[Reviews - 57]
-
Table of Contents [Report This]
Microsoft Word Chapter or Story | ePub eBook Chapter or Story | Printer Chapter or Story

Has been viewed 1921 times

- Text Size +




Author's Chapter Notes:
Author's note: thanks to Mariana for all the work she had betaing this chapter (and it was a lot of work!). What would I do without you?
Chapter 8: Disclosure


It was late at night when Drusilla knocked on the door to Spike's bedroom. It took him a moment to answer. He opened the door a crack wide. There were men you could not look at even after a good night of resting sleep and an extra hour in the bathroom. Spike was definitely not that kind of man. He was wearing nothing but a royal blue silk robe, loosely fitting and thus revealing much of his sculptured chest, his hair ruffled, but his eyes were wide awake.

"What is it, Dru?" he asked immediately in a dusky voice.

Dru lowered her head. "I apologize for disturbing you at this hour, my lord," she said devotedly.

There were noises coming from the bedroom. Buffy caught a glimpse of Harmony, who had been dozing off at the foot side of the bed, curled up like a dog [pathetic! just like her! Buffy thought], and was now slowly waking up, blinking in the bright light.

Spike glanced at the eunuchs and Buffy in alert. Buffy avoided looking at him.

"The laws of the serail have been broken… yet again," Dru explained self-importantly with unveiled satisfaction, "The offender was taken into custody and awaits judgment." She bowed her head. "My lord, we all know you will judge wisely, for such is your sensible character and devise the punishment fit for her infringement."

Spike wrapped his robe around him more closely, suddenly taking more notice of Drusilla that he had done in years, and opened the door completely. His heart sank when he saw Buffy, just as he feared, looking very small and vulnerable, hanging by the arms of two bulky guards, her feet didn’t even touch the ground. Dark suspicions entered his mind. Had he overdone it? ‘Course you did you stupid git! Had Buffy tried to run away again? Of course she did! This was Buffy after all. His heart was pounding in his chest, though he wasn’t so sure if it was because he was seeing Buffy in this most unpromising situation or seeing Buffy again, full stop. If Buffy was to be punished again, this time it would be his fault. He looked at Dru questioningly. His voice was rough, trying to sound angry and annoyed, as he tried to keep it from shaking. "What the bloody hell happened?"

Buffy went red in the face as Drusilla bent close to his ear and reported her version.

Spike put a hand to his forehead, massaging his temples, slowly shaking his head. There was no room for interpretation here. There were rules, and there were witnesses. How was he supposed to get Buffy out of the line of fire this time? He needed a plan. And he needed one soon. One that was bulletproof.

The whole scene had caught Harmony's attention. The new girl flung a blanket around her body and came to the door. "Is there anything wrong, blondie bear?" she asked sleepily.

Drusilla smiled condescendingly, Buffy frowned, and one of the eunuchs hardly suppressed a chuckle that would probably have cost him his head. Blondie bear?

Spike caressed her cheek. "Sorry, luv, I didn't want to wake you." His lips brushed against her forehead briefly, enough to appease her. He had to speak to Buffy alone, so he spoke to Harmony very softly. "Would you mind going to sleep at the harem? I'm afraid this can't wait till morning."

Harmony pouted. "I was hoping..."

He reached into her hair and pulled her close, looking deep into her eyes, making every effort to charm the girl into doing whatever he asked. "Please."

Harmony melted away. "Oh... okay," she whispered, breaking into a hysterical fit of giggles.

Apart from wanting to die of shame, Buffy wanted to throw up now. Great! This internal monologue ended with a questionable rolling of eyes, which luckily wasn’t perceived by any of the presents.

"Leave us alone for questioning," Spike instructed the others in a tone that didn’t leave room for questioning, with the exception of Drusilla, who right now had other priorities and they were above the orders of his majesty. Because getting rid of Buffy once and for all was at the top of her list. And this was the perfect opportunity, which she couldn’t… wouldn’t risk! So, she made her move, for all eyes a submissive move, but a move nonetheless.

