Chapter 1

"Is she in there?"

"Yeah. She's out on the dance floor with her pals."

"And...?"

Luke frowned. "And...what?"

Spike glanced skyward for a moment, shaking his head in disgust at yet another stupid minion that had to have everything explained to him.

"Well, I doubt that she's wearing a name tag that says, 'Hi, I'm the slayer, so maybe you should tell me what she looks like."

The puzzlement on Luke' face disappeared.

"Oh, right..I get you now," he said.

Wanting to curry favor with the vampire who'd probably be running things on the Hell Mouth once he eliminated the slayer, he eagerly provided a description.

"She's kind of small. Maybe 16 or 17, I think. She has blonde hair and sensational legs. Cute little ass. Dresses real sexy, if you know what I mean?"

"Mm-hmm." Spike glanced at his watch. Past eight o'clock already, he would have to make this quick. Drusilla would be awake soon, and since he didn't trust the idiot brigade to bring her someone to eat, he would have to see to it.

"Gotta tell the truth, man...if she wasn't the slayer," Luke leered suggestively, giving Spike a nudge that almost got his arm broken for him.

"Oh, yeah," Spike said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "I'm sure she'd be all over a prize like you."

With a blank look that said he wasn't sure but he thought he'd just been insulted, Luke opened his mouth to reply, only to be sharply cut off.

"I'll go in first," Spike said. "You wait a few minutes, then come and find me and I'll tell you what to do. Do you think you can manage all that?"

"Sure," Luke nodded. "Sure..you got it."

"Well, good for you." About to enter the club, he added, "Oh, and one more thing. When you come in? Lose the face."

***** ***** ***** ***** *****

He walked in, pausing at the door to scan the room.

Typical small town nightspot. Live music, but no recognizable bands. Probably local talent.

Stopping at an empty table, he picked up a menu and looked it over.

The appetizers were the standard variety crap you could pretty much find everywhere.< No imagination>

He flipped the menu over, studying the wine list.

What cheap shit! The most expensive bottle topped out at twenty dollars.

Probably never even heard of Dom..

Spike dropped the menu on the table and moved on.

The place was fairly crowded for a weeknight, although the entire amount of people in it wouldn't fill one room of a nightclub in New York...or Los Angeles, for that matter.

He made his way slowly, heading for the center of the action...the dance floor.

A familiar tingle raced up and down his spine, alerting him to the presence of a slayer.

The closer he got to his goal, the stronger that feeling grew inside of him. When he finally reached his destination, he had no trouble locating her in the group of kids.

"Well, well, well...."

***** ***** ***** ***** *****

As he watched her dance, he decided that Luke hadn't been exaggerating. If anything, he had understated the slayers charms.

Her hair wasn't blonde, but rather a mixture of light brown and honey colored tresses shining in the muted glow of the overhead lights.

It bounced around her face as she danced, looking soft and touchable, with none of the sticky hairspray that so many girls used.

A man could thread his fingers in that silken mane, and they would slide right through.

His hands itched to do exactly that.

She was a tiny little thing. He doubted if she'd be shoulder high to him. There was a boy dancing with her that didn't look to be all that tall, but he towered over her.

The same boy suddenly placed one hand on the slayer's hip.

Spike frowned, feeling an almost overwhelming urge to grab that boy by the scruff of his neck and tell him to keep his fucking hands to himself.

She was dealing with it, though, smiling at the boy while subtly moving away from his touch.

Good girl...

Unable to stop himself, his eyes roamed up and down her body. He took note of the small waist and feminine curve of her hips. Strong, straight legs moved her around the dance floor, keeping a step away from anyone who tried to catch her.

She was dressed in a pair of tight jeans and a light blue halter, cut just low enough to show off a bit of cleavage.

The sight made him instantly hard.

She was doing some of the most blatantly sexual dancing he'd ever seen outside of a strip club. The beat of the music seemed to be twisting and pulsing through her small frame.

Spike had never been aroused by a woman so quickly.

He watched her, mesmerized by her natural sexuality as she closed her eyes and raised her arms, lifting that beautiful wealth of hair off her neck, then releasing it to tumble around her face.

And what a face it was...

The movements of her dancing only gave him quick glimpses of it. As tantalizingly brief as they were, he could see that the slayer had one of those faces that could change from child like innocence to womanly sensuality.

The girlish roundness of her cheeks pleased him. There were too many girls walking around this days looking gaunt and thin in the face, like anemic heroin addicts. He'd seen corpses that looked in better shape than some of those women on the dance floor.

But the slayer obviously ate normal meals on a regular basis.

Her energy alone was testimony to that. No way was THIS little lady living on rice cakes and bottled water. She looked as though she enjoyed all the sweet things life had to offer, whether they were good for her or not.

A girl like that made a man want to hold her in his lap and spoon feed her vanilla ice cream and strawberries.

Her complexion was smooth and unblemished, pink and gold velvet that saw just enough sun to make it glow, but not enough to make it dry or rough.

Although he couldn't determine the color, Spike could see hat her eyes were lovely.

Large and long-lashed, they sparkled with life and good humor.

She hadn't been doing her job long enough yet for them to become dark and troubled, weary from the knowledge that for every vampire she put down, there were a dozen waiting to take it's place.

This slayer was new, and fresh, and filled with hope. Ready to take on the armies of hell, confident that she would win and good would triumph over evil.

Sorry to pop your bubble, darling, but good is outnumbered by evil ten to one..

He slowly circled the perimeter of the dance floor, never taking his eyes off the slayer. He saw every sway of her hips, every shimmy of her shoulders, and every toss of that glorious hair.

As he watched, he couldn't help smiling.

Luscious little tease, that's what YOU are

Looking so damn pretty, moving the way she did, making all the boys want to claim her.

