-prologue-


~December 2003~


”Cecily, I love you. Don’t go, we can work this out!”

“No, William. There’s no point. This thing between you and me, it could never work. You’re beneath me.”



~February 2005~


“Come on, Dru, don’t be like this! Don’t leave me, I promise things will change. I love you.”

“I’m sorry, my sweet William. The stars told me it could never work between you and me. I need someone who’s…”

“What? Tell me, I can be whatever you want.”

“No, you really can’t.”



~November 2005~


“Harm, where are you going?”

“I’m going out with Wesley tonight. Did I forget to mention that? Oh, and William? It’s been nice and all but… It’s over.”



-Present Day-


“Come on William, it’ll be fun! You’re coming with us to The Bronze tonight, and I won’t take no for an answer.”

“I told you, it’s Spike now... and I’m not going!”

Xander Harris rolled his eyes. “All right, Spike, this is starting to get ridiculous. Seriously, when was the last time you went out?” Spike opened his mouth to answer, but Xander raised his hand to stop him. “And I’m not talking about leaving the house to go to work.”

Spike sighed. Xander may be his best friend, but sometimes, it was hard to remember why. He was right, of course. The thing was just that these days, Spike couldn’t really see the point of going out anymore. It was always the same; him getting drunk and picking up some random girl to spend the night with. He wanted more than that. Unfortunately, he had become painfully aware of the fact that it was just not possible.

All he had ever wanted was being loved, but he had long since given up hope of ever finding her. The girl he could spend the rest of his life with. And after being dumped the last time, he’d had enough. His so called relationships always ended up the same way. Always ending in pain and humiliation, with the feeling of being rejected and not being worthy. Spike had given up; to him, the search for The One just wasn’t worth it anymore. His already bruised heart couldn't take another woman crushing it. Along with his ego, it had become too fragile to risk again.

He didn’t know what it was about him that made it impossible for anyone to love him. He had tried to change, to be different, to be exactly the man the women wanted him to be, but it was just never enough. He was never enough. So, earlier this year, he had bleached his hair, gotten new clothes, started wearing contacts instead of the glasses and had even changed his name. He was a different person now. At least on the outside.

He had immediately noticed how people started treating him differently. All of the sudden, strange women came up to him when he was walking around town, or even at the supermarket. They seemed to like this new person he had turned himself into, and at first, it had been wonderful.

He soon came to realize that the girls he picked up wanted more than romantic dinners and snuggling on the couch in front of the telly. So, he’d given them what they wanted. And after a while, he lost counting of how many different girls he had made love to. No, not made love. How many girls he had fucked. There was a difference, one of which he soon became aware of.

After a while, he had started getting tired of it all. It was always the same; different characters but a replay of the same script. He went out, met a girl and brought her home, they would have sex a couple of times and then fall asleep. And the next morning, he always woke up alone.

So, he stopped going out. He stopped sleeping around with different girls every night, and now he was back to being a nobody. He would never admit it, of course. He told his friends that he had already fucked every girl out there who was worth the trouble. That he had better things to do than hanging at The Bronze every night. After a while, they had just stopped asking him.

Except for Xander, though. He still tried, and that was the reason Spike both loved him and hated him. Xander cared, and that just made it harder, because Spike knew he could never tell his friend the real reason why he didn’t want to go out anymore. It just hurt too much, knowing that all the beautiful girls he picked up, the girls he’d do anything for, just wanted to be with him for one reason. To use him for their own pleasure for one night, and then leave in the middle of the night without even saying a goodbye.

“Spike? Hello!” Xander waved his hand in front of Spike’s face. “Dude, I asked you a question. Where did you go?”

Silently cursing himself for not paying attention, Spike snapped out of his depressing thoughts and wondered what Xander had just asked him. “Sorry, mate. You were saying?”

Xander rolled his eyes again. He did that a lot, and Spike was starting to find it most annoying. He took a deep breath, trying not to sound too impatient. “Seriously, what was the question?”

“Never mind. Come on, man, I just want you to come out with us tonight! We’ll drink cheap beer, get really drunk and check out some hot girls. Maybe you’ll get lucky! Huh? What do you say?” Xander got a goofy grin on his face, and Spike couldn’t help but chuckle.

“I don’t know, I just… I don’t feel like going out tonight. Can’t we just…”

Xander interrupted him. “You never feel like going out anymore. What are you so afraid of?”

Spike glared at him. “Hey, take that back! I’m not afraid of anything. I just don’t feel like…” He stopped when he saw the look on Xander’s face. “What?”

Xander shrugged. “Oh, nothing. I just never realized that you’re a ponce.”

Spike stared at his friend in disbelief. “I’m a what? Since when do you insult me in British?!”

“Since you’ve become too stubborn for your own good. Ok, Spike, here’s the deal. You either accept it, or…well, you’ll just have to accept it. We’re going out tonight, and we’re going to get completely wasted. You can go back to moping and brooding tomorrow; tonight we’re gonna have fun. All right?”

Spike let out a defeated sigh. “Oh, bloody hell! All right, I’ll go. But just so you know; I’m only agreeing to this to get you off my back.”

Xander laughed, giving him a smug look. “Of course! Man, that was easier than I thought it would be! Right, I’m out of here, gotta call the guys. Meet you at The Bronze tonight at nine?” Spike nodded. “Great, see you then, bye!” With that, Xander hurried out of the apartment, leaving Spike to wonder what he had just gotten himself into.

He really didn’t want to go, but he was also tired of just sitting at home and feeling sorry for himself. All he wanted was to find a girl who would see him for who he really was, not for what he could do for them. All he wanted was to meet someone who could love him, but who could ever love a loser like him?


TBC

“Buffy, over here! Buffy!”

Buffy Summers hurried over to the red-haired girl who was waving at her eagerly, relieved to see at least one familiar face in the crowded room, and sat down next to her friend with a smile. “Hi, Willow.”

So, this was The Bronze, the best night club in Sunnydale. At least that was what Willow had told her earlier that day. Of course, the shy red head had also admitted that it was the only night club in town. Now looking around, Buffy had to admit that she was pleasantly surprised. The place was actually a lot nicer than she had expected.

Buffy had moved to this sleepy little town called Sunnydale, barely a week ago. Up until then, she had lived her entire life in LA, but after having to deal with her mother tragically passing away and her boyfriend dumping her, all in the same week, Buffy felt like she just had to get away from everything. She had decided to start over and try to push the painful memories to the back of her mind. So, here she was, ready for a fresh start and a clean slate.

She had been lucky enough to get a job right away, at a small shop called The Magic Box, specializing on selling various books and items of the occult. At first, Buffy had been a little skeptical to say the least, but since she was almost desperate and willing to take any job she could get, she had accepted the position as soon as it had been offered to her. After only a few hours, though, she began to fall in love with the strange, yet cozy little shop.

She was still a little nervous around the owner of the place; Anya Jenkins. Anya was actually a nice woman when all was said and done, but she was very blunt and outspoken, and definitely not, Buffy thought, afraid to speak her mind. Unfortunately for her, having spent the last few days in the shop with Anya, Buffy now knew more than she had ever wanted to about the other woman’s sexual life.

Buffy soon realized that the magic shop had a small circle of regular customers, one of them being Willow Rosenberg. They had started talking one day, and Buffy immediately took a liking to the girl. It didn’t take long before the two of them became friends, and now here they were, meeting up at the popular club for a drink after work.

Willow called herself a “wicca”, and was apparently very interested in learning all about witch craft, an interest she shared with her girlfriend Tara. Willow talked about Tara a lot, and it was obvious that the two of them were very much in love. Buffy had yet to meet the other girl, but she was looking forward to it. From what Willow had told her, Buffy already knew that she would like her. Hopefully, the three of them would become close friends.

They were sipping on their drinks, talking and laughing comfortably, when they were interrupted by a beautiful dark-haired girl who had pushed her way through the crowd to sit down next to them.

The girl barely looked at Buffy before turning to Willow. “Hi, Willow! Wow, that’s a really nice shirt you’re wearing!”

Willow looked skeptical. “Really? You like it?”

The other girl rolled her eyes and snorted. “No. I’m just trying to be polite here!”

“Oh.” Willow nodded like that was just what she had been expecting. Then she seemed to remember that she wasn’t alone, and turned back to Buffy. “I’m sorry, Buffy. This is Cordelia Chase. Cordelia, this is Buffy Summers. She’s new in town.”

Smiling politely, Buffy reached out her hand in greeting. Cordelia gave her a look saying she was clearly unimpressed, before finally accepting the blonde girl's hand, shaking it quickly. Then she spotted something, or more likely; someone, in the crowd and jumped up. “Excuse me! I need to go talk to some important people now. Bye!” And she was gone.

Buffy glanced at Willow, a little uncertain. “She seemed… nice.”

Willow laughed a little. “Oh, don’t let her scare you. Cordy’s ok, really. It’s just that sometimes, she can be a little… well she has a tendency to act like…”

Buffy raised her eyebrows. “A bitch?”

Willow giggled. “Yeah.”

Also giggling, Buffy swallowed down the last of the contents in her glass and jumped up. “Refill! You want?”

Willow shook her head with resolve. “Oh, no. I’ve had enough, but you should go get some more. For you, I mean. Not that I find you so boring that I have to get you drunk or anything! I just meant that… I’m babbling, aren’t I? Sorry.”

Buffy smiled. “Don’t worry. I have a tendency to babble sometimes, too. You’ll stay here and keep the table?”

Willow nodded. “Sure.”

After picking up her purse, Buffy headed for the bar. On the way over there, she passed three guys, trying not to smile as they all checked her out, none too discretely. She couldn’t help but look back over her shoulder, which resulted in her missing the chair that had suddenly been pulled out in front of her. Stumbling, she desperately tried to stay on her feet, but failed miserably and fell headlong onto the floor.

Not able to remember the last time she had been so embarrassed, Buffy grabbed her purse and tried to get up as quickly as possible. That was when a large hand appeared in front of her. “Looks like you could use a hand.”

Buffy looked up, blushing as she looked into a pair of brown eyes, belonging to a good-looking, dark-haired man. She hesitated for a brief moment before taking his offered hand and allowed him to pull her back up on her feet. “Thanks. I can’t believe that just happened. God, that was so embarrassing!” She cringed as she mentally cursed her clumsiness.

The man laughed, softly. “Don’t worry. It looked kinda painful, though. You ok?”

“Yeah. I’m fine.” Buffy wanted nothing more than to run away, preferably to the bathroom and hide there for the rest of the night, but it seemed like the strange guy had other ideas.

“I’m sorry, where’s my manners? I’m Angel. Angel O’Connor. Nice to meet you, um…”

Buffy sighed. “Buffy Summers.”

Angel smiled, widely. “Well, nice to meet you, Buffy Summers. I don’t suppose you’d let me buy you a drink?”

He looked so hopeful that Buffy almost felt sorry for having to turn him down. “Thanks, but I don’t think so. I gotta go back; my friend’s waiting for me.”

Angel looked disappointed, but nodded. “Of course. Hey, if you change your mind, you know were to find me. You and your friend are more than welcome to join us at our table.”

Buffy glanced over to were he was pointing. She noticed two young men, both very attractive, sitting at a nearby table, looking at her and Angel with interest. A third man was also sitting with them, but he had yet to look up. When he finally did, their eyes met for a brief moment. That was when Buffy's world stopped. However, he looked away almost immediately and Buffy was left to stare at his downcast head, finding herself having a hard time to breathe.

He had bleached blond hair, amazingly sharp cheekbones, and the most beautiful, piercing blue eyes. Buffy felt light-headed, for a moment almost fearing that she would pass out. He was the most gorgeous man she had ever seen!


TBC

Spike stared after the blonde girl who had been talking to Angel, seeing her quickly excuse herself and leave. She was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Had this been a couple of months ago, he would definitely have gone after her. But now, his priorities had changed. Besides, the only way any girl would ever look at him was as a potential one-night-stand – he had learned that the hard way. Surely this one wouldn’t be any different from any of the countless others he had met and brought home. Right?

As the girl moved out of his sight, Spike turned back to his friends. Angel, his face a perfect picture of annoyance, scowled at him. The other two, Xander and Charles Gunn, watched them with amusement. Spike fought to put an innocent expression on his own features. “What?”

Xander chuckled. “Oh, nothing. I just bet you’re glad now you came along tonight, right?”

Gunn let out a low whistle. “Dude, that chick was hot! You’re lucky, man!”

Angel didn’t say a word. Spike looked from Xander to Gunn in confusion. “What the bloody hell are you on about?”

Gunn grinned. “She wants you! You should go talk to her.”

Spike shook his head, firmly. “That’s bollocks! She barely looked at me, besides, she left, remember?”

“Yeah, she did. After mentally undressing you! What are you waiting for, play your cards right and you’ll be getting laid tonight!” Xander was practically bouncing up and down, and Spike glared at him.

“Not interested.”

Gunn snorted. “Whatever, man. I’m telling you, you’re making a big mistake.” Looking behind Spike, he spotted a couple of attractive girls who seemed to be heading for the dance floor. “Excuse me, duty calls!” He jumped up and hurried after them. Angel followed, the brooding expression slowly leaving his face.

Spike took a large swig of his beer, hoping that Xander would change the subject. But no, of course not, like with everything else to do with him, his friend didn't drop the bone. “What’s your problem, Spike? We’re supposed to be having fun tonight and you’ve hardly said two words to anyone, let alone any of us.”

Sighing, Spike emptied his bottle before answering. “Sod off, will ya? Told you I didn’t feel like coming out tonight. I’m not interested in shagging some daft bint who just happened to look my way. No matter how hot she is.”

Xander suddenly got a serious expression on his face. “I’ve never seen that girl before; she must be new in town. Why don’t you give her a chance? She could surprise you.” Spike opened his mouth to say something, but Xander raised his hand and went on; “You know, there are some decent girls left in the world. You just have to find them.”

Spike stared at his long time friend in bewilderment. “What are you…?” Then he shook his head, as if to clear it. “Let me get this straight. You think I should go talk to her?” Xander nodded, eagerly. “What if she doesn’t…?”

Xander interrupted him. “I saw the look she gave you, man. Gunn’s right. She wants you. Go!”

For a moment, Spike didn’t know what to do. He really didn’t feel like being rejected again, but on the other hand, what if this girl was different? Truth to be told, even though he hadn’t even talked to her, he just felt there was something special about her. Something that made him want to chase after her and start reciting bloody poetry.

Seriously, what was the worst thing that could happen? The only thing she could do in reality was turn around and tell him to go to hell, but he was used to that. It hadn’t happened with a girl in a while though, but that was probably only because he hadn’t given them the opportunity.

He took a deep breath, and got up. “Right. Wish me luck.”

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

Willow looked relieved when Buffy finally returned. “There you are! I was starting to think you’d abandoned me… aaah!” She let out a yelp as Buffy almost tackled her to the floor.

“Willow! Who is that?”

Trying to see exactly who her friend was pointing at, Willow grimaced. “Buffy, I see at least fifty people in that direction. You have to be more specific!”

Buffy rolled her eyes, grabbed Willow’s arm and pulled her up on her feet. “Come on!” She dragged her reluctant friend with her until they came up behind a large, concrete pole. Buffy peeked around it, a look of panic on her face at first, then smiling widely as she spotted ‘her’ gorgeous man in the crowd.

“That guy over there. The one with the bleached blonde hair and leather duster. Please tell me you know his name, I’m dying here!”

Willow’s eyes widened. “Wow. I didn’t think he’d come here anymore. Haven’t seen him around in ages. You see the guy sitting next to him? That’s Xander Harris. I had this huge crush on him when we were kids, but then he stole my barbie, and…”

“That’s cute, but save that story for later? Focus, Willow! Who’s the other guy?”

“That’s William Pratt, though he goes by the name of Spike now. Don’t ask me why, ‘cause I really don't know. We went to school together; he was really nice. He was also one of the smartest guys in school.”

Buffy frowned. “Was?”

Willow shrugged. “Well, he’s changed a lot since then. He was sort of a geek, and then he turned into a hottie practically over night. I’m sure he’s still nice, though. Why don’t you go over there and talk to him?”

“No, I couldn’t. God Willow, look at him! Have you ever seen a pair of eyes so blue? And those cheekbones…” She stopped, frozen in place. “What is he doing? He’s leaving! No, he’s just going to the bar. He just passed the bar. He’s coming over here! Oh God!”

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

Spike headed for the spot where he had last seen the blonde girl. He had finally made up his mind; he would go over there and talk to her. If she seemed nice, he would offer to buy her a drink and maybe ask for a dance. He couldn’t remember the last time he had been this nervous.

He looked around the room, trying to locate the mysterious girl. Finally he saw her, standing half behind a concrete pole, looking in his direction. Spike smiled to himself as he started towards her.

Suddenly feeling a hand on his shoulder, Spike turned around with a frown. His heart sank when he realized who was standing in front of him. She was the last person he had wanted to run into tonight. He hadn’t seen her for a while, but she looked just the same, having not changed a bit. The girl failed to notice the look of irritation that crossed his face, or more likely, she had chosen to simply ignore it, certain to get what she wanted as usual, whatever that may be.

Her eyes lit up and she smiled widely as she threw herself into his arms. “Blondie-bear!”


TBC

Buffy rolled her eyes, trying not to growl in frustration as she watched how the skanky blonde practically threw herself all over her man. Of course, said man hardly knew she existed, but she had every intention of changing that. When she had seen Spike approaching her, she’d panicked at first, then mentally slapping herself for almost letting a sudden fit of shyness stop her from meeting the man of her dreams.

She knew he had seen her watching him. Their eyes had met again, and when she had started towards him, he smiled at her. Then, out of nowhere, that ho-bag had appeared and ruined everything. Who was she, anyway? His girlfriend?! For some reason, she didn’t think that was the case, and she prayed that she was right. Besides, if Spike did have a girlfriend, he would probably not smile at her like that.

But had he really? Buffy suddenly felt uncertain. What if she had been wrong? Maybe Spike hadn’t been heading towards her at all? Maybe in reality he had been smiling at someone else? She turned around, suddenly terrified that she would have to watch Spike kissing the other girl. How could she have been so stupid? Of course he wouldn’t be interested in her. She let out a disappointed sigh, and headed back to Willow.


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


Spike pushed Harmony away from him, his eyes immediately darting to where he had last seen the other girl, only to realize that she was gone. If it was possible, his heart sank even more. He turned back to Harmony, giving her a bewildered look. “Harmony, what the bloody hell are you doing?!”

Harmony pouted a little and batted her long eyelashes. “Aw, William, you’re hurting my feelings! Aren’t you glad to see me?”

Spike glared at her. “It’s Spike now. And why, pray tell, would I be glad to see you?” He looked around the room again, trying to catch a glimpse of the other blond girl, without any luck.

“Oh right, Spike. I have to tell you, that name suits you. Guess what? Tonight’s your lucky night, I’ve decided to give you a second chance!” She smiled brightly, as if she expected him to fall at her feet and thank her.

“You what?! Oh, bloody hell, I don’t have time for this...” Spike tried to get past her, but Harmony grabbed his arm to prevent him from leaving.

“How dare you treat me like this?! And why are you in such a hurry, anyway?” She noticed how he kept looking around the room. “Who are you looking for?”

Spike sighed. It was obvious that he wouldn’t find the other girl again, at least not now. He wouldn’t give up, though. But first he had to get rid of Harmony, the annoying bint.

Being with Harmony had been one of the biggest mistakes he had ever made, he realized that now. He hadn’t thought so at the time, of course. Back then, he had simply been thrilled that such a girl would even look his way. However, it didn’t take long before he realized that the only positive thing about Harmony was the outside, if even that. She had been one of the most popular girls in school, but she was not very sharp.

The sex had been good, he supposed, but that was pretty much it. And he suspected that she hadn’t exactly been faithful to him during their short, so called relationship. Eventually, she had gotten tired of him and dumped him for another guy.

And now, here she was, telling him that she was willing to give him a second chance. It would almost be funny, if he hadn’t been so desperate to get away from her.

“That’s hardly any of your business. Look Harmony, you’re the one who dumped me, remember? I haven’t seen you for more than a year, and I’d liked it that way. After the way you treated me, you don’t have the right to…”

Harmony interrupted him with a snort. “Come on, Spike, you can’t blame me for that! You were a geek back then; you should be thankful I stayed with you for as long as I did. But you’re different now, I can tell. Why don’t we just go to the bar, then you can buy me a drink and…”

Spike stared at her in disbelief. “Are you daft?! I’m not going anywhere with you, just sod off!” He turned around to leave, but Harmony wasn’t done.

