Spike carefully laid Buffy’s inert form back onto the bed and then dragged her dead weight gently across the red satin sheets until her head rested on the pillows. “I know I’m the Big Bad and all, love,” he said, drawing the paisley afghan over her, “but I never imagined one kiss would knock you out.” Ducking for a moment into his makeshift bath, Spike returned to Buffy’s side with a washcloth in hand. “Here, love,” he said, placing the damp cloth over her forehead. “Good thing I was once a Victorian gentleman, ‘cause I know a thing or two about swooning. I’m fresh out of smelling salts, but this should do the trick.”
“Come on sweetheart,” Spike said, stroking Buffy’s fingers with one hand while he turned the cloth over to its cool side with the other. “Time to wake up now, love.”
Buffy’s eyelids fluttered open, and she fixed Spike with a confused expression.
“What happened?” she asked.
“You mean besides the kiss?” Spike replied, unable to keep from smiling.
“Mmm, yeah, I was kind of liking that. Then what?”
“Maybe you can tell me,” Spike said, his eyes narrowing. “One minute I was thoroughly enjoying myself--and I’m pretty sure you were enjoying yourself, too--then, bam, you’re out cold. Was it me, love? Too much for you, am I?” Spike asked, smug smirk firmly in place.
“I don’t know,” Buffy said, pointedly ignoring his questions. “Everything slowed down, and I heard my heart thumping in my ears. Next thing I know, I’m laying here talking to you. How long was I out?”
“Only a few minutes. Barely long enough for me to get you this cloth, really. How do you feel now?” Spike asked, concern apparent in his tone.
“A little fuzzy, but otherwise, okay I guess.”
“So tell me, Slayer…” Spike began.
“Buffy,” she corrected.
He smiled. “Right then, Buffy. When did you last have a bit of tiffen?”
“What-en?”
“Tiffen, you know, lunch, snack, food, nosh, whatever you want to call it. When did you last eat, love?”
“Eat? Well…it was…let’s see. It was before I went on patrol. I made macaroni and cheese for dinner.” Buffy noticed Spike’s incredulous expression. “Well, you know, it was from a box. But it’s Dawn’s favorite.”
Spike shook his head. “That makes it close to 24 hours without food or drink, Buffy. I think we might have an explanation for your swoon. Even Vampire Slayers need to eat a little now and then.”
“Twenty-four hours?” Buffy said. “How can you tell what time it is? I mean, there’re no windows or anything.”
“Vampire here, remember?” Spike answered. “The sun goes down, I get up. I can feel when the sun nears the horizon. It’s just shy of sunset now.”
As if to confirm Spike’s pronouncement, Buffy’s stomach chose that moment to gurgle loudly. “Somebody needs her dinner,” Spike said, pulling Buffy to a sitting position. “How’s that, then? Any dizzies?”
“No, I’m okay.” Buffy replied slowly. “You don’t happen to keep any food here, do you?”
“Just junk, not anything worth eating, love. You need something with some nutrition in it. All I’ve got is Pringles and Twizzlers. You need to go home where you can get some decent food. But first I’m going to get you a glass of water, and I want you to drink it. I think you’re dehydrated as well as starved.”
When Spike returned, holding a tall glass of water, he noticed Buffy’s lower lip was protruding. “What’s up, love?” he asked, putting the glass into her hand, his eyes glued to her luscious pout. “You look a bit pensive.”
Buffy quickly sucked her lip back in. “Oh, it’s just that we were…you know… the kiss and everything was going so well, I mean, before I conked out.”
Spike’s graced her with a simultaneously wicked and sexy smile, something Buffy hadn’t previously known to be possible. “I know what you mean, pet. But the fact it might have been the best kiss of my unlife doesn’t change the fact that you need a good meal and perhaps a bit of a bath. And you’re not going to get either one down here in my crypt.”
Buffy’s looked stricken. “Y..y..you think I need a bath?” she stammered. “Do I smell? Oh, god, I stink!”
Spike couldn’t help laughing. “Relax, Buffy,” he said. “You smell positively delicious to me, except for a few traces of God- knows-whose blood. I’m just saying you’ve had quite a day of it. Dragging me around, getting splattered with gore, passing out from hunger. Thought you’d like a chance to freshen up. We can pick up where we left off afterwards.” He reached up and gently traced the contour of her lips with his fingers, the pitch of his voice dropping at least an octave. “I promise you I won’t forget where we were.”
Once again, the mere sound of his voice sent chills up Buffy’s spine. ‘How does he do that?’ she thought. But out loud all she said was, “Okay, I guess I’m going home then.”
“There’s a good girl,” Spike said, smiling. “But you need to drink this first, and I’m not sending you home alone. I’ll take you there, like a proper gentleman.”
Buffy brightened, “Can we do it like we did the other night?”
“Arm in arm?”
“Yeah, like you used to do with Rebecca and Emma.”
Spike, stunned that Buffy remembered his sisters’ names, simply stood and offered his arm. “Might not be a bad idea to keep a hold of you, in case you decide to go night-night again without warning,” he said, winking at her.
The wink made her heart skip, but Buffy took a quick gulp of air and resisted the impulse to swoon again. Instead, she scooted to the edge of the bed and used Spike’s arm to steady herself as she too stood. “I think that glass of water helped,” she said. “I don’t feel at all woozy anymore.”
“Good, but let’s hope we don’t run into any demons. I’d rather not see how well you can fight on nothing but water.” Placing his hand over hers, Spike walked Buffy to the foot of the ladder. “Go on up,” he said. “I’ll grab a candle and follow at a safe distance.”
Buffy did as Spike asked, impressed again with his courtly manners. Meanwhile, Spike took the opportunity to admire the shape of Buffy’s butt as she ascended to the crypt’s upper level. ‘I may be tame,’ he thought, ‘but I’m still evil.’
They waited just a few minutes for the sun to set before setting out, arm in arm, across the cemetery in the direction of 1630 Revello Drive. It was early yet for demon activity, and their walk was entirely free of attacks of any kind. Anyone observing the couple from a distance would never guess the two blonds, completely engrossed in conversation and looking almost entirely at each other, were, in fact, a vicious and notorious vampire and a girl imbued with demon-destroying superpowers. The illusion of two perfectly normal young people returning from an early date was only enhanced when they reached Buffy’s house.
“Well, here we are,” Spike said as he accompanied Buffy up the steps to the front door. He gently removed Buffy’s arm from his, dropping his hands to his sides and stepping back as he looked down at his feet. “I guess I’ll be saying good night, then.”
Buffy was about to say something, anything really, to convince him to stay, when the door swung open.
“Buffy! Where the hell have you been?” Dawn said, obviously pleased to see Buffy wasn’t alone. “Hi Spike! Hey, come on in. Your timing is perfect. Mom’s gone to bed and I hate watching TV alone.”
Buffy saw her opportunity and grabbed Spike’s hand, pulling him across the threshold. “Okay, Dawnie, what are you watching?”
Tbc……
A/N: I think I promised some Spuffiness. It will come, eventually. I just write ‘em as they unfold. And now that I have a life-size cardboard cutout of our peroxide hero, I have plenty of inspiration. So hang in, I’ll get them there in time.