That dark haired one following her around like a puppy was nearly drooling.

Once again, Spike felt compelled to grab hold of the slayer's putative suitor and shake some sense into him.

He wanted to tell the boy not to be stupid, that he couldn't BEGIN to be good enough for that beauty keeping herself just out of his reach. That he ought to concentrate his efforts on the little cutie-pie redhead that was trying so hard to attract his attention.

There wasn't a man in this place worthy of this warrior princess.

He'd known it the instant he'd laid eyes on her, the moment he picked up her scent of peaches and power.

We're gonna dance, Slayer, you and I.. count on it..

***** ***** ***** ***** *****

His peripheral vision and keen sense of smell picked up the approach of the idiot he'd left outside.

You do something right for once, and you pick NOW to do it...shit

"Told you she was a hottie, didn't I ?" Luke asked, staring at the slayer with undisguised lust, as though he were trying to see through her clothes.

Spike momentarily considered slapping the expression right off the other vampire's insipid, human face.

Fighting back the urge, he issued brief orders.

"Go back to the lair. I'll be there later."

"How come?" Luke asked, confused.

Spike took a tight leash on his temper, then turned to look at the stupid git who'd questioned something he said.

"I want to watch this one for a while. See how she operates. Detect any weaknesses."

Feeling he'd said more than enough to get this pain in the ass marching double time, he returned his attention to the slayer.

When Luke failed to turn around and leave immediately, Spike looked back at him in pure disbelief.

"Why the hell are you still here?"

"It's just...well, I don't know," Luke shrugged, seeming to realize that he was heading into dangerous waters. "What about your..your lady friend?"

Spike clenched his jaw. The last thing he wanted to be reminded of at this particular moment, was Drusilla.

"What about her?"

"Um..what do you want me to tell her?" Luke asked nervously. "Because she can get kind of...YOU know...if you're not there."

This was true. Ever since the attack on her in Prague, and their subsequent flight from the country, Drusilla had become more and more unstable, oblivious to the world around her.

She hadn't been completely sane to start with, and after nearly perishing at the hands of an angry mob that had figured out what she was, the line that lay between her sanity and the total lack of any, was getting thinner every day.

The very things he'd always loved so dearly about her had morphed to almost frightening proportions, and it wasn't cute anymore.

He would catch her watching him with wide and confused eyes, and it was at those moments that he felt certain she had no idea who he was.

All she seemed to be interested in these days were her dolls and her weird visions.

Day by day, she was slipping further and further away. Her appetite was dwindling, and there were times he had to force feed her.

She had no survival instinct working for her anymore.

Acting impulsively, she would obey the voices in her head, forcing Spike to place a 24 hour guard on her after she'd nearly walked outside in the middle of the afternoon to pick flowers.

Her normally pale skin was almost translucent, and her body was weak and frail. In her more lucid moments, she would rail miserably against that weakness, demanding that Spike find a way to put her back together again.

Which was getting harder and harder to do.

And as her body began to fail her, her personality had undergone a drastic change.

In the past, even though she'd not been in possession of all her marbles, she had been happy and he'd always been able to keep her that way.

Along with death and carnage, Dru had also enjoyed typically female things, such as beautiful clothes and expensive jewelry.

She had taken pride in her beauty, and took pains to maintain it.

Her raven hair had always been thick and shiny, arranged so that her curls tumbled down to frame her winsome face.

As dark as melting chocolate and as wide as a child's, Dru's eyes had been mesmerizing.. literally.

Without hardly trying, she had always been able to lure anyone she wanted with her eyes, for any reason.

Whether they were gleaming with blood lust, or dancing with infantile gaiety..they'd sparkled with vitality, and hunger, and passion.

Now..they were dull and lifeless, usually half closed and bit out of focus.

Her happiness was draining away a little more each day. Where once she had gloried in chaos and death..in the giving and taking of pain..now she seemed more like a spoiled child, prone to bouts of near hysterical panic by the most insignificant circumstance.

Alternating between whimpering tears at imagined slights, and fierce temper tantrums, it was impossible to predict her moods, and she was becoming difficult to live with.

But, he loved her...so he'd put up with behavior that he would never have tolerated with anyone else.

After searching all over Europe and Asia, consulting with countless shamans, sorcerers, and prognosticators, he had brought her to America...to Sunnydale, California...

To the mouth of hell.

With little effort, he had quickly established himself as the master vampire he was.

He'd barely gotten Dru settled in and cobbled together a gang, when he'd found out that there was a slayer making life difficult for the local demon population.

Judging from the fact that she still lived..that no vampire had been able to kill her..he deduced that she must be a real badass, a tough cookie of the amazon variety.

Ordinarily, this wouldn't have concerned him. He had dealt with slayers before, and found them to be far less intimidating than most vampires did.

But, when he'd heard about the serious damage this particular slayer was dishing out, and since he didn't know how long they would have to stay in this pissant burg, he had decided to find her and kill her quickly...thus freeing him to concentrate all his energy on restoring Dru's health.

Watching her now though, he amended his previous plans for her downfall, inserting a third activity between 'find' and 'kill'.

***** ***** ***** ***** *****

"What if she asks where you are?"

The idiot was speaking again.

"She won't," Spike said succinctly. "Just stop on the way back and grab her someone to eat."

Luke still hesitated. "But what if she's not..I mean, what if she won't..."

Enough was clearly enough.

"GO AWAY NOW," Spike said, with a definite threat in his voice as he glared at Luke. "Before I hurt you in unpleasant ways."

Self-preservation finally kicking in, Luke disappeared into the crowd, allowing Spike to return his undivided attention to the slayer.

Who was no longer there...

"Son of a..." he muttered. "I swear I'm gonna tear that imbecile's head right the fuck off."

