Chapter 10

“I don’t see why you’re nervous.”

“And why not? I think I’ve got a very good reason to be worried, bit.”

“Just go over there and give her the ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ line.”

“If it could only be that easy, I wouldn’t have all these butterflies in my gut,” Spike sighed, resting his chin in the palm of his hand.

“But it is you, Spike. You want to dump her for Buffy,” Dawn said as she fed Parker in his highchair. “I knew you guys were meant for each other. The moment I saw Buffy, I thought, ‘this girl is going to marry William’.”

“Is that right? Shall I remind you that it was your constant teasing that drove me to hooking up with Harm in the first place? I told you about Buffy and you just laughed at me and said that I was pathetic.”

“Why’d you listen to me?” Dawn asked with a casual shrug. “I’m your sister; I’m here to tease you. If you’re going to blame me for you dating that bimbo--.”

“Watch it, Dawn,” he said, not sure if he was feeling more compelled to defend Harmony or himself in front of his sister. “You and your bloody big mouth, when can I not listen to you?”

“Don’t talk like that around Parker,” she scolded, putting the spoon and jar of baby food that she was holding down and getting to her feet.

“Like your kid won’t learn dirtier words from the television.” Rolling his eyes, Spike put on his leather jacket. “If you don’t see me in an hour or so, call the cops because Harm’s hacking me into pieces.”

“You’ll be fine,” Dawn assured. She opened her arms, giving Spike a long-lasting hug. “You’re doing the right thing and you know it. Stop trying to be nice.”

“I know,” he muttered with his head on her shoulder.

“And if you start to have any doubts, just think of Buffy. You love her and want to be with her. Harmony is the only thing standing in your way. Don’t let her mess things up for you.”

“I know,” Spike said softly, pulling back and ending their embrace. “Guess I should get going.”

“If you need anything, you know where I’ll be.”

Spike nodded and gave her a small smile before heading towards the door.
***

Buffy woke up with a start, the shrill sound of ringing jerking her out of her dreams and causing her to drop the telephone she had clutched in her hand.

“Hello?” she said, answering the phone. As she waited for the other end to respond, she ran her fingers through her tangled blonde hair and wondered when she had fallen asleep in the recliner. The last thing she remembered was talking to Xander. “Hello?” Buffy asked again.

“How’s the hangover?”

Instantly recognizing the voice, Buffy lit up. “I’m okay. I was just about to hang up on you though. How are you?”

“Well, I’m mere seconds away from going home and giving Harmony the boot.”

“Ew.”

Spike laughed, “I agree with you there, pet.”

“I hope it goes well. I wish you tons of luck.”

“I’m sure to need every valuable drop of it.”

“Where are you now?” Buffy walked to the front window, hoping to see him through the fence that enclosed her house.

“Oh, hi there.” With a shy smile, she waved once she saw Spike standing on her porch. “Visiting me is not getting your dumping done.”

“I’m stalling. May I come in?”

“I don’t know…” she teased, biting her lower lip.

“Please?” Spike folded his cell phone in half, cutting the line between them. “Harm gets unreasonably grouchy when she’s woken up before noon. I’d like for my chances of her being somewhat pleasant to be as high as possible, you know?” he said through the window. “Also, I want to spend time with you.”

“Like I could send you away after a line like that. Have you had breakfast yet?” she asked, motioning for him to come inside.

“I’m afraid so. Got my usual cereal from Dawn--.”

“You guys made up? That’s so great.”

“I knew I’d be taken back sooner or later. Expect a call from her; she can’t wait to gossip. She wants the whole scoop about us.”

Buffy’s smile grew wider at the word ‘us’. “Would you, eh, do you want to sit down?”
***

“Are you going to mention me?”

“I’d like to avoid it.”

“Good, I was just about to beg you to not make me out as a home wrecker. If I didn’t know how you felt, I probably would’ve stayed on the sidelines, suffering from a full-blown crush and…”

“I wouldn’t do that, Buffy.”

“Thanks.”

As they sat on the couch, Spike and Buffy looked forward awkwardly. Their thighs were touching and as they spoke, their hands slowly drifted towards each other. Buffy took a deep breath once his larger, warm palm covered her hand.

