave."

 

Spike stared at the floor as a wave of tenderness passed through him.  <She wants ME here..wants ME to take care of her. Not Giles, not Xander, not Willow...but ME..>

 

He looked up at the assistant. "Tell her I'll be right here."

 

She stood up and gave him a little smile. "It'll take us a few minutes to get things set up. Would you like to come in and sit with her until we're ready?"

 

"Yes," he said immediately, instantly back on his feet. "Where is she?"

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

The assistant stopped in front of a door with the number 4 on it, gesturing for Spike to go on in.

 

Without hesitating, he opened the door and entered the small room.

 

It was spotlessly clean, with a big picture window and a slight scent of antiseptic in the air.

 

The centerpiece of the room was a padded dental chair so large that the girl sitting in it looked tinier than she already was.

 

Although the chair was still in an upright position and there were no frightening instruments in sight, Buffy sat rigidly still, her nails digging into the chair's padded arms.

 

Spike closed the door behind him. "Hello, kitten," he said, pulling up a small chair on wheels and sitting beside her. "You all right?"

 

When she turned to look at him, he noticed that her eyes were a little glazed, and guessed that she'd been given something to relax her.

 

Buffy smiled sweetly at him. She loved it when he called her "kitten". She'd heard him call other girls "pet" and "luv", and he usually called Willow "red", but he kept the name "kitten" reserved only for her.

 

Her head felt pleasantly fuzzy, and she retained just enough clear thinking to know that the injection she'd been given was kicking in.

 

"I'm fine," she answered. "Feeling very not-so-bad right now."  She sighed deeply. "They tell you the good news?"

 

Spike nodded, returning her smile. "Doesn't seem quite fair, does it?"

 

Reaching for her hand, he brought it to his lips and kissed the back of it, then laced his fingers with hers.  There was a brief silence between them, broken when Buffy suddenly giggled.

 

The childlike sound made him smile again. "What's funny, honey?"

 

She took a deep breath and released it. "I have noooo idea."

 

Spike shook his head. <High as a kite..>

 

Buffy gazed up into his eyes, light green colliding with dark blue. <God, he is SO damn good looking...why'd it take me so long to see that?>

 

Even with her befuddled brain, she knew it hadn't actually taken her long to SEE it, just to ADMIT it.

 

She'd seen it the moment their eyes met for the first time, and she remembered thinking what a damn shame it was to have looks like that wasted on a vampire.

 

Very nice of life, wasn't it? Dangling this handsome creature before her eyes, teasing her with something she could never have...a fallen angel, cast out of heaven and thrown at her feet.

 

"You're awfully quiet, kitten. What are you thinking about?"

 

"Nothing much."

 

<That was a big, fat lie. I'm thinking about you, Spike. And about me and my feelings for you, and when I started feeling them, and what am I gonna do about them, and....>

 

"How are you feeling, Buffy?" The dentist's assistant came into the room, bringing an IV set up with her.

 

Buffy looked at her, squeezing Spike's hand.

 

"Pree gooood," she said, her words beginning to slur.

 

"All right then, I'm going to start your IV, and that'll help you go to sleep for a little while, okay?"

 

Buffy nodded. "S'allright by me."  She turned her face away as the back of her free hand was swabbed with alcohol and the needle was gently inserted and taped down.

 

"This isn't a general anesthesia," the girl explained. "It's an IV sedation..used to be called twilight sleep, because that's what you do." She hung the IV bag on the light fixture, and started the drip. "Be right back."

 

After she was gone, Buffy looked up at Spike. "Thank you for taking care of me," she murmured.

 

He gave her a reassuring smile. "It'll all be over soon, kitten. I promise."

 

The assistant came back in and injected the medication that would make Buffy sleep into the IV line.

 

By the time she left the room again, Buffy was struggling to keep her eyes open. "You've been so good to me...helping me...and I never say...say thank you."

 

"Yes, you have," he replied. "You've thanked me plenty of times.

 

She raised her eyebrows, perplexed. "Oh...yes?"

 

"Yes."

 

She was quiet for a moment, and Spike figured she had fallen asleep, but she roused herself, rying to speak.

 

"But there's something else...I didn't tell you...I should have...but..."

 

"You want to tell me now?" he asked.

 

"Mm-hmm..."

 

He waited. "I'm listening, kitten."

 

"I never told you..." Her voice began to fade out. "...that I...that I love you..."

 

"WHAT?" He was so surprised that he wasn't sure he heard her properly. "Buffy..what did you say?"

 

There was no reply...just soft, even breathing.

 

"BUFFY!  Wake up!" 

 

"Actually," a voice spoke from the doorway. "That's not what we want her to do. It kind of defeats the purpose of the sedation."

 

A man that Spike assumed was Dr. Stern came into the room, wearing blue scrubs and a doubtful expression.

 

"Yeah, well...it's just that she needed to tell me...something," Spike said lamely.

 

"Was it something important?"

 

Spike sighed and shook his head a little. "You have NO idea."

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

An hour later, he was back in the waiting room, turning the pages of a magazine without even seeing the words printed on it.

 

His mind was completely occupied with analyzing Buffy's last statement before she'd gone down for the count.