Still swearing softly, he opened himself up to feel if she was still close.

He sensed her instantly. Turning around, he saw her sitting at a table with the boy and the cutie-pie she'd been dancing with.

The table was covered with what he imagined was her homework. She didn't look particularly happy about it, her body language clearly conveying the notion that school work was the last thing she wanted to be doing right now.

Keeping his eyes on her, he took a seat at a table near where she was sitting. One of the waitresses walked by, heading for the bar with an empty tray, and Spike touched her arm to stop her.

Giving her his most charming smile, he said, "Be a good girl and bring me a glass of whatever you have on tap, won't you luv?"

When the glass was placed in front of him, he settled back into his chair and gazed at the slayer with intent, willing her to look up and see him.

He knew when awareness of him began to make itself known to her.

Cognizant of someone watching her, her eyes skipped from one person to another.

I'm here, slayer...waiting for you

He frowned when the redhead said something to draw her attention.

No, darling...don't look at her...look at me..see me..

As though he'd whispered his request directly into her pretty little ear, the slayer turned her head and looked straight at him.

Hello, gorgeous..

Locking his eyes with hers, he smiled slowly, blatantly staring at her, and was charmed beyond the telling of it when he saw her blush.

But, in spite of the blush, she didn't look away.

That's my girl. You know who you are..you don't back down to anyone, do you?

He felt a jolt of excitement when she returned his smile, shyly at first, then more boldly as she became more sure of herself, more certain that he was attracted to her.

Can you feel me, Slayer? Do you know what I am? Because I know who YOU are...and I want you anyway. I want you..and I am going to have you..

Rising to his feet, he made his way to the bar.

And NOTHING is gonna stand in my way..

***** ***** ***** ***** *****

"Buffy? Are you still here in the same world?"

Willow's soft voice pulled the slayer's attention away from the outrageously handsome man she'd been exchanging looks with.

"Yeah," she said absently. "I'm..yeah. Sure." She shook her head and looked at her friend. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Willow shrugged. "Well, because I asked you twice if you wanted any more help conjugating your verbs and you pretty much didn't even hear me."

"Oh...sorry," Buffy said, sounding lame even to her own ears.

But Willow, sweet natured as always, understood without being told. "You know, I'm getting a little tired anyway. We can finish this later."

She got her things together and looked at Xander. "Want to walk your best friend home and protect her from the bad guys?"

"I suppose I could," Xander replied. "But who's gonna protect me?"

Willow smiled at him and stood up. "Come on."

"No, I'm serious," he said as she pulled him to his feet. "Who's gonna protect me?"

Keeping a firm grip on his arm, she began towing him towards the door. "We'll protect each other."

Xander tried to dig in his heels. "But we have someone here who's a lot better qualified. Buffy is actually IN the protection business."

Willow yanked his arm, dragging him along.

"Why isn't she coming with us? It's getting late, she should be coming with us. Well, let's ask...OW!...do you have to so rough?"

Buffy smiled at Xander's running commentary as he was pushed, shoved, and nudged out the door.

She gathered her books and papers into a neat stack. Moving slower than an arthritic snail, she forced herself not to search around the room.

A few long minutes crawled by, and she began to wonder if he had left, or is she had misinterpreted his interest.

Counting to sixty, she sighed and picked up her homework, ready to call it quits and go home.

"I hope your friends left on account of me."

***** ***** ***** ***** *****

Buffy started at his sudden appearance beside her, looking up with a surprised look on her face.

God...he's even better looking close up

Above average height..the ONLY average thing about him..he had platinum blonde hair and a penetrating dark blue gaze, framed by almost femininely long eyelashes.

Now I know what the phrase "Eyes that look right into your soul" means..

He had a sensual mouth, and cheekbones that would make a super-model pea green with envy.

The only thing saving him from being "pretty" was a scar slashing through his eyebrow.

All in all, Buffy decided, his entire face was his best feature.

Realizing that she was staring at him like a mute idiot, she tried to think of something witty to say that wouldn't make her sound like the inexperienced teenager girl that she was.

"Don't you mean 'I hope your friends DIDN'T leave on account of me..you?' "

He shook his head. "I meant what I said, luv."

Oh, boy, oh, boy...all this and an accent, too! Some days it DOES pay to get out of bed..

"I wanted them to leave," he added. "May I sit down?"

And manners!! Woo-hoo!

Under the table, she gave one of the chairs legs a hard shove with her foot, pushing it out. "If you want to."

He smiled and seated himself. "Would you like another...what is that?" he asked, pointing at her empty glass.

"Oh, it's...it's just Coke," Buffy said, wishing it was something a little more sophisticated.

"Would you like another?" he asked again.

"Sure. Okay. Fine." She cringed inwardly at her monosyllabic responses, knowing she must sound stupid.

But he didn't seem to think so. "It's not diet, is it?"

Buffy made a face. "Eww..no. I hate diet drinks."

Her expression amused him. "Good for you," he said as he signaled the waitress.

After ordering the drink, he turned to her before the waitress could leave. "Would you like anything else?"

Buffy shook her head. "No, this is fine...thank you."

"Hmm." He tilted his head a little. "Have you had your dinner?"

"Uh-huh. Before I left home. I'm totally full."

"Too full for dessert?"

"Well.." Buffy shrugged, with a guilty smile.

"How about some ice cream?" He gave her a speculative look. "I'll bet you like....hot fudge sundaes."

Buffy grinned. "That's a safe bet."

He looked at the waitress. "You heard the lady," he said, dismissing her and returning his full attention to Buffy.

"What's your name?"

"It's...I'm..." What IS my name?? "Buffy."

He seemed surprised. "Your mother named you Buffy?"

