~Chapter Two~
AN: Wow, didn't actually expect there to be so many other Feehan fans among the readers. Hehe. Hence the big explainy Author's note to keep non-Feehan fans from passing the story up. Yeah, and as some of you noticed, doing my best to keep the balance of his Spike-ishness with the Carpathianess, so bare with me. Sometimes its a bit clashy as those of you that are Feehan fans know.
Buffy woke up the next afternoon and knew Spike wouldn't be around for awhile, so she took the opportunity to do some snooping around the large house. She figured she was going to be seeing a lot of it for the foreseeable future. She went over to the pile of clothes that the bleached punk had created for her the night before on her request. To avoid future naked wanderings, of course. He was going to have to take her shopping eventually, though, or at least take her back to her dorm to pack some of her things.
She poked around, but there wasn't much of interest around the house. There was very little food in the kitchen and she grabbed a bottle of water then headed for the living room. She flopped onto the couch and stretched out, grabbing the remote and turning on the television to find something to keep her occupied until the creepy guy woke up.
Her head jerked around when she felt the caress of fingers along her neck. She was still alone, though, and the sun was still out. It was waning, but out. So what... that was another of his little gifts? To molest her from a distance? She rolled her eyes and slouched down further on the couch. Big freakin' perv, that's what he was.
The familiar laugh came right before he materialized in front of her, kneeling close with a smirk. "Luv, only a perv when it comes t' you."
"Lucky me," she grumbled and sat up, scooting away from him. "Well reign it in there, cause I still haven't decided if I'm into this lifematy thing. And, doing stuff like that is so not going to sway my decision in the favourable way, you know." She crossed her arms in front of her.
"Look, I said I'd give ya time an' I can give that t' you, but I can only wait for you so long. Told you, the darkness grows everyday an' I'm so very old." He tilted his head and his eyes darkened as he looked her over, sending a little shiver dancing along her spine. "An' you don' realize what torture it is t' finally have the lifemate I've been watin' centuries for, t' have you within reach an' not touch."
"I do understand and feel for you a bit, I mean... or I wouldn't even be giving this crazy thing a chance." She bit the corner of her lip.
He finally risked touching her, cupping her cheek in his hand. "You feel the connection between us, right? That too, right?" He looked at her so hopefully, she had to give a small soft smile, but blushed slightly with eyes widened at his next words, "Female lifemates, being the light t' our darkness, are purely good. They can' do bad at all an' I know one wouldn' let her lifemate die if she could help it. Wouldn' let anyone die without tryin' t' help. I have seen females who even felt sorrow for those... creatures such as attacked you last night, even if I don' believe they deserve it."
"You think *I* am that good, too?" She blinked at him in disbelief.
"You're my lifemate." He said simply. "There can be no darkness in you. Your goodness is what anchors me after I bind my lifemate t' me. Prevents me from becomin' that undead creature."
She wrinkled her nose. She still didn't really think she was all that he made her out to be at times, but she didn't feel up to arguing with him when he seemed to believe what he said so completely. It was also a little flattering, but sometimes the creepiness factor cancelled it out. She shook her head, trying to clear it a bit so she could think straight.
"Okay, one thing at a time..." she held up a hand to fend him off half-heartedly. "Either you gotta take me shopping, or back to my apartment. Cause, from what I gather, I'm going to be staying her a long time no matter which way my decision goes. And, I really don't want to be dependant on you for being clothed. Especially considering the style in which you made my panties..." She arched a brow. "Not to mention, as an adult, I do enjoy choosing my own outfits."
He chuckled and shook his head. "Fine. If its really that important t' you, luv. We can go shoppin', because I'm not sure its safe t' take you back to your school after one vampire has found you there."
"Fine, but I'm going to make you get really expensive stuff." She smirked and lifted her chin.
"If that'll make my lifemate happy..." he arched a brow and smirked right back.
"What'd make me happy is to-"
"I'm sure you're hungry," he cut her off and stood up with a smile, knowing exactly the barb she was just about to throw his way. "Let's go get you somethin' t' eat. I'll feed later. We can also do a bit of that shoppin' ya want while we're out."
"We can also-"
He clamped a hand over her mouth. "You keep that up, pet, an' you'll force me t' find better ways t' keep your mouth occupied." He wagged his brows at her then turned to head for the door, expecting her to follow.
She gaped after him for a moment then scrunched up her face. "Ew much."