 

<She loves me. She said it...and sure, she was half in the bag when she said it, but still..>

 

He tried to be logical and remain calm about what she had said, but logic wasn't easy to come by when you finally heard the words you'd waited and wanted to hear for so damn long.

 

As for calm...well, that pretty much took a back seat to manic elation.

 

Spike walked over to the window and looked outside. There was a fat and brightly shining moon casting it's romantic glow over the most prosaic of settings.

 

He remembered something a friend had told him once, about a thing he'd called the "Yeah, but.." philosophy.

 

<Yeah, she said she loves me...but what did she really mean?>

 

This was followed by the "What ifs".

 

What if..she didn't really mean it?; What if..it was the sedation talking?; or worst of all, what if...she loved him as a friend?.

 

Well, that was the kiss of death right there. An E ticket ride to "Just Friends Land".

 

Spike had been there in the past, and it wasn't a place he wanted to return to anytime soon.

 

Still, if you looked at it from the proper angle, the "just friends" platform could be a solid enough foundation to build on.

 

Just because HE had gone overnight from hating every part of her to falling head over heels in love with her, didn't mean that SHE had to travel the same route herself.

 

Lack of patience notwithstanding, he could wait.  He'd waited this long, and he sure as hell didn't want to scare her off now.

 

Of course, there was the delicious possibility that she'd meant what she'd said the way he wanted her to mean it.

 

And, if THAT was true, then all bets were off.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

Back on the sofa, Spike looked up when the door to the inner offices swung open and saw the dental assistant standing there, smiling. "She's all done."

 

Spike stood up anxiously. "How'd she do?"

 

"Just fine," the girl assured him. "Everything went beautifully."  She handed him a sheet

of paper. "These are post-operative instructions and here's a prescription for codeine if she needs it."

 

"She has a pretty high tolerance for pain," Spike replied, glancing at the paperwork.

 

"Well, she probably won't need it then." She handed him a small white card. "I made an appointment for her on Tuesday. If it's not convenient for her just have her call and we'll reschedule it."

 

Spike nodded.

 

"Okay, come on back and you can take her home."

 

He followed the dental assistant back down the corridor to the room he'd left Buffy in. When he looked inside, he saw that she was wide awake and sitting up, listening to the dentist explain what she could expect during her recovery.

 

Buffy smiled when she saw him standing by the door, smiled so sweetly that he was certain she was aware of what she'd said, and that she'd meant it the way he wanted her to.

 

"Hi, kitten," he said. "You feeling all right?"

 

Her face was a little swollen, but nothing that detracted from her beauty in his eyes.

 

"Yeah, I'm okay," she said. "A little sleepy, maybe."

 

"The after effects of the sedation," Dr. Stern explained. "By tomorrow morning you'll be fine." He looked at Spike. "Did Susan give you the post-op instructions?"

 

"Yeah," Spike said, not taking his eyes off Buffy, a fact that the dentist and his helpers noticed.

 

"All right," Dr. Stern said, "Buffy..here's your ride and I'll see you next week."

 

He left the room, and Susan appeared in the doorway. "Hop in," she said cheerfully, holding the handgrips of a wheelchair.

 

Buffy shook her head. "I don't need that," she replied, as firmly as she could. "I can walk."

 

The assistant just gave her a sympathetic smile. "Oh, I'm sorry. You have go down in the chair...those are the rules.

 

Rules and Buffy were rarely a well fitting matched set.

 

"Maybe you could bend those rules a little," Buffy suggested. "I won't tell anyone."

 

"I really can't. You've been under sedation, and if you got dizzy or..."

 

"I never get dizzy," Buffy said pugnaciously, "and I'm not riding in that thing."  Her manner was clearly daring the other girl to keep arguing.

 

"Why don't I solve this problem?" Spike interjected. Shoving the papers in his pocket, he leaned over and scooped Buffy up in his arms

 

She made a tiny squeak of surprise, then automatically wrapped her arms around his neck.

 

He winked at her, then looked at Susan. "That should satisfy everyone here," he said, giving

her his most charming smile, the one that usually got him whatever he wanted. "She won't have to ride in the chair, and you won't have to worry that she might get dizzy."

 

Holding her a little closer, he turned his smile on Buffy. "Ready to go home and let me spoil you rotten, kitten?"

 

Buffy sighed, laying her head on shoulder. "Totally ready," she said.

 

When the door closed behind them, the dental assistant and the receptionist just stood there staring at it.

 

"SHE is the luckiest girl on the face of the planet," the receptionist murmured.

 

"Oh, man.." the assistant whined. "That was SO romantic. Why are all the gorgeously sexy knights in shining armor taken, anyway?"

 

The receptionist shrugged. "Because there aren't enough of them," she said. "They're a vanishing breed."

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

"Still feeling all right, kitten?"

 

"Uh-huh."

 

"Want me to put you down now? No one's looking."

 

"No, I'm fine," Buffy said quickly. "Unless you WANT to put me down.  Am I too heavy?"

 

Spike chuckled. "Yeah, too heavy. That's you all right. I'm staggering under the load."  He pressed his cheek against the soft crown of her hair. "Silly little girl."

 

"Good," Buffy murmured sleepily. "Let's go home."

 

Such wonderfully enticing words. As though HER home was THEIR home.

 

<If only, kitten...if only...>

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

End of part two

 

Part three....