“Maybe you should head over there? It’s almost eleven,” she suggested even though she moved to thread their fingers together.

“I might stop by afterwards.”

“I’d love that.”

“Buffy…” He softly said her name and caught her eyes. “It feels like we’re playing with fire here.”

“It’ll be different when you talk to Harmony. It won’t be wrong for us to see each other any more--.”

“I’m not so sure about that. When I’m around you…” he paused to search for the perfect wording. “This is more than a case of wanting a bit of forbidden fruit.”

“That’s good to know,” Buffy said, noticing that as Spike spoke, he was leaning closer and closer to her. She knew that with a few more centimeters, they would be touching more intimately. Her heart sped up, hoping that their nearness would result in them sharing a kiss.

As if reading her mind, Spike scooted forward and moved to wrap an arm around her. They cuddled with their bodies pressed together until Buffy found herself wrapped up in a make out session that was taking her breath away.

Ignoring the better, moral part of her brain, Buffy moaned in approval once she was pinned under Spike’s body. Electric jolts shocked her heart as a hand wormed its way into her shirt and under the lacy bra that she was wearing.

“Buffy, Buffy,” he groaned with his head buried into the space where her shoulder and neck met.

Not sure what to say, Buffy shook her head. “Spike, maybe we should--.”

Before she could finish her sentence, she was interrupted by the sound of the doorbell. The chimes rang loudly and echoed in her half-filled house.

“Fuck. If that’s my sister—let’s pretend that we can’t hear it.”

Resting comfortably under Spike’s body, Buffy was about to agree until she heard pounding. “She’s going to break down my door.”

Swearing, he gave Buffy one last kiss before moving to the other side of the couch. “At moments like these, I wish that I were an only child.”

Laughing at his charming little sulk, Buffy ran to the door and opened it without hesitation. “Somebody’s in big trouble,” she sang cheerfully. “Spike’s not going to—Harmony! What—what?” With an instant blush coloring her cheeks, Buffy was face to face with Spike’s girlfriend.

“Spike? Is he here? Buffy, I’m so worried; he never came home last night. I think he’s been kidnapped—no, no boyfriend-napped!”

Buffy opened her mouth and then closed it. “Can you excuse me for a minute?”

“But this is an emergency!”

Glancing nervously over her shoulder, Buffy’s eyes scanned for Spike and she was relieved to see that he was nowhere in sight. “O-ok, come in and I’ll help you find him.”

Not having to be told twice, Harmony stomped through the door, her high heels smacking against the wooden flooring. As she sniffled and told the story of Spike’s disappearance, Buffy remained silent, her mind working as fast as possible to think up usable excuses and alibis.

“He said that he’d be right back and I believed him and took just a little nap. When I woke up, his side of the bed was cold and it hadn’t been touched. I spent the rest of the night calling his cell, but he never picked up. When I get my hands on that guy—oh, he’s going to pay! He’s such a bad boyfriend and you know what the worst part is? He thinks that he should get away with it! Well I’m going to show him! I’ve spent all morning thinking up the perfect punishment. First, I’m cutting him off for a few days—maybe even a week! No steamy lovemaking for that jerk! Then, I’m going to…”

As she paced angrily back and forth with her pointer finger wagging, Buffy nodded and hummed in agreement every few seconds.

Where is he, Buffy thought, looking toward the first floor bathroom and finding it empty. Could he be upstairs? Outside? God, under a table somewhere?

“Hey, Harm,” she said, interrupting Harmony’s continuing rant, “give me a minute to change into a fresh set of clothes and I’ll help you look for him.”

Not waiting for an answer, Buffy charged upstairs.
***

Buffy wasn’t surprised to find Spike leaning against a wall and waiting for her.

“What are you going to do now?” she whispered, pulling him further into the area that made up her room.

“Why don’t you have doors up here? It’s hard to hide in all this open space. I went in the bathroom, but I couldn’t eavesdrop properly.”

“Well, go in there now because I need to change my clothes.”

“I can close my eyes--.”