Spike leaned against the dressing room door while she tried on some outfits she had found in one of the stores at a mall a couple towns over. He figured it was at least slightly safer than taking her shopping in her hometown because of the reason he had given for not going back to her apartment. If one vampire had been attracted to the area after sensing his lifemate, then surely others had sensed her as well. He glanced over his shoulder at the door.
"Want me t' come in an' help? Maybe get a sneak peek?" he asked in a honeyed tone.
"No. Go leer at someone else," she called back between grunts as she hopped on one foot to get a pair of jeans on. She made an impatient noise and took them off, tossing them over the door to land on Spike's head. "On second thought, can you find me a pair of those in a size bigger?"
He picked them off his head and looked at them, noting the size before turning towards the door. "Sure, luv." Then he got a sly smirk and poked his head over the door to get a peek at her half-dressed. He had seen her naked, but really, he would never get enough of seeing his lifemate. His eyes roamed her body, drinking her in while she was unaware of the spying.
Buffy started lifting the shirt off her head and turned around towards the next outfit she intended to try on, stopping dead in her tracks when she found two blue orbs above the dressing room door. She just stared back with her shirt up baring her chest to him for nearly a minute. Then she gave a squeak and threw a shoe at him.
"You... you perv!!" She screeched.
He backed up and easily caught the shoe that sailed over the door. He opened the dressing room door and dropped the shoe, moving dangerously close to her. "Luv, I've already seen you naked. Couldn' resist gettin' another eyeful of that lovely body. Never get enough of my lifemate." He cupped her face and kissed her slowly.
She closed her eyes and melted into the kiss for a moment, then remembered where they were and what he had just done. She grabbed a hanger and batted at him with it. "Get out of here and go find that pair of jeans before I decide I don't want you." She stuck out her lower lip and put her hands on her hips.
"Look at that lip, gonna get it," he bent to kiss her once more then turned to leave, picking up the discarded jeans on his way out of the changing area.
She rolled her eyes after he left and turned to try something else on. Sheesh, he was pushy... and damned persistent... She chewed on her bottom lip as she tried to think on everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours. Boy was it a lot. Well for her, maybe not for mister hunter guy out there. And all that about her being sooo good? She wasn't sure she could live up to all these expectations he seemed to have about her.
She shook her head and glanced down at herself in the mirror, turning to check out how the outfit looked before starting to peel it off. She turned around and came face to face with Spike again. What was it with this guy and sneaking up on her while she was undressed?? This time she frowned and put her hands on her hips. He gave her a grin and held out the jeans she asked for, not looking sorry at all.
"Jus' as you asked."
"You could have handed them to me over the door, you know." She rolled her eyes then started to pull them on. She wiggled, seeing how they felt when she moved.
"Where's the fun in that?" He chuckled and his eyes lowered, locked on her hips as they moved in the tight denim. Suddenly his own jeans became painfully tight. He groaned and took a step back. "I'll let you get dressed then we can go pay for it all. After that, can go find you somethin' t' eat, luv." He turned and fled the changing room.
She watched him go, utterly confused by his behavior. She shook her head and changed, gathering up the clothes she wanted then following him out. First, he was about banging down the door to get in for a peek then he gets one, well two, and he took off running. Men. They were a confusing species.
Buffy waited by the front door as he paid and looked around at the surrounding stores. The food court was nearby and the mouthwatering scents could be smelled even at that distance, making her stomach rumble. So she glanced over her shoulder towards Spike before heading in that direction.
She stood among the tables, looking at all the stalls and trying to decide what she wanted to eat. She was famished, not having eaten all day, and there were so many delicious things to choose from.
As she had expected, moments later Spike was beside her with the shopping bags and frowning down at her in reproach.
"You said you were going to get me something to eat after you paid," she said innocently. "And I know you'd follow as soon as you were finished. Knew you'd be able to find me easily."
"That's not the point, you daft bint," He growled at her and caught at her arm with his free hand. "I keep tellin' you what danger you're in from people an' creatures that would think nothin' of doin' horrible, unspeakable things t' you! I'll tell you some of the finer details if it'll put some sense int' you, even if I'd hate scarin' you like that."