“So, who is she? She’s gotta be something, considering how you’re ditching me to go find her.” Spike spun around again, opening his mouth to speak, but she ignored him and went on; “Just tell me; what makes you think she would ever be interested in you? Or that anyone would be, for that matter? You’re nothing, William! Changing your name doesn’t change who you are, and you’re still the pathetic loser you’ve always been.”

Spike tried not to let her hurtful words get to him, but suddenly he felt uncertain. Was it possible that Harmony could be right? Was it stupid of him to think that it had meant something, the way the other girl had looked at him? Had he been wrong about her?

Seeing the worried look on his face, Harmony smiled to herself. This was almost too easy. “Think about it, will you? If you change your mind about wanting to buy me a drink, I’ll be at the bar.” With that final comment, she left, leaving Spike to look after her in defeat.

What was he thinking?! Of course he had been wrong. There was nothing special about that girl, she would just treat him the same way girls always treated him. So, maybe he would ‘get lucky’, as Xander so nicely had put it, but then she would leave, like all the others. She would probably be willing to go home with him, maybe even stay the night, but then what? He wanted more. Right, like that would ever happen!

With a sigh, he made up his mind and headed for the exit. He would get out of here, just go home and pretend this night had never happened. He felt a little bad about leaving without telling Xander, but he knew that if he would, the questions and objections would never stop.

He looked around the room one last time, noticing the large number of couples up on the dance floor. They all looked so happy, so much in love. He wanted what they had. He wanted it so badly, it hurt.

Deciding that he’d had enough torment for one night, he left the club and headed for the parking lot. Just when he was about to get into his car, he felt a small hand on his arm.

“You’re leaving?”



TBC

Buffy had no idea what it was that had possessed her to do what she had just done; she was shocked – to say the least – by her bold act. Beyond depressed, convinced that Spike could never be interested in her, she had told Willow that she wasn’t feeling well, and left the club.

And when she crossed the parking lot, she saw him, about to get into his car and leave. He was all alone; no skanky blonde in sight. Suddenly panicking at the mere thought of never seeing him again – which was ridiculous and not very likely, since Willow already knew who he was – she rushed over to him without even thinking.

Walking up behind him, she put her hand on his arm to prevent him from getting into the car. “You’re leaving?”

To say that Spike was surprised to see her would have been a huge understatement. She was just about the last person he had expected to see out here. Wait, she had just asked him a question, right? What was that again? “Um…”

Buffy noticed the confused look on his face and blushed. Stuttering nervously, she hurried to explain herself; “I just… I mean, I’m sorry to bother you. It’s just that I saw you at the club, and… I was actually leaving, I wasn’t stalking you or anything! Oh God, I’m so bad at this. I’m just gonna go… sorry!” She turned around to leave, more embarrassed than ever, but Spike grabbed her arm to stop her.

“Wait! Don’t go. I mean, it’s not safe out here. Let me walk you to your car.”

Buffy stopped, looking down at her feet. “I don’t have a car. I was just gonna walk home.”

Spike frowned. “Oh. Where do you live?”

“Revello Drive. It’s…”

Spike interrupted her, an incredolous look on his face; “I know where that is. It’s on the other side of the bloody town! You can’t be serious about walking there at this hour. How did you get here?”

“I got a ride with a friend. The other side of town? Really? It didn’t seem that long on the way over here.” Buffy finally looked up at him, smiling shyly.

Smiling back, Spike was amazed at how beautiful she was. “Well, actually, town’s not that big. But still, you shouldn’t be walking. Get in the car, I’ll give you a ride.”

Buffy hesitated. “I don’t wanna be any trouble. It’s ok, really. I’ll just…”

“No trouble, luv. I’m going in that direction anyway.” Spike was relieved when she finally nodded.

“All right, thank you. I’m Buffy, by the way. Buffy Summers.” She reached out her hand in greeting.

“God, I’m such a git! Sorry, completely forgot my manners. I’m Wi… Spike.“ He accepted her hand and shook it.

Buffy pretended not to notice his little slip, already knowing his real name. She remembered what Willow had told her, and was starting to get more and more curious about getting to know him. “Nice to meet you, Spike.” She smiled gratefully as he walked around the car and held the door open for her.


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

Xander had just finished his third beer when he realized that he hadn’t seen Spike for almost an hour. Maybe he’d left with that cute little blonde girl. Gunn had also taken off a while ago, with one of the girls he had met on the dance floor. What was her name again? Oh right, Winnifred. And Angel was still over by the bar, kissing a girl Xander vaguely remembered from back in high school – Cordelia Chase.

He was starting to get bored and decided to leave, when suddenly a good-looking brown-haired girl he had never seen before sat down next to him. She looked at him, expectantly. “This seat’s taken?”

Xander smiled politely, already changing his mind about leaving. “It is now. Hi, I’m Xander Harris. Can I buy you a drink?”

The girl returned his smile, brightly. “Yes, that would be great. I’m Anya. Anya Christina Emanuella Jenkins. I’ve been watching you for a while, you’re very nice to look at.”

Xander blinked in surprise, not knowing exactly how to respond to that. “Um…thank you? You’re not so bad-looking yourself. What can I get you?”

“Just a beer would be nice. But hurry back, will you? I think we should dance at least once before we go home together. Your place or mine?”


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

“So, this is me. My place, I mean. Thanks for the ride, it was really nice of you.” Buffy and Spike were standing just outside Buffy’s door.

Spike gave her a small smile. “My pleasure. Um, Buffy, would you like to…” He stopped, suddenly uncertain. He had just been about to ask Buffy if she wanted to go out with him some time, but it suddenly seemed like a very bad idea.

No, scratch that; it was a terrible idea. What was he thinking?! First of all; he had just met the girl, and of course she wouldn’t want to go out with him. Girls didn’t want to date him; all they ever wanted was a quick shag before they would run off to date guys who actually mattered to them.

For some reason, this girl seemed to be different, though. They had talked constantly in the car on the way back here, about just everything, and she had smiled at him a lot. Buffy had made it seem like she actually enjoyed being in his company, but she was probably just grateful for the ride. Why would someone like her be interested in him? She probably already had a boyfriend, anyway.

But wait, she had told him she was new here in town, and she had definitely not mentioned any boyfriend when she had told him a little about herself in the car. It didn’t matter, though; he knew that he would never be considered good enough for someone like her.

Now he noticed Buffy looking at him in confusion, clearly waiting for him to finish the sentence. “Would I like to... what?”

Spike hesitated, not knowing what to say. Much to his irritation, he chickened out; “Nothing, never mind. I should probably get going. It was nice meeting you, Buffy. Good night.” He completely missed the disappointed look on her face as he turned around to leave.

Buffy felt like screaming; she had been totally convinced that he was about to ask her out just then, but obviously, she had been mistaken. Spike was definitely interested in her, of that she was sure, but suddenly, it seemed like he just couldn’t get away from her fast enough. And now he was leaving, without even asking for her phone number?! No way!

“Spike, wait!” The words were out of her mouth before she knew what she was going to say, she just desperately wanted to stop him from going. Thankfully, he did stop, turning slightly to look at her over his shoulder.

“Um… Listen, I understand if you don’t want to, but…” Buffy swallowed, nervously. Why did this have to be so hard? The worst thing that could happen would be him rejecting her. She took a deep breath, and finally went on; “I’d like to see you again.”



TBC

Buffy stood in front of the bathroom mirror, finishing her make-up. She checked her watch for the fiftieth time; Spike would be there in less than fifteen minutes to pick her up for their first date. She still had a hard time believing that she had actually asked a guy out, but as the saying went, there was a first time for everything.

She had been so afraid that Spike would reject her, that he wouldn’t be interested in seeing her again, but he had actually seemed happy that Buffy had asked, in fact, almost relieved. A part of her found that to be a little strange, though. Relieved about what? That he didn’t have to be the one to ask her out? That really didn’t make any sense.

Spike was the hottest guy she had ever seen; she was fully convinced that he had tonnes of women standing in line to date him. He should be used to the attention, seeing how he could probably get whoever he wanted, but for some reason, he just didn’t seem to be aware of how incredibly attractive he was. Buffy knew it wasn’t just her; she had seen first hand how the women at The Bronze had acted around him.

Was it possible that someone who was so amazingly gorgeous as Spike could really be insecure? Buffy shook her head, as if to clear it. They had talked all the way home last night, but she realized that for all their conversation, she didn’t really know him at all, and oh, how she wanted to. She wanted to know everything there was to know about Spike, and in turn, Buffy wanted him to know everything about her.

Or maybe not everything; there were certain things about her life that she really didn’t feel like sharing with anyone, not even Spike. Like her ex boyfriend Riley, for example, and how he had cheated on her for weeks before finally dumping her. He hadn't even had the decency to tell her face to face. No, he had called her, telling her over the phone that he didn’t want to date her anymore.

As if that hadn't been bad enough, his timing couldn’t possibly have been any worse. Just a couple of days before Riley had dumped her, Buffy had found her mother dead on the couch. Aneurysm, the doctors had told her, she had died immediately, probably without any pain. God, how she hated that word, ‘Probably’. What if the doctors had been wrong, what if her mother had been in great pain? All alone and afraid?

So, Riley left her when she needed him the most. He had told her that he still wanted them to be friends, but Buffy had just snorted, telling him to forget it. She would never be able to forgive him for his thoughtless actions. Sure, it wasn’t Riley’s fault that he didn’t love her, but it was his fault that he was a cold-hearted jerk. She hadn’t seen or talked to him again after that last phone call, and three weeks later, Buffy had left LA for good.

That was almost a month ago now, still not very long, but for the first time since Riley had left her, Buffy actually felt ready to start dating again. But she knew she would not have felt like that, had it been any other guy taking her out, it was all because of Spike. For some reason, he just made her feel special, without really doing anything at all. It was the little things he had already done for her; how he had held the car door open, the way he smiled at her, and how…

Suddenly, her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door bell. Spike had arrived! Buffy hurriedly ran the brush through her long hair one last time and rushed to open the door.


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

Spike took a deep breath, not wanting Buffy to see how nervous he really was. He still couldn’t believe he was actually taking her out on a date and that it had been her idea. He had wanted to ask her out, of course he had, but he had been too afraid that she would reject him. Luckily for him, it definitely seemed like he had been wrong about that.

However, he had no idea what to expect from her, she had simply told him that she wanted to see him again and he had suggested dinner and a movie. He had been a little uncertain about what she would think of that, but amazingly enough, she seemed to be thrilled, much to his great relief. He had not been out on a real date for a long time, not because he didn’t like taking girls out, but the fact was, the girls he had met so far had clearly had other ideas about how they wanted to spend their time with him.



~flashback~


“You wanna go out tonight, luv? We could go to The Bronze or something.”

“I don’t know, Spike. I really don’t see the point of going there. How about I’ll just come over to your place?”



He had soon learned that the girls preferred coming to his place, since that meant they could just sneak out and leave when they were done. Not that he didn’t enjoy the attention; hell, he wasn’t stupid. He knew that most women found him attractive, and he enjoyed the sex as well. He was a guy after all. For just once, though, it would be nice not to wake up alone the next morning.

Spike wondered if Buffy expected him to take her back to his place after dinner. Sure, she hadn’t mentioned anything like that, but he had come to realize that she was a bit shy. Maybe she would be disappointed if he wouldn’t invite her back with him. Just because she was shy didn’t mean she didn’t want to sleep with him. Cause that was what girls wanted from him, right?

Although, maybe Buffy really was different, maybe she actually wanted to get to know him. Maybe Xander was right after all; there could still be some decent girls out there. Perhaps Buffy was even one of them. Well, only one way to find out, he decided. He had been standing outside her door for a moment, lost in his thoughts, but now he finally reached out and rang the door bell.

He could hear footsteps coming from inside, coming closer before the door swung open and Buffy stood in front of him. He couldn’t help but smile at the sight of her, she was just as beautiful as he remembered from last night. Smiling brightly at him, she happily accepted the single red rose he had brought her, lifting it delicately to her nose.

“It’s beautiful, thank you!” She leaned over and placed a soft kiss on his cheek, then froze with the realization of what she had just done, before lowering her eyes and blushing prettily.

Spike tried not to chuckle, finding her sudden shyness adorable. He realized that she was probably just as nervous as he was, and with that thought, he finally managed to relax. “What do you say, pet? Wanna get out of here?”

Buffy nodded, eagerly. “Lead the way!”


TBC

“Oh my God, this has got to be the best thing I’ve ever had in my mouth!” Buffy licked some of the whipped cream off the spoon, happily munching on her ice cream sundae, and let out a blissful sigh.

Spike smiled at her, trying not to let his frustration show. Seriously, was the girl trying to kill him? Buffy let out a little moan of pleasure, and he felt himself getting almost painfully hard. Then she picked up her napkin to wipe away a little bit of chocolate sauce at the corner of her mouth, and Spike felt his mouth watering, wishing for a moment that he could be the one to lick it off for her instead. Funny how she seemed to be completely oblivious to how much her innocent actions affected him.

Dinner had been absolutely perfect so far, and now they were enjoying their desserts in a comfortable silence. Or, to be more accurate; Buffy was. Because Spike was too busy enjoying the sight of her, watching in fascination how she seemed to devour her ice-cream with an almost agonizing pleasure.

Spike was having a great time, and he had a feeling Buffy felt the same way. They had simply been talking for hours while having dinner, no awkward moments at all, not a single one. He had told her a bit more about himself, as had she. So far, he had learned that she worked at the Magic Box, a small shop he had never heard of. Also, he had told her about his job at the Sunnydale library, something he usually didn’t like to talk about much. He actually did enjoy his job, but it didn’t really go well with his new, bad boy image now, did it?

Buffy had told him that she’d had a boyfriend back in LA and how their relationship had ended just before she moved to Sunnydale. She hadn’t gotten into any specific details about it, though, and he hadn’t asked. However, he did tell her that he hadn’t been in a serious relationship for a while, leaving out the large number of girls he had been with over the last year. He wasn’t stupid; he knew that no girl would appreciate hearing such a thing on their first date. Besides, it wasn’t something he was very proud of, either.

Seeing the look their waiter was now giving them, Spike decided that it was time to ask for the check and waved his hand to catch the man’s attention. It had been almost an hour since their last order and he and Buffy had finished their desserts a while ago. Not that he wanted the night to end just yet; it was going too well to do so and if it was up to him, he would definitely keep her for a few hours longer. However, knowing from previous conversation that Buffy had to get up early the next morning to open up the shop, he forced back a sigh while signing the slip that magically appeared in front of him. Unfortunately, by the look of things, the evening was almost over.

“What do you say, pet? Wanna call it a night? It’s getting late.” He noticed the disappointed look on her face before she covered it with a forced smile. Obviously, she didn’t want the night to end either. Interesting...

“Yeah, sure. Do you mind if I just go to the bathroom first?” Buffy tried not to sigh in disappointment; she had known all along that the night had to end eventually. She just couldn’t remember the last time that she had enjoyed a night out so much, every moment with Spike had been fun. They had laughed and joked and gotten to know each other better, and the more she had gotten to know him, the more she liked him. She also suspected that the feeling was very much mutual.

“Of course not, luv. Go ahead, I’ll wait right here.” Buffy nodded and left, leaving Spike to ponder about what to do next. He really wanted to see Buffy again, maybe he should just ask her if she wanted to get together again some time. What amazed him the most was that although she was obviously attracted to him, she hadn’t indicated even once that they should sleep together. She had seemed happy to just be with him, on all accounts, actually enjoying his company.

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


Twenty minutes later, Buffy and Spike were once again standing outside her apartment, neither seeming to want to leave. For a brief moment, Buffy wondered how Spike would react should she just lean over and kiss him, but she immediately dismissed the thought. It was way too soon for such an intimate act; after all, they had only just been out on their first date.

Buffy pondered the thought of inviting him in, just for a cup of coffee or something. That would be innocent enough, right? She could tell that Spike was reluctant to leave, and she was desperate to keep him around, even if it was just for a little while longer. She took a deep breath and gave him a soft smile. ”Um, would you like to come inside?”

Spike stared at her in surprise, not sure of what to say. Suddenly he had no idea what she expected from him, now that she had asked him in to her apartment. There could only be one reason for that, right? She wanted them to do more than just talk, but was obviously too shy to bring it up herself.

Well, he was Love’s bitch after all, and he was already willing to do just about anything for Buffy. Not that he didn’t want to have sex with her, hell, he wasn’t completely daft. The thing was just that he hadn’t seen it coming. He hadn’t expected Buffy to be the kind of girl who was willing to go so far on the first date. The thought that maybe she just didn’t want him to go just yet never even crossed his mind.

“Sure, pet, I’d love to.” He was rewarded with a bright smile, and he followed her inside.

About five minutes later, Buffy had given him the tour, relieved that her small apartment had been at least somewhat decent and that she hadn’t left anything embarrassing, like her underwear, lying about somewhere. “That’s it. You like?”

Spike nodded. “Yeah, it’s great. Listen Buffy, I…” Their eyes met and he stopped, not sure of how to continue. He wanted to tell her how much he had enjoyed their date, and really wanted to see her again, but suddenly he became very uncertain. What if he had been wrong, maybe she had just been after this all along? Well, in that case, who was he to refuse? He would just give her what she wanted.

Buffy watched as Spike took a step closer, holding her breath. Was he going to kiss her? She closed her eyes as he reached out and gently cupped her cheek, placing a soft kiss on her lips. She let out a small moan as she happily returned the kiss, hungrily.

The world seemed to stop and for a brief moment, nothing else existed but the two of them. Buffy slid her arms around Spike’s neck, feeling him hugging her closer and leaned into his touch, almost desperately. All of the sudden, she became aware of his hardening erection, and froze in her tracks. Suddenly realizing how far they were about to go, she pulled back in panic. “Spike, wait!”

Spike let go of her immediately, a confused look on his face. “What’s wrong, luv? I thought this is what you wanted.”

Buffy took a step back, desperately trying to resist the urge to just jump him and continue where they left off. She took a deep breath. “It was... but I can’t do this now, it’s too soon. I can’t believe I almost…” She let out a horrified gasp. “Oh, God, I’m a slut!” Spike opened his mouth to object, but Buffy went on with her nervous ramblings; “We’ve just been out on one date for crying out loud! This is so wrong. Oh God…”

Spike tilted his head to the side, his face a mixture of hurt and confusion. “Buffy, I thought…” He swallowed. “You don’t wanna sleep with me, do you?”

Buffy stared at him in shock. “What? No! Are you kidding me?! We hardly know each other yet, I can’t believe you’d think…” She felt tears welling up in her eyes, not wanting to believe that Spike had only been interested in her for one reason; sex. Suddenly, she just wanted to break down and cry, but she managed to choke out; “I think you’d better leave now.”

Spike looked disappointed, but nodded in defeat. “Right, whatever you want. I’ll just… I’m sorry.” Letting out a miserable sigh, he hurriedly left the apartment, leaving Buffy to wonder how she could have been so completely wrong about him.


TBC

Spike downed his beer with a sigh. He knew he was being pathetic, sitting all alone in a bar, still drinking beer after beer at 1.30 in the morning. Although, it had seemed like a good idea at the time. He’d gone straight to The Bronze after leaving Buffy’s place, spending a couple of hours grumbling and muttering about daft bints and their sodding mixed signals.

Eventually Xander, who unfortunately had been the one working in the bar that night, had had enough of Spike’s drunkenly ramblings and told him to either stop whining or go home.


~3 hours earlier ~

“This is ridiculous, Spike! It was just a misunderstanding, it’s not the end of the world! So you screwed up? Go back there and apologize to Buffy. Tell her that you care about her and that you’re not just after getting into her pants.”


“No, can’t go back, she threw me out, remember? This thing, whatever it was, is over. It never would’ve worked anyway. Let’s just face it, I’m too fucked up to be in a relationship.”

At midnight, when Xander’s shift was over, he'd offered to give his friend a ride home, but Spike had declined. Now, almost two hours later he was still there, still drinking and still feeling sorry for himself. He’d been wrong, he knew that now. Buffy really had been different. She'd actually enjoyed his company and had liked him for who he was, and Spike had ruined everything. Every slight chance he’d once had of them ever getting together for real. All because of his damned stupid insecurities.

But, he just wasn’t used to girls being serious and caring about him, wanting to take things slow. Inviting him inside had obviously been a totally innocent act from Buffy’s side, but how was he supposed to have known that? Something like that had never happened to him before, whenever a girl asked him to come into her apartment it always meant that she wanted them to sleep together.

And now Buffy thought that he was the one who wanted nothing more from her than a one-night-stand. Nothing could’ve been more wrong, the whole situation was so fucked up, it would've almost been funny, that is to say, if Spike hadn't been so depressed by it.