“Either you go in there or I will. The last thing we need is you getting caught ogling at me,” Buffy said as she gathered a clean shirt and pair of jeans. “It’ll take two minutes and then we’ll figure out this whole mess.”

“Hey, there’s no need to push,” Spike said when she ushered him into the tiny room.

“I don’t see how you can be calm at a time like this,” she hissed after closing the door between them. She hopped up and down, pulling up her snug jeans while glaring at the door, as if she could see Spike through the wooden surface. “I thought I was going to keel over--.”

“Who said that I’m not terrified?”

From the sound of his voice, Buffy could tell that he was pressed against the door. After she hurriedly swapped t-shirts, she turned the knob and shoved her body against it, causing Spike to groan.

“Ow, Buffy! Are you always this violent?”

“What are we going to do?” With them hidden safely in the bathroom, Buffy stepped forward and moved Spike’s hand from where it was clutching his side. “Sorry,” she said softly, stroking what she thought to be his sore spot. “I don’t know Harmony that well, but something tells me if she finds out that her new best bud kidnapped her Spikey, she may go ballistic.”

“You didn’t though--.”

“She doesn’t know that and we look really, really guilty.”

“We could face her together,” Spike suggested lightly, not sure how she’d react. “Together we can take her, I think.”

Buffy’s hand stilled on his stomach and she searched his sparkling blue eyes. “Okay.”

“Are you sure?”

She sighed before giving him a light kiss. “I’m sure. Let’s get this over with.”
***

“Harmony, I know where Spike is.”

“You do? Where?”

“Um, I found him…upstairs,” Buffy answered as she and Spike entered the living room holding hands.

“We need to talk, Harm.”

“I’ll say that we need to talk! How could you do this to me? I don’t know why I let you be so mean to me. You never called and—hey, why are you holding Buffy’s hand—oh my God!”

“Harmony, we can explain,” Buffy began, inching closer to Spike’s side.

“Oh my God! You were with Buffy! Her?” she yelled, her nose wrinkled in disgust.

“It’ll be for the best, pet--.”

“Don’t call me that! I should’ve known, since I’ve come to Sunnydale it’s been ‘Buffy this’ and ‘Buffy that’.”

“Let’s sit and talk this out like rational people,” Spike said calmly.

“You big freak!” Harmony shrieked as she rambled about how much he had wronged her. After letting out a growl, she jumped at him, pummeling him with weak hits to his chest. “You jerk! You big freaky jerk!”

“Harm—hey! Stop that!” He dropped Buffy’s hand, needing both of his to fend off Harmony’s blows. “Harmony, bloody hell, woman! Get off!”

Buffy watched in disbelief as the couple fought and attempted to bat each other away. “This is the most girlie-est thing that I’ve ever seen in my life,” she muttered, trying not to laugh. When minutes passed, Buffy decided that she had seen enough. Pushing between the two, she grabbed Harmony and shoved her away from Spike and onto the sofa.

“It’s over,” she snapped as her chest slightly heaved. “You and Spike are done, alright?”

“Well…you can have him!” Harmony gathered herself up and straightened her wrinkled dress. With a small whimper, she walked proudly to the entrance of the house. “I’m leaving you, Spike, and Sunnydale too! You’ll never ever hear from me again!”

“Do you think that’s a promise?” Spike asked with a hopeful smirk once the front door slammed. He sat on the sofa and sighed loudly. “That went…well, don’t you think?”

“Just dandy,” Buffy answered with a laugh before collapsing next to him.

“Thanks for defending me.”

“It was my pleasure. Nobody messes with my boyfriend; not even that overgrown Barbie.”

“I’m happy to hear that, pet.”

“So, we’re official now?”

“I believe so.”

“That’s also nice to hear. Did she hurt you? I was going to step in sooner, but my laughter got me sidetracked.”

“You were laughing at me?”

“You fight like a girl,” she teased.

“And you seem to have some sort of supernatural strength. You tossed Harmony about as if she where nothing but a--.”

“Ferocious little kitty?”

“That’ll do,” Spike chuckled.

“Now, what do you want to do?”

“Um…recover?”

“That sounds okay with me.” Buffy smiled, snuggling into his side and resting her head on his shoulder.
***