Friday / 10:30p.m.

 

 

"Buffy?"  He knocked softly on the bathroom door.

 

No answer.

 

"Hey!" He thumped the door with his fist. "Buffy!"

 

There was a loud splash, followed by the voice of someone who'd just swallowed a sizeable amount of water.

 

"What..." she coughed. "Spike...I'm...what?"

 

"Don't fall asleep in the bathtub, kitten," he instructed her in a tone that meant business.

 

"I..I wasn't...I didn't..." she hacked. "I'm okay. What do you...want?"

 

"Nothing special," he replied. "Just making sure you're still with me."

 

<What a liar I'm turning out to be. But what am I supposed to do...say what's REALLY on my mind? That I want to get in there with her and scrub her back...and her front...and everything in between?>

 

"I'll...I'll be out in a minute," she informed him, still sounding like she was aspirating a gallon of water from her lungs.

 

Spike tried to suppress a mental picture of what was happening on the other side of the...remarkably flimsy looking...bathroom door.

 

But he could still hear the water sloshing around as she displaced it, and nothing short of sticking his fingers in his ears while singing "God Save The Queen" was going to drown it out.

 

"I'll be downstairs then.  You need anything.." <and I DO mean anything> "..just give a shout."

 

"Okay."

 

Down in the kitchen, he fished the post-operative instructions from out of his coat pocket, smoothing them out on the counter.

 

It was all pretty straightforward. Common sense, mostly. Stick to soft foods...icepack for swelling...call the office if your face falls off...all the usual stuff.

 

One item caught his eye. Apparently, he should give Buffy two of the tablets that the dentist had provided for her, even if she wasn't in serious pain. The note informed him that, if she waited until the pain set in before she took them, she would suffer until they began to do their job.

 

"Oh, I don't THINK so," he mumbled, shaking two of the pills out into his palm, then filling a glass with lukewarm water.

 

He took everything back upstairs, knocking softly on her bedroom door.

 

"Hey, kitten...you decent?"

 

"Yeah. Come on in."

 

Glancing heavenward at the words that probably meant more to him than they did to her, he opened the door.

 

She was sitting on the side of her bed, wearing an oversized mans dress shirt, and brushing her hair.

 

Spike swallowed hard.

 

"What's up?" she asked, replacing her brush on her vanity table.

 

Perfect. Another loaded question.

 

"The dentist gave me some pain pills for you, kitten." He held out the glass and tablets to her.

 

"But I'm not in much pain," she countered, furrowing her brow.

 

"Yeah, I know, but..he said that you should take them anyway because...if you...look, just read it."

 

Buffy took the sheet of paper and looked it over.

 

"I guess it makes sense," she shrugged. Accepting the water and the pills, she swallowed them down.

 

Spike took the glass back, examining her face.

 

"What?" she asked him, lightly touching the side of her face. "Am I all swollen and funny looking?"

 

He shook his head. "You're as beautiful as you always are, kitten," he said, quite sincerely.

 

Casting around in his mind for a safe topic of conversation, he simply asked, "You hungry, sweetie? Because the pain pills work better when you have a little food in your tummy."

 

Buffy smiled and raised her eyebrows in feigned shock. "You can cook?"

 

"I can manage something easy," he said. "Some eggs, maybe...some soup?"

 

She thought it over. "What kind of eggs?"

 

He gave her a look. "Chicken."

 

"But cooked how?"

 

"Well, nothing too fancy," he said. "But I'm pretty sure a trained chimp could scramble eggs."

 

"Then I suppose you can probably do it, too," she countered smoothly.

 

Spike rolled his eyes. "Oh, there's nothing sassier than a woman who knows that a fellow won't hit her."

 

Buffy trailed down the stairs after him. "What kind of soup?"

 

"Canned."

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

Buffy sat patiently at the kitchen table, her hands folded in front of her, watching Spike move around the kitchen.

 

When he bent over to remove a carton of eggs from the bottom shelf of the fridge, she blinked slowly at the very nice view he was offering her.

 

<Is it just me....or does he have a really nice butt?>

 

No, he really did, she decided as he straightened back up. The boy had one damn fine posterior.

 

<Oh, goodie...he's putting the eggs back.>

 

She licked her lips and leaned forward a little as he returned the eggs to the fridge, minus two.

 

"How d'ya want it, kitten?"

 

<Anyway I can get it, handsome>

 

"All scrambled up, please," she said cheerily.

 

Spike glanced at her briefly, then began to crack the eggs into a bowl.

 

When he returned to the fridge, Buffy perked up, but all he took out was a carton of milk

and a dish of butter. Unfortunately, both of these items were on the top shelf.

 

<Phooey...>

 

He poured a dollop of milk into the bowl, then found a fork and began whipping up the eggs.

 

Buffy rose a bit unsteadily to her feet and crossed the kitchen until she was standing directly behind him, peering around his side.

 

He stopped. "What are you doing?" he asked, noticing her.

 

"Watching," she said promptly. "You never know when this might be useful."

 

"For you?" He sounded amused. "What are you planning on doing? Throwing eggs instead of stakes?"

 

She giggled. "That'd get their attention, wouldn't it?"

 

"Daresay, it would." He winked at her and sliced off a portion of butter, dropping it into the frying pan and adjusting the gas.