He liked Buffy, really liked her. They hadn’t known each other long, but there had been something, a spark, there from the beginning. They’d both felt the same way, he knew it. It was ironic really, all he’d ever wanted was to find someone who would like him for who really he was and when he finally did find someone, find her, he messed everything up.

Having had enough of the self-loathing, he was just about to order himself another beer when someone sat down next to him. He glanced over at the blond girl now sitting beside him, and almost growled. And I thought that this night couldn’t possibly get any worse. “Oh, bollocks! You.”

Harmony rolled her eyes, throwing her hair over her shoulder. “Nice to see you too, Blondie-bear.”

Spike cringed at the ridiculous nick-name, glaring at her. “Stop calling me that, you stupid cow!”

“Don’t yell at me. You don’t have to be so mean!” Harmony wiped away a tear, looking down at her hands.

Hating to see a girl, any girl, cry, Spike sighed. “Oh, bloody hell, will you stop that! I’m sorry, ok? I was rude, I just had a really bad night, I shouldn’t have taken it out on you. Let me buy you a drink?”

Harmony lit up a little, nodding eagerly. “Ok. That’s not why I’m so upset, anyway. Parker dumped me tonight, can you believe it? I gave him the best couple of…weeks of my life!”

Knowing first hand what Harmony was like, he was amazed that anyone could stand being around her for a couple of days, let alone weeks. Sure, they’d been together for almost a month, but she’d gone out a lot, with her friends she’d said but he knew better now, giving him some well-needed space. The only reason he’d been going out with her at all, was that it was better to have someone, anyone, than to be all alone. Or so he’d thought.

So she’d been going out with Parker, and yet she’d been going on about wanting to give him another chance last night? Not that it surprised him, she’d never been much for just one man at the time. She seemed really upset now though, and he didn’t know what to say to her. “It’ll be ok.”

Sniffing a little, Harmony looked at him, a hopeful look on her face. “Yeah? Because I’m really such a wonderful person and I deserve the best and will find the right guy some day?”

“Um…” Spike wasn’t sure how to describe Harmony, but knew that ‘wonderful person’ was the last expression he’d use. “Right…”

He looked at his watch, realizing that it was past 3 in the morning, and that he was supposed to be at work in less than five hours. “Well, it’s been… nice, but I gotta go.” He got up and was about to leave, when Harmony let out a miserable whimper. “What’s wrong?”

Harmony sighed, more tears welling up in her eyes. “Oh, nothing. It’s just that I was supposed to sleep at Parker’s place tonight since my room-mate’s having her boyfriend over. I have nowhere else to go.”

Spike didn’t know what to do. He really needed to go, but he couldn’t just leave Harmony here all alone and miserable. It was the William-part left in him, not able to see a girl, even one as annoying as Harmony, suffer. He took a deep breath, sure that he’d end up regretting his decision later. “If you want, you can stay at my place tonight.”

Harmony let out a squeal, throwing herself in his arms. “Oh my God, that is so sweet of you!”

Rolling his eyes, Spike pushed her away. “You’ll sleep on the couch, and you better be gone when I get back from work.”

Pouting a little, Harmony finally gave in and sighed. “Whatever.”


TBC

As Buffy entered the Magic Box the next morning, a part of her wished she could just go home again, crawl back into bed and stay there for the rest of the day. She had hardly slept at all last night, and now she could feel a huge headache coming up. But on the other hand, if she did so, then she would have nothing else to do but lay there and think. And that was something she desperately wanted to try and avoid doing today.

Buffy still had a hard time believing that Spike had just been using her, that he really didn’t care about her at all. Sure, they had only known each other for a couple of days, but he had seemed so honest with her, so sincere. She supposed it was true that you could never really know a person.

A strange noise, coming from the storage room, suddenly interrupted her thoughts. Buffy froze in her tracks. Was there someone else here? The front door had been locked, so it could hardly be a burglar. She was the one who was supposed to open up the shop this morning, there shouldn’t be anyone else here at this hour.

Slowly, careful not to make any sound, Buffy crept on her toes over to the closed door leading to the storage room and stopped outside, unsure of what to do next. Then she thought ‘what the hell’, and pushed the door open.

“Hey! You ever heard of knocking?!”

Buffy stood frozen in place, watching how her boss – no, make that her naked boss – was straddling a dark-haired man, who was just as naked and for some reason looked vaguely familiar. Suddenly realizing that she was staring, Buffy gasped and immediately covered her eyes with her hands.

“Oh my God, I’m so sorry! I’ll just…oh my GOD!” Buffy ran out of the room and closed the door behind her. She couldn’t believe she had just walked in on Anya like that, they were having sex right here in the shop for crying out loud! Oh God, how embarrassing!

Buffy grabbed a dust rag and started sweeping it over the already clean counter, desperate for something to do. How would she ever be able to look Anya in the eyes again after this? How was she ever supposed to look at the other woman at all, without picturing… aargh!

She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down, as the door to the other room opened again, and the man, now wearing a pair of pants and a sweater, came out with a goofy grin on his face. “Hi. Buffy, right?” Still too embarrassed to speak, Buffy could only nod in response.

“Right. Anya told me about you. Sorry ‘bout that, hope we didn’t scar you for life. I’m Xander, by the way. Xander Harris.”

Buffy smiled a little, starting to relax. “No, it’s ok. I was just…surprised. It’s not every day you walk in on… something like that.” She blushed, not able to get the word ‘sex’ out of her mouth.

Xander laughed, and Buffy decided that she already liked this guy. Then he became serious, looking at her thoughtfully. “You know, we’ve seen each other before, though I’m not sure you remember. The other night at The Bronze?”

So, that’s why he had seemed so familiar. Because she had seen him at The Bronze. The other night, when… Realization hit her, and her face fell. “You’re Spike’s friend.”

Xander nodded. “Yeah. Listen, Buffy, I talked to him last night, and…”

Buffy raised her hand to stop him. “I don’t wanna talk about this.”

“I see.” Although Xander wasn’t about to give up. “He was really upset.”

Snorting, Buffy glared at him. “I bet he was! Upset that I found out what his intentions really were. You know, I really liked him. And all he wanted was…” She wiped angrily at the single tear, rolling down her cheek.

“Okay...” Xander hesitated for a moment before he went on; “First of all; I happen to know that Spike likes you as well, a lot in fact. He told me what happened, and I can’t blame you for thinking what you do. But you’re wrong about him. Using you like that would be the last thing he’d do, believe me.”

Buffy looked at him, a hopeful look on her face. “But he wanted to…”

Xander interrupted her, shaking his head. “He only did what he thought you wanted.”

Staring at him in disbelief, Buffy shook her head, firmly. “That doesn’t make any sense! I never said anything about…” Then she hesitated. “Did he really think that I…?” Suddenly she didn’t know what to think.

Taking a deep breath, Xander quickly made up his mind, silently praying that Spike would understand. “Look Buffy, there are a few things you should know...”

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


A couple of hours later, Buffy entered the Sunnydale Library. It was a small building, with bookcases and tables all over the place. She looked around, searching for some sign of life, but there was no one in sight. She called out softly. “Hello? Anyone here?”

She jumped at the sound of a throat being cleared behind her, and spun around. A man in his early forties, wearing glasses and a tweed jacket, stood in front of her. “Hello. I’m Rupert Giles, the librarian. But you can just call me Giles. How can I help you, miss…?”

Buffy smiled a little. “Nice to meet you, Mr… Giles. I’m Buffy Summers. I’m looking for someone who’s supposed to work here. Spike?”

Giles looked confused for a moment before shaking his head. “I don’t know anyone with that name… oh, you must be referring to William!”

Buffy nodded, eagerly. “Yes, William. Is he here?”

Shaking his head again, Giles gave her a sympathetic smile. “I’m terribly sorry, Miss Summers... Buffy was it?” She nodded again and he went on; “William called in sick this morning, he said he wasn’t feeling well. He should be at home, though, if you want you can borrow the phone and call him from here.”

Letting out a disappointed sigh, Buffy looked at him pleadingly. “I really need to talk to him face to face. You don’t happen to know where he lives, do you?”

Giles hesitated a little, then nodded. “Of course. Let me write the address down for you.”

Buffy waited as Giles disappeared into the next room, and came back a moment later with a small piece of paper in his hand. “Here you go. Tell William I said hello, and that I hope he’s feeling better.”

“I will, thank you.” Buffy gave him a grateful smile and left the library, the piece of paper in a tight grip and a determined look on her face. It was time to go talk to Spike.


TBC

Spike sat up in bed with a start, wondering what had woken him up. He immediately regretted the fast movement, suddenly convinced that his head would explode. Bloody hang-over! He had woken up a couple of hours earlier, realizing there was just no way he would make it to work today. After stumbling through the apartment in a search for the phone, he had called in sick and headed straight back to bed.

As he had hurried through the living room, he had almost panicked at the sight of the sleeping blonde, snoring lightly on the couch. Then the memories from last night returned to him, and if possible, he had immediately felt even worse. Too tired at the time to figure out a way to get Harmony out of his apartment, he had chosen to simply ignore her, hoping she would be gone the next time he woke up. Then he had gone back to sleep.

The door bell. That’s what had woken him, he suddenly realized. Bloody hell, who could possibly be coming here, at... – he sleepily checked his watch – ...one-thirty PM?! With a sigh, he struggled to get out of bed and slowly headed for the door. As he passed the couch in the living room, he was relieved to see that Harmony was nowhere to be seen. Thank God for small favors!

He opened the door, and froze in his tracks. Outside was the last person he would ever have expected to see again. “Buffy?” She didn’t smile at him, but at least, she didn’t yell or punch him in the face, either. “What are you doing here?”

Buffy seemed to be nervous. “I’m sorry to just show up like this, but I went to the library and Giles said you were sick. Are you ok?”

She looked genuinely worried, and Spike was strangely touched by her concern. He gave her an assuring smile. “I’m fine, luv. Just suffering the aftermath of way too much beer last night.”

Buffy nodded in understanding, looking down at her feet. “Spike, I…”

He interrupted her, taking a step back. “Wanna come in?”

Nodding again, Buffy entered the apartment, and he silently thanked whatever powers that might listen that Harmony had already left. He didn’t even want to think about how Buffy would react if she had spotted the other girl on the couch. Not that anything had happened last night, but he suspected that Buffy would find that hard to believe.

“Can I get you anything, pet? Juice? Coffee?” She shook her head ‘no’. “Right.” He cleared his throat. “Mind if I…?”

She smiled a little. “My mom always used to say hang-overs make you feel exactly the way you deserve.”

Spike chuckled. “Yeah? Well, she’s probably right.”

Still smiling, Buffy suddenly remembered why she had come, and her smile faltered a little. “Spike, we need to talk.”

Sighing, Spike nodded in agreement. “You’re right, we do. Question is, are you gonna let me explain my actions last night, or were you planning to just start yelling at me?” He smiled, but there was a serious note in his voice.

“Spike, I…” Buffy hesitated, not exactly sure how to go on. “Can we sit down?”

He nodded and gestured for the chairs by the coffee table, for some reason not wanting to sit on the couch where Harmony had been sleeping.

They sat down, and Buffy went on. “I, um, talked to Xander earlier today. He told me some things about your... past.”

Spike closed his eyes, mentally cursing his friend. “Oh, bloody hell! What did the whelp tell you?”

Buffy looked him right into the eyes. “He said that… you’ve been sleeping with a countless number of women over the last year…”

Cringing in embarrassment, Spike wished Xander was there so he could kick his ass. “Buffy, if you’d just let me explain…”

Buffy went on, ignoring his interruption; “He also told me those women mostly used you…for sex.”

Grimacing, Spike looked down at the floor. “Way to make me sound like a pathetic ponce.”

Sighing, Buffy glared at him. “That’s not what I meant. Spike, I need to know. Last night? Did you think I invited you into my apartment just because I wanted to sleep with you?”

Spike wouldn’t meet her eyes, and mumbled something inaudible. She frowned. “What?”

He sighed. “Yes. Look, I’m sorry, all right? I know I was wrong.” Now it was her turn to mumble something, and he gave her a questioning look. “Buffy?”

Buffy swallowed before looking at him again. “I said, you’re not completely wrong. I did want to sleep with you.” His face fell, and she hurried to explain. “No, you’re misunderstanding me. That’s not the reason I wanted you to come inside last night. I just didn’t want you to leave, that’s why. I wanted to get to know you better, before we… I mean… God, I’m bad at this!”

He opened his mouth to object, but she raised her hand to stop him. “Please, just let me… Spike, I like you. A lot. Do you like me?” He nodded, suddenly too stunned to speak. She smiled a little, clearly relieved. “Good. Good. Okay, the reason I freaked out last night was because I realized you wanted to… you know, and I wanted it too, but it’s too soon.”

Spike nodded, eagerly. “I know, I feel the same way. I really wanted to ask you if you wanted to go out with me again some time, but then I thought…” Her rolled his eyes. “I’m a stupid git, all right?”

Buffy looked at him in confusion. “A what?”

“A ponce.” Realizing that she still looked just as confused, he rolled his eyes again and went on. “Point is, I’ve been in relationships before, and…”

She interrupted him. “Spike, I’m nothing like them. You’re way too good for those heartless bitches.”

He stared at her in disbelief, then let out a snort. “Is there anything about me that Xander hasn’t already told you?”

Smiling a little, Buffy reached over to take his hand. “I admit, he told me a lot. But I want to hear it from you. Whatever you feel like telling me, of course. Can we start over?”

Truly amazed, Spike squeezed her hand softly and gently cupped her cheek. “There’s nothing I’d like more.”

Buffy gave him a bright smile and leaned over to place a soft kiss on his cheek, this time without blushing. Before she could pull away, Spike slid his arms around her and brushed his lips against hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck and returned the kiss with a happy sigh.

Suddenly the door bell rang again, and Spike pulled back with a groan. “Oh, bloody hell, now what?!” She giggled at the disappointed look on his face, and he gave her a stern look. “I’ll get rid of whoever it is. Don’t you dare move!”

She nodded, firmly. “Got it.”

He kissed her one more time, before reluctantly getting up. He glanced at Buffy over his shoulder and smiled at her as he opened the door. “All right, this better be…” He became silent, staring at the person standing in front of him.

“Hi, Blondie-Bear! I just wanted to say thank you for last night!”


TBC

"Hi, Blondie-Bear! I just wanted to say thank you for last night!”

Spike closed his eyes, realizing how this must look. Why was this happening to him?! For the first time in his life, things were finally starting to look up, and then everything had to go tits up again. He didn’t dare to look at Buffy, didn’t want to see the disappointed look on her face. No way would she believe that he hadn’t slept with Harmony now. And just what the fucking hell was she doing here, anyway? Just to say ‘thank you’? Not bloody likely.

“Harmony, this isn’t a good time. Would you please leave?” He was amazed at how calm he sounded. Why did he have to be so incredibly stupid last night and let her stay over? Sure, he’d been drunk, but he really didn’t think Buffy would accept that lame excuse.

Unfortunately, Harmony didn’t take the hint. “But I thought we could go out for a coffee or something.” She looked over his shoulder into the apartment, and spotted Buffy who had walked up behind Spike. Her eyes narrowed. “Spike, who the hell is that?”

“I’m sorry, are you stupid or something? He asked you to leave, why are you still here?” Buffy glared at Harmony, immediately recognizing her from the other night at The Bronze.

Harmony stared at Buffy in shock. “Hey! Who the hell do you think you are, bitch?!

Finally snapping out of it, Spike decided that enough was enough. “You don’t get to talk to her like that. Now get out!” Ignoring Harmony’s objections, he then closed the door in her face.

Prepared for a fit of rage, he looked down at the floor, not wanting to meet Buffy’s eyes while she told him to go to hell before walking out of his life for good. He wanted to tell her that nothing happened, but surely she wouldn’t believe him, anyway. So he just stood where he was, quietly, waiting for her to make her move.

When she finally spoke, her words weren’t what he’d been expecting. “What happened last night after you left my place?”

Spike was surprised, but still didn’t look up. “What do you think happened?”

“Why don’t you tell me?” Buffy sighed. “Spike, look at me.” He obeyed, and she took a deep breath before she went on; “Did you sleep with her?”

He snorted, although he didn’t expect her to believe him. “Of course not!”

She looked relieved, and – much to Spike’s surprise – nodded in acceptance. “Good.”

The next words were out of his mouth before he even realized he had been speaking. “She did spend the night here, though. On the couch.” Oh bollocks! Why did he have to tell her that?!

”She, what?” Buffy’s eyes widened, her face a mixture of hurt and confusion. “Why? Spike, who is she?”

Spike sighed. “Name’s Harmony. She’s my ex. Unfortunately. Ran into her last night at The Bronze, she came up to me, by the way, not the other way around. She was upset because her boyfriend had dumped her, and I just felt sorry for her, I guess. But nothing happened, Buffy, I swear!”

He sounded so desperate, Buffy almost felt sorry for him. Almost. But she wasn’t ready to let this go just yet. “I believe you when you say nothing happened. But if this thing between you and me is going to work, then we need to be honest with each other.”

Spike grimaced. “What you’re saying is, I need to be honest.”

She shook her head, firmly. “No, I mean both of us. But I’m not the one running around inviting my skanky exes over to spend the night.” Then she smiled a little, surprising them both. “You know, I saw her at The Bronze the night we first met. I hated her.”

Spike looked at her in confusion. “Why? You didn’t even know who she was back then.”

Blushing, Buffy looked down at her feet. “No. But she was touching you.” She practically spat the word out, then looked up at the sound of him chuckling. “What?”

He looked amused. “You’re telling me you were jealous?”

Buffy glared at him. “You wish!” She saw the doubtful look on his face, and gave in. “Yes.”

Suddenly getting serious, Spike took a step closer. “Buffy, can you really forgive me? I’m not just talking about Harmony, I’m talking about what happened the other night, too.”

Buffy frowned. “I thought we’d already agreed to start over.”

“I know, it’s just that…” He hesitated. “Well, I thought maybe after what just happened, you’d changed your mind.” He looked miserable, and Buffy couldn’t possibly stay mad at him.

“No, I haven’t. But from now on, I’m the only girl who’s allowed to spend the night here, all right?” Realizing what she had just indicated, she blushed again. “Not that I would assume… I mean… Oh God!”

Relieved beyond words that Buffy wasn’t still mad at him, Spike couldn’t help but smile at her. “I know what you meant, luv. Look, I know we still have a lot of talking to do, but how ‘bout we do that later and just get out of here? You hungry?”

She frowned. “Well, I did kinda skip breakfast this morning. Why?”

He grabbed his coat. “’Cause I’m taking you out for lunch, that's why.” A pause. “We can come back here later and talk if you want.”

Buffy nodded. “Sure, that sounds good. But before we have lunch, there are some people I need to talk to.” She hesitated for a moment. “And I’d really like for you to come with me.”

”Yeah? All right.” Spike gave her a curious look. “Where are we going?”

She smiled a little. “You’ll see. There’s someone I need to thank, and someone else I’d like for you to meet.”

It was obvious that she wouldn’t tell him more, so he just shrugged. “Right. Wanna go right now?”

Buffy nodded, eagerly. “Yeah, might as well, I’m starving. Can we have pizza?” She looked so hopeful, Spike knew he would’ve agreed on just about anything to make her happy. “Sure, pet. Anything you want.” He was rewarded with a huge smile and a soft peck on the cheek. Grabbing her before she could pull back, he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her close. She seemed a little bit surprised, but hugged him back. He cleared his throat. “Buffy, I really care about you. You know that, right?”

She looked him deep into the eyes before nodding. “Yeah, I know. It’s weird; it feels like we’ve known each other for years. I can’t believe we just met a couple of days ago.”

“I know.” He was amazed that she actually seemed to feel the same way he did.

Buffy finally let go of him, somewhat reluctantly, and headed for the door. Then she glanced at him over her shoulder. “Come on, we better get out of here.” She paused. “Oh, and I hope you’re okay with discussing the best way to the perfect orgasm.” She giggled and hurried out through the door, leaving Spike to stare after her in bewilderment.


TBC

“He’s hot. Very attractive. I bet he’ll give you many amazing and satisfying orgasms.” Anya was practically licking her lips, nodding in approval as she gave Spike the look-over, obviously liking what she saw.

“Anya!” Buffy was beyond embarrassed and glared at the other woman. Thankfully, she had already warned Spike about Anya’s bluntness, otherwise he would probably be running for the door by now.

Spike gave Anya a wary smile, then glanced over at his childhood friend. “So, this your new girlfriend, mate?”

