Spike rushed back to the crypt smelling a familiar scent and knew it wasn’t good.
He roared as he entered the crypt and Dawn turned from fighting with Xander and Angel to shrug uncaringly going back to her book, “I told you he’d be pissed you were in his crypt.”
Dawn walked over to his chair where she picked up her granola bar and soda and put her head phones back in her ear to finish her homework and listen to Sex Pistols blaring in her ears.
Spike walked up to Angel and Xander growling, “Xander I know why you’re here but Angelus why are you here?”
Angel looked at Spike and grinned, “Well William, you see I heard this rumor that the slayer is in a thrall and I said to myself, ‘No way, William isn’t patient enough for thrall to work.’ So then I got to thinking that perhaps you did a spell because we all know how you can never have patience to follow things through and a spell would be a quick fix to Buffy not returning your affection. So then Xander here told me that Buffy is really sick and that you are taking advantage of her by keeping her here at your crypt while she’s too delirious to know any better. Then to make matters worse, he proceeded to tell me that you announced to everyone that you are sleeping with my girl?”
Spike raised his eyebrow but Angel continued, “Now you tell me, why would Buffy sleep with you? What could you offer her that would make her want to sleep with you?”
Spike chuckled knowing that question was perfectly arranged to meet exactly what he wanted to say, “Well first off I can get off without losing a soul that whoops I don’t even have. Secondly I’m loyal and I don’t run away like a ponce with my tail between my legs when things get tough leaving her alone to die. Thirdly well I get her off, and good. Oh and fourth…”
He trailed off seeing Buffy on the top of the ladder. She was still wearing the shirt and pants he had put on her, which made her look even paler than she really was and her body appeared so weak and little. Spike gasped, “Buffy why are you out of bed?”
Buffy smirked a little, “Well see I was sleeping nicely and the end of the CD was close and then I heard this loud roar and I wanted to know why when I was sick and probably dying, you’d be roaring.”
Spike looked down at his feet embarrassed he had woken her up but Buffy merely shrugged it off more worried about the visitors rather than the fact she was woken up, “So what brings the party? Why wasn’t I invited? I think your fourth response, Spike, should be, ‘Ask Buffy herself.’”
Spike smirked repeating, “Oh and fourth, ask Buffy yourself.”
Buffy laughed as Spike just stood there smirking. Buffy groaned in pain as she felt her ribs pull and her stomach ache form laughing. Spike rushed to her side leading her to the sarcophagus where she felt Spike’s duster go around her body taking the chill off and she looked up at him feeling grateful. She glanced at Angel and then at Xander demanding, “What are you guys doing here? I’m sure whatever it is that is wrong with the world can wait a few days until I’m better. God why is the room spinning?”
Spike rolled his eyes, “Buffy you really should be in bed.”
Buffy waved her hand at Spike steadying herself on the sarcophagus, “Well are you going to tell me why you are here or should I guess?”
Angel and Xander looked back and forth at each other realizing this was no thrall and probably no spell either. Buffy was hardly all over Spike, which would have suggested a love spell and she was hardly obeying Spike for it to be thrall. In fact she seemed her retorting, bitchy self so both felt embarrassed and neither answered.
Buffy sighed, “Let me guess Spike, you mentioned something about our sexual history and somehow because I chose to recoup at Spike’s instead of my loud house, this got blown out of proportion to turn into some grand intervention?”
Angel decided to speak up moving to stand in front of her pushing Spike to the side. Spike growled but said nothing as he righted himself and left Buffy to handle it as much as she could before he would step in. Spike respected Buffy’s ability to speak for herself. Angel growled, “Why would you hook up with Spike? You’re scent is all over him and his is covering you? The air smells faintly of sex even.”
Buffy tried to smile as she admitted in a sweet sounding voice, “Um I had sex with him two days ago? I’m guessing that’s why it’s still in the air?”
Xander’s mouth dropped open, Dawn took off her earphones to hear what was going on and Angel looked horrified. Xander stuttered, “You really did have sex with Spike?”
Buffy shrugged, “I don’t see why my sexual habits are any concern to either of you. You, Xander have sex every night with an ex-demon who had the same soul when she was a vengeance demon as she does now that she’s a human and she would still be vengeance demon if it weren’t for a lack of a certain necklace.”
She turned to Angel pointing her finger at him saying, “And you, Angel, you have sex with God knows who including Darla a soulless vampire and have a freaking kid that I never even knew about and you are questioning my habits? Go examine your own lives before you dare to examine mine.”
Everyone turned briefly to Dawn who whispered, “Whoops. I guess I have a big mouth.” Angel glared at Dawn knowing she knew that because she had called when Buffy died and heard the latest gossip from Cordelia.
Buffy shivered visibly and Spike finally spoke up, “Now get out and leave the girl rest.”
Angel wasn’t sure what to say. He didn’t tell her about Connor and he wasn’t even sure why he didn’t. Xander thought about what she said and walked out in defeat. Spike meanwhile picked up Buffy who was shaking more and more and jumped down to the lower level removing the duster from her and wrapped her up in warm blankets
.
Dawn put her head downstairs saying, “Good speech Buffy. I couldn’t have said it better myself. I have homework so I’ll be back tomorrow. Spike I left soup cans on the counter and brought milk with me for it oh and I put your blood jar back in the fridge.”
Spike yelled back covering Buffy’s ears, “Thanks nibblet. See you tomorrow.”
Dawn whistled as she left the two alone feeling very happy the two of them were finally together.
Spike checked her wounds noticing she didn’t really reopen anything and Buffy whispered, “Hold me while I sleep?”
Spike was really enjoying the closeness they were feeling as he climbed into bed. Buffy sat up pulling his shirt off as well as hers as she sighed trying to remove her pants. Spike raised an eyebrow at her but helped her to remove her pants and she tugged on his. He whispered, “What are you up to?”
Buffy smiled slightly as she managed to remove his belt and pull his pants half way off. Spike climbed out of the bed pulling his pants the rest of the way down and climbed back in.
Buffy snuggled up next to him whispering, “Your cool body feels good against my warm one.”
Spike chuckled as her quiet voice reached his ears, “Will you read another poem to me?”
Spike rolled over slightly picking up the book he had left on the nightstand and opened it up to his favorite of Buffy. He had wrote it on the day they were engaged. He decided to mention that, “This was right after I was released at Giles after Willow’s spell.”
Buffy smiled remembering that day as she yawned. She had never felt so wiped out of energy in her life and she listened as he recited the poem to her. Between the feeling of his chest vibrating and the sound of his British accent and soft tones, she drifted off to sleep.