 

"How you feeling, kitten?" he asked, as the butter began to melt.

 

"Not bad," she answered.

 

"Nothing hurts?"

 

"Nope."  She shook her head. "Hey, those pills work great. You could punch me in the side of the face right now and I wouldn't know it."

 

"Is that so?" he said, pouring the frothy egg mixture into the pan.

 

"Go ahead," she urged. "Try it."

 

He chuckled as he pushed the eggs around the pan with a fork. "Go sit down, kitten. You're starting to sound a bit daffy."

 

Buffy watched him open a cabinet and reach for a plate, fascinated by the sight of a strip of skin that was exposed when the hem of his shirt separated from the waistband of his jeans.

 

Unable to stop herself, she ran her finger along that expanse of smooth skin.

 

"Hey!"  He swung around on her. "You trying to make me drop this plate?"

 

Her eyes dancing with mischief, she shook her head.

 

"Then watch it with the tickling fingers," he added, grabbing her hand and giving it a quick kiss.

 

He transferred the eggs to the plate and handed it to her. "Go sit down and eat."

 

Buffy's heart had actually skipped several beats when she had felt his lips on her hand. God, only knew what would happen if he kissed her on the mouth. Probably an instant coronary.

 

Spike pulled a bottle of beer out of the fridge, then sat down opposite her.

 

"That was really good," she said, pushing her cleaned plate to one side. "Thank you."

 

He just smiled at her. Although he'd never said it, he enjoyed watching Buffy eat. Considering how small and slender she was, she had the appetite of a lumber jack and she wasn't the least bit shy about showing it either.

 

Buffy watched as Spike tilted his head back and took a long swallow of beer. His adams apple bobbed up and down, and she was overcome by a sudden urge to lean over the table and run her tongue over it.

 

Instead, she cleared her throat. "Can I have a sip?"

 

"Sure," he said, handing her the bottle. "Just a small one though, on account of the pills."

 

This little ritual was a secret between the two of them that had started several months ago.

 

On a warm summer night, after patrolling four different cemeteries, they'd come back to her

house to unwind.  Joyce had been out for the evening, and they'd sat on the sofa together watching and making fun of the latest slice and dice movie to hit HBO.

 

She'd gone into the kitchen, returning with a can of beer for him and Coke for her. After a few minutes, she'd asked him if she could have a taste of the beer.

 

Pushing aside the thoughts of what Joyce might do if she found out he'd been letting her under- age daughter drink beer, he had handed her the can.

 

Expecting her to wrinkle up her nose and make a disgusted face, he'd been surprised when she'd declared a liking for the beverage.

 

Ever since that night, when no one else was around to see, they would sit together and talk, splitting a can of beer. 

 

He never gave her a can of her own, and she'd never requested one. They both enjoyed the intimacy of sharing, although neither one had ever said it in so many words.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

After putting the kitchen to rights, they took their accustomed seats on the sofa, and Buffy turned on the T.V.

 

Five minutes later, she turned to him and, appropos of nothing whatsoever, asked, "Do you think I'm pretty?"

 

Spike was certain that he hadn't heard her properly. "What?"

 

Buffy repeated the question.

 

"Well, you know I do, kitten," he said, tugging gently on a lock of her hair. "I think you're VERY pretty."

 

Seemingly satisfied with his answer, she settled back and returned her attention to the television.

 

He couldn't believe that was the end of the subject. "What brought that on?" he asked.

 

"Hmm?" She looked at him for a moment. "Oh, nothing really. There's this guy in  my psych class..."

 

Spike tensed his shoulders, not liking the direction she was wandering off in. "Yeah?"

 

"I think he likes me...but he hasn't asked me out, and I was just wondering if maybe he doesn't think I'm...you know...attractive enough."

 

His jaw tightened. "Is that a fact?" he muttered.

 

"Yeah. He's really cute though..and nice. You should see his car."

 

Sometimes Buffy forgot that she wasn't talking to one of her little girlfriends.

 

"He talks to me a lot at school, and he bought me a Coke the other day..."

 

"Big spender," Spike mumbled.

 

"What?"

 

"Nothing," he said, hoping she'd just drop the whole bloody fucking horrible subject.

 

"I don't know why he hasn't asked me out," she rambled on.

 

Spike shrugged. "He's probably gay."

 

"What?" She laughed a little. "He is not! Cut it out."

 

He folded his arms across his chest, willing her to close her damn mouth about this other guy.

 

"Maybe I should ask HIM," she mused. "Do guys like it when a girl asks...."

 

"No!" He cut her off mid-sentence. "We hate it. There's nothing worse than some pushy girl acting the tart. Now, will you clam up? I'm trying to watch..."  He had no clue as to what program was on. "..this."

 

"Well, excuse me," Buffy huffed. "I was just trying to make conversation."

 

"Oh, yeah?" he countered. "Well, I'm not "Dear Abby" so how about you save that inane crap for your little girly mates at school? They got the right amount of missing brain cells to actually give a shit!"

 

Inwardly, Buffy was jumping up and down in glee. It didn't take a rocket scientist to know that Spike was reacting out of jealousy...which was the only reason she'd brought stupid Parker Abrams up in the first place.