Xander looked at Anya nervously before turning back to Spike. “Actually, we haven’t really discussed…”

Anya interrupted him, a bright smile on her face; “Oh no, we’re not really together. Not yet, anyway. We’re just having sex. Great sex, I might add. But if things turn out the way I hope, then we’ll probably get married and have many, many children.”

Spike couldn’t help but chuckle as he watched his friend getting a bit pale at Anya’s words. Although Anya didn’t seem to notice, as she went on; “We were just about to head out for lunch. I always get hungry after having multiple orgasms. You guys should come too; it’ll be like a double date! Right, Xander?”

“Yeah! You should definitely come. Please?” Xander looked from Spike to Buffy, a pleading note in his voice.

Buffy had to suppress a giggle, seeing the almost terrified look on Xander’s face. He’d obviously had no idea what he was getting himself into when he had started sleeping with Anya. Then she frowned. “Wait, if we’re both leaving, then who’s gonna watch the shop?”

Anya waved her hand in dismissal. “Oh, Tara’ll take care of that. She’s the one who watched the cash register today when you ran out to chase after your hottie here. She used to help me out here sometimes, before you started working here.”

Buffy’s eyes widened as she recognized the name. “Tara? As in Willow’s girlfriend, Tara?”

Anya nodded. “Yeah, they’re gay. Very nice, too. Want me to introduce you to her?”

“Sure!” Buffy had been curious about Tara ever since Willow first started talking about her, and she couldn’t wait to actually meet her. She was about to follow Anya out into the shop, when Spike grabbed her arm to stop her.

“Wait, you know Willow? Willow Rosenberg?”

Buffy laughed a little. “Yeah. Funny story, really. She’s the one telling me about you in the first place. She said you two went to school together.”

Spike nodded. “Yeah, haven’t talked to her in a while, though. Shame, really, she’s a nice bird. But we don’t exactly hang in the same circles anymore.” He looked a little embarrassed.

“I get it. But you’ll come with me and meet her some day, right? Willow’s been wonderful to me since I got here, I really like her.” She gave him a hopeful look.

He smiled. “Sure pet, I’d like that. But for now, how ‘bout we’ll just go meet Tara and then get out of here?”

Buffy nodded in agreement. “Absolutely. Just gonna grab my purse.” She walked over to the small table where she had left her purse, grabbed it and hurried to follow Spike out of the room. What she failed to notice was the small object that fell out of the bag and landed on the floor.

*~*~*

Buffy had to admit, having lunch with Xander and Anya hadn’t been nearly as bad as she’d expected. Anya had thankfully kept her outspoken comments to a minimum, and Xander was both nice and funny. She found herself actually enjoying their company, and also knew that Spike was glad that she got along so well with his friend.

However, when Anya had suggested that they should all go see a movie together later that night, Buffy and Spike had politely declined. Instead, they decided to rent a couple of movies and watching them at Spike’s place, just the two of them.

After leaving the video store, Buffy eagerly dragged Spike to the grocery store to get some popcorn and ice cream. He offered to pay, but since she didn’t want him to have to pay for both the movies and the snacks, Buffy quickly pulled her wallet out of her purse before he could object. As they left the store, she went to put her wallet back, and frowned.

“That’s weird. I can’t find my cell phone.” They had reached Spike’s car, and Buffy immediately emptied the contents of her purse in the front seat. “It’s not here. I must have dropped it somewhere.”

Spike gave her a concerned look. “Think you could’ve just left it at your place this morning?”

Shrugging, Buffy tried to remember the last time she’d had it. “I don’t know. Maybe. Mind if we swing by there before we go to your place?”

“Of course not, luv. I’m sure you’ll find it.” He gave her an assuring smile as he turned the car key around and drove out of the parking lot.

*~*~*

Willow entered the Magic Box with a smile, immediately walking over to her girlfriend. “Hi, sweetie! How was your day?” She slid her arms around Tara’s neck and leaned in for a deep kiss. Tara returned the kiss happily before pulling back, a somewhat concerned expression on her face. Frowning, Willow gave her a worried look. “What’s wrong, baby?”

Her girlfriend bit her lip, thoughtfully. “Oh, it’s just that Buffy must have dropped her cell phone here before she left. I know it has to be hers, because I found it under the table where she put her purse...” Tara stopped when she noticed the surprised look on Willow’s face. “What?”

Willow looked a little disappointed. “You met Buffy?”

Tara frowned at the other girl’s reaction. “Yeah. She was here before with this really gorgeous guy. Spike? Anyway, Anya introduced us before they went out for lunch. Why? You’ve talked about Buffy so much, I thought you wanted us to meet?”

Suddenly feeling very stupid, Willow smiled a little. “Of course I do. I guess I just wanted to be the one to introduce you two, that’s all. I’m sorry, I’m being silly.”

Tara smiled at her, placing a soft kiss on Willow’s lips. “Just a little.”

Willow giggled. Then she realized what Tara had said, and her eyes widened. “Wait, did you just say that Buffy was here with Spike?” Tara nodded. “Oh my God, I’m so happy for her! You should’ve seen her the other night; she just couldn’t stop talking about him.

“Well, I can’t blame her, he seemed like a really nice guy. They were both nice, I liked them.” Tara’s smile suddenly faltered a little. “I think maybe we should try finding her, though; her phone’s been ringing constantly all afternoon.” She held up the small cell phone so Willow could see for herself. “Look at this, twelve missed calls, it could be really important.”

*~*~*

“Okay, I’m just gonna look for my phone and grab a couple of things, be right back!” Buffy called the last part over her shoulder as she ran towards the front door of her house, leaving Spike to wait for her in the car.

She pulled out the key from her pocket and was just about to unlock the door when she suddenly heard the sound of footsteps behind her. Thinking it had to be Spike, she spun around with a smile on her face. Although the smile quickly disappeared and her eyes widened as she recognized the man stepping out of the shadows. “Oh my God.”

“Hi, Buffy.”

The tall, blond man smiled at her and tried to give her a hug, but she quickly took a step back, staring at him in disbelief. “Riley?!”



TBC

Buffy stared at her ex boyfriend in shock. “Riley, what the hell are you doing here?!”

Riley looked a little annoyed for a moment, like he’d actually expected her to be happy to see him, but he quickly recovered and laughed a little. “What do you mean ‘what am I doing here’? I’m here to see you, of course.” A pause. “Wow, Buffy, how long has it been, a month? I’ve missed you.”

He smiled that special smile that always used to make her knees go weak. Now, she just found it annoying. He’d missed her? Was he for real? Buffy took a deep breath, forcing herself to stay calm. “Riley, how did you find me?”

Riley got a proud expression on his face. “Oh, I called Hank. He told me you’d moved here.”

Buffy stared at him in disbelief. “You called my father?”

He shrugged. “Well, yeah. I came here a couple of hours ago. You weren’t home, so I decided to wait outside. I tried calling your cell phone, but you didn’t pick up.”

Her eyes widened. “You’ve been waiting outside my house for hours?! Are you crazy? What if I hadn’t showed up at all, you’d just hang around here all night?” Buffy was starting to feel dizzy. Why was this happening to her? Why did Riley have to come here? Everything had been going so well today. If only she hadn’t forgotten her stupid cell phone, then they would’ve gone straight to Spike's place, and…

Oh God, Spike! Who was still sitting in his car, waiting for her. Oh God!

Riley pretended not to notice her irritation and smiled, softly. “You would have to come home sooner or later, sweetheart. And I have to say, you were definitely worth waiting for. You look great.”

“Oh, please!” Buffy rolled her eyes at Riley’s lame compliment. What the hell was she going to do? She had to find a way to get rid of Riley, before…

“Buffy? Everything okay, pet?”

Damn it!

Riley spun around, looking at Spike in confusion before turning back to Buffy. “Who’s that?”

Walking up to stand beside Buffy, Spike glared at Riley, giving the other man the look over. “I could ask you the same thing, mate.”

Okay, this was bad. Very bad. Buffy closed her eyes for a moment, wondering what to do. She definitely didn’t want any trouble, but she had a feeling Riley wouldn’t just give up and walk away. Oh well, it was worth a shot. “Riley, you should go back home.”

“Riley, eh? This your ex, luv?” She nodded, cringing inside. Spike didn’t look happy at that statement, not that she could blame him.

Riley turned his attention to Spike, obviously not pleased with the fact that a strange man knew who he was. “And you are?”

Suddenly getting a smug look on his face, Spike took a step closer to Riley and reached out his hand in greeting. “Name’s Spike. Buffy’s new boyfriend.”

Buffy had to roll her eyes at the possessive note in Spike’s voice. A part of her was pleased, of course, and by the look on Riley’s face, he had definitely not seen that coming. “Excuse me?”

She decided it was time to step in. “Look, Riley, I don’t know what you want, and to tell the truth, I don’t really care. Now, if you don’t mind, we have plans for tonight.” Buffy gave Spike a questioning look. “Shall we?”

Spike looked from Riley to Buffy, torn between wanting to stay and find out what this wanker wanted, or getting Buffy as far away from him as possible. Deciding that the latter would have to do for now, he nodded and put his arm protectively around Buffy’s shoulders.

“I mean it, Riley. Go home.” With that, Buffy turned around to walk away, followed by Spike who glared at Riley one last time.

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


The drive to Spike’s place went by in silence, and when he had finally turned off the engine outside his apartment and they stepped out of the car, Buffy still hadn’t said a word. Spike was getting closer to panicking by the minute. “Buffy? Talk to me, luv? Please, you’re killing me here.”

Buffy seemed to snap out of it and shook her head, as if to clear her thoughts. “I’m sorry. Did you say something?”

Spike walked up to her and took her hand, trying to get her to look him in the eyes. “Why do I get a feeling there was a bit more to this breakup then what you’ve been telling me?”

Sighing, Buffy stubbornly kept looking down at her feet. “Probably because there was.” She paused. “Spike, please, do we have to...? I don’t wanna talk about this right now.”

She tried to take a step back, but Spike wouldn’t let her. “Did he hurt you? I mean, as in hitting you?”

Buffy looked up at him in genuine surprise. “No! No, of course not. He just…” She sighed again. “Please, can’t we just…”

He interrupted her. “No, we bloody well can not just! Dammit, Buffy, you’re the one who said we had to be honest with each other.” Spike was both frustrated and starting to get desperate. Why wouldn’t she talk to him? She’d told him that Riley had dumped her, but what if she still had feelings for the wanker?

What if seeing Riley again would make Buffy realize she was still in love with him after all? Then she would leave him, just like the all the others. He should have known this had been too good to be true. He wasn’t ready to just give up yet, though, and gave Buffy a pleading look. “Buffy, please, if you’re gonna leave me, at least…”

“Whoa! Hold it right there!” Buffy’s eyes widened at his words, and when she looked at him, she realized that he looked terrified. She put her hand on his arm. “Spike, no. God, how can you even think...” Quickly, she made up her mind. “Okay, look, I’ll tell you everything you wanna know. I just don’t want this to ruin things tonight more than it already has. I just wanted tonight to be perfect. I’m sorry.”

Spike suddenly didn’t know what to think. “What are you saying, pet?”

Buffy gave him a soft smile, and took both his hands in hers. “I thought it was obvious how I feel about you. I don’t want Riley, God! He’s a jerk, and being dumped by him was the best thing that ever happened to me, because if he hadn't, then I never would’ve met you.” She suddenly looked shy. “Spike, I want us to be together. I know we haven’t known each other long, and maybe it won’t work out. But maybe it will. I’m ready to take my chances. If you are, that is?”

Too stunned to even speak, Spike could only nod in response. Buffy let out the breath she had been holding, letting out a relieved laugh. “Oh, thank God!”

Chuckling a little, Spike pulled her into his arms. Buffy leaned into him, closing her eyes as he tightened his grip around her. Caught in his embrace, she sighed happily as her lips met his.


TBC

Buffy let out a small ‘eep’ as Spike scooped her up in his arms, although she didn’t object as he carried her towards the bedroom. Half way there he suddenly stopped, hesitating. “Buffy, are you sure…”

Fearing that he might let go of her, Buffy clung to him desperately. “I’m sure.” She looked him deep in the eyes, trying to make him see how serious she was.

Looking relieved, Spike gave her a soft smile and kissed her gently. “You wanna…?” She nodded, eagerly.

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


Riley’s eyes darted around the sleazy pub for a moment before he walked up to the bar, waving his hand to catch the bartender’s attention. The sloppy looking man behind the counter gave him the look over and snorted. “Think you’ve come to the wrong place, buddy.”

Ignoring his comment, Riley held up a twenty dollar bill. “Willie, right?” The man reached for the money, but Riley quickly pulled his hand back. “Uh-uh. First I need some information.”

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


Buffy and Spike were snuggling comfortably on the bed, both still fully dressed. Buffy giggled as Spike nuzzled her hair. She could really get used to this. Although a part of her was happy about the fact that they were taking things slow, she couldn’t help but get more and more excited, not to mention aroused. Suddenly aware of his hardening erection, she realized that she wasn’t the only one.

Feeling his jeans get tighter by the minute, Spike squirmed a bit to get more comfortable, and failed miserably. He glanced at Buffy, who had been watching him with an amused expression on her beautiful face.

Buffy lowered her eyes, shyly. “You wanna… um…we could…” She blushed, suddenly not able to get the words ‘get undressed’ out of her mouth. It wasn’t like she’d never had sex before, but for some reason, this felt like her very first time, all over again. In a way it was, she figured. She’d only been with Riley before, and the way she’d felt about him hadn’t even been close to how she now felt about Spike, after just a few days.

Seeing how nervous she was, Spike couldn’t help but smile. He knew exactly what she wanted, though. “You want us to take off some clothes, pet?” She nodded, gratefully. Though he was desperate to get his jeans off, Spike didn’t want to scare her by just ripping his clothes off like he had no self control at all. He wanted the first time with Buffy to be perfect, even if it killed him.

Spike also suspected, judging by Buffy’s shy and somewhat uncomfortable behavior, that she wasn’t very experienced. The idea that she hadn’t been with too many men before him made him happy, but he didn’t want to embarrass her by asking her about it. He couldn’t help but wonder if she’d ever had someone going down on her before.

Leaning over to kiss her one more time before they took things a bit further, Spike closed his eyes as he let his tongue slowly slide into her welcoming mouth. Then he gently pulled Buffy’s shirt over her head and let it drop to the floor.

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


“Information, you say? And what makes you think I could, or even want to help you?”

Riley glared at Willie, refusing to let the other man stare him down. “For one thing, I know they call you ‘Willie the snitch’. Let’s just say I’ve been asking around. From what I’ve heard, you can dig up information about everything, or everyone in this town, if the price is right.”

Willie didn’t look too impressed. “And just how much are you willing to pay? A twenty? I don’t know what you’re after, buddy, but that won’t even give you information about the way to the nearest grocery store.”

Gritting his teeth, Riley reached into his inner pocket, and pulled up his wallet.

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


“Oh God, that feels so good!” Buffy moaned with pleasure as Spike’s hands slowly wandered over her upper body. Their clothes were nowhere to be seen as they curled up close together under the covers, exploring every inch of each other. Well, almost anyway.

“God pet, you’re beautiful...” Spike couldn’t get enough of looking at her, still having a hard time to take in the fact that this amazing woman actually wanted to be here, with him, in his bed. He placed a soft kiss on her stomach, causing her to giggle. Smiling, loving the sound of her giggling, his hand went down to gently caress her thigh. “This okay, luv?”

She nodded, eagerly. “Spike, please don’t…” Buffy’s eyes snapped open as she felt how Spike froze in his tracks and immediately let go of her.

Spike pulled back, trying to figure out what he’d done wrong. “Buffy, I’m sorry, I didn’t… I thought you…” His nervous ramblings got interrupted by a soft kiss, and he relaxed a little. “What’s wrong?”

Buffy shook her head, smiling sweetly. “Nothing’s wrong, honey. I just…” She noticed the amused look on his face. ”What?”

“You called me ‘honey’.

Blushing – for what seemed like the fiftieth time today – Buffy looked away, shyly. “Do you mind?”

Did he mind? Was she serious? Spike chuckled, pulling her back into his arms. “Don’t mind a bit, luv. You can call me whatever you want.” Then he frowned. “Just nothing too poncy.”

Buffy giggled. “Since I have no idea what that means, I think I’ll settle for ‘honey’ for now, just to be on the safe side.” Then she remembered something. “Oh, and what I was going to say before you interrupted me was...” Buffy placed his hand low on her stomach. “...Spike, please don't stop touching me.”

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


“So we’ve got a deal or what? You get a hundred dollars now, and the rest when you’ve given me the information I want.” Riley raised his eyebrows in question, hesitating for a moment when Willie held out his hand without a word. “Not so fast. Before I give you the money, I wanna hear you say it.”

Willie rolled his eyes. “Of course. We’ve got a deal. Happy now?”

Riley glared at him. “I’ll be happy when I get what I’m paying for.”

“Just tell me one thing.” Willie looked at Riley, a curious expression on his face. “This about a girl, right?”

Not answering at first, Riley just turned around and started walking away. Then he mumbled – more to himself than to Willie; “Isn’t it always?”



TBC

The shrill sound of a phone ringing caused both Buffy and Spike to jump. Buffy groaned in frustration. “You have got to be kidding me! Any chance we could just ignore it?” She giggled as Spike nibbled at her neck before sighing and pulling back.

“Bloody hell! Now what?!” He rolled over to reach for the phone on the bedside table, giving Buffy a nice view of his well-shaped, naked ass. She let out a ‘mmm’ in approval, only to smile innocently when he glanced over his shoulder and gave her a questioning look.

“All right, whoever this is, it better be important!” Spike practically growled into the phone, causing Buffy to roll her eyes and giggle. It was just something about him that made her feel both like a love-sick schoolgirl and a grown-up woman at the same time. She had never felt anything like this before, and it was wonderful.

Buffy couldn’t believe how lucky she was to have met someone like Spike. Things had been going really fast, but she couldn’t be happier. For some reason, she felt like they had known each other forever and not just for a few days. She realized there were still a lot of things they didn’t know about each other, things that would have to come out in the open sooner or later, but right now she just didn’t care.

She really wasn't looking forward to explaining her relationship with Riley, for one thing. Her mind actually cringed at the thought of that conversation. Buffy knew that come the morning, Spike would want to know the full details, with absolutely no skimming over the less happy times.

Oh well, after all, I was the one who brought up this whole ‘let’s be honest’ crap in the first place. I should’ve known it would come back to bite me in the ass, she thought, somewhat bitterly.

“Xander? What are you…? All right, listen mate, this is really not a… Oh. Right, I’ll tell her.” A pause. “Look, we were just… Never mind. Thanks for calling, bye!” Spike hung up before Xander got the chance to object, quickly throwing the phone aside and crawled back into bed. He wrapped his arms around Buffy. “Now, where were we?”

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


“That was really nice of you to come all the way here just to tell us that Buffy left her cell phone at the Magic Box. Now, please leave.” Anya said the last part with a bright smile, gently pushing Willow and Tara towards the front door. The two girls just looked at each other, rolling their eyes, but Xander looked horrified at Anya’s behavior.

“Anya! That’s rude!” He gave Willow and Tara an apologetic look, but they just smiled.

“That’s okay, we’re sorry to just show up like this. It’s just that we couldn’t reach Buffy, and neither one of us had Spike’s number and we knew that you guys are friends so we figured you’d be here and…” Willow blushed a little. “I’m babbling, sorry. I tend to do that… sometimes.” She casted a nervous look at her girlfriend, who nodded in agreement.

“Don’t you wanna stay for a cup of coffee or something?” Xander looked from Willow to Tara. “We have…”

“Xander!” Anya interrupted him, an incredulous note in her voice. “What are you doing?”

Xander turned to Anya in confusion.“Well, unlike you, I’m trying to be polite here.”

“Aw, that’s sweet, but we were right in the middle of something, remember?” Anya made a gesture with her hands, putting one finger into her other hand and pumping it up and down.

Xander chuckled nervously, glancing at Willow and Tara who obviously had a hard time trying not to burst into laughter. Tara took pity on Xander and decided to save him from the awkward situation. “Thanks, but we really have to get going.” They said their goodbyes quickly, and left Anya’s apartment giggling madly.

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


Buffy tried to hold back a yawn, failing miserably, and Spike smiled. “Tired, pet?”

Waving her hand in dismissal, Buffy shook her head. “No, of course not. I could be up all night.” She yawned again, causing Spike to chuckle and place a soft kiss on her nose. She frowned. “Nice, but what was that for?”

Spike smiled again. “You’re adorable.” As Buffy giggled, he cocked an eyebrow. Although he was pretty certain that she was not laughing at him, his past insecurities were still very hard to overcome. “What?”