Dru gave him a puzzled look. "With all due respect, my lord, I already told you what she did."

Spike shook his head. "We're talking capital punishment here, Dru. She has the right to state her case."

Dru's eyes reduced to slits. Spike could tell she was fuming, but she did not dare to object openly in front of his guard. That would have definitely been too much. And as much as she hated Buffy, she wouldn’t put her own neck on the line.

Buffy's blood ran cold. Capital punishment. Be careful what you wish for... ‘Cause dying of shame, was just an expression! She opened her mouth to speak, but Spike shot her a warning look, and she held her peace [The one thing that shuts her up! Spike thought] . She cast her eyes down because she could not bear to look at anyone right now; she no longer wanted to see Harmony's frustrated little pout, the guards' leering gazes or Drusilla's malicious expression.

Buffy heard the shuffling of feet behind her when the whole bunch of people departed through the double doors that led to the corridor, leaving her alone with Spike. Her heart sank. What was she supposed to say? Better wait until he broke the silence.

Reluctantly, she followed Spike into the bedroom. He locked the door behind her. When he turned around, she shrank back. His expression was furious, but he tried to keep his composure under great effort. "Is that true?" he asked in a low voice.

Buffy lowered her head, avoiding his gaze.

He started pacing restlessly, his voice harsh, but shaky. "God, Buffy, you KNEW the rules!"

"It didn't matter," Buffy defended herself, "You sent me away, remember?"

Spike ran a hand through his hair in a sort of helpless gesture. "Yeah, and instead of being content with that, which I might add was what you oh so desperately wanted, you had to break the laws of the harem yet again!"

"Break the laws?? Aren't you overreacting, just a little, maybe? I didn't try to steal your gold supplies or poison your water, did I?" Buffy commented dryly.

Spike looked at her as if she had gone mad. "This is not a game, it's politics! The janissaries already think I'm not the kind of leader my father was. Loyalties are fragile in politics, Buffy. The Sheik of Aftab-Rawad cannot allow anyone, let alone a woman, to defy his authority in public. If I don't punish you now, the consequences for me will be incalculable. We're talking death sentence here, not some harmless strokes with the chachurgha, and this time Kendra and the others won't be able to protect you!"

Buffy's eyes filled with tears, strangely enough it was as much because he was yelling at her as because she was to die for her offence. "It's not fair!" she protested in a weak attempt to find some comfort or sympathy in the man she … better not go there.

"Not fair!" Spike echoed her, snapping her out of her reverie, and suddenly feeling the strong desire to knock something over. He looked around and his gaze fell upon a vase in the corner. With a mighty blow, he cast it down on the floor where it shattered into a thousand pieces, one thousand dollars for each piece. Letting off some steam did not make him feel any better. He grabbed another vase and cast it against the wall with full force. Then he brought his fist down hard onto the coffee table, so hard, it made his hand hurt like hell, but the inner turmoil was fortunately going to delay somewhat that pain. "What were you THINKING?"

Buffy stared at him in terror, her eyes swimming. "I was thinking of you!" she yelled, she couldn’t take it anymore. The shame. The death sentence. Living in a harem for God’s sake!!. It was just too much and the tears came at last, naturally and freely.

There was a long moment of silence, their heavy breathing the only sound.

Spike's voice was no more than a whisper.

"What?"

Buffy's heart was still pounding, tears still flowing. He was so infuriated she was afraid he would hit her if she repeated what she had blurted out in a moment of helplessness. "Nothing," she said.

"I heard you," he told her, all the anger and frustration suddenly vanished from his tone as if they had never been there in the first place. "What do you mean, you were thinking of me? When exactly were you thinking of me?"

"Y'know... Then," Buffy gestured helplessly, never once locking eyes with him.

