CHAPTER THIRTEEN:
Buffy stood in the living room of what could soon be Spike's new home. Joyce was with the real-estate agent in the kitchen, no doubt talking about the financial arrangements that would need to be put in place, while Dawn was no-where to be seen. That, however, didn't mean that Buffy didn't know where she was. For a slim teenager, Buffy found it amazing that Dawn was able to make so much noise just by walking around upstairs. That girl didn't seem to know the meaning of the phrase 'tread lightly'! Taking in her surroundings, Buffy was pleased, to say the least. The cottage was beautiful. She couldn't help but admire the lavish bedroom and en-suite bathroom, both of which she hoped that she would be able to take full advantage of at some time in the future.
While the decisions had been made a week previously, Buffy had to admit, it was with some reluctance that she had agreed to let Spike leave her home. She and her family had enjoyed his company while he'd been their house-guest, not to mention the fact that Buffy got to share her home with a total hottie that she knew was hers for the taking! Talk about a much needed ego boost after her disastrous relationship with Riley. That was also part of the problem, however. As much as she liked having Spike around, it was becoming harder and harder to resist her more... carnal urges where the blond vampire was concerned. She knew that Spike was suffering as well, as his desire was a little harder to, shall we say, 'conceal'?
Every night since she had opened her bed to him, she could feel his arousal whenever the two of them curled up to go to sleep. It was another example of the liberation that her libido had received since the orgasmic bite that Spike had given her, but the feeling of his hard cock pressing against her, and the thoughts that went with it, were so primal and instinctive, she wanted to act on them immediately! Her mind was playing a never-ending, triple X rated, erotic movie in her head, the focus of which always involved her taking Spike's cock into her slippery channel and squeezing down on him, revelling in the feeling of her body being filled. Whether it be her riding Spike into the mattress, Spike on top of her moving slowly and deeply, or Buffy bent over, being taken from behind, the ending was always the same: She would look up from beneath him, into those blue orbs of his, as he released his load deep inside her body, her imagination trying its best to supply her with the feelings of every throb, pulse, spurt and splash, something that she'd never experienced for real in her sexual life. Angel hadn't actually managed to 'finish' before becoming soft, apparently, he suffered from a 'performance problem', and both Parker and Riley had, at her insistence, worn condoms.
It was something that the 'woman' and the 'Slayer' inside her were bitterly arguing over. Buffy's inner woman wanted the connection between her and Spike to deepen, and could think of nothing more intimate, romantic, and passionate than having Spike cum inside her, so she could accept a part of him into the most private and intimate part of her body. The Slayer, however, was determined to swallow Spike's cum down her throat and let it settle in her belly, fulfilling the burning, raw, primal, dirty fantasy that Buffy had thought of that night in Spike's crypt. Needless to say, the situation was at a stalemate, and she could not see a resolution on the horizon any-time soon!
She realised that she was getting way ahead of herself by running these thoughts through her head. Yes, the decision had been made by the pair of them that they would be together and try at a serious relationship, but they still had yet to have their first date! That was supposed to be scheduled for tonight, after the house viewing. They had talked about it, and the both of them had agreed that they would take their time, and not rush things. They both wanted things to work between them, and to that end, things would continue at a relatively sedate pace. She'd made the mistake of rushing into relationships before and it had gotten her nothing but hurt; she was determined to not make the same mistake this time.
Brought out of her musings by the heavy footfalls of Dawn coming down the stairs, Buffy tried her best to compose herself with a modicum of decorum and dignity, hastily checking that her chin wasn't covered in drool! 'Damn gorgeous vampire!'
“So, what d'ya think? Nice, right?” Buffy put to her sister, trying to penetrate the consciousness of the teen now in front of her, camcorder in hand.
“Oh my God, Buffy. It's awesome! I can't wait for Spike to move in here! It's so much nicer than the crypt, and easier to get to from home.”
Buffy couldn't deny either point Dawn raised. It was nicer than the crypt, for obvious reasons, among which, the inclusion of running water was pretty high on the list! And it wasn't all that far from the Summers' house either. She doubted whether herself or her mother would have any compunctions about letting Dawn visit on her own, as long as she left early enough to avoid being out after dark.
Before Buffy could respond, Dawn was away again, moving through the cottage, filming all the rooms that she'd covered in her initial 'tour'. Whether Spike wanted it or not, it would appear that he was most definitely gonna see the home that could soon be his.
Just as Buffy was beginning to feel a little lost and useless, Joyce appeared in the doorway, having apparently finished with the real estate agent.
“Well, that went well. I’ve gotten all the paperwork for Spike to look through, and since we've offered to buy the property outright, lock, stock and barrel, they say that they can hold the property for another week with no more offers being taken, giving Spike preferential treatment. So, all that's left is to see what Spike says, and take things from there. Now, where's Dawn? Time to go, I think. DAWN?!”
“COMING, MOM!” her voice rang through the house, and a few seconds later, she appeared in the doorway, tucking her camcorder into the front pocket of her jeans.
“Time to go, sweetie. Have you seen it all?”
“Yep!” Dawn responded, popping the 'p' at the end of her reply. “Spike will be able to see everything. We going now?”