"No," she said. "My mother named me Elizabeth, but no one calls me that," she explained. "Even my mom only uses it when she's mad at me."

She hesitated. "What's..your name?"

For a moment, he debated his options. He had a reputation for killing two of her kind, and it was possible she'd recognize the name.

Part of him wanted that to happen, wanted to see the look on her face when she found out just who she was dealing with.

But the other part of him, the less impulsive part, didn't want to scare her off.

"William," he answered. "William Hamilton."

It was a good sounding name. She liked that he hadn't shortened his first name to the more common 'Bill'. He didn't look like a Bill. It didn't suit him.

The waitress returned with a tray bearing a glass of Coke, and the most enormous hot fudge sundae that Buffy had ever seen.

Before she could do it, Spike took the spoon and dug out a mixture of ice cream, hot fudge and whipped cream.

He lifted the spoon to her lips and Buffy accepted it as she looked into his level gaze.

Her own eyes rolled up as she closed her lips around the spoon. "Mmmm."

Spike was delighted with her response. "Good?"

She opened her eyes as the spoon slid out of her mouth. "Better than good."

Knowing he'd be pushing it if he tried to pull her onto his lap, he settled for feeding her another bite of ice cream, then handed her the spoon.

He was amazed at how quickly she polished off the dessert, even scraping the sides of the dish to gather the fudge clinging to it.

When she replaced the spoon in the dish, she caught him watching her.

"I guess I kind of look like a pig, don't I?" she asked, her cheeks reddening.

"No," he shook his head. "You don't. You look like...a little girl."

Buffy pushed the dish away. "That was good. Thank you."

"You're more than welcome, luv."

***** ***** ***** ***** *****

"So, um..." Buffy searched for a topic of conversation. "You're not from around here, are you?"

"What gave it away," Spike asked teasingly.

"Well, you're accent for one and.." She caught his look of amusement. "Now you're making fun of me," she said, her cheeks burning once again.

He shook his head. "No, I'm not, darling. I think you're absolutely adorable, especially when you blush." He leaned forward, staring with intent into her eyes. "I made you blush before...when I was staring at you."

Buffy nodded, her gaze arrested by his. "I guess so...a little..."

Spike lowered his voice a fraction. "I'd think that a girl as pretty as you are would be accustomed to men staring at her." He grinned. "There it is again," he said, noting her warm cheeks. "God, that's sweet. I haven't seen a girl blush like that for a hundred years."

He tossed the hint out casually, curious to see if she'd notice it.

All she did was smile.

Chapter 2

After a half hour of flirtatious conversation, Buffy was beginning to wonder if he was ever going to ask her to dance. It seemed like the obvious next step.

The music was soft and slow, and she very much wanted to know what his arms felt like around her.

Her happy bubble had nearly been popped when Cordelia had stopped at their table at one point.

Turning on all her charm and using her considerable good looks, she had spent a few minutes shamelessly trying to separate William from Buffy.

But he had shown no interest in her beyond the bounds of polite society. After acknowledging Buffy's introduction to her, he had been fairly silent, responding to none of Cordelia's sexy banter or body language.

In fact, he had actually looked impatient when she wouldn't leave quickly enough.

After finally managing to drop enough hints to get rid of her, he had looked at Buffy with an amused expression. "I can see why she wasn't at the table with your other friends earlier," he'd said.

When Buffy had asked him what he meant, he'd merely shrugged and said "She's not your friend, angelface. Don't let her push you around. You're three times the woman she is."

His words had sent an excited shiver down her spine, knowing that he considered her to be a woman, and not some gawky little girl.

Now, she was afraid that the Bronze would close before he could ask her if she'd like to dance, so she decided to throw embarrassment into the void.

"The music's nice, isn't it?" she ventured.

He glanced at the band, then back at her. "It's nice," he agreed. "Very romantic."

Buffy swallowed hard. "You...you wouldn't want to dance or something...would you?"

Spike hesitated. Dancing with her wasn't an option right now, especially slow dancing. This game would be over the minute he touched her and he wasn't ready for it to end just yet.

If he'd fed recently, it would have worked, but if he placed his less than 98.6 degree hands on her, and with all that bare skin she was showing it would be impossible to avoid, she'd be busting table legs off for stakes faster than he could say "Wait, I can explain!"

No, he couldn't risk it. This was not the right time to "Come out" to the slayer about who and what he was. The last thing he wanted to do right now was fight with her.

For the time being, anyway.

"I would love to dance with you, angelface, but I'm very bad at it."

Highly mortified at what was a lamely obvious excuse to turn her down, Buffy shrugged as if it didn't matter to her one way or the other.

"It's all right...never mind."

"Maybe," he added. "Someday you could give me lessons?" he suggested.

Someday...there's gonna be a someday?

Buffy smiled. "Okay," she said agreeably. "I could do that."

He leaned forward and smiled into her eyes.

"I'll look forward to it, then."

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

"Oh, my gosh...is that the time? I have to go." Buffy began gathering up her books and shoving them into her tote bag, careful to keep him from seeing the tools of her trade and ask questions that she wasn't prepared to answer. "It's late...my mother..."

"Will start to worry?"

"Yeah," she nodded, standing up and lingering when she knew she should be double clutching it for home.

"I understand." He stood up and dropped a ten dollar bill on the table for the waitress, then followed Buffy out the door of the club.

She turned to face him, waiting. This surely was the point in the evening when he would ask for her phone number.

"Can I walk you home?" he asked. "I would offer you a ride, but my car is in for repairs, and I didn't want to bother with a rental."

"Oh, um...you really don't have to. I mean, I'll be fine. I don't live too far from here and..."

A sharp scream cut off her words, and she spun around in time to see one of the waitresses from the Bronze being pulled into the back alley.