 

A slight twinge from her jaw dampened her giddy happiness. Cupping the side of her face with one hand, she flinched.

 

Which took all the wind out of Spike's irritable sails. "What's wrong, kitten?" he asked, sitting up and rubbing her back.

 

"It's starting to hurt," Buffy said. "Can I have another pill?"

 

Spike glanced at the clock. It had only been two hours and change since she'd taken the first dose. The instructions had said to take two pills every four hours if they were needed. It was too soon.

 

But...she was in pain. No way could he allow that.

 

He called the dentists office and left a message with the answering service, stressing the fact that it was very important and he wanted to speak to the man immediately.

 

Apparently, he'd put just the right amount of threat into his tone, as the phone rang less than three minutes later.

 

Buffy was looking more and more unhappy by the second, and Spike nearly bullied the dentist

into allowing her another dose of her medication, although he did advise her to take only one pill this time.

 

Grateful to get anything at all, Buffy swallowed the tablet, then crawled down to the other end of the sofa and waited to be invited into Spike's gentle embrace.

 

Without a word, he reached for her and lifted her onto his lap, holding her and stroking her hair until the medication kicked in and she began to drift off.

 

Spike was about to carry her upstairs and put her to bed, when she turned her head against his shoulder and did the exact same thing she had done to him in the dental office.

 

Her words came out on a soft sigh. "I love you..."

 

He groaned in total frustration. "You know, I really wish that just once you'd say that when you're awake."

 

Whereupon, she lifted her head and looked him right in the eye. "I am awake," she smiled. "And I love you."

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

End of part 3

 

 
Part Four....
 
 
Spike stared into Buffy's sparkling green eyes in
total fascination, unable to process what he
THOUGHT he'd heard. "Beg pardon?"
 
Buffy leaned forward and placed her forehead against
his, returning his direct gaze. "I said...I AM awake."
 
He waited for half a beat, then sighed.
 
<Yeah...I knew it was too good to...>
 
Right about the moment when that thought was par-
tially formed, he felt five little fingers slip around the
back of his neck.
 
"And.." she added, tilting her head playfully, "I love
you."
 
Instead of rocketing him into the stratosphere, her
words drop kicked him back into the dilemma he'd
experienced earlier at the dentist's office.
 
<She's hopped up on pain killers, so don't get ahead
of yourself...>
 
"Well, I love you too," he replied, trying to sound
like a combination of older brother and treasured
friend.
 
"You know," she said, tilting her head playfully, "I
love you, too is usually followed up with a kiss."
 
Spike swallowed hard. This was sounding better
and better.
 
He pressed a gentle kiss on her forehead.
 
Buffy sat back a little, looking confused. "What, are
you kidding me?" she asked. "You know, if that's
how you kissed what's-her-name, I'm surprised she
stuck around as long as she did."
 
She knew perfectly well what Drusilla's name was. She
just hated saying it.
 
If he'd had blood pressure, it would be off the charts
by now. "You want me to kiss you differently?"
 
"Well, DUH," she teased.
 
He moved a bit closer, enjoying the warmth of her
breath against his skin.
 
She seemed like she was perfectly aware of
what she was doing. Her eyes didn't look hazy
and her voice wasn't slurred.
 
Buffy clicked her tongue in exasperation. "Geez,
Spike...do you ALWAYS have to have things
totally spelled out for you?"
 
"Only where you're concerned," he said. "You
give new meaning to the term 'mixed messages',
kitten."
 
She pulled back again. "He's known me HOW
long?" she muttered under her breath, then said
firmly, "Listen you..I want you to kiss me on the
mouth..for a long time..really deeply..with lots
of tongue."  She shrugged. "Like a boyfriend."
 
<Like a boyfriend??!!  She said it!  I heard it!>
 
Yeah, he'd heard it...but...
 
<Oh, enough with the "Yeah, buts" you stupid
git...>   
 
"Spiii-ke."  Her tone sounded impatient, then
changed abruptly to uncertain. "Don't you WANT
to be my boyfriend?" she asked softly.
 
"Don't I W..WANT?"  he stammered, unable to believe
what he'd just heard her say.
 
<I want-I want-I want...Of course I do...Your boy-
friend, your lover...fucking hell, Buffy, I'll even MARRY
you, if you'll have me...How can you not know that?>
 
He nodded vigorously. "Don't be stupid..."
 
Buffy immediately withdrew and stared at him
in amazement. "DON'T BE STUPID??" she
echoed. "What kind of thing is THAT to
say?" she demanded, moving off his lap.
 
Spike tried to backpedal. "I didn't mean..."
 
"You've got like..a zillion years of experience
with women and THAT'S all you can SAY...don't be
stupid?"
 
Shit!  He was screwing it up already!
 
"No."  He grabbed her arms and hauled her close
again. "I can say THIS..!!!"
 
His lips captured hers with hungry passion.
 
<You want tongue, little girl?  I'll give you tongue..>
 
Rising to his knees on the sofa, he slipped his
right arm around her waist and plunged his left
hand into her hair, pulling gently, until her head
was all the way back and he was towering over
her.
 
Buffy gasped out loud, placing her hands on
his waist, then sliding her arms around it to
hold him.
 
She whimpered softly in her throat, straining
to get closer.
 