Joyce nodded and began heading for the front door, her daughters in tow.
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Because of the strangeness of their situation, what with Spike living with them, he'd made himself scarce as Buffy got herself ready for their date. It was a little weird, considering that they both knew that he'd be in her bed later that night, but Buffy appreciated his attempts at making things seem like a 'proper, normal' date.
He'd disappeared as soon as the sun was below the horizon, vowing to return to pick Buffy up for their evening out. She had no idea what he had planned for the two of them, but he had told her that she needn't worry about dressing up, adding in no uncertain terms that he found her beautiful no matter what she wore. Buffy guessed that maybe he wasn't gonna go all out on a ridiculously lavish and extravagant event, which was more than fine with her. She didn't want him to go to all the effort of making the night impossibly romantic, as it would set the bar ludicrously high for him to try and top the next time.
While she would appreciate the odd romantic gesture from Spike, she was a simple girl at heart, and anyway, if all their dates were worthy of a fairytale, she worried that maybe, over time, they would lose their true value and impact. In her opinion, it was better to make those kind of nights few and far between, so they could both truly treasure them.
As such, she found herself dressed in a simple pair of plain black trousers, tight enough to clearly show off her toned, firm behind, and a dark red halter top, again, tight enough to accentuate her chests 'assets' and showing off her toned back and shoulders. One of the advantages of living in California was the fact that, for an evening out, what she was wearing would be sufficient, as it rarely got truly cold, even at night.
Since the amount of time needed for her to get ready was so minuscule, she was able to relax a little and spend time with Dawn and Joyce, coming up with ever-increasingly romantic scenarios for her night with Spike. Turns out the three of them could conjure up endless romantic possibilities, even considering her simple attire.
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Buffy could barely contain the smile that came to her lips as she opened the door and saw Spike standing there, never mind the clenching that was also taking place in areas of her body decidedly lower down. To her eyes, he looked amazing, although in truth he was dressed relatively casually, sporting a pair of black jeans, shiny black leather boots and a dark blue button-down shirt. In his hands was a bouquet of purple orchids, and his face wore an expressive smile, while in his eyes she saw a look of awe mixed with primal hunger.
Gathering his wits about him, them having left the moment he laid eyes on her, Spike presented the flowers to Buffy.
“You look beautiful, Buffy.”
“Thanks. You're not lookin' so bad either.”
She took the flowers from him, pausing momentarily to inhale the sweet scent, and gestured for him to come in. Again, the weirdness was left unstated, considering that this had effectively been Spike's home since his fall from the tower, but still, traditions or etiquette dictated certain actions, and the pair of them were determined to observe them, to treat this like a 'proper' date.
Joyce, who had been hovering by the door to the living room, observed as Buffy slipped away to the kitchen to find a vase. Stepping forward, she eyed Spike, smiling at his clearly nervous demeanour. “Spike, look at me.”
Spike met Joyce's eyes, taking in her warm, maternal smile, and blew out an unnecessary breath.
“You'll be fine, OK? It's just you and Buffy, no-one else, nothing else matters, just the two of you. Understand? Calm down and relax, alright?”
Spike ran a shaky hand back through his hair. “I know, I know. It's just... it's... well it's... it's Buffy, y'know? You know how I feel about her, Joyce. I want to do things right for once. I just want her to have a nice time, and not bollocks anything up, pardon my language. Think I can do that?”
Joyce smiled broadly. “You'll be fine, Spike, I promise.” Looking over Spike's shoulder, she spied Buffy returning, and proceeded to try and speed things along a little. “Well, go on, you two. Have fun!”
Buffy headed towards the front door, and just as she placed her hand on the handle, she felt Spike's on top of hers. Apparently, she'd gotten there a fraction of a second before Spike.
“Sorry, pet. Victorian habits and all. Hard to break after a century!”
“Oh, no, that's OK. I guess, with you, chivalry isn't dead after all.”
'God, that smile should be illegal!' Spike thought, as she pulled her hand back and allowed him to lead her out into the night.
All the while, Joyce watched on, with that small smile still firmly planted on her face.
Buffy threw her mother a casual wave as they walked down the path and onto the street. The night was warm and calm, and Buffy had to admit to a certain amount of nervous energy in herself. She had no idea what Spike had planned for the pair of them, and could now only wait, while the anticipation built, to see what would become of them.
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'OK, this really wasn't what I had in mind,' Buffy thought as they slowly picked their way through the woods on the hill at the edge of town. She didn't really know what she had been thinking, but it most certainly hadn't included a wilderness hike! Thank God that she'd worn her boots, rather than something a little less practical.
All of a sudden Spike stopped and turned to face her in the middle of the path that they'd been following.
“I want you to close your eyes, OK, love? Just for a few seconds, alright?”
Buffy quirked a questioning brow, but smiled slightly, and closed her eyes, trusting him. She strove to keep her pulse steady and calm, the mystery and anticipation growing with every step as they continued on slowly, Spike leading her by the hand.
A few seconds later, they stopped again and Spike spoke softly, his voice cutting through the quiet night around them. “Open your eyes, Buffy.”
