She smiled, laying her head against his chest, feeling her sweat cover his body. She giggled as she felt some strength return to her muscles, “We are going to need another shower.” Spike laughed, “I like smelling like you Summers. It’s like a breath of fresh air. I never thought I’d smell the smell of your sweat, your juices and vanilla covering me again. A bloke could get used to this.” Buffy grinned as she wrapped her arms around his waist, “Good because I plan to keep it this way.” She stayed this way with him until her breathing was back to normal and she heard her intercom buzzing. She leaned over, holding the button, “Yes?” She heard Dawn’s voice through the intercom, “Whenever you guys are finished doing whatever things you are doing which please don’t tell me what it is you are doing still in bed at 1 pm, Giles would like to see you. And Buffy you have two girls who arrived this morning via Willow. They’d like to meet you, preferably dressed.” Dawn’s giggle filled the air causing Spike to chuckle as Buffy spoke into the intercom, “Yeah, yeah yeah. Very funny. We will be down in a few, fully dressed.” Dawn giggled again and replied, “ok” as the intercom went quiet with a click.
Buffy glanced down at Spike whispering in a pouting voice, “We have to get up.” Spike chuckled and she grinned feeling his chest move under her as he grinned back, tickling her slightly, “I can help with that.” As she jumped up trying to run across the room, she bumped her leg hard into the dresser and fell only to have Spike catch her a minute before she slammed into the ground. He lifted her into his arms whispering, “Perhaps the games should wait until we get you healed up.” He glanced down to the cut that was healing nicely and the bruises that were fading and he nodded, “It looks like it’s healing nicely.” He lowered her to the ground and she padded over to the bags on the floor. She sighed, “Will you help me put this stuff away later? I’ve never had so many clothes.” Spike eyed her, “You getting paid that well?” Buffy shook her head, “These were a treat from Wolfram and Hart on Angel’s card.” Spike laughed out loud as he watched her pull out some Victoria Secret underwear along with a matching bra and then pulled out a pair of pink shorts with a tight white tank top. Then she pulled out matching white sandals and Spike grinned, “I see that credit card did you well. What’s in the dress bag?”
Buffy grinned as she pulled on her underwear but paused before pulling on her clothes and lifted up the dress bag opening it to place in Spike’s open hands. As she pulled her tank top over her head and then pulled her shorts on, she watched as Spike gently fingered the silk material and smiled at the summery dresses. He wagged his eyebrows at her, “Bloody Hell pet. These are going to look amazing on you. I’m so taking you out when you are feeling up to it.” Buffy grinned as she took the bag, hanging it in the closet for safekeeping. She then watched as Spike got dressed pulling on a normal pair of black jeans and a tight red top then pulling on his duster. She ran her fingertips over the duster and he took it off wrapping it around her and picked up the one on the floor that she had bought. He smiled, “You picked out the exact duster I had. How did you remember exactly what it looked like?” Buffy shrugged, “You’d put it on me when we were patrolling sometimes and you let me wear it at certain times when it was cold out and I would spend my time touching it and feeling it so I knew it really well. I had nothing of yours so I bought this duster so I could pretend it was you. Will you wear mine to make it smell like you?”
Spike chuckled as he pulled it on noticing it was even the same size. It didn’t smell like his but then again the one he had now was a replacement thanks to the Immortal blowing his last one up, “That’s not the real one pet.” Buffy frowned, “No?” Spike shook his head as he pulled on his socks and boots watching as Buffy put some makeup on her face. He had never seen her do that unless she was going to the Bronze. He then picked up her brush brushing out her tangles as he explained, “Angel had a lead telling him you were in Rome. We went to Rome to get a head for an exchange needed for one of his clients. When we got to Rome we met up with the enemy who stole the head. When we went to get it back, they bloody blew us up ruining my duster. I was pissed off.” Buffy smiled slightly watching the brush move without seeing his reflection doing so, “Of course you were.”
Spike smirked but continued, “So yeah, he bleeding blew up my duster and the strange demon girl there produced a ton just like it. I picked out one of the bunch and that was mine to wear. But bloody hell, I’m really thankful to hear you aren’t with the Immortal luv. He’s a nasty bugger.” Buffy laughed as she took the brush from his hand and put two barrettes into her hair, “I’m sure he is. I’ve never met him myself.” Spike swung her around in his arms opening up the door stating, “And I don’t plan for you ever do so. So where is the nibblet and watcher?” Buffy took Spike’s hand, pulling the door to her room shut, and guided him down the hall. She wiggled her butt and when Spike squeezed it, she turned around whapping his hand. She was dying to run away from him but knew her leg needed one more day of healing and continuing to injure it was not going to help her case.
