Lindsey turned the music down, and the small group of people left in the club continued to drink, their conversations getting louder and more interesting as the night wore on. Spike was seated across from Buffy and though they hadn’t said more than ten words to each other, their eyes spoke volumes.
Spike shifted in his seat again and took another sip of his beer. Like Buffy, the other four girls were very drunk. The crew had gotten a later start but most of them were catching up. Spike grinned when Carlos’ eyes crossed. Andrew held his beer up and toasted the group again for the hundredth time.
It was clear that the ladies were going to milk all this time with Angel for what it was worth. None of them seemed ready to leave. Even Buffy, but from the looks she was sending his way, he was sure it wasn’t just his ego that was saying she was still there because Spike was. Angel slid his chair back and stood up.
“Well, ladies, I’m beat. I think I’ll retire to my suite now.”
The ladies groaned in protest, but he promised to see them bright and early the next morning for breakfast in the restaurant. They waved to him as he left and a few of the crewmembers decided to call it a night as well, following him out.
Faith stood up and went to the turntable, turned the music up and pulled the rest of the girls, protesting, out onto the dance floor. She even convinced Eve to get out there with them. Spike checked his watch and then double-checked it. It was almost 2:00 am. He stood, stretched, and said good night to the men at the table. Andrew was the only one who could tear his eyes off the dance floor to say good night to him. Spike paused at the door until he caught Buffy’s attention. He gave her a short wave and a nod before leaving.
After the dark and loud club, the lobby seemed overly bright. Spike stopped and blinked a few times before walking towards the elevator. Instead of pushing the call button, he leaned against the wall next to it and waited. He didn’t have to wait long.
Buffy slipped out of the club, the music following her until she closed the door. She walked briskly, if on wobbly legs, until she noticed Spike by the elevator. Then she slowed her steps until she reached him. She pushed the button, but wouldn’t look at him.
He followed her in and pushed the fourth floor button for her. If she noticed that he didn’t push floor two for his room, she didn’t say so. Instead, she leaned against the mirrored wall and said, “I’m very drunk.”
“So, I noticed,” he said, ducking his head so she wouldn’t see the huge grin on his face. “You’re a cute drunk though.”
“I am, aren’t I?” Her smile faded and she said, “You sang that song for me, didn’t you?”
“Yep. You caught me out.”
She shook her finger at him, opened her mouth to talk and then closed it before she stuttered, “Y—you can really sing. Why are you wasting your time behind a camera with a voice like that?”
“Thanks.” He shrugged. “Not enough ambition, I guess. Came to L.A. to see what I could get started, but fizzled out and decided to fall back on my day job.”
What he didn’t tell her was that he’d lost all his drive to make it big when his girlfriend, who’d followed him out to L.A. from London, had cheated on him with his would-be manager and married the slime ball a few months later. It particularly stung because Spike had been begging Drusilla to marry him since their last year in school, but he didn’t want to think about her now. The elevator pinged its arrival on Buffy’s floor, pulling Spike’s attention back to the present and the woman he’d much rather be thinking about.
Buffy stumbled on her way out of the elevator and Spike was there to catch her. She looked down where his arm was around her waist and smiled. She put her arm around his neck and said, “I think I might need a little help.”
“I gathered as much. Where’s your key?”
She dug around in her pocket and proudly showed it to him. He guided her along, loving the feel of her in his arms, and opened the door for her. Being the gentlemen that he’d always wanted to be, but never had been before, he tried to untangle himself from her and let her go in alone, but she held on to his neck with a vice-like grip and pulled him into the room.
They stood together until the door softly clicked shut behind them. She turned in his arms, the alcohol strong on her breath as she wrapped her arms around his neck and threaded her hands into the hair at the nape of his neck. “I like you. A lot.”
He allowed his hands to roam up and down the sides of her torso and almost got lost in her hazel eyes. “You know I’m crazy about you, but you’re drunk.”
Her lower lip went out and he struggled to keep his knees from buckling.
“I know I’m drunk. Didn’t I already tell you that in the elevator? I don’t usually let myself drink that much. Not after a very bad incident in college where I made a total fool of myself and couldn’t show my face on campus for days.”
“Yeah, well, I’m not going to let you do anything now that you’d regret tomorrow. Let me help you to bed and you can sleep this off.”
Spike tried to move them further into the room, but Buffy held on tightly and whispered, “I don’t think I could ever regret anything that I did with you.”
“Yeah, well, I like you too much to chance it. Come on, I’ll tuck you into bed and leave you alone.”
Without warning, she grabbed his head and pulled him down into a kiss. Spike could taste the sweet liquor on her lips and on her tongue, but he let himself be pulled deeper in the kiss. She felt so good in his arms; they fit together perfectly. Now she pulled him towards the bed.
He wanted Buffy like he’d never wanted anything in his life, but as he broke away from the kiss, his senses returned. He almost wished that he were as drunk as she was. Then he’d have an excuse for tearing both their clothes off and falling into bed with her.
She swayed where she stood as he let go of her to pull the covers down. Then he guided her to a sitting position on the bed and helped to take off her high heels. She protested, saying she could do it, but he liked doing it for her and told her so.
