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Thanks again to those of you who have left reviews. If you have been a patient reader and gotten this far, I promise, it's going to heat up some soon. But maybe not in a way that either of them wants!
7. Happiness is...

It was a rare occasion that found Buffy singing while she cleaned house. But she was happy. Truly happy for the first time in what seemed like forever.

Earlier in the week Spike had called and invited her to his home for a picnic Saturday afternoon. She couldn’t decide whether it was the simply the fact that he had called, or the possibility of winding up this investigation that put her in such a good mood. Finally, she was going to get to tour his home! She would be able to complete her report and finish her assignment! She would show them all that Spike was obviously innocent of any wrongdoing, and what happened between them after that would strictly be between her and Spike, and nobody else’s business.

Of course her euphoria couldn’t last. The first disappointment was Spike calling with a change of plans. The picnic was off. Instead, he invited Buffy to accompany him on an urgent business trip to New York. In one short conversation, her hopes of winding the case up quickly disappeared. Instead she was filled with an irrational mix of fear and excitement at the thought of traveling out of town with Spike.

She had already allowed things to progress further than she meant them to. Now she was petrified that if she accepted his invitation for a long weekend together that he would expect her to share a room with him.

Even before she’d kissed him in the backseat of the limo, she knew that she could easily be hurt if she wasn’t careful. She had obviously been far drunker than she had realized at the time, or she would never have initiated that kiss. She couldn’t recall the number of times she had told him she merely wanted to be friends. It was harder to keep up that resolve once they’d passed the boundary of physical intimacy. And the memory of her body pressed up close to his, his lips soft and tender against hers – well it was enough to keep her up at night. It had been a long time since Buffy had been close to anyone.

And so she felt justified at being concerned about spending that much time alone with Spike. Plus, how would they handle the hotel arrangements?

Thinking about the prospect of the trip, one moment she had herself firmly convinced that she could keep Spike at arms distance, while the next she found herself fantasizing what it would be like to sleep with him.

Wryly she thought that if she was really that serious about keeping her distance from Spike she shouldn’t have to keep reminding herself of her resolve. Heck, it shouldn’t have to be a resolve. Why couldn’t the guy be totally unattractive or a total sleaze ball? Then she wouldn’t have this problem.

The more she thought about it, the more she decided that the only way she could really trust herself would be to foist the whole issue off on Spike. She’d have to make a point of reminding him that it was strictly a hands off policy, and get him to promise her that nothing would happen. She’d make it very clear to him that she was not the kind of girl who slept around, and that she wouldn’t be falling into his bed anytime soon, even if she did agree to travel with him. Then it would be up to him to keep the proper distance between them. And then if anything did happen, it would be all his fault, and not hers.

After giving the matter some more thought, Buffy decided that was a plan she would be able to stick to.

Picking up the phone she tried to think of how she would pitch the idea of her flying off with Spike to her boss. Giles was sure to be against the idea – for some reason Giles believed that Spike was a bad man, and he didn’t like the idea of his least experienced agent mixed up with him. She knew exactly what she would say before she picked up the phone.

“I know it’s not what we planned, Giles.” Buffy coaxed. “But perhaps it will work out just as well. You know I don’t think he does, but if Spike has black market connections, who says they have to be here in L.A? They could just as easily be in New York. So, I’m thinking that maybe I should go with him.”

Giles sputtered into the phone and took his time before speaking. He didn’t like it when plans changed at the last minute, which they often did. But his operative did have a point. Finally he gave in.

“All right, Buffy, go with him to New York. I’ll have another agent there to follow Spike and see if he meets with anyone suspicious. If he doesn’t, and if his house comes up clean, I’m willing to drop the investigation.”

“Great.” Buffy sighed, “I want to wrap this up as much as you do. I don’t think that I am cut out for undercover work. But since you agree that you’ll drop the whole thing if Spike comes up clean, It’s a plan.”

“Good, Good.” Buffy imagined she could almost hear the sound of the cloth as Giles paused to clean his glasses, “Now all I have to do is arrange to have another agent or two in place to follow him in New York. Your role will simply be to be his companion. Notify us whenever he goes out without you, and take whatever opportunities that arise to pass on information about his activities; but you are not to try to follow him yourself, or do anything at all that could potentially ruin your cover. It’s too hard to get another agent near him. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Giles. I understand. Not a problem.”

Not blowing her cover should be easy. Whenever she was with Spike she tended to forget that she even was working undercover. The problem was going to be not falling into that cover too deeply. That and keeping herself from totally believing that Spike really was the great guy he appeared to be whenever they were together. At least until Giles agreed to call off the investigation. That and of course keeping her hands off him, and trusting that he would do the same.

Picking up the phone again to ring Spike and let him know that she would be accompanying him on this trip, Buffy made sure it was one thousand percent clear that she expected Spike to continue to be a gentleman. She made it plain that she intended to stay in a separate room, and that she would be sleeping alone in her bed. She didn’t want there to be any misunderstandings. There would be no hanky panky going on. That was a condition of her acceptance.

Now all she needed to do was figure out what she needed to pack.

~~** ~~

She couldn’t get over the fact that they had traveled across country in Spike’s private jet, so it came as no surprise that they were staying first class too. Spike had picked what Buffy was sure had to be the most posh hotel on the planet for them to stay in. She’d been amazed at the gorgeous lobby, filled with Chihuly glass and expensive antiques, and couldn’t wait to see what the rooms looked like.

She had hung back a little as Spike checked them in, but had overheard enough to realize that the two of them had the same room key. If looks could kill, Spike would be a pile of ash right now. Did his promise mean so little that he wasn’t going to at least pretend to honor it? She was all set to protest, loudly if necessary, when Spike casually mentioned that she should have first choice of rooms. Deciding to reserve judgement, Buffy thought perhaps she had misheard the clerk.

Simmering, she was all set to start a scene when the bellhop opened the door to only one room. Not saying a word, Spike ushered her behind the hotel employee. As the bellman showed them the amenities of the spacious apartment, Buffy soon understood. They had been given a suite, in the true sense of the word. The view of Central Park from the main room and largest bedroom was just to die for! If this was how he traveled, she couldn’t imagine how he must live! She simply couldn’t wait much longer to see his house, assignment or no assignment.

The suite had a separate living room and a dining room, a small kitchenette, and three separate bedrooms, each with their own bath. The fact that Spike wanted her to choose which room she wanted was immaterial; they were all gorgeous, and a far cry nicer than her apartment in LA. Each bedroom was at least twice the size of what she was used to, and the adjoining baths were appointed in tastefully neutral marble and ceramic tile. She decided to choose the bedroom that had a bath with a huge whirlpool and a stained glass window, and let Spike enjoy the bedroom with the fabulous view. Although it was stunning, Buffy wasn’t that interested in the view outside a window; she intended to do her viewing of the city up close and personal.

Spike was forced to spend the first two days attending to business, and suggested that Buffy spend the time relaxing around the hotel and the spa. But Buffy was far too excited. Even though she had to remind herself that she was working, it felt like a vacation. She was determined to do everything a tourist would do. Although she had tried to object, Spike had insisted on giving her some spending cash, and spend it she would.

So the first two days passed uneventfully while Buffy amused herself, and Spike did whatever it was he needed to do. If the Agency spies were watching him, they didn’t let Buffy know if they anything they saw seemed suspicious to them. They would make their report directly to Giles.

So Buffy saw Spike only in the evenings; it almost felt as if he were her husband coming home from work. Each night when Spike returned from his meetings, Buffy showed off all her purchases before they went out to eat. Tomorrow would be the first day in New York that they would actually get to spend the whole day together, and they were both looking forward to it.





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