Buffy wanted to scream, too. One night..they couldn't go just one night without this crap. Now what was she supposed to do?

Spike knew without asking just what she was thinking about. She didn't want to reveal herself any more than he did, but she had a duty to perform now.

Pretending he hadn't heard the girl yelling, he looked at Buffy as she shifted from foot to foot. "You know, I think I dropped my keys inside. Be right back."

The look of relief on her face was almost comical.

He went back inside, and waited for a count of sixty, figuring that was more than enough time for her to do her job.

When he went back out, he waited at the end of the alley.

"Can't you guys...take a night off...once in a while?" he heard Buffy ask.

"Well.." the vampire she was fighting with replied. "I..thought...you had switched...sides, Slayer."

A wooden crate shattered, the pieces of it clattering to the ground.

"What...hold still...do you mean by...that? Hey! Get back here, you little coward."

"Ha! You missed." There was a loud crash. "I'm just...saying...how come you were...sitting with...a...vampire....all evening...and hey...HEY! Just...wait a..."

Spike swore softly, as the sounds of the fight abruptly stopped.

Buffy came out of the alley, still holding a wooden slat in her hands.

When she saw him, she cocked her head to one side and examined him thoroughly.

Spike knew there was no bluffing his way out of this one. The game was over and now it was time to...

To what? To...kill her? Why did that sound so unappealing? She was a slayer, and he'd already killed two slayers. He'd had every intention of killing this one, and any others that had the misfortune to cross him.

So, why did the expression in those lovely eyes of hers make him so unsure of himself? She looked confused, and hurt and for some reason it bothered him terribly. He wanted to take that look from her face and replace it with the smile she'd given him earlier.

God! What the HELL was happening here? Was it possible that this was all far more than the game it had started out to be for him?

He knew he had to go home. Dru was waiting for him there and it was where he belonged.

So why wasn't he going? Why did he want to stay here...with this girl who was surely no more than sixteen years old?

"I have to go home now," she said softly.

"Can I talk to you first?" he asked. "Please?"

She turned around and walked away. "There's nothing to talk about...not anymore."

He followed a few paces behind her. "Yes. There is. Buffy...I know who you are."

That stopped her in her tracks, although she didn't turn around.

"You know I'm..."

"The slayer," he said. "Yes."

She sighed. "Then you know you should stay away from me."

"Yes," he agreed. "But I don't want to. I want to see you again."

Buffy shook her head. "Please don't follow me."

She didn't want him to know where she lived. All right, he could understand that.

He stopped, and she kept walking. "Can I call you? Buffy...what's your phone number? Your last name?"

She didn't answer him. Walking at a steady pace, she turned the corner.

And, feeling strangely unsettled, Spike turned too and headed for home.

Chapter 3

Moondance

Well, it's a marvelous night for a moondance
With the stars up above in your eyes
A fantabulous night to make romance
Neath the cover of October skies....

~~~~~~~~

Buffy stepped out of her front door, closing it quietly behind her. Although her mother was in New York for a month, and couldn't be woken up demanding to know just where Buffy thought she was going, she stayed quiet out of habit.

"I'm really gonna have to break this news to her one of these days."

She smiled at the thought of her mother's face upon being informed that her child..her problem child..was leading a whole other life these days.

"But not just yet."

Stepping off the curb to cross the street, she was startled by the full throttled roar of a powerful V-8 engine as it blasted by her at what had to be at least three times the speed limit.

She jumped backwards, then saluted the unseen driver with one finger.

"HEY! Good luck in your next life, FATHEAD!" she yelled, almost wishing that the driver would hear her and come back to pick a fight.

Buffy knew she couldn't kill him, but it would sure feel good to grind his face into the asphalt while reciting passages from the Department of Motor Vehicles Handbook, pertaining to excessive speed and the dangers thereof.

She was in the middle of the street when she heard the car lock up it's brakes, stopping with a scream of expensive tread.

Buffy waited and watched as the night black car sat idling it's engine.

It was a huge monster of a vehicle, it's paint polished to a high gloss, with shiny chrome fixtures and trim...obviously built long before the days of triple digit gas prices.

Suddenly, the drivers side door swung open. Buffy stared as two feet shod in black leather hit the pavement.

Great. He's getting out of the car. Now what, big mouth?

Planting her feet firmly beneath her, the slayer tightened her fingers on the strap of her weapons bag, wondering just who..or what..she was going to have to deal with.

When she saw who was standing before her, her entire body went from hot to cold, then back to hot.

Taller than she was, with short platinum blonde hair that had a bit of a wave to it, and cheekbones a model would kill for, the vampire she's met the other night stood before her.

His eyes were as dark and penetrating as she remembered them to be, and he was sporting a smart ass grin on his sensuous mouth.

Black seemed to be his signature color. Once again, he was covered in it. Tight jeans, a t-shirt with a silk button down over it, slightly scuffed boots and that coat of ankle length black leather, that couldn't have been cheap.

Buffy felt the hair on the back of her neck stand at attention.

She remembered every moment of their brief encounter. Those eyes had captured hers, burning into her with a look that made her body tingle with awareness of him, of his sexuality, his masculinity.

Inexperienced as she was, Buffy had seen his gaze speak with a desire that had nothing to do with hurting her.

She'd seen it, and her treacherous body had responded to the way he'd looked at her.

The same way he was looking at her now.