He walked up to her, clasping her shoulders, forcing her to look at him. Not everything was lost, this was the loophole he was waiting for. And he suddenly knew how he was going to get both of them out of this without any trouble whatsoever. It was the perfect explanation. It would silence Dru and everyone else who tried to question it! It was perfect! Spike tried to ignore the very distracting little jubilant voice in his head that could not help but jump in euphoric joy at the thought that Buffy had been indeed jealous of Harmony, that she cared a little for him, that he was indeed the only visitor in her NC-17 dreams. Easy, mate. The girl will say anything to make you protect her from Dru or death, it just a survival instinct. But still... There was a good chance she was being truthful. He needed more so he asked for more. "Listen to me, Buffy. Your life may well depend on this, your answer. I need to know exactly what happened at the harem, what you were thinking of and when, when you were doing what you were doing."

Buffy looked at him disbelievingly and a little puzzled, it sounded more like a riddle than a question. "Drusilla told you. Don't make me say it."

"I know what Drusilla said," Spike snapped, "I need your side of the story if you want my help."

His words echoed in Buffy's mind for a moment as they stared at each other in silence, his firm grip still on her shoulders.

"I saw that look of yours," Buffy blurted out.

Spike frowned. "What the bleedin' hell are you talking about?"

"After I said I needed to talk to you and before you said you had nothing to say to me, remember? When you came out of the shower to meet Harmony? And don't try and tell me that was a coincidence, you wanted us to walk in on you like that," Buffy admonished, talking faster and faster, "God knows what you were doing in that shower! See? Finally it all comes down to you! It's your entire fault! And... and I-I-I know you saw me standing there when you were making out with Barbie girl, no, you counted on me standing there, you even looked at me, and then, and then..." She broke off.

Spike tilted his head, a little amused at her agitation. "And then?"

Buffy took a deep breath, making eye contact with him once again. "Alright, I touched myself. I know we're not allowed to, but I was so riled up. Are you happy now you made me say it, you made me do it?" Her voice barely audible by the end.

He drew in a sharp breath as he imagined how Dru had surprised Buffy, what she might have seen, Buffy's hand between her thighs as she came with his name on her lips. "Not quite." His voice sounded strangely remote, deeper than usual. "Show me."

Buffy blinked. "Show you what?" Then she understood and blushed deeply. "Oh." Buffy's heart was a supersonic beat. They had been playing games since they met, first her refusing him, then him refusing her, all the time teasing, provoking each other. And now those games were coming to an end? The situation was just surreal. They were still talking about her death sentence, but somehow here they were, in his bedroom, with no doubt in mind that all the tension that had been going on between them was about to be released. Why did it have to be now? Of all times! Why now when she was so confused about her own feelings and even more so about Spike's? She sought his face for some indication that he might have been kidding. He wasn't.

He let go off her and stepped aside, giving way to her so she could get to the bed.

"Isn't that the part when the guy kisses the girl and tells her everything's gonna be alright, and then the soft music starts and they roll about in the pillows, with all the good parts covered or out of camera range?" Buffy said somewhat jokingly.

Truth be told, Spike had been thinking the same exact thing and there was nothing he would have wanted more than to do THAT, right here, right now. But if he caved in and showed what he felt, there was a good chance he would never know if Buffy had come to him to save her life or if she was indeed thinking of him when she was feeling alone at night. Still the sense of relief Spike had felt when he had found the way to save Buffy’s life remained with him, and gave him enough calmness to solve the problems at hand with a clear head.

Buffy, however, didn't. He could see her squirm, torn between the anticipation of what he had suggested - Buffy had been watching him and Harmony for quite some time, and she had clearly been enjoying the show, but the thought of him watching her now, aroused her more than she would ever admit, to herself or to him - , and the fear she felt of what was going to happen after he had had his wicked way with her. "Buffy, if you are trying to ask if I am planning to ravish you, just ask," he said blankly.

"I wasn't trying to..." Buffy began. "Are you?" she added in a small voice.

Instead of an answer, he remained standing next to the bed. Better leave her in the dark about what he was up to. "Why don't you just take one step at a time?"

Buffy stood beside the bed, hesitating. "I don't think I can do this. Before you, I mean."