Buffy didn’t drop Spike’s hand as she knocked on the door. Dawn threw the door open and grinned as she bounced on her heels, “You guys look well loved and rested. So you finally managed to keep your hands off each other long enough to grace us with your presence?” Willow pushed past Buffy as she gave Spike a hug stating, “You lived! Dawn was right. I didn’t believe her!” Spike chuckled as he nodded, “According to Buffy, you can’t keep a good champion down.” Buffy nodded as she pointed to the large chair in the center of the room. Spike took it as she sat on the arm with her legs folded up on his lap. He gently rubbed circles on her leg despite Giles’s glare. Giles cleared his throat stating, “So explain your trip. Are you staying with us Spike?” Spike only nodded in reply as Buffy took over telling the tale of how she arrived in L.A., meeting up with Angel, patrolling only to be overrun by vampires who are now in Hell so they are probably happy that way, as well as explaining how she met up with Spike. She left out the more personal parts such as their actual reunion and how much it affected her and Spike kept that to himself as well not wanting to embarrass her.
As the tale finished, Spike made one last statement, “So your slayer, me and her are going to try to make this thing work all healthy like.” Willow grinned giving Buffy a knowing look. Buffy had moved to her hand to rest on Spike’s leg. She didn’t want to take any chance he would leave her again. Just as Dawn getting into the story about her date the night before, Dawn paused looking at the doorway to see two teenagers. One was dressed in a biker girl outfit with blue hair but the other looked like a gentle schoolgirl in a simple pink skirt and white blouse outfit. Buffy stood up extending her hand, “You must be the two slayers Willow found this round. What are your names?” The biker girl chirped up in a peppy voice snapping her gum, “Mandy. You’re offering a free place to live right? I sort of packed all I had when I agreed to come with Willow and I don’t want to go back to my parents’ house.”
Buffy glanced down at the girl’s outfit noticing the small amount of skin that could be seen was badly bruised and battered. Looking at Mandy’s eyes, she noticed the makeup she wore was probably to cover up the black eye she was sporting. It appeared this girl was being abused at home so she quickly offered, “Yes. We have free room and board here and we offer transportation to and from the local school so you can finish up your schooling. Once you are finished, then we help you get placed in a job suitable if you want. It’s all free and optional. We would never force anything on you.” Mandy smiled hesitantly and Buffy saw through her appearance and knew that Mandy would take a bit more work to win over than the other girl standing in front of her. Buffy offered the other girl her hand and the girl took it, quietly stating “My name’s A.J. short for Alice Jane but everyone just calls me plain A.J. I was away in boarding school so I wouldn’t mind staying here as well. I never fit in well at the school. My parents were fairly poor and my aunt was paying for me. The other students knew that and made it hard.”
Buffy smiled at both girls stating again, “You both are welcome to stay here. Dawn will show you to a room if she hasn’t already.” Both girls spoke up at once, “She has…” But Mandy trailed off allowing A.J. to continue, “We are in the same room.” Buffy could tell they were not enjoying that room much as she decided to tell them her policy, “We try to pair up girls when they first arrive with a roommate or two in one of the bigger rooms. This gives you an instant friend and companion to get to know. After a while, when rooms open up, we offer you the chance to separate or move in with another girl or live on your own. You’d be surprised about how many girls choose to stay together or move in with someone else. Most don’t prefer rooms to themselves because it’s lonely.” Buffy eyed Sarah as she came up behind the girls and Sarah began her rushed speech, “I tried to get the girls enrolled in school and of course they need paperwork signed off by you to get them into the same class. So here’s their paperwork you can fill out Buffy.” She stepped further into the room and then gasped, “He’s a vampire!”
Buffy ignored the response, glancing over the papers merely stating, “That’s Spike.” The girl’s eyes got big and Buffy glanced up to see her look at him in awe, “The Spike?” Buffy nodded as she gathered two pens separating the two applications as she heard Spike say behind her, “The Spike?” Buffy gave another nod as she glanced up looking at Spike motioning for the two girls to step inside the room, “I told everyone about your sacrifice and how you saved the world. It’s part of my intermediate class.” She didn’t elaborate as she handed the girls their applications with a clipboard and a pen, “Can you girls fill out what you know and then I’ll take care of the rest. Sarah can you have their records sent to the school while we do that?” Sarah smiled proudly, “Already done. Anything else?” Buffy gave a curt nod, “See if you can get someone who isn’t bothered by blood to grab some at the butchers shop. Make sure it’s animal because we don’t need Spike being weaned off human blood again. That was a nightmare.” Spike nodded in agreement as Sarah disappeared followed by Willow and Dawn leaving the two girls to sit across from Spike and started to fill out their paperwork.