Spike lay sprawled across the bed, still staring at the ceiling as the sun came up behind the closed blinds. His thoughts refused to leave that of the blonde Slayer in the next room. He closed his eyes and listened closely to the quiet morning.
He could hear the steady heart beats and the soft breath of the Summer’s women in the rooms surrounding his. He listened, trying to distinguish the heart beats from the others. It didn’t take him long to realize that he could only hear two.
Silently, he rose, donning his jeans as he made his way to the door. The hinges squeaked in protest as Spike slowly opened the door, making his way silently into the hall beyond. A quick stop at her door told Spike that Joyce was still lost in slumber. With the grace of the vampire he was, Spike made his way to Dawn’s door and listened. He easily caught the soft sounds of Dawn’s soft snores as she slept through the early morning hours.
Spike shook his head in bemusement before quietly padding down the stairs. A quick check of the main floor failed to reveal Buffy’s form. Spike made his way to the basement and listened at the top of the stairs for sounds of her. He gave up his search with a sigh, knowing that venturing into the early morning sun would be more fatal than helpful. Spike moved to the kitchen and opened the fridge. He rooted around for a moment, pushing jugs of juice and milk out of the way as he searched the cold depths for sustenance. With a pleased smile, he pulled out a bag of blood, holding it up triumphantly. He ripped the bag open, emptying the contents in the ‘Kiss the Librarian’ novelty mug that Giles had included with the stash of blood. He placed the mug in the microwave to heat his snack.
Spike went through the main floor as he waited, closing the stray blind or curtain that was open as he went. He had just gotten back to the kitchen when the microwave made its first beep. Quickly he turned off the noise, lest it wake the slumbering women above. With a silent sigh, he pulled the mug from the microwave, take a deep whiff of the aromatic liquid.
Spike felt his demon come to the front, morphing his features into his vampire visage. He pushed it back with a shake of his head, angry that he had changed without control. A quick stop at the cupboard for the bag of mini marshmallows, he made his way to the dining room and sat down.
Spike stared into his mug as he let his thoughts drift to his Slayer.
‘When did she become *my* Slayer.’ He asked himself with a grimace. A small smile tugged at his lips. ‘Probably when she gave me her blood.’ Spike answered himself. He could clearly remember the taste in his mouth from that morning. The sweet tangy taste that stuck to his tongue, hinting at the greater pleasure that came as the nectar ran freshly from her body.
Spike couldn’t contain his body’s reaction to the memory as a shudder went through him, heating the cool body from within. The tight confines of his jeans became tighter as he remembered the feel of her lips on his. He had dreamed of that very moment for longer than he cared to admit.
The sound of the front door opening pulled Spike from his thought/ He looked up from his mug to see Buffy standing in the doorway, staring at him in shock.
“What are you doing up?” She asked quietly. Spike held up his mug with a smirk, staring her intently. She was dressed in black leather pants and jacket. The collar of a red shirt peeked out the top of the jacket. Spike smile widely at her use of his colors.
Buffy felt her knees weaken at the smile that crossed Spike’s face. She moved towards the head of the table where Spike sat and pulled out a chair, sinking into it gratefully. Buffy felt her skin grow warm as Spike continued to stare at her.
“I figured I should patrol tonight since I skipped last night.” Spike reached a hand up to tug lightly at Buffy’s dry hair. Buffy stared for a moment at him in confusion before realization set in. “The rain stopped almost as soon as it came. It made everything mucky out there.” Spike watched as Buffy spoke, unable to meet his gaze. With a sigh he rose from his chair and pulled Buffy to stand before him.
Spike pulled her close against his body, her hands resting on his chest. He ran his hand over her hair, resting it against her cheek. Buffy unconsciously leaned into his touch, resting her weight against him. He dipped his head to hers but was stopped as Buffy pushed herself forcefully from his grasp.
“We can’t do this.” Hazel eyes met blue in a battle of wills. “We can’t just go from wanting to kill each other to this-this-” Buffy sputtered, waving her hands around in annoyance. “This what ever this is.” Spike took a defiant step forward, his eyes burning into hers.
“You saved my sister. But that doesn’t just make the rest of this just go away.” Spike stopped his movements to look at Buffy. “It takes time.” Buffy’s eyes pleaded with Spike, pulling a soft smile from him. Spike held up a finger and left the room returning shortly with a pad and pen. He passed it to Buffy.
‘I have all the time in the world, pet.’ Buffy smiled at his words and handed the pad back to him.
“That’s all I ask. I need time to figure this all out.” Buffy watched as Spike scribbled for a moment before returning the pad to her.
‘We can take this slow. How about a movie tomorrow night.’ Buffy looked up at the vampire in shock. He motioned for her to flip the page. ‘You’re all I bloody well think about.’ Buffy blushed at the words and smile up at Spike.
“How about renting something and watching it here?” Buffy asked. Spike nodded his head emphatically before realizing what he was doing and going back to his ‘cool’ persona. He took the pad from her hands and wrote for a moment.
‘Anything you want. Anything.’ Buffy looked up and caught the leering look Spike was giving her. Spike noticed her gaze and quickly gave her and innocent look. Buffy smiled and handed back the pad.
“Good night Spike.” Spike’s hand caught Buffy’s as she reached the bottom of the stairs. She looked back as he raised her hand to his lips. Buffy felt her heart skip a beat at the gesture and forced herself to pull away from his grasp.
Spike watched his Slayer head up the stairs, eyeing her rear appreciatively. Buffy turned when she reached the top of the stairs. With a parting smile, she went into Dawn’s room and shut the door softly behind her.
A wide grin refused to leave Spike’s face as he made his way back to his now cold mug of Blood. He took an absent sip, not even noticing the bitter taste.
‘If she wants time, she’s got it.’ Spike thought to himself as he went into the kitchen to rinse his empty mug. He placed it in the sink to dry and made his way back to her room.
Spike stretched before removing his jeans and sliding beneath the covers of Buffy’s bed. Spike breathed deep her scent, a contented smile crossing his lips as he fell into a much needed sleep.