"Look... I appreciate you wanting to take care of me and protect me, but you can't keep me under your thumb." She sighed, shifting from foot to foot and glancing around before continuing, "Spike... I said I would think about this lifemate thing and I have been. So far, I've come to the conclusion that I'm almost willing to give it a go... but only if we discuss some stuff and agree on some terms we can both live with, okay? As soon as we get back to your place we can talk."
She turned and headed for one of the stalls, expecting him to follow again. Especially since he was the one with the money. She wasn't disappointed when he did follow slowly after an exasperated noise. Woman would be the death of him.
She handed him the to-go box a little while later and nodded towards the other side of the food court. "I gotta use the little girl's room, so wait here."
He watched her go, hips swaying to torture him, and considered briefly shifting into mist and following her. Instead, he forced himself to relax and lean against the booth to wait like she wanted. Try to give her the space she obviously was raving about only minutes before. He was worried about the terms she would demand once they got home. But, not that he would ever tell her because she would take advantage of it, he would agree to anything if it meant having his lifemate. He cursed that soft side of him, the part of him he viewed as a weakness. The sort of thing that could get him and his lifemate killed if he didn't keep it in check.
Buffy came out of the stall and walked over to the sinks to wash her hands. The mall was getting pretty deserted this close to closing time. The food court would be shutting down soon. Around this time it got to be that only the movie theatre was open. She turned to dry off her hands and walked into a tall black man. She stumbled back with a squeak, still holding her damp hands up lamely.
"You do know this is like the girls room, right?" She arched a brow.
He grunted and advanced on her. "I saw you outside with who we know is William Archer. I want to know how you're associated with him. I've never seen you with him before and we've been keeping tabs on him for some time now."
'William Archer?' she thought to herself. Spike had said his name was William last night, so was it him this guy was talking about? And they were following him... did that mean he was one of those society people that Spike had also mentioned the night before? He certainly looked a bit scary. And, it wasn't some racist opinion because he was black. But, what sort of man would be in the girls room brow beating a woman unless he had bad intentions... and those rippling muscles? Hello.
"Um, he helped me last night when a guy attacked me outside my apartment and asked me out tonight," she chewed her lip. Might as well not try to deny she knew him, and what she had said was at least half true.
"You were attacked by what?" he arched a brow.
"Don't you mean who? That was a very odd question. But anyways, it was an old guy... didn't know him. He tried to... take advantage of me and S- William stopped him." She bit her lip slightly, eyeing the man as he studied her in return. She started to get alarmed that he wouldn't believe her and do something horrible like Spike had said.
The man's eyes glazed over a moment then he shook his head to clear it quickly. He pulled a card out of his pocket and shoved it into Buffy's hands. "Well, miss, you might want to get away from him as soon as you can. If he gives you any trouble, call me and my associates. This man is trouble."
She watched him go and rolled her eyes. Sheesh, she already knew Spike was trouble the moment she looked at him. Stating the obvious much. She tossed the card and waited a little bit before finally figuring it was safe to leave the restrooms, heading towards where she had left Spike to tell him about the encounter. As she should of expected though, he was right outside the restrooms, having sensed her distress and finding out what was going on.
"So, you know what that was all about?" she looked up at him and took her food from him. "He was society, wasn't he?"
He nodded and nodded for her to start leaving with him. "That prove it t' you the point I was tryin' t' hammer home? If I hadn' been here, he might have done somethin' an' you would've been in big trouble."
"What do you..." she remembered the man's eyes getting distant for a moment. "You did something?"
"Yeah, an' aren' you lucky," he smirked. "Let's get out of here before that luck runs out."
Buffy sat on Spike's back deck later that night. She glanced back towards the house, knowing he was probably watching her. This whole situation was just so odd. She sighed and settled back against the railing again, trying to make sense of it all in her head yet again. Something like out of one of her vampire novels had swept her off after saving her from a reject from a horror movie. Now, he was talking about things that were like something out of a cheesy romance novel. Their souls were two halves made for each other, they made each other whole. Gah. Sappy much. She pouted. She was not pure goodness. She knew she wasn't. She'd been bad many times.
Spike appeared beside her and sat down, pulling her against him with a chuckle. "You're missin' the point, pet. Sure you've been bad an' drove people t' want t' throttle you as much as I want t' at times... but you're missin' the point. I mean real goodness. The absence of evil an' darkness in you, unlike us male Carpathian who have a darkness that consumes our souls. It grows as we get older. Grows with every kill. Tempts us t' feed t' the point of killin' our victim. But the females. You. You could never do anythin' evil an' malicious. Oh, you can be misbehave an' drive a person t' bonkers... but you couldn' be truly evil an' mean. Make better sense, luv?"
