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