“Oh, nothing.” She paused. “It’s just funny to hear you use a word like ‘adorable’, that’s all. In fact, I think it’s sweet.” Buffy's eyes swam with amusement at Spike’s scowl.

He quickly turned his face away in embarrassment. “M’not sweet!”

Buffy giggled even more, then stopped abruptly at the look he gave her and pretended to zip her lips closed. “Right, of course not.” Another yawn. “Dammit!”

“Wanna sleep for a couple of hours, luv?” Spike tilted his head to the side. “Bit knackered myself, been a long day and all.”

Considering his words for a moment, Buffy finally gave in, nodding gratefully. “When you put it that way, sleeping sounds really good. But what about…?” She blushed, hoping that he would understand what she meant.

He did. “We got the rest of our lives for that, yeah?” Buffy smiled, and he hurried to add; “Not that I’m saying we have to wait forever, just saying. We got time, right?”

“Of course.” Buffy snuggled close to him, pulling the covers over them. “Good night, Spike.”

“Night, luv. Sweet dreams.”

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


“This is good. Better than good, it’s perfect.” Riley looked through the papers again, grinning widely. He had hoped that Willie would be able to dig up something about Spike that he could use to get Buffy away from him, but this, this was better than he had ever imagined. Willie had also worked surprisingly fast; having found the information Riley was now holding in his hand after merely a couple of hours. Imagine what the guy could dig up in a week! But this was quite enough for now. Riley filed the snitch away in his mind; it wouldn't hurt to stay in touch with a reliable contact such as the bartender. He might just be useful again some time.

“Then I believe you owe me some money.” Willie raised his eyebrows, and held out his hand in expectation.

Riley sighed, but pulled out his wallet from his pocket. “Fine, here you go. Three hundred dollars, like we agreed.”

Willie took the money and started counting them. Riley laughed a little. “What, you don’t trust me?”

The weasel faced man in front of him did not even dignify the question with an answer. Instead he just snorted. “It was a pleasure doing business with you, buddy.” He counted the money one more time before giving Riley a nod and left to serve a customer at the far side of the bar.

Riley was very pleased. Sure, this had been a little more expensive than he had expected, but it would all be worth it. Tomorrow, he would go talk to Buffy. Then it was only a matter of time before Spike would be out of the picture for good. And after that... Riley gave a self satisfied smirk. Well, after that, he would do everything in his power to make Buffy remember who she really belonged to.


TBC

Spike couldn’t remember the last time he had been this happy. At first when he’d woken up, he hadn’t dared to open his eyes. Afraid that if he did, he’d be alone. Then he’d felt the soft breathing against his neck and realized that it was real, that the beautiful woman now sleeping peacefully in his arms was here to stay.

Last night had been amazing. All he’d done was holding her, watching her as she slept, and it had been the best night of his life. At the same time he’d been terrified, terrified that it all was just a dream, that it was going to end as soon as he awakened. So he hadn’t dared go to sleep, he’d done everything he could to stay awake, so that if it all did turn out to be just a dream, he would be able to enjoy it as long as possible.

But eventually, he hadn’t been able to stay awake any longer; he’d finally given in and let sleep claim him, holding her tight like he never wanted to let her go, certain that when he awoke, she’d be gone. Only she wasn’t. He was now wide awake, and she was still here, still in his bed, still sleeping contentedly in his arms. It was almost too good to be true, but it was real.

Spike reached out his hand to gently caress her cheek, running his fingers softly through her golden hair. They’d come close to making love last night, but now he was almost grateful they hadn’t. The first time with Buffy would be worth waiting for, she was worth so much more than just a quick shag. When it finally happened, it would be something they’d both remember for the rest of their lives.

He rolled over to look at the alarm clock, careful not to wake her up. It was 8.30. He decided to get up and make Buffy breakfast in bed, letting her sleep for a little while longer. Though it was hard to get out of bed and leave her, he wanted nothing more than to just stay where he was and watch her forever. The craving for coffee finally won, however, and he let out a deep sigh before reluctantly leaving the warm bed, and the even warmer girl. His girl.

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


Buffy woke up with a frown, looking around the room in confusion. Then she remembered where she was, and smiled widely to herself. She was at Spike’s place, in Spike’s bed. She rolled over and buried her face in his pillow, inhaling his smell. Then she realized that she was alone, and pouted a little. The smell of fresh coffee suddenly hit her, and she smiled again.

Last night had been wonderful. At first, she’d been a little disappointed that they hadn’t made love, but at second thought, she was actually a little relieved. Everything had happened so fast; she still had a hard time taking it all in. Not that she hadn’t been tempted, hell, she’d be crazy not to be, but she wanted their first time together to be perfect. Doing it too soon could cause them to regret it later, and she didn’t want to risk that.

She also didn’t want Spike to think that the only reason she was interested in him was because of sex. Of course, she found him so hot it almost scared her; she got wet just by thinking of him for crying out loud! But that wasn’t the only reason she was attracted to him. He was just such an amazing guy, Buffy had never met anyone like Spike before.

The thought of how other girls had played with him and used him for their own pleasure, and then just thrown him away like he was nothing, made her furious. How dared they treat him like that? Spike was the sweetest, most wonderful man she’d ever met. Buffy realized that it would take some time before he really trusted her, but she could wait. She’d give him all the time he needed to see that she wasn’t like the other cold-hearted bitches he’d been unlucky enough to run into before her.

Deciding that she had spent enough time in bed and that maybe she should go see if Spike needed some help making breakfast, she quickly got dressed and left the bedroom. She found Spike in the kitchen, pouring coffee and juice in cups and glasses. His face fell when he saw her. “You’re supposed to be in bed!”

Buffy gave him an uncertain smile. “Um, good morning to you too?”

Laughing nervously, Spike walked up to her and placed a soft kiss on her lips. “Sorry, luv. Just thought I’d make you breakfast in bed is all. Didn’t think you’d be up so soon.”

Instantly melting, Buffy wrapped her arms around him, hugging him hard. “That is just so sweet. Thank you, I’ve never had breakfast in bed before.” She paused, smiling. “If you want, I can go back to bed and act surprised.”

Spike chuckled. “You do that. By the way, Xander stopped by with your cell phone, it’s on the coffee table in the living room.”

“That was very nice of him, remind me to thank him later.” Buffy gave Spike a final kiss on the cheek before heading for the living room to pick up her phone. On the way back to the bedroom, she flipped through the missing calls list and frowned. Riley had called her twelve times last night? What the hell was wrong with him, did he seriously think she’d be desperate enough to take him back?

She couldn’t believe Riley had the nerve to just show up here like that, telling her that he’d missed her and acting like nothing happened. Like he hadn’t been the one dumping her after first cheating on her for God knew how long.

Suddenly her phone beeped loudly, causing her to jump. She looked at the display and realized that she’d gotten a text message. It was from Riley. Why couldn’t he just leave her alone, what did he want now? At first she thought of just deleting the message, then she sighed and opened it.

It wasn’t a long message, just one sentence. And it made her see red. Furiously pressing the call button, she hurried into the bedroom and closed the door behind her just as Riley picked up at the other end of the line. “Buffy?”

“Riley, what the hell…?!”

Riley interrupted her. “Good; you got my message. We need to talk.”

Buffy rolled her eyes. “So you say. What makes you think I’d be interested in anything you have to say?”

She heard him sigh, patiently. “I promise; you’ll wanna hear this. Meet me at the Espresso Pump in an hour? Just listen to what I have to say, then if you want me to, I’ll get out of your life for good.”

Buffy hesitated for a moment. Seeing Riley again was the last thing she wanted to do, but if that would be the only way to get rid of him for good… “If I come and listen, you promise to leave me alone after?”

He answered quickly. “Of course. If that’s still what you want after hearing what I have to tell you, I’ll go back to LA.”

Having a strong feeling she would end up regretting it later, Buffy sighed. “All right, I’ll be there. See you in an hour.” Then she hung up, not waiting for Riley to respond. She threw the phone on the bed, burying her face in her hands. What had she gotten herself into now, and just how was she going to explain this to Spike?



TBC

Buffy entered the Espresso Pump, looking around the room for Riley, with a bad feeling at the bottom of her stomach. This was the last place on earth she wanted to be right now – she would’ve given anything to be back at Spike’s apartment – but instead, she had agreed to come here to meet up with her ex boyfriend.

God, she was such an idiot! Why couldn’t she just have told Riley to go to hell, to get back to where he came from and never contact her again? She didn’t owe him anything, and she sure as hell wasn’t interested in hearing whatever it was that he wanted to tell her.

The truth was, she had been taken by surprise when he had contacted her, and meeting him one last time so that he then would leave her alone for good had sounded like the best thing to do at the time. Now, she wasn’t so sure anymore. What if she listened to what Riley had to say, and then he still wouldn't go away?

And then there was Spike. Buffy had decided to tell him about Riley wanting to meet her as soon as she’d hung up the phone. Spike had taken it surprisingly well – he’d just told her to do what she had to do, and then come back to him. However, he’d said the last part with a pleading note in his voice, and she couldn’t help but feel bad about the whole thing.

What was she doing here? This was a bad idea, what had she been thinking? She should be at home with Spike, not here waiting for her ex. No, the right thing to do was getting out of here before Riley showed up, and get home to Spike and apologizing for leaving in the first place. Having made up her mind, she headed towards the exit. She was just about to step through the door, when…

“Buffy! There you are, I’ve been waiting.”

Buffy’s face fell and she closed her eyes in despair. Great! Not bothering to smile at Riley, she just gave him a tired look. “All right. What did you want to talk about?”

Riley on the other hand smiled softly. “You look beautiful.” Not getting a reaction from her, he sighed. “Could you at least pretend to be happy to see me?”

Buffy snorted. “I don’t lie, Riley. That’s what you’re good at.”

Having the decency to look ashamed, Riley took a step towards her. “Buffy…”

She quickly took a step back. “Don’t touch me. Just drop the nice act, Riley. What do you want?”

Riley looked at her for a moment, then obviously decided to change his tactics. “Okay, why don’t we sit down? I hope you don’t mind, but I took the liberty to order some breakfast for us.” He pointed to a nearby table. “Chocolate chip pancakes?” He smiled, clearly misreading the look she gave him. “I remember what you like.”

She crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m not hungry.”

Not able to hide his frustration anymore, Riley’s smile disappeared. “Fine. Will you just sit down and listen, then? Please?”

Rolling her eyes, Buffy walked over to the table and sat down without a word. Riley sat down next to her. He was just about to open his mouth to speak, when she held up her hand to stop him. “Look, Riley, before you say anything, I want you to listen to me. The only reason I’m here is because this seems to be the only way to get rid of you. I’m not interested in us ever getting back together again, and nothing you’ll tell me is going to change that.”

Riley look annoyed, but didn’t say anything. Buffy went on. “I’m seeing someone else now. I’m happy, Riley, happier than I ever was when we were together. And if you’ve ever cared about me at all, then you’ll just accept that, and move on with your life.”

Nodding slowly, Riley raised a brow in question. “Are you done?” Buffy nodded with a sigh. “Okay, here’s what I got to tell you. Spike’s not who you think he is, Buffy. I had someone checking him up, and…”

Buffy didn’t even let him finish the sentence before jumping up from the chair, staring at Riley in shock and disbelief. “You what?! Are you completely…!”

“Wait! Just hear me out. I’m telling you this with your best interest in mind, believe me.” Riley got up as well, putting his hand on Buffy’s arm to prevent her from leaving.

Shaking his hand away, Buffy glared at him, furiously. “Don’t touch me, you asshole! Just who the hell do you think you are, Riley?! What gives you the right to…?! God, I’m so out of here!” Before Riley could say another word, she rushed towards the door, fuming with anger.

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


Spike sat in the living room in front of the TV, trying to focus on his favorite show, Passions, but found it hard to concentrate on what went on at the screen. Buffy should’ve been back by now; she’d told him she wouldn’t be gone for more than an hour.

How could he be so bloody stupid, letting her just run off like that to see her ex? Of course, it was her decision, not his, but why did he have to pretend to be so damn understanding about it? What he really wanted to do was begging her not to go, but that wouldn’t be very manly now, would it?

He wasn’t a complete git, he knew Riley wanted Buffy back. But he also knew that he should trust her; Buffy was his girl now; she didn’t want Riley anymore. Surely, she’d come bursting through the door any minute now. Right?

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


“Buffy, wait!” Having taken off right after her when she left the diner, Riley grabbed her arm to stop her.

Buffy spun around in the middle of the parking lot, glaring at him furiously. “Take your hand off me! I’m warning you, Riley, you don’t wanna mess with me. Here’s what’s going to happen. You’re gonna go back to LA, today, and we’re gonna pretend this conversation never happened.”

Shaking his head, almost sadly, Riley gave her a stubborn look. “You promised to hear me out. That was the deal. You were going to listen to me, then I’d leave, if you still wanted me to.”

Buffy was enraged. “Yeah, well, deal’s off! How dare you, Riley? I’m so mad right now, I could just…!” She let out a frustrated groan. “You know what? Just get out of my way.” She started to leave, but Riley refused to give up.

As a last desperate attempt to keep her from walking away from him, Riley stepped in front of her, looking her right in the eyes. “Just tell me one thing, Buffy. What will you think of your precious new boyfriend when you’ll find out that he’s been reported to the police, for attempted rape?”


TBC

Buffy stared at Riley in disbelief. Then she let out a bitter laugh. “I’ve known for a while now that you’re a jerk, Riley. But I just never realized how pathetic you are.”

Not getting the reaction he’d been hoping for, Riley clearly started to get annoyed. “Buffy…”

She raised a hand to stop him. “I don’t wanna hear another word of this. How can you do this, Riley? How can you come up with such a ridiculous lie and expect me to just fall for it? Have you no decency at all?”

“Buffy…”

“No!” She felt anger building up inside her. “What the hell is your problem, Riley?! Why are you doing this? We’re not together anymore. You gave up the right to interfere with my life the moment you dumped me. Why can’t you just leave me alone? Leave us alone!”

Riley sighed. “Buffy, I’m sorry. I made a mistake, I admit it. But I realize now…” She slapped him across the face and his hand flew up to his burning cheek as he stared at her in shock. “Why did you do that?!”

Buffy rolled her eyes. “Okay, that was a mistake. I shouldn’t have done that.”

“Damn right you shouldn’t.” Riley glared at her.

She glared back at him. “You deserve much more than a slap in the face. I should’ve knocked you unconscious!” Buffy was furious now, and didn’t even think about hiding it.

Realizing that things were starting to get out of hand, Riley quickly pulled out a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket. “All right, listen. I know you don’t wanna believe what I just told you, but I’m not lying. I can prove it.”

“Get out of my way.” She gave him a warning look.

Riley lost the last of his temper. “Dammit Buffy, stop being so stubborn! I’m telling you this for your own good, whether you wanna believe it or not. Just look at this – it says right here…”

She refused to accept the paper he held out in front of her. “Riley, I’m only going to say this once so you better listen. Go back to LA. Don’t try to contact me again, just stay the hell away from me!” With those final words, Buffy pushed her way past him and stormed away before he got the chance to stop her.

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


Spike didn’t want to doubt her, but he really wished that Buffy would have told him the whole story about her relationship with Riley before she rushed off to meet him. She’d said she was going to, but then she just took off. To tell Riley – once and for all – to stay away from her, she’d said, and Spike believed her. She’d made it perfectly clear that it was him and not Riley she wanted to be with. But at the same time, he couldn’t help but to worry.

Of course, Buffy had been nothing but honest with him; she’d told him right away that Riley wanted to talk to her and that she’d agreed to meet him. She had also pointed out that if he didn’t want her to, she wouldn’t go. He knew she really meant it, and that was why he’d told her that he was okay with it. She had kissed him then, and promised to be back within an hour.

That was almost two hours ago. He knew he was being silly; she was probably on her way back right now, but a part of him couldn’t help but fear that she wouldn’t come back to him. Spike was fully convinced that what Riley wanted to talk about was that he wanted Buffy back. Of course, that didn’t mean that he would actually get her back. After all, Buffy had told him she wasn’t like the other girls he’d been with, he just needed to remember that. But where the bloody hell was she?

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


Buffy had just been wandering around town for the past hour. She felt a little guilty, knowing that Spike was probably worried, but she just couldn’t go back yet. The minute she would step through the door, Spike would want to know what happened. Not that she could blame him. But what was she supposed to tell him?

She was still furious. Not only had Riley hired someone to check up on Spike, which was downright insulting, but when he couldn’t find anything bad enough to break them up, he’d made up this horrible lie, hoping for what? That she would just leave Spike? That was crazy, it didn’t make any sense at all. Was Riley really stupid enough to think that he could actually get her back? And why would he even want her back, he was the one who had dumped her in the first place, not the other way around.

He could prove it, he’d said. Bullshit! Buffy was fuming. She may not have known Spike for that long yet, but at least she knew that he could never have done something as horrible as trying to rape someone. If Riley had been smart, he would at least try to come up with a somewhat believable story. But this, it was so absurd, she would almost have laughed at Riley’s stupidity if she hadn’t been so royally pissed off.

Oh well, she couldn’t stay away forever, she might as well go back and tell Spike everything. She didn’t look forward to it, though, he wouldn’t be happy at all about being falsely accused for something like that. If Riley knew what was good for him, he’d get the hell away from Sunnydale as soon as possible.

Sighing, Buffy started to head back.

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


Spike was just about to call Buffy on her cell phone when the door suddenly opened and she stepped through, a grim look on her face. Beyond relieved to see her, he walked up to her to give her a hug, but hesitated after seeing her expression. “Buffy? What’s wrong, luv? What happened?”

For some reason, Buffy wouldn’t meet his eyes. “You really don’t wanna know,” she mumbled. Then she finally looked up. “Spike, we need to talk.” She started towards him, only to stop with a frown when he quickly took a step back before she could touch him. “Spike?”

“So, this is it then? You’re going back to him?” Spike swallowed, certain that his worst fear had come true. That Buffy had somehow realized that he wasn’t the one she wanted after all.

“What?” Buffy just stared at him as his words started to sink in. Then she exploded. “Are you kidding me?! How can you think, even for a minute…?” Tears started welling up in her eyes. “I thought you trusted me. You really don’t believe in me at all, do you? You actually think that I would just…” She failed to hold back a choked sob, not able to get the rest of the sentence out.

Spike’s eyes widened in surprise and he immediately realized that he had screwed up big time. He reached out towards her in a desperate attempt to keep her from leaving and just hear him out. “Buffy, I…” She pushed him away and ran into the bedroom, slamming the door shut behind her.


TBC

Spike stared at the closed door, suddenly feeling like the biggest jerk in the world. Obviously he’d been wrong, and now Buffy was mad at him for not trusting her. Sighing, he walked over to the door and knocked, softly. “Buffy?” No response. He tried again. “Buffy? I’m coming in, luv.” Still nothing. Oh well, this was his apartment after all; he had the right to go into his own bedroom if he wanted to.

Taking a deep breath, he finally opened the door. Buffy was sitting on the bed, looking miserable. She looked up when he entered the room, and he could see that she’d been crying. He wanted nothing more than to just rush over there and take her in his arms, but for some reason, he was afraid to approach her. So he remained where he was, keeping his eyes on the floor. “I’m sorry, pet.”

Buffy sighed, wiping away some tears that had escaped down her cheek. “I know. It’s just…” She bit her lip. “Spike, this is not going to work.” Seeing the look of fear on his face, she immediately regretted her choice of words. “Wait, I didn’t mean it like that. We need to talk, okay? Come here?” She gestured for him to come over to the bed.

Spike hesitated for a moment before nodding and went to sit down next to her. Buffy opened her mouth to speak, but he beat her to it. “Buffy, I’m so sorry. I do trust you, really, I do. Just don’t leave me, please. I…” His desperate ramblings were interrupted by Buffy, who leaned over and kissed him, softly, on the lips. When she pulled back, he looked at her in surprise. “You’re not mad at me?”

Buffy gave him a stern look. “I didn’t say that. I just figured that was the only way to shut you up. Now, are you going to listen to me or not?” He nodded, much to her relief. “Good. Okay, when I said this wouldn’t work, I meant you freaking out on me without even listening to what I have to say. I don’t want this relationship to end any more than you do, okay?”

Spike looked relieved, but remained silent. Buffy went on; “I understand you got worried, I really do, but you have to believe me when I’m saying this: I’m. Not. Going. Anywhere.”

He glanced down at his hands, ashamed. “I believe you. Look, Buffy, I know I have some issues that I need to work on, and I will, I promise. Just have patience with me. Please?”

Buffy sighed, not able to keep being upset with him. In a way, she couldn’t really blame him for reacting like he had. “Of course I will.” She reached out for him, and he immediately pulled her into his arms.