"You could do it before Drusilla, the eunuchs and the other girls, couldn't you?"

"That was different. I didn't know they were there, but I know you are here now."

"You just said you were imagining me there." He sighed. "So you were lying."

"No," Buffy hurried to say.

Spike stood waiting. "I can't help you if you won't trust me on this. Drusilla's accusations are extremely grave. I can't argue in your favour if I don't know exactly what happened." He flashed her a ghost of a smile. "But I'm also a nice guy under all this sheik crap, so if you’d be so kind, I'm just going to sit here and hear your version."

Buffy's knees were so weak she had to sit down on the bed. She felt the cool silk through her nightdress.

"I... I went to bed," she stumbled.

Spike blinked. "And? You don't go to sleep sitting."

"No." Slowly, reluctantly, she sat at the center of the bed and lay down.

Spike sat down on the bed next to her.

"I... I couldn't sleep," Buffy began.

Spike did not reply, but his eyes seemed to penetrate into the very soul of her.

Tentatively, with shaking hands, Buffy shoved up her nightdress, over her knees, up to her thighs. "I did have a blanket," she suddenly remembered, reaching for a blanket.

Spike took her hand and put it back to the hem of her nightdress. "No blanket," he said huskily.

It made Buffy shiver.

She pushed the nightdress further up, to the waist. Her hand traveled to the waistband of her underwear. A terrible suspicion entered her mind. Was he asking her to do this so he could justify a death sentence because he had witnessed it himself or because he was like any man and wouldn’t say no to a free show?

She looked at him doubtfully. "I'm doing this because you want to help me. Right?"

"Yes," he replied, his voice hoarse, his eyes hooded.

With a deep breath, Buffy slid her hand into her panties and began to massage her clit tentatively and slowly.

He kept watching her for a moment, squirming, breathing more raggedly with every minute that passed. "Buffy," he said finally.

Her eyes flew open, though never forgetting his everlasting presence. "Yes."

"You weren't wearing your panties."

She blushed. "H-h-how did you know?"

"I didn't."

Damn. Buffy pushed hesitantly her panties down her tanned legs, leaving them crumpled at the foot of the bed. Then she sank back into the pillows, thighs pressed closely together. Spike was still watching her. She pushed a hand between her thighs, trying to cover her privates from his view, and resumed touching herself.

"What's happening?" Spike whispered, running a hand along the side of her face, through her hair.

Buffy leaned into the touch. "You're touching me," Buffy replied absently, increasing the friction on her tiny pearl.

"Where?" he asked silkily.

Though her heartbeat was racing, she reached for his hand, intending to replace her own fingers with his. Shame quickly receding because, she thought, if she was a dead woman walking, she better made the best out of her borrowed time and what a better way to spend it and with whom. It was a bold gesture to make, but the tension of him being so close but not showing any sign of action was driving her insane. Spike gently withdrew his hand. "I think I get the idea," he said. "Keep showing me what happened then."

He was just sitting there, watching, talking in a tone as casual as if he were at a vernissage at her mother's gallery, and it was killing her. She tried to block his presence from her mind, but she did not quite succeed. Although she was soon close to madness with her arousal [could anyone actually go mad from sexual frustration? Buffy thought], she could not relax enough to let herself go. Her clit was throbbing painfully, moisture oozed down her hand and legs, but she could not push herself over the edge. Her wrist hurt badly from the unnatural position and the continuous work on herself. The tension was too much to take. Her moans turned into little sobs.

"Try to remember more details," Spike suggested in a low voice close to her ear, "Are you sure your legs weren't spread any further?"

Buffy shivered. But she spread her legs, not caring what he would have access to (eyes or hands) anymore.

"Run your index finger further down. Use the wetness to slide it over your clit more smoothly."

Buffy was too confused and too desperate to think straight. She just did what he told her. It felt amazing.

"Now feel for the spot between your clit and your lips. It should be quite sensitive."

Buffy felt for it and nodded.

"Imagine it's very cold. Your hand is trembling with cold, especially your fingers. All you need is to feel the vibes."