~~~~~~~~

And all the leaves on the trees are falling
To the sound of the breezes that blow
And I'm trying to please to the calling
Of your heart strings that play soft and low...

~~~~~~~~

"Buffy, fancy running into you again." His smile was almost wolfish. "Small world."

"Isn't it?" she replied with an airy bravado that she didn't actually feel.

Music blasted from the cars stereo system, at a volume so loud that she could feel the vibrations in the ground beneath her feet.

Without breaking eye contact, he closed the car door with a heavy thud, bringing the racket down to a muffled roar.

When he spoke again, his question surprised her.

"How have you been, angelface?"

Everything in her brain clanged an urgent warning alarm, screaming at her to use her common sense and not answer him.

But, common sense took a beating.

"I've been all right," she said softly.

"You...didn't get in trouble the other night did you...with your mother?"

Buffy shook her head. "No."

"I'm glad." He moved a little closer. "I wouldn't want you to be...what are they calling it these days...grounded?"

~~~~~~~~

And all the night's magic
Seems to whisper and hush
And all the soft moonlight
Seems to shine..in your blush

~~~~~~~~

He walked in a slow circle around her. "I meant to tell you the other night...I do admire your taste in clothes. If that skirt was any shorter, it would be a belt."

"But," he added, stopping to face her. "It would be a shame to cover those fantastic legs of yours."

Buffy's entire body blushed, charming him as it had the other night.

"So..tell me, angelface. What are you doing out so late at night? Must be way past your bedtime."

Bedtime? What, did he think she was a child?

She placed her hand over the opening of her bag. "Well, I'm not here for the fresh air."

He laughed. "Very good. I love a girl with a sassy mouth." He leaned closer, lowering his voice. "Especially when it's as pretty as yours is."

Pausing, he watched her reaction, then said, "You know that is really adorable. I noticed it the other night."

"What is?"

"The way you blush when I compliment you."

Buffy swallowed hard, wondering what the hell was wrong with her, and why she wasn't shoving a sharp piece of kindling through this creature's heart.

This was something that her watcher had not prepared her for. Giles had spent countless hours and a great deal of effort training her to fight every imaginable type of demon.

Wanting her to be prepared for anything, he'd rattled on and on about what horrible and hideous animals vampires were.

But, he'd never mentioned the possibility of her coming across a vampire that looked neither horrible nor hideous, a vampire with a beautiful face and form...like a fallen angel.

How was she supposed to deal with a vampire that made no threatening moves towards her, but instead disarmed her with flattery and smart ass charm?

He was speaking again, startling her out of her thoughts.

"What?" she asked. "What did you..."

"I said that I want to talk to you..but not in the middle of the street." He turned back towards his car. "Just let me take care of the car..unless you'd like to go for a drive?"

Buffy shook her head. "Do I look stupid to you?"

Like she'd EVER crawl into a car with a vampire.

William smiled. "No, angelface...you don't look stupid. You just look very young. Wait here."

And, for some unknown reason, she did just that.

She stood on the sidewalk and watched as he parked the car along the curb. He climbed out, not bothering to lock it, and came back to her.

"Now..where are you off to?"

Buffy lifted her chin and looked him right in the eyes. "To kill vampires."

She turned and began walking towards the front gate of Mount Hope Cemetery, surprised when he fell into step beside her.

He must have noticed the look on her face.

"What? Oh, were you trying to scare me?" he asked.

Buffy kept walking. "It doesn't bother you?"

"As long as you're not after me, I don't care how many vampires you kill."

She looked up at him. "That's a weird attitude."

He shook his head. "Not really. There are too many vamps in this town, and most of them are too stupid and smelly to be around." Smiling down at her, he added, "But I hear you've been doing YOUR part to thin out the herd."

Buffy stopped walking, staring up at him. "Why are you here?"

William stepped a little closer, bending down to speak softly in her ear. "I wanted to see you."

"You already saw me."

He shrugged. "I wanted to see more."

Buffy studied his face, searching for the real meaning behind his words. "You didn't come to Sunnydale from...wherever you're from...just to see me."

"No," he agreed. "I had...other reasons. But, once I was here, I heard a few things about the new slayer. Decided to see for myself."

"And that's why you came to the Bronze the other night?"

William nodded. "That's right. I saw you there, dancing with that boy. You...you didn't really talk about him. Is he your...boyfriend?"

"No, I don't have a boyfriend."

He looked genuinely surprised. "A pretty thing like you? That's a crime against nature. The men in this town must be blind."

Buffy's cheeks pinked up again as she continued walking. "Xander's just a friend."

"Just a friend? Tell me, angelface...is that HIS idea, or yours?"

She didn't reply as she walked through the front gate of Mount Hope.
~~~~~~~~

Can I just have one more moondance
With you, my love?
Can I just make some more romance
With you, my love?

~~~~~~~~

"So, you like to dance?"

The question came out of nowhere, confusing her. For a moment, she wondered if he was planning on asking her out on a date.

Yeah, sure he is. Like he's gonna forget you're the slayer and want to date your stupid sixteen year old self..

"Sure, I like to dance," she said. "But, I'm not all that good at it."

The moment the words left her lips, she wanted to take them back.

What are you doing? Fishing for compliments from a vampire? You're pathetic...

William suddenly stopped in front of her, forcing her to stop as well.

"I disagree," he said, smiling down at her. "You dance very well."

Buffy met his intent gaze. "I..I do?"

"Oh, yes," he nodded slowly. "You're very pretty when you dance." Leaning down, he again spoke into her ear. "And very..VERY sexy."

A guttural growl from behind her jolted Buffy out of her daze. She swung around, irritated at the interruption.

"GO AWAY!!" Pulling a stake out of her bag, she launched it like a 90mph fastball, straight into the heart of the vampire lunging towards her.

Without skipping a beat, not even to watch the vamp go poof, she turned back and saw approval in William's expression. Approval and...something else.

"Nice shot, angelface," he said.

Buffy smiled, feeling show-offy and 'hey, look at what I can do!'.

"You're good," he continued. "Small wonder they all want to kill you."

Her smile disappeared instantly. She'd almost forgotten what he was...almost.

"Is that why YOU'RE here?" she asked, watching his eyes for the truth. "Did you come to Sunnydale to kill me?"

"No." He hesitated a moment. "I came for...a couple of different reasons."

Waiting for him to continue, she prompted him, "Are you going to tell me what they are, or should I guess?"

He stepped a little closer. "Like I said...I'd heard about you. Wanted to see you for myself."

There was another long pause, forcing her to ask, "And what else?"

He frowned slightly. Momentarily distracted, he looked away from her, focusing on some distant thought or memory.

"The...friend that I'm traveling with is sick. We came here..to Sunnydale..because it's on..."

Buffy knew without being told. "The Hellmouth?"

"That's right," he murmured, still staring into space.

"Well, did it help?" she asked. "Is your friend better?"

He smiled ruefully and shrugged. "Not really."

"Guess it was a wasted trip, then."

Her comment brought his gaze back to her, and the nature of his smile changed.

Placing one finger beneath her chin, he tilted her face up to look into her eyes.

"Not necessarily, angelface."