Spike nearly whimpered himself when he had
to let her breathe.  Desperate to maintain contact,
he covered her face and throat with brief kisses.
 
Buffy was smiling as she turned her from side
to side to follow his kisses, constantly offering
him a new piece of her to claim.
 
Her mind was reeling with the reality of what
was happening. Finally, after waiting so
long...wanting so much...he was going to be
hers.
 
It was almost too much.  On sensory over-
load, she was about to lose control.
 
<Which is fine with me...> 
 
The room was spinning, and she was falling so
deeply into this kiss that she might never find
her way back.
 
<Which is also fine with me..>
 
She was unprepared for the rush of emotion
that was simmering just below the surface of
their ardent embrace. 
 
But if SHE was unprepared...SPIKE was com-
pletely undone.
 
"Buffy," he whispered in her ear. "I love you,
too."
 
For one of his nature, Spike was remarkably tender
in his affections. He always HAD been, starting
with Drusilla. 
 
Among vampires, genuine love was rarely seen. It
was perfectly do-able, even without a soul, but it
was still an aberration.
 
What was felt most often was a more common
animal-like mixture of lust and territoriality.
 
Out of all the vampires that had come and gone
throughout his existence, he'd not met even
one with the capacity for love.
 
HIS capacity for it was immense, although
still rare in the sense that he had only given it
to two women...his princess and the slayer who'd
knocked her off her throne.
 
Buffy was panting. "Do you..want to go..upstairs?"
she asked.
 
Drawing back, he once again looked into her
eyes, checking to make sure that her pupils were
still dilating. "Do YOU?"
 
<Why you fucking idiot!..Would she have suggest-
ed it if she didn't want to?>
 
Buffy nodded. "I want to."
 
At the bottom of the staircase, he stopped and
picked her up in his arms for the second time
tonight.
 
"I could get used to this," they both said at the
same time.
 
She laughed that giggling little laugh that he
loved hearing, and he took the stairs two at a
time.
 
As he placed her on the bed, the phone on her
nightstand rang. Giving him an apologetic look,
she reached to answer it. "It might be my mother."
 
Spike nodded agreeably.
 
"Hello?...Hi, Mom...Fine..How's your trip turning
out?...You discovering a lot of new talent?..Uh-huh..
Yeah, the muscle you hired did his job..Thanks a lot,
by the way..I had to have my wisdom teeth out..I
didn't either but he found them on the x-ray..I'm okay..
Not really...He gave me some pills.."
 
With the phone in one hand, she used the other
to pull Spike down on the bed.
 
"I was just going to bed.."  She looked at him and
shrugged. He tried not to laugh.  "Really tired,
Mom..They sedated me..Of course he brought me
home.."
 
She gave him her "What a dumb question" face.
 
"I did..Eggs..I can SO..Well, no..Spike did..Pretty
good..."
 
He looked at her in mock offense.
 
"They were VERY good," she amended, making a
kiss at him. "Yeah, wonders will never cease..Um..
I'm not sure.."
 
Moving the phone away from her mouth, she
yelled, "SPIKE?  ARE YOU STILL DOWN
THERE?"  She counted to five, then said, "I
guess he left."
 
Holding the receiver between her ear and her
shoulder, she began to unbutton his shirt.
 
"Yes, mother..He took good care of me..He
really is, isn't he?"
 
Spike unfastened the cuffs of his shirt and
Buffy began to slide it down his arms.
 
Fascinated by the smooth and muscled ex-
panse of his chest, Buffy began to lose track
of her conversation.
 
"Yeah, he's...um..."  She nearly choked on her
tongue when he reached for the buttons of her
shirt.
 
Buffy searched around in her mind for an excuse
to get her mother off the phone. Her gaze touched
on the clockradio.
 
"Hey, I just noticed that it's almost 1:30...Is it two
hours later there or three?..How come you're up so
late?..Oh, REALLY?...So much for going to bed at
a reasonable hour..."
 
Spike had four buttons undone and was working
on the sixth and final one, then slowly opened
her shirt, exposing her breasts.
 
Lowering his head, he kissed the upper curves
then flicked his tongue briefly over each rose
colored nipple.
 
Buffy couldn't hold back a sharp yelp.
 
"What?...oh, I...I stubbed my toe...OW!.."
 
Grinning wickedly, he dipped his head again,
but she held him off.
 
"Mom...I really should go to bed now...to..to
sleep..Boy, am I tired..Yeah, okay..I will...Bye."
 
Clonking the phone back down in it's cradle, she
opened her mouth to give him a piece of her
mind, but he prevented it by covering it with his
and making her completely forget what she'd
been about to say.
 
Her arms crept around his neck, and he deepened
the kiss, probing gently with his tongue. When he
finally ended the intimate exchange of their mouths,
he didn't stop kissing her. He just moved the location
a little farther south.
 
His lips traveled down her throat, then explored
the upper curve of her breasts. She was vaguely
aware that she'd somehow had her shirt removed
for her, but it was only a fleeting thought, and not
worth contemplating.
 
As his tongue began to move teasingly over her
hard nipples, Buffy tipped her head back, grind-
ing it into the pillow. She arched her back, signaling
her desire for a deeper touch.
 
He didn't disappoint her.
 