They stayed like that for a couple of minutes, then Spike reluctantly pulled back a little. “Wanna tell me ‘bout Riley now, pet?”

She let out a groan. “Ugh, Riley! Right. You mean what happened today, or do you want the whole story?” She really didn’t want to talk about Riley at all, but also knew that she would have to tell Spike sooner or later, anyway. Might as well get it over with, she thought.

“Why don’t you start from the beginning, luv? Just don’t…” He hesitated a little, grimacing. “Let’s just say you don’t have to be too specific with the details, yeah?”

Buffy smiled a little. “I won’t. Okay, here we go...” She took a deep breath, and started telling him everything. How she had first met Riley in the school library when she was a junior in high school and he was a senior. She’d accidentally knocked a pile of books down from the top shelf and they had hit Riley on the head. Buffy had been horrified, stuttering apologies, but much to her relief, Riley hadn’t been angry with her. They had started talking after that and he’d ended up asking her out.

Everything had been great at first, and Buffy had been extremely happy for almost two years. But then things had started to change. Suddenly Riley started to spend more and more time at work, or at least that’s what he’d told her, anyway. She never suspected that he might be seeing someone else as well, though.

Strange women started calling every now and then, asking for Riley, and when Buffy had questioned him about it, he’d always claimed it to be work-related. Now she cringed at how gullible she’d been, but back then, she’d just accepted all of his lame explanations. Or maybe she just didn’t want to see the truth, because that would’ve meant admitting that her loving boyfriend wasn’t so nice after all.

Instead of leaving him, like she now wished she would have done, she’d just tried harder and harder to be the perfect girlfriend, hoping that it would make Riley change and spend more time with her. He hadn’t, though. Instead he started going out a lot, late at night. Sometimes he didn’t come back until the next day.

One day when Buffy had gone home to visit her mother, she had found her lifeless body on the couch. It took a couple of days before she realized that her mother was really gone. When she finally fell apart, Riley had been wonderful, comforting her and telling her that everything would be okay. And Buffy had believed him.

Then, two days after promising that he’d be there for her whenever she needed him, Riley had dumped her. He’d told her that his feelings for her had changed, but he hoped that they could still be friends. In a state of shock, Buffy had left the apartment without a word. He’d called her a couple of times after that, telling her that he was sorry and that he still cared about her.

A week later, Riley had called again and asked her to meet up with him, telling her that he wanted to see her. Buffy had simply refused, and that was when she made up her mind about leaving town.

Spike had been quiet the whole time she’d been talking, but when he realized she was done, he reached out and gently wiped away her tears. “I’m sorry, luv.”

Buffy gave him a shaky smile before burying her face against his chest. “Can we just stay like this forever?”

Chuckling a little, Spike gently kissed the top of her head. “Love to, pet. But I’m afraid we’ll have to get up eventually.” She pulled back, pouting a little, then couldn’t help but giggle as he started nibbling at her bottom lip. “Look at that lip, gonna get it!” Then he became serious again. “Buffy, about today…”

Buffy groaned. “Oh God, I can’t believe I forgot. The nerve of that asshole!”

Spike gave her a concerned look. “What happened? Buffy, what did he do?”

Feeling anger welling up inside her again as she remembered the conversation with Riley, Buffy got up and started pacing back and forth in the room. “Spike, I’m so mad at him! No, wait, mad’s not enough. Try furious. The jerk actually had someone checking up on you, can you believe it?”

Spike frowned, about to say something, but Buffy went on; “I guess he couldn’t find anything, so he came up with this awful lie... He said that you’ve been reported to the police, for… for rape.” There, she’d said it. She held her breath, waiting for his reaction.

Spike froze in his tracks, swallowing hard. “Buffy, I…”

Buffy hurried over to him, taking both his hands in hers. “Don’t worry; I know it’s not true. I know you would never do something so horrible.”

“Buffy…”

Too upset to stop and listen to him, Buffy started pacing again. “I got so angry, I just left. He was all ‘I can prove it…’ but of course I wouldn’t listen. Of all the nerve…”

“Buffy!” Spike grabbed her arms to stop her.

Buffy stopped rambling and gave him a confused look. “What?”

Taking a deep breath, he looked her straight in the eyes. “It’s true.”




TBC

“No.” Buffy shook her head in denial, taking a step back.

“Buffy, wait.” For the last two months, Spike had desperately tried to forget the night that had started out so well, but then had turned out to be the worst night of his life. He’d almost managed to, but now it all came back to him. He watched in despair how Buffy stepped away from him. “Buffy, I didn’t do it!”

Buffy looked confused. “You just said…”

Spike sighed. “It’s true that I got reported. But I never…” He let out a bitter laugh. “Bloody hell! I don’t expect you to believe me. Why should you? No one else did.”

Suddenly not knowing what to think, Buffy stopped backing away, but remained were she was. She wanted to believe Spike, she really did, but this was a bit too much information to take in. She swallowed. “What do you mean?”

“If I tell you, will you listen?” She nodded, much to his relief. “Right. Okay…” Spike started pacing the room, suddenly not sure of how to begin. This was one part of his life that he didn’t want Buffy to know about, but now it looked like he had no choice but to tell her. It was either that, or losing her.

He sighed. “It was almost two months ago, when I was out with the guys at the Bronze. I was sitting in the bar, when this bird walked up to me.”


“Hi, I’m Darla.”

“Spike.”

“Nice to meet you, Spike. Will you buy me a drink?”

“Sure.”


Spike had stopped pacing and sat down at the bed. Buffy took a step towards him, but remained standing. “What happened? You brought her home?”

“No, we…” Spike hesitated. He had never really been proud of how many girls he’d been with over the years, but he’d also never been truly ashamed of anything he’d done. Except for what he was now about to tell Buffy.

Realizing that this was obviously hard for him, Buffy finally stepped over to the bed and sat down next to him. “Sorry. I’ll stop interrupting, go on.”

He didn’t really want to, but did so anyway. “Right. After a couple of drinks, we decided to step outside… for some fresh air.”


“You sure of this, luv?”

“Oh yes. Yes! Over there, take me against the wall!”

“So tight, pet! Love the way you… ugh!”

“Mm... God! Fuck me harder!”


Spike looked away, not wanting to see the disgusted look in Buffy’s eyes. “We had just… finished, when this guy showed up. Her boyfriend.”


“Darla? What the hell are you doing?!”

“Lindsey? I…”

“You bitch! I leave your side for twenty minutes and you run off to fuck someone else?!”

“No… no! I… Lindsey, thank God you’re here! I didn’t want to, I swear! He forced me to do it, he raped me!”


Buffy gasped, suddenly feeling nauseous. “Oh God. Spike…” She reached out for him then, but he pulled away and got up before she could touch him.

“The guy called the cops. I spent the rest of the night at the police station, trying to explain that I didn’t rape her. It was obvious that they didn’t believe me, but it was my words against Darla's, and the bloke hadn’t actually seen me hurting her, so they had to let me go.”


“I’m telling you, officer, I didn’t bloody rape her!”

“Shut up! It makes me sick to let you get away with this, but unfortunately there’s nothing more I can do to hold you here. Now, get the hell out of here!”


Buffy got up as well and walked over to him. “I’m so sorry.”

Spike went on, like he hadn’t heard her. “Think she left town after that, haven’t seen her since that night.” He looked at Buffy then, a desperate look in his eyes. “I didn’t do it, Buffy. I’d never do something like that, you have to believe me!”

Placing her hand gently on his arm, Buffy looked him straight in the eyes. “Of course I believe you.”

Spike’s eyes widened, and he stared at her in disbelief. “You believe me? Just like that, you’re just gonna take my word for it? Are you daft?!”

Buffy rolled her eyes, then took his hand and led him back to sit on the bed. “Spike, you’re a good man. If you say you didn’t do it, then yes, I believe you. I’m so sorry you had to go through that.” She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him close.

Letting out a shaky breath, Spike finally relaxed and laid his head down to rest on her shoulder. He didn’t cry, but the tears were close. “Buffy…”

“Shh… it’s all right.” She waited patiently while he struggled to get his emotions under control. After a couple of minutes – or it could have been hours; she’d lost track of the time – Buffy finally pulled back. “You okay?”

He nodded, trying to smile, but it came out more like a grimace. “Yeah, m’fine. Thanks for believing me.”

She looked him in the eyes, a dead serious expression on her face. “I’ll always believe in you.”

Feeling tears well up in his eyes at her declaration, Spike quickly leaned in to kiss her, not wanting her to see him blubbering like a nancy-boy. He was relieved when he heard her letting out a relieved sigh before happily returning the kiss.

They just sat there for a while, clinging to each other and kissing, neither wanting to let the other go. Then Buffy – still with her arms around him – slid down so they were both lying on the bed.

Still kissing each other, almost desperately, Buffy suddenly froze, feeling something hard brushing against her thigh. She had to bite her lip to force back a giggle; obviously she wasn’t the only one who was horny. Spike pulled back a little, giving her a worried look, but she gave him an assuring smile in return.

Having never been one to take the first step when it came to sex, Buffy didn’t know what possessed her to do what she did next. With one hand, she managed to unbutton her pants. Then, without a word, she took Spike’s hand and brought it under her black, silky thong. “Feel that? Feel how wet I am?”

Spike just nodded, too stunned to speak. His hands were shaking. He gasped as Buffy started rubbing against his hand. “God, Buffy…”

“Spike, I want you to…” Suddenly the familiar shyness overwhelmed her, and she couldn’t get the rest of the sentence out. Though she refused to look away, silently begging him to understand what she wanted.

He wasn’t about to make it too easy for her, though. “What do you want me to do, luv? Tell me.”

Dammit! He’s going to make me tell him! Taking a deep breath, Buffy then looked him deep in the eyes. “I want you to make love to me.”




TBC

Buffy almost whimpered at the loss of contact when Spike suddenly pulled back. “What are you doing? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong, luv. I just…” Spike hesitated, wanting nothing more than to just take her right then and there. “Are you sure you wanna do this, Buffy?”

She almost groaned with frustration. “I thought I just showed you how much I wanna do this.”

Feeling like a right ponce, Spike looked away. “I know, I’m sorry.”

“Spike…don’t you wanna do this?” Buffy tried to keep her voice steady, suddenly terrified. What if he had changed his mind, could that be what this was all about?

Spike’s eyes widened when he realized what she must be thinking. “Are you kidding? Of course I wanna do this, pet. I just don’t want you to…”

Thinking she knew what he meant, Buffy interrupted him; “Spike, I know what you must be thinking, but I promise, I will still be here tomorrow. I’ve told you like a hundred times; I’m not like the other girls. I thought we were past this. Us having sex together is not going to change anything between us.” She suddenly realized that she’d just mentioned sex without blushing. Well, there was a first time for everything.

Spike smiled a little at her ramblings. Their clothes were long gone, thrown in a pile on the floor. For the last thirty minutes, they had just been lying there in bed, snuggling close together, kissing, touching, and caressing. The sexual tension in the room was so thick, one could almost cut it with a knife. Suddenly he had panicked, but for a different reason than what Buffy was thinking.

He had no doubts that she wanted him, but what if she wanted to do it for the wrong reasons? Maybe she wasn’t really ready, maybe she just felt sorry for him after his embarrassing little almost-breakdown earlier? Of course, he couldn’t ask her if that was the case. She’d freak out, thinking that he still didn’t trust her.

Buffy’s voice pulled him out of his thoughts, and he realized that she was still talking. “Sorry, pet, didn’t quite catch that.”

She looked a little nervous when she started over. “Last night? You know when we almost…?” He nodded. “I’m not saying I didn’t want to, but I was also a little relieved when we didn’t.”

Spike frowned at her words, looking disappointed. “Oh.”

“Wait, you misunderstand me. I know we haven’t known each other long, but everything just feels right, you know?” He nodded again, not sure of where she was going with this. “Last night, I wanted to, I mean really, really wanted to. But I was afraid that it was too soon. And I didn’t want you to think that…” Buffy looked away, suddenly feeling embarrassed.

Spike brought his hand up to gently cup her cheek, forcing her to look at him. “Think what?”

Buffy still didn’t want to meet his eyes. “That the only reason I wanted to be with you was because of… sex.” She blushed. “And that didn’t make me sound like a slut…”

Chuckling a little, Spike leaned over to place a soft kiss on her lips. Buffy smiled back, but looked a little confused. “What was that for?”

“No particular reason. So, you’re saying that you wanted us to do it last night?” Buffy nodded. “And you were disappointed when we didn’t?”

“No! Well… maybe just a little. But it doesn’t matter; we have all the time in… aah!” Buffy let out a yelp when Spike suddenly rolled them over so he was on top of her, then started attacking her lips with his.

All too soon, they had to pull back to catch their breath. Searching her face for any sign that she was not okay with them taking things to the next level, Spike found nothing. But he still needed her assurance. “Buffy, if you…”

“Just shut up, Spike, and take me!”

Not missing the playful note in her voice, Spike laughed a little, letting out the breath he had been holding. “You won’t have to tell me twice.” He kissed her again as he gently slid inside her, making her moan with pleasure.

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


Riley was sitting in the bar, taking a swig from his second beer. He had been so pleased when he’d gotten the copy of the police report from Willie, but Buffy hadn’t even looked at it. Sure, the case hadn’t been taken to court, but it didn’t matter. Buffy should know better than staying with an attempted rapist. He would just have to talk to her again, making her see things his way.

After making Buffy see for herself what Spike had been accused of, she would have no other choice but to leave him. And then he would be right there to comfort her. If he could only get Buffy to see that he really cared about her – and also was genuinely sorry for how things had ended between them – it would just be a matter of time before he’d get her back.

Of course, once he’d gotten her back, it didn’t mean that he would have to be faithful to her forever. He was just a man after all and like all men, had certain needs. But this time he’d be really careful so Buffy wouldn’t find out. He just had to prove it to her that he could be the perfect boyfriend. It would probably take a while, though, since, at this point, she obviously wasn’t interested in anything he had to say.

But that was okay, he had time. Tomorrow he’d go talk to her again. And hopefully, that conversation would turn out better than the last one.

“Hi, is this seat taken?”

Riley looked up, smiling at the blonde standing next to him with a hopeful look in her eyes. He supposed she was good-looking, although the word ‘hooker’ came to his mind. “Not at all. Can I buy you a drink?”

The girl sat down next to him, smiling gratefully. “Sure, that would be nice.”

Riley waved his hand to catch the bartender’s attention. Then he turned back to the girl. “I’m Riley. Riley Finn.”

The blonde girl gave him a bright smile. “Nice to meet you, Riley. I’m Harmony Kendall.”



TBC

“Wow, that was just… wow.” Buffy snuggled closer to Spike, letting out a sigh in pure bliss. Then she had to stifle a yawn. “God, I’m exhausted.”

Spike chuckled. “Know what you mean. After the second time, I started to feel a bit knackered myself.” He leaned over and kissed her, softly. “You were amazing, luv.”

Buffy smiled, happily. “You got the job done yourself.”

He smirked. “Was just trying to keep up. The things you do…” He started tracing kisses down her neck, causing her to moan with pleasure. Then he pulled back, a playful look in his eyes. “Up for another round, luv?”

Rolling her eyes, Buffy giggled and gently slapped his arm. “I can hardly move. Right now, I’m waiting for the feeling in my legs to return.” He pouted a little, which she pretended to ignore. Then she ran her fingers through her hair with a groan. “Oh God... Mind if I take a shower?”

Spike’s eyes lit up. “Not at all, luv, go ahead.” A pause. “You know, I feel like taking a shower, too…”

Smiling sweetly, Buffy gave him a quick peck on the cheek. “Too bad, ladies first!” She jumped out of bed and was out of the room before Spike had the chance to object.


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


“So, I was like ‘oh my God, how can you date someone who can’t even get his socks to match?’ and everybody laughed and Amy got like so embarrassed, and then I said…”

Riley had stopped listening to Harmony’s ramblings a while ago, and now tried to focus on staying awake. After being around her for more than two minutes, he’d gotten to realize that sometimes the expression ‘dumb blonde’ wasn’t an insult. He smiled politely when she looked at him to see if he was still listening. It was fascinating, really. It almost seemed like this girl didn’t have to breathe at all.

She went on; “And then I said to Spike that he should be thanking me for like giving him the best couple of weeks of my life, and he said that…”

After spending the last five minutes counting bottles in the bar, rather than having to hear one more ‘it was like soo cool’, a name finally caught Riley’s attention. “Wait. Did you just say Spike?”

Harmony looked a little annoyed for being interrupted, but quickly found herself. “Yeah, he’s my ex. Didn’t you hear, I just told you about when…”

Riley waved his hand in dismissal. “Yeah, whatever. Has he got bleached blond hair and wears a leather duster?”

Harmony’s eyes lit up and she smiled, brightly. “Yeah, that’s my Blondie Bear! You know him?”

Blondie bear? Riley shook his head, deciding that it was probably best not to ask. “I do, actually. You don’t happen to know were he lives, do you? There’s something I’d like to talk to him about.”

“Of course I do, we were together for like… weeks!” Harmony frowned. “What do you need to talk to him about?”

Riley got a grim look on his face. “He’s got something that belongs to me.”


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


When Buffy returned to the bedroom, about twenty minutes later, Spike had just got off the phone. “That was Giles, wanting to know if I was planning on coming back to work anytime soon. Better go there tomorrow, or the bloke’s gonna have a bloody heart attack. Haven’t had a day off since I started there, and that was more than two years ago.”

Buffy giggled. “He’ll probably think I’m having a bad influence on you.”

“Well, you do. I was a bloody saint before I met you. Corrupted me, you have.” Spike smirked again, causing Buffy to roll her eyes.

“You know, I’d be nice if I were you. If you expect me to be ‘up for another round’ as you so nicely put it, anytime soon.” Buffy raised her eyebrows and gave him a stern look, trying to stay serious.

“Sorry, luv. I’m a bad, rude man. Wanna kiss and make up?” Spike gave her a sexy grin, and she instantly melted.

“Well…”

“It’s getting late. How ‘bout we order pizza, maybe watch a movie, and then go to bed?” He gave her a knowing look at the words ‘go to bed’.

“God, Spike, is that all you think about? Having sex?” Buffy looked amused.

Spike put on an innocent look. “Don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Right.” Buffy sighed, pretending to be annoyed, but couldn’t keep herself from smiling. “I have to admit, though, that plan of yours does sound kinda appealing.”

Smiling hopefully, Spike pulled her into his arms. “About going to bed?”

Giving him a quick kiss on the lips, Buffy smiled back at him. “No, about ordering pizza, I’m starving.” She then pulled away and headed for the kitchen, leaving Spike to stare after her in disappointment.


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


Riley left Harmony’s apartment, very pleased with himself. He’d gotten what he’d been after – Spike’s address. The sex had been nice too, of course, a pleasant little bonus. Harmony had been quite a decent fuck; he’d definitely be coming back for more some time.

But now he had to concentrate on getting Buffy back. He was planning on going to see Buffy in the morning, but now he decided to pay Spike a little visit instead. Just to talk, of course. Riley didn’t know Spike, but he assumed that he could get the guy to see that it would be in his best interest to stay away from Buffy.

If that didn’t work, Riley would show him the copy of the police report. Surely he wouldn’t want Buffy to see that. Riley smiled to himself. The best thing would be if he could get Spike to dump Buffy without explaining why. Buffy would be so hurt; she wouldn’t be able to turn him down when he’d offer his comfort and support.

Riley’s smile grew wider. The plan was perfect; with any luck he would have Buffy back within a couple of days, maybe even by tomorrow night. The thought that his plan might not work never even crossed his mind as he walked up and down the empty streets, whistling happily to himself.




TBC

Buffy sat in the kitchen, sipping on some juice and looking through the morning paper. Spike had already left for work, but she still had an hour before she had to be at the Magic Box. It felt a little weird, sitting alone in Spike’s apartment, having breakfast like she lived there. But at the same time, it felt surprisingly nice. She smiled a little to herself. Of course, it would’ve been even nicer if Spike had been there. But then on the other hand, it would’ve been most likely that neither one of them would manage to actually go to work.

Last night had been amazing. She’d been a little sore when she got up this morning, but she supposed that was probably what to expect after making love six times in less than ten hours. Buffy felt her cheeks getting hot; she still had a hard time believing that she’d actually done all those things. When she’d been with Riley, the sex had been nice, but nothing more. Also, when they were done, Riley never wanted to stay in bed and cuddle. He always got up, or just rolled over and fell asleep.