Buffy tried to pull him down with her when he put the covers over her after she lay down. The pout was back and he came so close to giving in. She was everything he wanted in a woman and she was offering herself to him. He stood above her and closed his eyes to block out the sight of her half-closed eyes. Her bedroom eyes.
“I’ve gotta go,” he finally said, backing away from the bed.
Suddenly she sat up. “Spike, please don’t go. Could you just lay down with me until I fall asleep?”
“Lay down,” he ordered her. He grabbed the cover off the other bed. “And scoot over.”
She did and so, with his boots still on, he lay on top of her blankets and covered up with the one he got from the other bed. Her back was too him and he put an arm over her. She held on to his hand and gave it a squeeze and she backed closer to him.
“Thank you, Spike.”
He yawned and squeezed her hand back. “Just until you fall asleep.”
~ * ~ * ~
Spike rolled over and moaned. Or did he? Was that his moan? He didn’t think he’d drunk that much last night to have the pounding headache that he did.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
“Buffy! Come on, woman. If you don’t get up soon, you’re going to be late for breakfast with Angel.”
The moaning started again and he sat up straight and looked at the time on the alarm clock. It was Buffy who was moaning, and he was supposed to be in a meeting with the camera crew in two minutes!
Under his breath, he said, “Bloody, fucking, hell!”
He threw the blanket onto the floor and jumped when Faith knocked again. Buffy slowly sat up then grabbed her head. “Tell her to stop.”
“Can’t, love,” he whispered. “Don’t want her to know that I’m here, do you?”
She pulled the blankets down and sat up. “Water, I need water.” While he rushed to get her a glass, she said, “She knows about us.” Spike handed her the glass and raised an eyebrow at her in question. She waved a hand as she took a long drink. When she was finished, she said, “Us. That we have this… Thing.”
“Buffy!” Faith said again before she started another round of door pounding.
“Please let her in, before my head explodes.”
Spike rushed to the door and stayed behind it as he opened it. Not missing a beat, Faith rushed in and threw open the closet door. Then she paused and slowly turned to look at Spike by the closed door.
Faith put a hand on her jean-clad hip and said, “What happened here?”
“Nothing!” they said together.
Buffy stood up a little too quickly and Spike rushed to her side to steady her. She said to Faith, “Do me a favor and pick something out for me to wear. I’m going to hop into the shower.”
Faith nodded and turned to the closet while Spike walked with Buffy to the bathroom. She mouthed “thank you” to him. He nodded and Buffy gave him a small smile before she closed the bathroom door. He reached for the doorknob, but stopped when Faith said, “Really? Nothing happened?”
“She was drunk. I have too much respect for her to take advantage. Was tired and fell asleep after I helped her to bed.”
“That’s cool, man. Really,” Faith said, smiling at him. “I can see what she likes about you.”
“I’m late for a meeting so…” He opened the door and looked left and right. The hallway was empty so he rushed out, hoping that no one would see him. Luck was on his side and he made it to the end of the hall unseen.
He opted to take the stairs in the hopes of waking himself up with the exercise. Then, he stopped at the public restroom to relieve himself, wash his hands and splash water on his face and hair. He was in desperate need of some hair gel to tame his wild curls, but the water would have to do until his first break. He exited the restroom and jogged to the restaurant, all the while trying to come up with a good excuse to tell John and Carlos about where he’d spent the night. He could only hope they’d have enough brains not to ask in front of the others.
~ * ~ * ~
The rest of the week went by quickly. Spike didn’t get to see much of Buffy except for when they were in a room full of other people. When their eyes did meet, hers were soft and warm and just melted his heart. He did find a moment to beg her to not accept a rose if she got one at the end of the week, but she had shaken her head and said that she had to stay as long as she could because she’d promised to help Faith.
There were no roses given out on any of the dates, instead, on the last day of the week, Angel would offer roses to his four choices to remain in one rose ceremony. Lilah got the first date alone with Angel and Spike had spent that afternoon sleeping in his room to catch up from the night before. The next day, Buffy, Faith, and Cordelia went on a day-long group date and he didn’t even get to see her at breakfast time. The fourth day, Spike was on date duty and went along with Angel and Gwen on their one-on-one date.
Spike was sure that Gwen was going to get a rose, and during the rose ceremony back at the Bachelor House, Gwen was the first one that Angel called up. Spike glared at the three roses left on the table and begged the universe to make sure Angel gave them to the others and not to Buffy. Spike’s hopes soared when Angel called Faith up next and handed her a rose. It climbed higher when he gave the next one to Cordelia. One rose left and he could either give it to Lilah or Buffy.
Spike chanted in his head, “Lilah, Lilah. Come on your pillock, give it to Lilah!”
Angel called Buffy up and Spike wanted to throw his camera at them both. Buffy’s less than enthusiastic acceptance of the long-stemmed red flower appeased him slightly.
After Angel said goodbye to an angry Lilah, he came back into the house and they toasted with champagne. Chris interrupted to tell the girls to pack to get ready to go home. Chris looked into Spike’s camera and in one smooth take, he said, “Don’t miss next week, when Angel goes to Buffy, Faith, Cordelia and Gwen’s hometowns to meet the girls’ families.”
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Betas: Mabel Marsters & Tanit