Using one arm to prop himself up, he gathered
the soft flesh of her right breast in his hand,
molding and squeezing it, then opened his mouth
and took her in.
 
He suckled rhythmically, swirling his tongue around
the nipple, biting down very gently.
 
"Careful," she giggled.
 
"Oh, don't worry, kitten," he said, grinning at
her. "I won't let anything bad happen to these."
 
With that said, he returned to his work. Sucking
and licking and nibbling her breasts, he soon
reduced her to a panting, writhing bundle of
sexual need.
 
As he tended to her lush curves, he sent his
hand down her stomach and over her lower
abdomen.
 
Buffy felt it coming, and let her legs part invi-
tingly.
 
Slipping his fingers beneath the elastic band
of her panties, he covered her crotch with the
large expanse of his hand, rubbing it firmly.
 
"Oh, God," she moaned, digging her nails into
his shoulders. "That feels good."
 
He smiled against her skin. "Does it, kitten?" he
asked, easing one finger down, seeking and
finding the sensitive hot spot that gave her so much
pleasure. "And what about this?" he added, using
the tip of his finger to stimulate her clit. "Do you
like that, too?"
 
"Like is...is such a ordinary..word" she choked out. "I
was gonna go more with..AHHH!"
 
She couldn't finish the sentence with a comprehensible
word. Not when he had just allowed that busy finger
of his to slide up inside of her.
 
A fresh rush of moisture flowed from her, warm and
scented with feminine arousal. Spike instantly moved
down to take full advantage of this bounty.
 
"Hmmm...gotta eat that," he said, gazing enraptured
on the wet entrance to her most secret place.
 
Buffy's legs widened. "Don't...let me stop..you."
 
He chuckled. "An act of God couldn't stop me." His
head descended and he licked her with a long, slow
stroke of his tongue.
 
"I knew you'd taste sweet," he said, lapping at her
over and over again, licking up every bit of her
tangy secretions. "My little kitten...with her sweet
little pussy."  He smiled up at her. "Does it want my
tongue, kitten?"
 
"Yeah...yeah it does."
 
"Shall I lick you with it?" he asked, appearing to be
thinking it over. "Or...shall I fuck you with it?"
 
Buffy opened her eyes and tried to focus. "Do...do
what with it?"
 
He winked at her. "Tongue fuck you? That's when I
take my tongue and I slide it in and out of your...."
 
"I get it, I get it!" she groaned. "Do whatever you want.
Just...just do SOMETHING!"
 
"So impatient," he scolded gently. Despite his
words, though, he lowered his head back down between
her legs and lifted her bottom. "Don't worry, kitten. I'm
gonna eat you till you scream."
 
Wishing he would stop making the promise and
start keeping it, Buffy lifted her hips even further.
 
His tongue moved wetly up and down the cleft
of her sex, then stabbed deeply inside of her.
He let it remain for a moment, sucking hard,
then began the in and out thrusting he had tried
to describe.
 
The reality was mind numbing.
 
Buffy had never felt anything so torturously erotic
in her past, and she quickly determined that
she wanted a lot more of it in her future.
 
The sound of what he was doing was almost as
exciting as the feel. He made soft grunts in his
throat as he worked over her, and she could hear
the wet licking and sucking noises in excrutiating
detail.
 
She reached down blindly, searching for him with
her fingers, and roughly tangled them in his hair.
 
"Harder," she panted. "Faster...oh, God...I'm so
close..so close...."
 
He stopped for barely an instant. "Do it then, kitten.
Do it in my mouth...I want to taste it."
 
Those words, followed by an extremely hard suck
on her clit, were all that was needed to bring Buffy
to an intense orgasm.
 
She screamed her pleasure as she ground herself
against his face, annointing him with her sticky
come.
 
He brought her down as gently as he could, being
careful not to let the contact become painful for her
overly sensitized flesh. Nuzzling and kissing her,
he calmed her as though she was a wild pony beneath
her first bridle.
 
He stroked and caressed her, murmuring soft words
of love to her, until her breathing had regulated and
her tense body relaxed.
 
But he was in a bad way, himself. His desire for an
intimate union with Buffy's body was becoming pain-
ful, and he couldn't wait much longer.
 
She opened her eyes and saw the strain etched on his
features. Moving one hand down his body, she found
the source of his need and wrapped her fingers around
it.
 
His shaft was long and thick and engorged, already
leaking semen. When he felt her touching him, he
gasped, and his hand moved down to cover hers,
showing her how he liked to be touched.
 
"Like this, kitten...squeeze a little...yeah...that's
good.."  He began to move her hand up and down
on his hard pole. "More..fuck, yeah..oh, Christ, Buffy,
you're so damn good..slow down now..a little more..."
 
She urged him onto his back and began to move
down in the bed, kissing the flat plane and hard
muscle of his stomach.
 
He looked down and watched her through glazed
eyes. "Just a little, honey," he whispered. "Or I'll
never last."
 
Buffy smiled. "Just a little," she agreed. "I can't
open my mouth very wide anyway."
 
"You're not in pain, are you?"
 
"No," she said. "I'm fine. Just lay back and relax."
 
Extending her little pink tongue, she applied it to
his steely erection. She licked him up and down, then
swirled her tongue around the very tip, holding his
hips down on the bed.
 