Sex with Spike had been so much more than that. It was probably safe to say that she’d experienced more in one night with Spike than in the two years she’d been with Riley. And afterwords, they’d just been lying there, snuggling comfortably in each other’s arms, resting for a while before starting over again. And again…

Buffy pouted a little, realizing that she missed him. It was less than an hour since Spike had kissed her and left, and she already missed him. She was almost intimidated by her strong feelings; she had barely known Spike for a week so far, and she already had a hard time imagining her life without him. She ignored the annoying little voice inside her head, telling her that it was probably not healthy to get so caught up in a relationship so soon.

Suddenly the door bell rang, and Buffy frowned. Who would come here at this hour? She got up and headed for the door. If it turned out to be that skank, Harmony, having the nerve to come back here…

With a determined expression on her face, Buffy opened the door, and froze. “Riley?!”


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


“William, do be specific and tell me why I just found ‘The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby’ in the science fiction section? It may not be a personal favorite of mine, but I would hardly call Dickens work… William? William!”

Startled, Spike looked up from the pile of books he was about to put up on the shelves, giving Giles a confused look. “What?” Giles was one of the few people who refused to call him anything but his given name.

Giles gave him an annoyed look. “Would you mind telling me what’s going on? You’ve been absent since you got here, and you couldn’t put a book in its right place if your life depended on it. That is not like you at all, and I…” He stopped, and sighed as realization hit him. “This is about a girl, I presume. That young woman who was here looking for you the other day? Um… Bunny?”

“Buffy.”

“Of course. I take it she found you and things went well?” The grin on Spike’s face told him that his presumption had been correct. “Congratulations. Why don’t you take an early lunch, and go see her.”

Spike looked surprised. “But it’s only ten thirty.”

Giles rolled his eyes. “Seeing the way you’ve managed the work so far today, you’re hardly any use here anyway.” Though he said that with an amused note in his voice, and Spike gave him a grateful smile.

“Thanks. Mind if I make it a long lunch?”

The smile on Giles’ face disappeared, and he suddenly looked suspicious. “How long?”

“Two hours?” Spike looked hopeful.

“Absolutely not. One and a half.” Giles raised his hand before Spike could interrupt. “And I expect you to be able to fully concentrate on your job when you get back, yes?”

Spike was practically bouncing up and down in eagerness to get out of there. “Right. Of course. Can I go now?”


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


“Buffy?” Riley looked taken by surprise, clearly not expecting to see her.

“Riley, what the hell are you doing here?! How did you know where to find me? I thought I told you to stay away!” Buffy glared at Riley, suddenly realizing that he seemed to be as shocked as she was. That could only mean one thing; that she was not the one he had come here to see. Fury welled up inside her.

“I…” Riley seemed to be out of words, and that only made her angrier.

“Okay, you’ve got five seconds to tell me how you got Spike’s address, and what the hell you think you’re doing here.” Riley opened his mouth to speak, but Buffy interrupted him. “Never mind, I don’t wanna know. How dare you show up here, Riley? After what happened yesterday…”

Finally finding the words, Riley spoke up, pulling out the crumpled paper from his pocket. “You know, we never got to finish the conversation we had, about your boyfriend’s not so pleasant past. You took off without even looking at this; I think you should at least…”

Buffy jerked the paper out of his hand, looking through it briefly before tearing it apart and letting the pieces fall to the floor.

Riley looked exasperated. “You didn’t even…”

“I don’t know why I’m telling you this, but for your information, Spike’s already told me everything. Whatever happened wasn’t his fault, if anything he was the victim; that bitch accused him for something he didn’t do!”

Riley snorted. “He told you that? And you believed him?! That’s bullshit, Buffy, can’t you see he’s just trying to…” Having had enough, Buffy pushed her way past him, stepping out into the hallway outside of the apartment. She headed for the stairs, intending to get as far away from her ex boyfriend as possible, but Riley grabbed her arm to stop her. “Where are you going? Dammit, Buffy, we’re not finished here!”

Buffy spun around, furious. “Yes, we are! I’m going to work, and you’re gonna get the hell out of here.”

She tried to leave, taking one step down the stairs, but Riley refused to let her go. “Buffy, you can’t just leave like this! Look, we have to talk; I still care about you and I want you to be safe. The guy is a rapist, what makes you so sure that he won’t do the same thing to you?”

“Stop saying that you care about me when we both know it’s not true. For the last time, Riley, leave me alone or I’ll scream!” Buffy struggled to pull away from him, and wasn’t prepared when he suddenly let go. Gasping in surprise, she tried to keep her balance, but failed. With a desperate cry, she stumbled backwards and fell all the way down to the bottom of the stairs.



TBC

“What do you mean, Buffy never showed up this morning?! She should’ve been here more than an hour ago!” Spike knew it wasn’t really fair of him to take it out on Anya, but he was starting to get really worried. He’d already tried calling Buffy several times, only to get her voice mail. This wasn’t like her; something must have happened.

“I told you, I don’t know where Buffy is. She called me last night and said she’d be here today, but then she wasn’t, and now I have to take her shift instead of meeting up with Xander for our usual morning sex. I’m very upset!” Anya glared at him, looking anything but happy.

Spike rolled his eyes, staring at her in exasperation. “That all you bloody think about? Something might have happened to her, and all you care about is missing out on sex?”

Before Anya got the chance to respond, the phone suddenly rang, causing them both to jump. She hurried to pick up, clearly relieved by the interruption. “Buffy? You better have a good…” She stopped with a frown. “Willow? Slow down, I can’t…what? Oh my God!” She looked at Spike, a look of concern in her eyes, and he immediately realized that whatever it was, it had something to do with Buffy.

“Anya, what’s wrong? Is it Buffy? What happened?!” He tried to take the phone from her, but Anya took a step back, motioning for him to be quiet.

“Okay. Yeah, he’s here. Sure, we’re on our way.” Anya hung up, a dead-serious expression on her face. “We have to go.”

“Go where?! Anya, I swear to God, if you don’t tell me what’s going on…”

“That was Willow, calling from the hospital.” Anya sighed, obviously not happy about being the one having to tell him this. “Apparently Buffy’s listed Willow as the first person to call in case something would happen to her.” She took a deep breath. “Spike, there's been an accident.”

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


Since he first arrived to Sunnydale, Riley had been staying at a small motel called the Sunnydale Inn, and was now pacing nervously back and forth in his room. Everything had happened so fast, and now he wasn’t sure of what to do. After calling 911, he had quickly explained that he’d just happened to pass by, and hadn’t witnessed the accident. Now he wondered if Buffy was okay, but since he’d already claimed that he didn’t know her, he couldn’t really go to the hospital to find out.

He didn’t know why he said that, he’d just panicked. It wasn’t like he’d actually pushed her, but he figured the cops would probably be suspicious if he told them that he and Buffy had been arguing, and then she just happened to fall down the stairs. Riley wasn’t stupid, he knew nothing good could come out from such a statement.

Of course, as soon as Buffy would wake up, she would most likely tell them that she did in fact know him. And lying to the paramedics wouldn’t exactly make him come out in a good light. Riley groaned, cursing his stupidity. He’d lied to make sure he wouldn’t get into trouble, but now he realized that his plan had back-fired. The accident may not have been his fault, not really, but now he’d managed to make it seem like he had something to hide. There was probably just a matter of time before the cops would show up, starting to ask questions. But by then, he’d be long gone.

With a determined expression on his face, Riley started gathering his belongings, throwing them down into his suitcase. It was time to get out of Sunnydale.

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


“Spike! Anya! Over here.”

Spike spun around at the sound of Willow’s voice and rushed over to her, Anya following behind. “Where’s Buffy? Is she okay?!”

Willow looked upset and he could see that she had been crying. “I haven’t seen her. I asked the nurses, but they wouldn’t tell me anything. They just told me to wait for the doctor. Sorry.”

“Well, I sure as hell won’t just sit here, waiting for that git to show up. Excuse me.” Spike quickly looked around the room, then headed straight towards the information counter. “I’m looking for Buffy Summers.”

Willow – who had followed him up to the counter with Anya – carefully tapped him on the shoulder. “Um… I kinda tried that already.” Spike ignored her.

The woman behind the counter looked up. “Just a moment, please.” She started typing on her computer, then looked up again with an apologetic smile. “If you’ll just go and sit down in the waiting area, I’m sure someone will…”

Furiously, Spike slammed his fist down on the counter. “Don’t bloody tell me to go sit down! I wanna know where my girlfriend is, and I wanna know NOW!”

Anya’s eyes widened as she leaned over to whisper in Willow’s ear; “Did you try that?” Willow shook her head.

The woman gave Spike a stern look. “I’m sorry, but you’ll have to wait for the doctor. There’s nothing I can do. Now, if you don’t want me to call security…” She made a gesture towards the waiting area.

“Okay! We’ll just…” Seeing that Spike was about to answer, most likely with a number of British curses, Willow hurried to grab his arm and pulled him away from the counter, casting a nervous glance over her shoulder. She was relieved, although a little surprised, when he just followed without objections.

Slumping down on a nearby chair, Spike buried his face in his hands. Willow looked at Anya for help, but the other girl just shrugged. “You talk to him. I’m not good with emotions and stuff like that. Besides, I’d better go call Xander.” With that, Anya hurried away, leaving Willow to wonder what to do now.

After hesitating for a moment, Willow sat down on the chair next to Spike. She sat in silence for almost a minute, before blurting out; “So, have you seen any good movies lately?” She immediately cringed, realizing that such a question was hardly appropriate in a situation like this.

Spike looked up, staring at the red-head like she had just grown a second head. “What?”

Willow started fidgeting on the chair, looking anywhere but at Spike. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know what to say, and I’m nervous and scared and… I tend to babble when I’m nervous. I’m sorry.” She frowned. “I already said that, didn’t I?” He nodded. “Right. I, um…” She jumped up from the chair in panic. “Coffee?”



TBC

Willow hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to do, then sat back down. “Buffy is going to be okay. You know that, right?”

Spike sighed, a miserable look on his face. “She fell down the sodding stairs, Willow! She could’ve…” He stopped, not able to get the rest of the sentence out.

“I know, but I’m sure it’s not that bad. She’s gonna be okay,” Willow repeated. In all honesty, she was not sure of who she was trying to convince, Spike, or herself. Truth to be told, she was terrified. When she’d gotten the phone call from the hospital, she’d panicked. Buffy couldn’t be seriously hurt. Horrible images of her new friend, lying on the floor with a broken neck, now came rushing through her mind and she had to close her eyes.

Suddenly a familiar voice interrupted her disturbing thoughts. “Willow? I-I came as soon as I could.”

Willow jumped up and threw herself in Tara’s arms. “Tara, thank God! I’m so glad you’re here, sweetie!”

Tara hugged her close, then pulled back to look from Willow to Spike. “H-have you heard anything?”

Shaking her head, Willow felt tears welling up in her eyes. She couldn’t fall apart now, she needed to be strong. “Not yet, but I’m sure…” She looked at Spike and their eyes met. “I’m sure the doctor will be here any minute, and everything will be okay. Right?” She looked at Tara when she said that last part, searching her girlfriend’s face for confirmation.

Tara leaned over to kiss her, gently. “I’m sure he will.”

Willow looked over to where Spike had been sitting, only to realize that the chair was now empty. She frowned. “Where did he go?”

“I’m sure he just needed to be alone for a while. Why don’t we go sit down and wait for the doctor.” Tara took Willow’s hand and led her over to the couch.

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

Spike wandered through the long corridors, desperately searching for someone who could tell him anything about Buffy’s condition. This was a bloody nightmare; he couldn’t believe it had only been a few hours since he had happily kissed her goodbye, leaving to go to work. Why had he left her this morning, why couldn’t he have just stayed home for one more day? Then Buffy probably would’ve stayed as well, and none of this would’ve happened.

Lost in his thoughts, Spike almost walked right into a male nurse, who just stepped around the corner. The other man quickly excused himself and was about to leave, but Spike grabbed his arm to stop him. “Wait! Can you please tell me…?”

“Sorry, I’m in a hurry. I’m sure they can help you at the information counter.” Before Spike could object, the man was gone.

Furiously, Spike kicked a nearby chair, causing the small group of people who’d been sitting there to stare at him. He forced back a sob, refusing to break down in the middle of the hospital. He should’ve known that it was all too good to be true; when he finally found the perfect girl, something like this had to happen. He couldn’t lose Buffy now, he needed her!

He felt a pang of guilt for thinking like that, this wasn’t about him. The girl he was in love with was here, somewhere in this hospital, and she was hurt. He should just go back and wait for the doctor, there was nothing else he could do. He started to head back, when he suddenly stopped again, hit by the realization. He loved Buffy. He’d known that his feelings for Buffy were strong, but the word ‘love’ had never come up.

His previous relationships had all ended badly to say the least, and to tell the truth, Spike had given up hope of ever loving someone and being loved back in return. But something inside him had changed when Buffy had entered his life. She had nestled her way into his heart, and actually saw him for who he was. That had meant the world to him. He didn’t know if Buffy felt the same way about him, but he had a feeling she might.

Spike realized that it was probably way too early to talk, or even think about love at this point. After all, they hadn’t even been together for a week. But yet, deep inside, he knew that his feelings for Buffy were real. He didn’t care if she’d think it was too soon, suddenly, all he wanted to do was go to her, telling her how he felt. But he couldn’t. Tears started welling up in his eyes and he swallowed hard. What if he wouldn’t get the chance to tell her? No longer able to hold back, he backed up against the wall and slid down to the floor. He buried his face in his hands, hard uncontrollable sobs shaking his body.

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


“I don’t like hospitals. Xander, can we go somewhere and have sex?” Anya frowned when she saw her friends staring at her. “What?”

Xander, who’d just arrived at the hospital, cast a nervous glance around the room before turning back to his lover. “Anya, sweetie, remember that talk we had about…”

He was interrupted by Willow, who glared at Anya in exasperation. “Oh my God, how can you just…? How can you be so insensitive?! We’re at the hospital, Buffy’s been hurt, and all you think about is sex!”

Tara reached for Willow’s hand, squeezing it gently. “Sweetie…”

“But I don’t understand!” Everybody stared at Anya when she jumped up from the chair, tears streaming down her cheeks. She backed away from Xander, who had also gotten up and now reached for her in an attempt to comfort her. “I don’t understand why this had to happen. I like Buffy, and now she’s been hurt and we don’t know if she’s gonna be okay. She might die, and that would make me very sad. I hate being here because that’s what hospitals are all about, sickness and death, and that makes me scared!” She wiped at her eyes and sat back down, facing away from the others.

No one knew how to respond to that, so for a moment they all sat there in silence. Finally, Tara spoke. “Anya, we-we’re all scared.” She looked around the room for confirmation before continuing; “What happened to Buffy was terrible and unfair, but right now, all we can do is wait. We have to believe that she’s going to be okay.”

No one objected, and for almost ten minutes, the four friends sat quietly, each of them in their own thoughts. Therefore, no one noticed the doctor who walked up to them until he spoke; “Excuse me. I’m Dr. Backer, and I have some information about Miss Summers’ condition.”



TBC

“Buffy?” Spike peeked into Buffy’s hospital room nervously, suddenly afraid to step inside. When he’d finally gone back to the others, grateful that none of them had been there to witness his breakdown, the doctor had been there. Spike had only stayed long enough to find out that Buffy was awake and what room she was in, then he’d rushed off to see her.

Buffy smiled weakly and struggled to sit up. “Spike! You’re here.”

Horrifying thoughts of head traumas and amnesia instantly forgotten, Spike hurried over to the bed and gently pushed her back down. “Don’t get up, luv. You need to rest.” Spike swallowed when he saw how pale Buffy was. He longed to take her in his arms, but was afraid of hurting her. He looked around the room for something to sit on, but Buffy patted the bed, indicating that he should sit down next to her.

“For crying out loud, Spike. Sit down, will you? I’m not dying.” She frowned when he didn’t return the smile. “Spike, I’m fine. Really, I just…” A thought suddenly hit her and she gasped in horror. “Oh my God! I must look awful!” Running a shaky hand over her face and through her hair, she let out an ‘eeep’ and hid deep down under the covers.

Spike couldn’t help but chuckling. “Buffy, you look great. Come on, pet, get back up here.”

“No. Don’t look at me!” Her voice sounded muffled.

Rolling his eyes, Spike sat down on the bed and pulled the covers away from her. Buffy glared at him and pouted. Ignoring her, Spike leaned over and placed a soft kiss on her lips. “Buffy, you’ll always look beautiful to me.”

The look in her eyes softened. “Really? You’re not just saying that?”

Her face was covered with large cuts and bruises, but to Spike, none of that mattered. All he cared about was the fact that Buffy was awake and that she would be okay. “Buffy, I was so worried about you. I couldn’t bear losing you, I…” He forced back a sob, desperate to keep more tears from falling.

Buffy reached out her hand towards his face, gently cupping his cheek. “Sweetie, I’m okay, don’t worry. The doctor said I was lucky to get away with a concussion and a sprained ankle. And I feel so much better now that you’re here.” She was relieved to see that her words seemed to get through to him, and smiled when he brought her hand to his lips and kissed it, gently.


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


After throwing his suitcase in the trunk of his car, Riley jumped into the front seat, nervously fumbling with the key. He’d made an anonymous phone call to the hospital, and was informed that Buffy was now awake. He’d made a mistake coming here; he should’ve just stayed in LA. Deep down, he’d suspected all along that Buffy wouldn’t take him back, but he just couldn’t accept that. Not because he loved her, but because of his ego. And when he’d found out that Buffy had moved on, he’d just seen red.

The realization that Buffy could’ve died falling down the stairs had opened his eyes, and Riley decided that enough was enough. He would leave Sunnydale, and could only hope that he wouldn’t be accused of causing the accident. The thought of losing Buffy to another man was humiliating, but it was better than going to jail. The irony that he’d planned on using Spike’s record to break up him and Buffy, and now he was the one who had to worry about the police, wasn’t lost on him. Gritting his teeth in anger, Riley stepped on the accelerator. If he hurried, he could be back in LA by nightfall.


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


“Hi, Buffy. I’m glad you didn’t die!”

“Um… Thanks, Anya.” Buffy smiled, somewhat hesitantly.

Anya smiled back brightly, not noticing how the others rolled their eyes at her comment. Then she turned to Xander. “Now that we know she’s gonna be okay, can we get out of here? We haven’t had sex all day.”

Xander looked like he wished the floor would open up and swallow him. “Anya…”

Misreading his reaction, Anya quickly turned back to Buffy. “Not that I blame you or anything. It’s not like you fell down the stairs on purpose to keep me and Xander from having sex.” Then her eyes narrowed suspiciously. “You didn’t, right?” Buffy shook her head. “Good!” The others could only shake their heads in amusement.

“Bloody hell! Giles!” Spike jumped off the bed, where he’d been half lying comfortably next to Buffy. “He told me to be back in an hour and a half, gotta call him before he’ll give my job to the janitor.” He gave Buffy a quick peck on the cheek before rushing out of the room.

Buffy giggled. Then she became serious, hit by a thought. “What did Riley say? He and Spike didn’t get into a fight, did they?”

The room became silent as her friends looked at each other in confusion. Finally, Willow spoke up. “What are you talking about?”

Buffy frowned. “Riley was the one who told you what happened, right? Is he outside?”

Willow shook her head carefully. “Buffy, the hospital called me since you listed me as the first person to call in case of an emergency. We haven’t even met your ex. What does he have to do with any of this?”

“But he was there when…” Buffy stopped as realization hit her. “Oh my God, the jerk just left!”


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


Spike had just hung up the phone, an annoyed expression on his face, when he noticed Xander making his way over to him. “Don’t wanna leave, but Giles isn’t picking up. Have to go over there and tell him what happened, don’t fancy getting fired for not showing up.”

“Spike…”

Raising his hand to stop him, Spike went on; “Gotta go, mate. Tell Buffy I’ll be right back, will you?”

“Sure, it’s just…” Xander hesitated, not sure how to go on. “Look, Spike, there’s something you should know.”

Spike sighed, looking at his watch. “I’m late as it is. Can’t it wait?”

Xander shrugged. “I suppose it can. It’s just something Buffy said. About her ex.”


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


Riley cursed loudly as he was forced to pull over to the side of the road. How could he have been so stupid that he’d forgotten to fill up the gas before leaving LA? He took a couple of deep breaths to calm himself down, realizing that it was probably a good thing he hadn’t gotten out of town yet. Though he had no idea where the nearest gas station was, and he didn’t exactly look forward to walking all across town in search for it. Maybe he’d be able to stop another car, asking for directions, or even better; a ride. Although he hadn’t met any cars yet, he decided that it was probably still his best option, and got out of the car.



TBC

“All right, Miss Summers, looking good. I think…”

Buffy didn’t wait for the doctor to finish before speaking up, eagerly; “Great! When can I go home?”