"Maybe..." she sighed. She relaxed against him slightly. "Still don't think I'm as great as you seem to think, but I'm not up for arguing it."
He smirked. "You would rather I thought you horrible an' disgustin'?" He arched an amused brow. "Doesn' this happen when you love someone even among humans... you think they are the sun an' bloody moon an' all that?"
"Maybe..." she hated when he was right. "But don't expect me to be all moony over you." She huffed and looked away.
His smirk grew as he leaned down, lips brushing the side of her neck and sending a bolt of electricity trilling up her spine. Next, his hand cupped her face to turn it back towards him so he could brush his lips over hers before pressing them more firmly. His tongue stroked her bottom lip then prodded for entry, slipping inside when he was rewarded with her compliance. He kept it slow and tender so that she was melting against him, whimpering faintly when he pulled back.
"Responses like that are all I need, sweetling," his voice came out husky and she was glad she wasn't the only one affected. "Don' need pretty words from your lips when I get all the sweet poetry I want from the racin' of your heart an' the look in your eyes."
Her eyes got a bit wide for a moment at his tender words. Then she immediately put up her guards with a look of amusement, head tilting and brow arching. "Oh gawd, that was so cheesy. Did you read it in a hallmark card?"
He snorted and dropped his hand. "Bloody annoyin' bird... drive a man stark bonkers, you could. If I didn' love you so much, wasn' so against the rules t' harm your lifemate... would just pop you one..." He muttered, looking away from her with a scowl.
She chuckled and raised up on her knees facing him. Her hand traced his temple then across his sharp cheekbones, down across his cheek and along his jaw, then slid around his neck to tangle in the soft curls at the nape of his neck. He watched her the whole time warily, guarded blue eyes locked with her soft green ones that were watching her own hand's path.
She finally lifted her eyes from her hand to meet his. "You sure you want a lifemate then? I mean... us driving each other crazy for all eternity until one of us maims the other one?" She scrunched up her face slightly. "I mean really... you wanna lock me to you for all of your immortality, but you say you can't even stand me at times... what are you going to do when we're bound together? You said we can't even be apart much then. We'd be stuck with each other, torturing each other into madness..."
"Buffy..." he brought her into his lap and curled his arms around her, sending her soothing waves. "Is that also part of why you deny our bond? Are you worried about such trivial things?"
She bit her lip and shrugged. "Maybe..."
"As I said, I'm incapable of hurtin' you. Your health an' happiness comes before everythin' else. Everythin'. So maimin' you in a fit of pique is out of the question, no matter how you drive me up the wall." He brushed his lips over her temple. "An' yes, you drive me wild, but I love that 'bout you an' wouldn' have it any other way. Wouldn' want a borin' lifemate. Always be interestin' with you, it would. An' if I didn' care, it wouldn' get t' me so much some of the things you say."
"So you like arguing with me and making each other insane?" She looked at him as if he was already bonkers.
"Absolutely love the little dances we do." His tongue curled behind his teeth as he leered down at her. Somehow, she knew he wasn't just talking about their verbal sparring matches.
"Perv..." She pouted. "We haven't even... and if you keep doing that... you know, being such a perv... well we never will!" She nodded firmly.
"Oh, you think you can resist my charms forever, pet?" He smirked widely.
She thumped his chest and pushed herself out of his lap. "I so could!"
He stood with her. "Care t' make a lil' wager t' that effect?" He hooked his thumbs in his jeans, fingers splayed across his hips in obvious challenge.
"I..." She tore her eyes from the obvious magnet he had made of his groin. She put her nose in the air haughtily, "I could resist you sooo easily. Even if we were both naked or something and running around this house like that for a week or two... or even a month. Or... or a YEAR! So there!"
"Done." He thought away both their clothes. "Though, as temptin' as it is, won' make this bet last a year. A month would do, though, I have faith I won' need the whole month." He leered at her with his damnable tongue curled behind his teeth again.
She squealed at her sudden state of undress and ran screaming into the house, cursing him loudly in language he didn't even know she knew.
His laughter followed her as he taunted her mentally, //You asked for this, luv. Better get used t' this an' if you try t' get dressed I'll only remove the cloves again, though next time I may think of some more inventive way...//
tbc...