~~~~~~~~

Well I want to make love to you tonight
I can't wait til the morning has come
And I know now the time is just right
And straight into my arms you will run...

~~~~~~~~

Every nerve ending in her body leapt to immediate attention.

Oh, God..oh, God..oh, God...what's he gonna do? Is he gonna kiss me? ....

Her thoughts were fragmented, barely formed before they melted away to make room for new ones.

Everything that was "Slayer" in her shouted danger, with bells and whistles and alarms exploding in her head.

No, don't let him do this..don't be stupid..get away..run away..I can't let him..I..I can't..I just..oh..oh yes..oh, please..kiss me..kiss me NOW..I want you to....

Her body was on fire, vibrating with awareness of his. She stood before him as though she'd been nailed to the ground, almost unaware that her lips were slightly parted and her eyes half closed.

A bare instant before their lips met, he whispered, "Buffy..."

The sound of her name finally sank through the daze she was in. Shaking her head to clear it, she slowly backed away, not stopping until her backside bumped into the cold marble wall of a mausoleum.

William followed her, placing both his hands on the black marble, effectively penning her in.

"Are you afraid of me?" he asked in a silken tone.

Buffy met his steady gaze with her own. "No," she said, swallowing hard. "I'm the Slayer. I'm not afraid of any vampire."

He smiled. "I don't mean are you afraid that I'll hurt you," he murmured, leaning closer. "Are you afraid that I'll kiss you...and that you'll like it if I do?"

The physical symptoms of arousal knocked her for a loop. Her breasts felt intensely sensitive against the lace of her bra, and there was a wet loosening between her thighs.

"I..I told you," she managed to say. "I'm not afraid of...what are you DOING?" Her voice slid up the scale in a mild panic.

One of his hands left the wall, briefly caressed her cheek, then moved down her throat.

"Shh...relax, angelface," he said quietly. "I'm not going to hurt you. Why would I want to hurt anything so pretty? There isn't enough true beauty in the world as it is...it's not to be wasted."

Slipping one hand around the back of her neck, he applied a tiny amount of pressure to pull her closer. "God, you ARE lovely," he whispered fervently.

Buffy tried to speak, but she was so caught up in the moment that all she could manage was a soft whimper.

Slowly, not wanting to frighten her, he leaned down to kiss the tender skin of her throat.

Instinctively, she raised her hands to push him away before he could summon his demon to sink it's fangs into her flesh.

"No..no don't," she pleaded frantically.

He sensed her panic and pulled back from her.

"How old are you?" he asked.

"S..seventeen...almost."

"Just a baby," he murmured, then narrowed his eyes. "Are you a virgin?"

No one had ever asked her such an intimate question before. She was so embarrassed that she didn't know whether to run away or stand there and burst into tears.

"Yes," she finally said, her voice almost in audible.

His eyes kindled with new heat. "Wonderful," he muttered.

She honestly couldn't tell if he was pleased or not by her admission. "Does..does that mean you don't want to...to..." She couldn't make herself say it.

"Oh, no," he said. "It doesn't mean I don't want to. I definitely want to." One finger gently smoothed back a lock of her hair. "What it DOES mean, is that I'll need to be very gentle with you when I do."

~~~~~~~~

And when you come my heart will be waiting
To make sure that you're never alone
There and then all my dreams will come true dear
There and then I will make you my own...

~~~~~~~~

Buffy pressed her head back into the un yielding stone, as she stared into the eyes of a vampire who had all but just told her that he intended to be her first lover.

"I don't understand any of this," she said helplessly.

"I know," he replied, tracing his finger across her cheek. "I'm not sure I understand any better than you do. But, I DO know that I want you...I've wanted you from the minute I first saw you dancing."

He moved a little closer, his lips almost on hers. "I want you to dance with me." His voice was low and rife with seduction. "Here.in the moonlight."

Buffy's lips parted on a sigh, her eyes drifting closed.

"Will you dance with me, angelface?" William asked, brushing her cheek lightly with his lips.

"Yes," Buffy whispered, not opening her eyes, desperate not to disturb the magic that was happening here. "I'll dance with you...."