Buffy let out a cry when her hand trembled against her soft flesh, her whole body vibrating, tremors taking control of her, she panted for air, and suddenly she was all body, all emotion, a heat wave streaming from her body and leaving nothing but intense pleasure.

Spike smiled involuntarily as he was watching her. She was beautiful, and even more so when she came. Clouded eyes, flushed skin, uttering small cries and incoherent pleas, thrusting her hips against the invisible partner above her, arching her back in a bow, running her fingers over her pink flesh, moistening her dry lips with her tongue, forgetting about everything around her, including him.

"Thanks for the hint," she whispered finally, as she lay spread on her back, spent, and relaxing in the afterglow. There it was again, that look in his eyes that she longed to see again. She felt at peace with the world, with herself, and with Spike, finally, though she was disappointed it would last so little.

"Are you sure you didn't miss out on anything?" Spike asked her. "That was what happened? That was the actual course of events?"

Buffy tried to focus despite her fuzzy feelings. "I think it was pretty accurate."

He looked relieved.

She gave him a shy smile. "Why didn't you... y'know..."

"... join in?" he supplied.

She nodded.

A shadow fell over his face. He rose, turning from her so she would not notice the massive bulge under the blue silk of his robe. "Nothing's changed, Buffy. I'm not taking advantage of you". Spike said resolutely clearing his throat. "I think you've informed me about tonight's incident in graphic detail. But if you think your offer to have sex with me helps you avoid the death sentence, I hate to disappoint you."

Feeling a chill, chastising herself at being so stupid as to believe he would actually save her, Buffy angrily dressed and got up. "I don't believe you," she hissed. "I know what's going on in your head!" Frankly, I'll never have the foggiest idea about what's going on in that stubborn head of yours, but I know sure as hell how you feel about me! The thought that she might be wrong after all, that he had been mocking her all this time, was just too painful and humiliating to ponder. Her shame was growing with every minute, coming back with a vengeance, as was her fear when seeing she was completely dressed, he called for the guards.

"It'll only take them a minute to get here," he told her.

Buffy's heart sank. "They're gonna take me away?"

"They are," he confirmed her worst fears.

She stood petrified, wearing nothing but a nightdress, waiting, for the first time in her life, hopelessly resigned for her fateful destiny. This might be the last time she saw him, the last chance she would have to speak to him. "Spike," she hurried to say, suddenly desperate, "I..."

"Save your breath, Buffy. Whatever you say won't change my mind."

She broke off, whipping hastily her eyes and head away from him, so she wouldn’t start crying yet again.

They arrived, led by a glowing Drusilla.

Dru bowed her head. "Have you reached a verdict, my lord?"

Spike nodded. "Yeah. Thank you for reporting this incident to me immediately, pet."

Buffy stared at her feet gloomily. To add insult to injury, he was thanking that cow for betraying her?

Spike kept talking. "But I'm afraid it was all a misunderstanding. Buffy was not breaking the rules of the harem. As she assured me quite convincingly, she was dreaming. It was not a fantasy, it was a memory. In her sleep, she was merely re-experiencing what we did the other night."

Buffy raised her head, disbelievingly, when it registered with her what Spike was doing. He was saving her.

"But my lord,..." Dru objected, eyes wide.

"Thank you for your... awareness," he said, his tone soft, but resolved, his eyes dangerous. "The next time, let sleeping dogs lie, okay? Now this is settled, we can all get back to bed."

Dru bowed, then stormed out, fuming with rage.

The guards stood waiting.

Spike addressed them. "Can you escort Buffy back to the harem?"

Buffy caught his gaze. "Thank you," she said mouthing the words.

Their eyes locked.

"Good night, Buffy," Spike said kindly, refraining himself from caressing her cheek in a tender gesture. What he wanted to say, however, remained unspoken. Forgive me, luv. I had to be sure about where I stand. Where we stand.

Buffy bowed her head. "Good night... my lord."


TBC...





You must login (register) to review.