Dr. Backer gave her a stern look. “I was going to say, before you interrupted me, that you probably won’t have to stay too long, but I’m keeping you here at least until tomorrow morning. Then we’ll see.” Buffy pouted, which he simply chose to ignore. “I’ll be back to check on you later tonight. Until then, I suggest you try to get some more rest.” With that, Dr. Backer looked around the room and smiled politely, then hurried away to go check on another one of his patients.

Buffy sighed and leaned back against the pillows. “I don’t wanna stay here until tomorrow. I really don’t like hospitals.”

Anya nodded, sympathetically. ”I know what you mean – hospitals sucks. With all the sick people, and the dying and…”

“Anya! Not helping!” Willow turned to Buffy with an assuring smile. “It won’t have to be that bad. We’ll all stay here; it’ll be like a slumber party. A slumber party with cute doctors!”

“And drugs!” Anya piped up, helpfully.

Rolling her eyes, Buffy couldn’t help but smile a little. “Thanks, guys. I’m really glad you all came here, it means a lot to me.”

“Of course we did, sweetie.” Tara was about to say something more, when Xander suddenly came back into the room.

“Hey, Buff! Spike went back to the library to talk to Giles, but he said to tell you that he’d be back here as soon as possible.” Then he stepped over to Anya and wrapped his arms around her, and she happily leaned into his touch.

Trying to hide her disappointment, Buffy put on a brave smile. “That’s cool. Hey, Xander, you didn’t…” She hesitated before she went on; “You didn’t tell him about Riley, did you?”

Xander let out a nervous laugh, looking down at his feet, clearly not wanting to look Buffy in the eyes. “No?”

Buffy glared at him, suspiciously. “Xander? How much did you tell him?”

Sighing, Xander gave in, not wanting to lie. “Oh, not much.” A pause. “Just everything you told us.” He could see that Buffy was about to start yelling at him, so he hurried to add; “But it’s okay, really. I mean, sure, Spike was pissed, and if Riley’d been here, he’d probably not gotten away from this hospital alive, but…” He laughed a little, then became serious. “I’m only making things worse, aren’t I?”

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


It had started to rain about ten minutes ago, and now it was pouring. Riley was getting more and more annoyed by the minute. He’d been standing on the road next to his car for almost an hour, and so far, not a single car had stopped. He needed to get out of Sunnydale, and he needed to do it now. For all he knew, Buffy could be talking to the cops right now. The bitch would probably tell them that he’d pushed her down the stairs, and then it would only be a matter of time before they’d come after him. The longer away from Sunnydale he’d be by then, the better.

He couldn’t help but feel a little guilty, though. He knew that whether he’d pushed Buffy or not, the accident was still partly his fault. If he hadn’t showed up, then it wouldn’t have happened. But then on the other hand, if Buffy hadn’t been at Spike’s in the first place, it wouldn’t have happened either. Riley felt anger welling up inside him again. When he thought about it again, he became convinced that it really was Buffy’s fault after all. She should’ve known better than spending the night with some guy she hardly knew. Or more importantly; some guy that wasn’t him.

But right now, the only thing he cared about was getting himself out of this mess. He’d go back to LA, and hopefully never have to see or talk to Buffy Summers again. That was, if anyone would ever stop and help him. He thought about go standing in the middle of the road, forcing the next car to stop, but the thought of getting run over wasn’t too appealing. Another car passed him, and Riley was just about to leave his car and start walking – in which direction, he had no idea – when the other car suddenly slowed down and pulled over to the side of the road. When the driver opened the front door, Riley smiled to himself. It looked like his luck had returned.

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


Spike was driving through town, completely ignoring the speed limits. He was urgent to get back to Giles and tell him what happened, and then hurry back to Buffy. It was probably a good thing he didn’t know where to find Riley, or he might do something he’d come to regret later. Xander had told him that – according to Buffy – it had all been an accident, but Spike didn’t care. Intentional or not, the git was the one who had caused Buffy to fall down the stairs, and for that, Spike wanted to kill him. He had been furious when he’d found out that Riley had hired someone to check up on him, but that was nothing compared to how he felt towards Buffy’s ex now.

Spike didn’t know if Riley had waited until the ambulance had arrived before taking off like the miserable little coward he was. It didn’t make any difference, though. He hadn’t even had the decency to go with Buffy to the hospital; he had just left. The mere thought of Buffy not making it was almost more than Spike could handle, but he knew that if that had been the case, he would have tracked Riley down, wherever he was. Then he would have killed him, without giving the consequences a second thought.

At first he didn’t react when he saw the car on the side of the road, not until he’d already passed it and looked back in the rear-view mirror. Then he did a double take, frowned, and slowed down before pulling over. It would be too much of a coincidence, it couldn’t be…? But it was. Riley Finn, the person responsible for the accident that could have killed the love of his life, was standing at the side of the road, no more than a hundred and fifty feet away. With a grim expression on his face, Spike opened the door and stepped out of the car.



TBC

Riley hurried over to the other car, happy that someone finally had the decency to stop. That was, until the owner of the car got out and he saw who it was. Then he froze in his tracks. And here he was, thinking his luck had finally changed? Things couldn’t possibly get any worse than this!

“Well, well... Look who it is.” Spike glared at Riley, approaching him slowly, and Riley found himself starting to back away. Now what? By the look on his face, Spike knew, all too well, what had happened.

Riley swallowed. “Hey, I…” Then he stopped, having no idea what to say. He really should’ve just stayed in his car. Not that he was afraid or anything. Hell no, but he didn’t have time for this. He quickly considered his options to get out of this awkward situation as fast and simple as possible. Lie and deny? Or simply confess and apologize? Run? Riley snorted at the last thought. He wondered what Spike wanted from him. A fight?
Riley wasn’t too worried about getting his ass kicked; he knew how to fight back. And honestly, Spike didn’t seem to be that much of a threat. Still, a fight would be highly inconvenient, since he really needed to get out of this town as soon as possible.

Thinking about it, that should be what Spike wanted the most as well. For Riley to leave and stay away from him and Buffy. That way, everybody would be happy. Right? He decided to give it a try and let out a nervous laugh. “Look, I realize that you’re probably a little… upset with me. But there’s no need to do anything rash. I mean, just because there was this unfortunate little misunderstanding…”

Spike looked almost amused for a moment, staring at Riley in disbelief as he cut him off; “I’m sorry, misunderstanding?”

Riley nodded, eagerly. “Yeah, the accident. Listen, I…”

“Oh, you mean when you accidentally pushed my girlfriend down the stairs.” It was more a statement than a question, and Spike sounded calm, in fact way too calm for Riley’s liking.

Then he felt anger welling up inside him. “Hey, I didn’t push her, she fell on her own! Who the hell do you think you are, accusing me like that?! Is that what the bitch told you, that I pushed her? That’s just…” He stumbled backwards as Spike’s fist suddenly hit him right in the face, but he managed to remain standing.

Spike was now in Riley’s face, glaring at him furiously. “Talk about her like that again, and…”

“And what? You’ll kill me? Please!” Riley laughed a little, but when Spike pulled his fist back again, he hurried to take a step back, hands in the air. “All right, enough! Look, you hit me, are you happy now? Can’t we just call it even?”

Staring at him, Spike let out a bitter laugh. “Even? Buffy could’ve died, did you even think about that?!”

“Of course I did! I never meant for this to happen, it was an accident! And I didn’t just take off; I called the ambulance and waited for it to arrive. Then I…” He stopped, looking down at his feet.

”Then you just took off? Oh, in that case, it changes everything. I was wrong; you’re a bloody hero!” The sarcasm in Spike’s voice was obvious.

Riley sighed. “Look, I’m leaving Sunnydale. I shouldn’t have come here in the first place, I realize that now. For what it’s worth, I’m really sorry.”

He sounded sincere, but Spike looked at him suspiciously. “If I ever see you here again…”

“You won’t, I promise. I’ll stay away from you and Buffy from now on.” Riley only hesitated a second before continuing; “And I’d really appreciate it if you’d just tell the cops that I wasn’t in any way responsible for…” The second blow came as a total surprise, and Riley found himself lying on the ground, seeing stars. He spat out a mouthful of blood. Sometimes, he should just know when to stop.

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

“I’m bored. Can we go now?” Anya gave Xander a hopeful look, but he only raised his eyebrows in response. She sighed, then put on a bright smile and turned to Buffy. “I really enjoy being here.”

Buffy tried not to roll her eyes. “If you wanna go, that’s okay. Really.”

“Of course not, Buff! Don’t mind Anya, we’ll stay right here with you.” Xander gave his lover a stern look when he saw that she was about to object.

Anya slumped down in a chair, sulking. She couldn’t understand why Xander had to insist for them to stay at the hospital; they’d already been here for hours. And Buffy would be just fine, they knew that now. She and Xander hadn’t had sex all day and Anya was starting to get more than a little frustrated. “Xander, she said it was okay. I’m tired, I wanna go home.”

Xander hesitated. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to go home with Anya. He liked her a lot and she was nice, smart and funny. Also, the sex was very good, of course. He couldn’t deny that, but he couldn’t help feeling that things were going a little too fast. Then on the other hand, his life had definitely become more interesting since he’d met her. And again, the sex was nice. Very nice. Suddenly, his pants started to feel extremely uncomfortable. Maybe it was time to leave after all? He glanced at Buffy.

Buffy gave him an assuring smile. “Go.”

Giving her a goofy grin, Xander jumped up from the chair, turning to Anya. “Shall we?”

Anya smiled, happily. “Yes! I feel like doing something kinky tonight. Like last night, when we dressed up like…”

”And on that note...” Xander laughed nervously, looking around the room. “Bye, guys!” He then grabbed Anya’s arm and practically dragged her out of the room.

Buffy giggled, then turned to Willow and Tara. “What about you guys? Wanna leave, too? I don’t mind; I’m sure you have more important things to do than hang here all night. Besides, I’m starting to get a little tired; I should probably try to get some sleep.”

Willow nodded. “Okay, Buffy. We’ll be back tomorrow.” She gave Buffy a hug. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”

Buffy smiled and hugged her back. “Thanks, Will. And Tara, thanks for coming.”

Tara gave her a shy smile. “No problem.”

The two girls waved goodbye and left. Buffy leaned back against the pillows. Her head still hurt a little, but not half as much as it had before. Now, if only Spike would come back soon, everything would be just great.



TBC

“Buffy? Sorry, luv, didn’t mean to wake you.” Spike closed the door quietly behind him, careful not to make any sound. It was late; way past visiting hours, and if anyone caught him sneaking into Buffy’s hospital room at this hour, he’d probably be in a lot of trouble. But he had to see her; he’d promised to come back, and he didn’t want to wait until morning.

Buffy blinked a couple of times, trying to get her eyes to adjust to the darkness in the room so she could see him. “Spike? What time is it?”

He stepped closer, slowly so he wouldn’t trip on anything and wake the entire hospital, until he was right beside the bed, then sat down next to her. “It’s late; past ten o clock. Sorry I couldn’t come back sooner. You okay?”

She nodded. “Yeah, sure. Missed you, though.” She pouted a little, knowing he was whipped enough to be affected by it. She was right.

“I’m really sorry, pet. I just…” He hesitated. “Had some things that needed to be taken care of, but it’s all done now.” Spike leaned over to kiss her softly, and Buffy wrapped her arms around him.

“Did he give you a hard time?”

Spike pulled back, startled. “What?”

Not pleased with the sudden loss of contact, Buffy let out a little grunt, and pulled him closer again. “Giles? Hello! Wasn’t that why you left, to go talk to him so you wouldn’t lose your job?”

“Oh. Yeah, among other things.” Spike kissed her again, hoping she wouldn’t notice how vague that came out. He knew he’d have to tell her what happened eventually, but he was hoping that it could wait, at least until the next morning. Luckily, it seemed like Buffy was too occupied snuggling to notice. He relaxed and hugged her tighter. “Missed you so much, kitten.” He felt her smile, as she’d buried her face against his neck.

“Kitten? That’s a new one. I like it.” Buffy tried to stifle a big yawn, unsuccessfully. “Sorry. Guess I’m really tired.”

Spike chuckled, gently stroking her cheek. “You should go back to sleep, then. I’ll stay right here. That is, if you want me to?” He suddenly sounded a little uncertain.

Buffy gave him an assuring smile and took his hand, squeezing it tenderly. “Of course I do.” She brought his hand up to her lips to place a soft kiss on his palm, then frowned, her eyes widening. “Spike, you’re bleeding, what happened?!”

Bollocks! Spike mentally cursed himself for not getting himself cleaned up before he went to see Buffy. Truth to be told, he’d simply forgotten. He realized he would have some explaining to do tonight, after all. “Right. Well…” He hesitated a little. “It’s okay, really. I just… hit my hand on something.”

Looking slightly worried, Buffy gently traced his bruised knuckles with her fingers. “On what?” He mumbled something, too low for her to catch. “What was that?”

Spike sighed, repeating his words. “On Riley’s face.”

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


“You mad at me?” Spike had finally told Buffy the whole story about how he had accidentally ran into Riley earlier, and now he was waiting for her reaction, hoping she wouldn’t be too upset. Not that he regretted anything, though. The feeling when he’d broken the other man’s nose had been bloody amazing.

“No, not mad. Just… a little surprised, I guess.” A pause. “And maybe a little concerned.”

“Surprised?” He stared at her in disbelief. “You saying you expected me to let him get away with what he did? He hurt you, Buffy! God, you could’ve…” Spike’s voice broke and he couldn’t finish the sentence.

“Spike, I’m okay.” Buffy sighed and squeezed his hand again. “Look, I’m not saying I’m not happy you kicked Riley’s ass, because God knows the bastard deserved it, but you really shouldn’t have. I mean, what if he… I don’t know, tells the police or something? You could get in trouble. I don’t want that.”

Spike snorted. “I wouldn’t worry ‘bout that, the wanker’s too afraid for his own sorry ass to tell the cops anything. Besides, after hitting him a couple of times, we had a little… talk. Think it’s safe to say that he’s not gonna bother either one of us again.” He said the last part with a smug look on his face and Buffy couldn’t help but roll her eyes.

“Okay, ‘Big Bad’, I’ll take your word for it. Now, how about we just agree not to mention Riley’s name again? He’s done enough damage, don’t you think? I just wanna forget the fact that he even exists.” Buffy gave Spike a pleading look.

He nodded, instantly. “Whatever you want, luv.” Like he wouldn’t do just about anything she asked. He was bloody whipped and he knew it. But for some reason, he couldn’t care less. Then he noticed how tired she looked. “We’ll talk more tomorrow, yeah? Now, you’re gonna lean back, close those pretty eyes of yours, and go to sleep. Got it?”

Buffy gave him a tired smile, starting to object. “Don’t wanna. Wanna snuggle.” Then she yawned again, and had to struggle to keep her eyes open. “Okay, too tired to snuggle. Sleep sounds good. Will you hold me?” She tried batting her eyelashes at him, but was too tired to even do that. Though she managed a small smile as he slipped under the covers with her and slid his arms around her.

Spike ran his fingers over her cheek, kissing her gently. “Night, Buffy. Sweet dreams.”

She let out a happy sigh, already half asleep. “Night, Spike. Love you.”

He froze, certain that he’d heard wrong. “What?” Soft snoring was his only response. “No, Buffy, don’t fall asleep just yet! Did you just say…?” A moment ago Spike had been tired as well, now he was wide awake. Surely he’d been mistaken, right? There was just no way Buffy would say…

“Mmmm. Spike… love you…” Buffy snuggled closer to him and this time, there was no doubt what she’d said. Spike’s frown disappeared, and a wide grin spread on his face. He suddenly felt all warm inside, feeling happier and more peaceful than he could remember ever feeling before. He pressed one last, soft kiss to her forehead before he finally let sleep claim him as well.

“Love you, too, pet.”



TBC

A month later…


“Buffy? I’m home, pet! Are you…?”

“Spike?! Oh God, don’t come in here! Really, I mean it!”

Spike frowned, but stepped into the kitchen anyway, despite Buffy’s warning. Then he froze in his tracks, staring at the mess she’d created in his… no, it was their kitchen now. It was less than a week since he had asked her to move in with him for real, and she had happily accepted his offer. After Buffy had been released from the hospital, about four weeks ago, the two of them had been pretty much inseparable, spending every night either at his place or hers, and since his apartment was the largest, her moving in with him would be more logical than the other way around.

Even though they had been together for more than a month now, Spike still sometimes half expected to wake up one morning, only to find out that it had all just been a sweet dream. That he was still alone, miserable and unloved, but so far it hadn’t happened. A part of him knew, of course, that it was in fact real. That Buffy wasn’t going anywhere; that she was there to stay.

It was almost like she – after the first time she’d told him that she loved him – couldn’t get enough of saying it. And since he couldn’t get enough of hearing it, that worked out just fine. But still, sometimes, he doubted. Not that he didn’t think she was being sincere with him; he knew she meant every word she said. But what if she some day would change her mind, realizing that he wasn’t The One for her after all?

Of course, deep down Spike knew that he couldn’t keep going through life always expecting the worst to happen, but that didn’t mean it was easy. He’d been burned so many times in the past, that when everything finally seemed to be just perfect, he was almost too afraid to accept it. But thankfully, every time he showed even the slightest sign of doubting, either himself or their relationship, Buffy was there to prove him wrong. And every time, she got one step closer of tearing down the protective walls he’d built around himself. He realized that Buffy had to be one of the most patient women in the world, and for that, he would be forever grateful.

Now, Spike looked around the room in bewilderment before turning to his girlfriend, who had a miserable look on her face. “Buffy, what the bloody hell are you doing?!”

Buffy scowled at him. “What does it look like I’m doing? I’m making dinner!”

“You’re…?” Spike hesitated, looking around the kitchen again. There were pans and bowls all over the place, and the floor was covered with some white powder that looked suspiciously like flour. And was that smoke, coming from the oven?

“Oh my God!” Spike barely managed to jump out of the way when Buffy grabbed a pot-holder and rushed over to open the oven. Black smoke welled out and she coughed, waving her hand in front of her face. Then she took something out and put it on the kitchen sink with a grimace. Spike took a step closer to have a look, but whatever it was supposed to have been, it was now impossible to identify.

”Um...” Spike couldn’t stop himself from letting out a snort of amusement. “Looking good, pet.”

“Shut up!” Buffy glared at him, then a single tear rolled down her cheek. “I just wanted to…” Her bottom lip started to tremble. “…to… to have dinner ready for you, when you…” More tears fell and she started sobbing. “…when you got home from work!” She stubbornly took a step back when Spike stepped closer, intending to comfort her. “Don’t touch me!”

Biting his tongue to keep from smiling – she was absolutely adorable – Spike reached for her again, and this time she let him pull her into his arms. “I’m sorry, sweet love, but you have to admit, it was kinda funny.” Feeling how Buffy immediately tensed up in his arms, he tightened his grip around her to keep her from pulling away from him. “Right. Not that funny. Sorry.”

Buffy sighed and pulled back a little, pouting. “I’m the one who should be sorry. I just wanted to do something nice for you; I can’t believe what a screw-up I am!”

Spike placed a soft kiss on her lips, then gently wiped away her tears. “Don’t say that, luv. What you did was amazing; no one has ever done something like that for me before.”

Snorting, Buffy stared at him in disbelief. “Ruined your kitchen?”

Spike chuckled. “No, making me dinner.”

Buffy rolled her eyes. “And look how nice that turned out. Let’s just face it; ‘cooking’ and ‘Buffy’? Not very mixy.”

“I hate to agree, but…” Spike raised his eyebrows and looked around the room again. Buffy let out a small laugh, much to his relief. “Tell you what, how ‘bout we just go out and eat? I know this place where they have spicy buffalo wings and this fried onion-thing, they make it look like a flower, bloody brilliant!”

Smiling, Buffy wrapped her arms around him. “Or, we could just stay here, in the bedroom. I mean, who needs to eat, anyway? I’m sure we can think of something much more interesting to do...” She wiggled her eyebrows in a suggestive manner, and brought her hand down to place it over his hardening erection, causing him to gasp.

“You little minx! Keep doing that, and we won’t make it to the bedroom. I might just take you right here.” Spike gave her a sexy smile and curled his tongue behind his teeth, making her knees go weak.

“Is that a promise, or…?” Buffy let out an ‘eeep’ as Spike scooped her up in his arms and carried her into the bedroom. When he gently put her down on the bed, their bed now, she whispered a soft ‘I love you’, and he felt like the weight he’d been carrying on his shoulders for as long as he could remember had finally lifted. For so long, he’d been wondering if anyone could ever love him, and now he knew. She could. Buffy loved him.



The End