~~~~~~~~

And every time I touch you
You just tremble inside
And I know how much you
Want me...that you can't hide...

~~~~~~~~

He brought his mouth down on hers with a tenderness she would never have expected from one of his nature.

Cupping her face in his hands, he swept his thumbs over the warm skin of her cheeks as he kissed her.

She didn't even TRY to fight him off, too completely undone by the feel of his mouth moving against hers.

Her head was spinning, keeping a frantic pace with her heartbeat.

Have I ever been kissed before tonight? Why can't I remember? Not one single time...not one single kiss...

Her thoughts once again fragmented. They tumbled through her mind like a kaleidoscope, forming brief and colorful patterns, and then shattering to pieces.

You never told me about this Giles. You told me about death and blood and unredeemable evil...and the monsters that would try to kill me. You taught me how to deal with them...but you NEVER taught me how to deal with this...

She mentally shrugged. She's have to figure it out for herself.

Moaning softly, she began to return Williams's kiss with a passion she'd never dreamed herself capable of.

Breaking away for an instant, his mouth found the soft skin below her ear. "Mmm..I love that sound you're making."

He tangled his fingers in her hair, holding her in place while he covered her face with moist, hard kisses, before returning to her lips.

The kiss deepened, becoming even more intimate, as he parted her lips with his tongue and slipped it inside her mouth to find hers.

Releasing his hold on her hair, he wrapped his arms around her tiny waist, molding her upper body against his.

She responded instantly. Moving her arms up and around his neck, she tilted her head slightly, changing the angle of the kiss.

When she couldn't go another second without breathing, she broke away and panted for air.

His mouth trailed across her cheek, seeking the vulnerable flesh of her throat, easily locating the place where the blood pulsed visibly.

Once again, she tensed, wondering if she was about to be taught a harsh lesson on the stupidity of trusting a vampire, even a beautiful one.

"Relax, angelface," he whispered against her neck as he kissed and nuzzled it, one hand moving to stroke her hair. "I swear I won't hurt you."

When he felt her soften in his arms again, he was forcibly struck by a sudden realization. He couldn't hurt her...even if he'd wanted to. She was simply too soft and warm and sweet to even think of harming.

As he buried his face in her hair, he couldn't help comparing her to Drusilla. Buffy smelled of sunshine and flowers and life.

Drusilla smelled only of blood and death.

Buffy's body was deliciously rounded and firm, and glowing with health. Her full breasts pressed against his shirt front, driving him insane with the desire to bare them to his touch and his kiss.

Dru was thin and fragile, and he was afraid to hold her too tightly. Her body seemed almost boyish these days, as the flesh seemed to melt from her bones.

Buffy tasted of strawberries, ripe and warm from the sun. Her small even teeth were white and perfectly formed, her little tongue as curious as a kitten's when it explored his.

Drusilla hadn't kissed him in months. Hadn't even wanted to. Had actually turned her face away when he had tried, pleading exhaustion.

He loved Drusilla...he truly did. But..but how could he not love this beautiful girl in his arms, this angel who looked up at him with trusting eyes and responded so naturally to his advances?

How could any man hold her..touch her..and not love her forever?

As his tongue traced the throbbing artery beneath her skin, she moaned weakly and slipped her hand behind his neck, pressing him down harder.

"Deeper," she begged in a whisper, not really sure what she was asking for.

But he seemed to know. She felt him hesitate, then said "No" against her skin.

A soft sound of disappointment died in her throat when she felt him sucking hard on her flesh, not breaking the skin, and she knew she'd have a bruise there tomorrow.

Before her muddled mind knew what he was doing, she felt him deftly undoing the first few buttons of her blouse.

She panicked again, and grabbed hold of his wrists to prevent his hands from roaming any further.

"It's all right, angelface," he soothed her. "Don't be frightened."

His hands released their grip on her blouse and moved away. lightly skimming over the sides of her breasts.

She gasped, her eyes wide with surprise.

"See?" He smiled. "It feels good, doesn't it?"

Her shining eyes told him that it did.

"It can be even better," he promised. "Let me show you."

With another gentle kiss, he returned his hands to the fastenings of her shirt. Moving quickly, before she could change her mind, he pulled the garment open to reveal the full mounds of her breasts, encased in white lace and satin.

"Lovely," he whispered, twisting open the front clasp of her bra, baring her skin to the cool air and his heated gaze.

Before she could even think to form some sort of protest, he lowered his head and pressed a lingering kiss on each hard nipple.

"Oh...oh, God," she moaned, as her head dropped back a little. The ground fell away from beneath her, as her entire body shivered with chills, then flushed with fever...as though it couldn't make up it's mind.

His tongue traced wet circles around the rigid peaks, and he didn't know what he liked more...the feel and taste of her sweetness, or the sounds of pleasure he was coaxing from her.

She could feel him begin to pull back. Not wanting the icy hot thrill to end, she tangled her fingers in his silky blonde hair, pressing him down harder on her tingling skin.

"Mmm..you're so pretty," he whispered, his hands sliding up her back. "You smell so good, and your skin is so soft...so warm."

"Oh, don't stop," she pleaded, her mind racing with one thought...

"Don't worry. I won't," he vowed. Pulling the sides of her blouse together, he slipped one arm behind her back and the other behind her knees, picking her up and holding her tightly against his chest.

Capturing her mouth with his, he began to turn in a circle, slowly at first, then faster, until she pulled away and let her head fall back, laughing like a child on a merry-go-round.

"What are you doing?" she asked, closing her eyes to enjoy the dizzy rapture.

"Dancing with you, angelface," he said. "Put your arms around me."

She did as he asked, twining her arms around his neck as she laid her cheek against his shoulder.

He stopped suddenly, and kissed her long and hard on the mouth. "Do you believe in fate?" he asked.

Buffy smiled. "I don't know."

"What about...love at first sight?"

She opened her eyes and looked at him. "Are..are you saying that you love me? That's crazy, you know."

He nodded. "Maybe it is. But I don't want to be anywhere, with anyone else..but you."

Kissing her once more, he turned and carried her towards the front gate of the cemetery.

"Where are we going?" she asked, not really caring, as long as she was with him.

He smiled down at her. "Somewhere we can be alone."

"We ARE alone," she reminded him.

"Somewhere nicer."

~~~~~~~~
One more dance with you in the
moonlight...
On a magic night....

~~~~~~~~