Looking up, she noticed that he was panting
like a dog in the sun, a habit that always amused
her whenever she saw it.
 
He glanced down and saw her watching him. When
their eyes met, she deliberately licked the under-
side of his cock slowly from the base to the tip,
treating him like her favorite candy.
 
"Once more," he requested, groaning when she
complied.
 
Spike was officially at his limit. One more touch with
that little pink torture instrument of hers, and he was
going to do something embarrassing.
 
Shifting her off of him, he flipped them over on the
mattress until she was situated beneath him.
 
"Hope you don't mind, honey," he said. "But I'd
kind of like our first time to be the old fashioned
way."
 
Buffy smiled and rubbed her hands up and down
his arms, lingering on the muscle of his biceps.
Since her only previous experience with sex had
been performed the same way, she really had no
other basis for comparison.
 
But, she was pretty sure that she'd have some
soon enough.
 
She parted her thighs and allowed him to settle
between them, as he kissed her, sending his tongue
into her mouth to play with hers.
 
Buffy''s hands moved down his back, her fingers
massaging and her nails scratching. 
 
Spike moved his hand down between them,
and took hold of his thick cock. Placing the head
just at the entrance to her paradise, he rubbed it
against her playfully, savoring the sensation.
 
Her hips jerked when she felt it brush against
her clit. "Spike..."
 
"I know, kitten. I know what you need," he soothed
her. "What you want...inside you."
 
"Now, baby," she whispered. "Love me now."
 
Without hesitating he pushed himself into her
just a bit, then moved back, then in a little bit
more.  He continued this gentle give and take
until he was firmly sheathed inside of her.
 
"Christ, Buffy..." he grunted. "You're...you're
so tight...feels like a...like a velvet glove...oh!
Do that again."
 
She purposely contracted her internal muscles
around him.  He sank down on top of her, burying
his face against the damp skin of her neck.
 
After waiting a few more moments, he lifted up
and looked down into her eyes.
 
"I'm gonna start now, honey...tell me if I'm hurting
you..okay?"
 
"I'm fine," she assured him. "I just want you."
 
"You got me, kitten," he said. "Forever." 
 
He began to thrust, in and out, slowly at first,
then faster and deeper.
 
Buffy lifted her legs and wrapped them around his
lean hips, deepening his penetration to the fullest
extent.
 
"That's my girl...that's my sweet girl..." he moaned,
covering her face with kisses. "I love you...my baby..I
love you...love you...."
 
She tried to return each "I love you" with one of
her own, but soon gave up and just allowed him to
say it.
 
He kept things at a smoothly flowing rhythm, only
breaking it every so often to move his hips from side
to side, then returning to his deep steady thrusts.
 
Buffy could feel it getting close...so close she could
almost reach out and grasp it in her hands.
 
"Oh, Buffy....the way you feel...like satin and fire,
and warm wet flesh...so good...."
 
Fulfillment washed over her, so hard it made her
ears ring.  Her sex clamped down spasmodically
around his as she rode out the burning pleasure.
 
"You're so beautiful when you come." Spike said
hoarsely. "So...fucking beautiful."
 
Buffy planted her feet flat on the bed and raised
her hips to meet his. "You come now," she begged.
"Come inside of me..I want to feel it...."
 
He pressed his lips against her temple. "Keep
talking...."
 
"I love you," she said, stroking his back, feeling
the muscles work as he pounded into her. "You come
now, baby..you know you want to..can't you feel it
building up in you..there's so much of it..you want to
give it all  to me, don't you?"
 
Spike nodded convulsively. "Uh-huh," he said through
clenched teeth.
 
"Then do it..come on...I want it, baby...I want it
now...that's right..come on...."
 
"BUFFY!!  OH, GOD...."
 
With one final shout, he emptied everything he had
into her. Her body accepted it, and kept it tight inside
of her, holding it like a gift.
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
 
"You all right, kitten?"
 
"I'm fine."
 
"Teeth don't hurt?"
 
"Nope."
 
They were lying in Buffy's bed, on their sides, facing
each other.
 
Spike looked at her, his expression suddenly
serious. "What happens now, Buffy?"
 
She smiled. "More of the same?"
 
"No, I'm serious," he said, brushing her hair off her
cheek. "I'm not gonna sneak around and hide the
fact that I love you, that you're my girl."
 
"Did I ask you to?"
 
He shrugged. "Not yet."
 
"Spike," she sighed, cupping his cheek. "I'm not sneak-
ing around either. I love you...and I AM your girl. I'll
tell everyone about it, but I have to tell my mother
first, so...."
 
"Oh, fuck...she's gonna kill me, you know," he said.
 
"No, she won't" Buffy said firmly. "My mom's crazy
about you."
 
"You think?"
 
"I KNOW."  She yawned and snuggled closer. "She
told me once that.." Another yawn. "..that she
really..."  Her voice faded out.
 
"Really what? Buffy...come on. What did she say?"
 
There was no response, except for a light snore.
 
Spike flopped onto his back. "That isn't funny anymore,
you know," he muttered. "Not one damn bit..." A huge
yawn crept up on him as well. "...funny. S'really...not....."
 
They slept peacefully, with the shutters keeping out the
morning sun.
 
 
 
The End
 
 

 

.