She opened them, and a soft gasp escaped her as she took in a true sight to behold. A small clearing, maybe ten meters in diameter, was before her. It was ringed in thick, white pillar candles, while tea lights in clear, cracked glass containers dangled and swayed in the branches of every tree within sight. There seemed to be as many flickering flames as there were stars in the sky. The whole clearing was bathed in a golden glow, giving it a soft, otherworldly feel. Spread out in the middle of the clearing was a thick blanket, with a picnic basket and cooler set on the ground next to it.
Turning to look at Spike, she took in his tentative expression. It was almost like he was waiting for her to laugh at him, or tell him that she didn't like what he'd done for her. Ignoring the pools that were gathering in her eyes, and the stinging sensation from the unshed tears, she smiled brightly and moved towards him. Cupping his face in her hands, she pressed a deep, warm kiss to his lips.
“It's beautiful, Spike,” she stated when they broke apart, allowing her to breathe once again. “How did you manage to do all this?”
Spike smiled, relief washing over him that she didn't think it was too sappy, or cheap, of him to take her on a moon and candle-lit picnic.
“I still have a few mates around that I can call if I need to. Clem mostly is the one to thank, he took care of the candles and such, and I gave him a list of things that I needed to be bought, and he got it for me. So... … you like it then, it's not too... poncy, or cheap? I could've spent loads on a night out but-”
“I love it! I don't need some ridiculously expensive date that costs a fortune, this,” she spread her arms to take in the beautiful vista before her, “is all I need, well, this, and you, of course.”
Spike took her into his arms and proceeded to kiss her like she'd never been kissed in her life. His movements were soft and slow, his hands tracing her bare back, bringing goosebumps to her skin, but they had nothing to do with the temperature. His tongue caressed hers in a slow dance, and once again, Buffy marvelled at his gentleness. It was passion and love and devotion, all rolled into one sensation. Forget Riley, or Angel and don't even bother mentioning Parker! This was a kiss. Spike made her feel more arousal and love and affection and emotion than either Riley or Angel ever had, even when they were trying their hardest! Spike did it with a single kiss!
'Ha! Told you,' Buffy's Slayer was purring with contentment. ' He gets us more horny with a single kiss than Riley could with his whole body AND with his dick inside us! Remind me again, why you made us both suffer through sex with that loser, when we could have had Spike?! Idiot!'
Buffy's inner girl took this moment to make an appearance, thankfully, by helping with the situation. Said help apparently consisting of knocking her opposite half over and sitting on her, allowing Buffy to revel in the emotions and sensations that were coursing through her. Once again, without anything explicitly sexual, Spike had reduced her to a ravenous, horny bitch, with a creaming, throbbing and clenching channel, and a porn movie running through her head!
'OK, seriously, this has to stop happening to me!' Clearly, her more rational mind was trying to make its presence felt, but Buffy's inner girl, and Slayer, apparently having been helped back to her feet by said traitorous inner girl, were both bombarding her with suggestions as to where to take things with Spike tonight, all of which were things that would not normally come up in polite conversation! One such suggestion, from the Slayer inside her, had her skin heat to epic proportions as she blushed fiercely. She'd never even thought about that before, about letting a man do that to her, about letting a man go...there! Still, it seemed to have piqued her inner girl's curiosity, and thankfully, the pair of them seemed to retreat, maybe to discuss such... things. Either way, Buffy was brought back to the moment by Spike breaking away from her, allowing her to take a breath into her burning lungs, having not even noticed the need she had to breathe.
'Damn sexy vampire!'
“So, you hungry, pet?” Spike whispered in her ear, in-between gentle nibbles and sucks on her earlobe and neck, respectively.
'Hell yes, I’m hungry! Just not for food!' Buffy's inner voice shouted, as if trying to make Spike hear it. Composing herself as best she could, she nodded her head and allowed herself to be led to the edge of the folded red and black checkered blanket spread on the ground.
Spike proceeded to remove all manner of things from the basket including fruit, a selection of cheeses and crackers, what looked like fajita style wraps of some kind, and what appeared to be another candle, only this one had a metal frame surrounding it that extended above it slightly.
Lighting it and placing it on the ground, he placed a silver container on top of the frame, and, opening an insulated flask that he also produced from the basket, proceeded to pour what appeared to be hot water into said container. At Buffy's enquiring expression, he just winked at her and carried on with his preparations, placing a shallow bowl on top of the water filled container. Producing a large bar of chocolate from the basket as well, he snapped it up into small sections and placed them in the bowl.
“There, it'll take a while, but it should work, I hope.”
Reaching once again into the seemingly full basket beside him, he withdrew two wine glasses and a corkscrew, and set them down. Turning slightly to reach into the cooler, he produced a bottle of white wine, and got on with the act of opening and pouring them both a drink.
Buffy gave him a wary look. She really didn't want to get inebriated and thus allow the Slayer and inner-girl to team up and take the helm. She was fairly sure those two would lead her down a very dirty road.
As if reading her mind, Spike assured her, “Don't fret, Buffy, it's low alcohol. You'd have to do a couple of bottles on your own for you to end up drunk, I promise.” He handed her a glass, and raised his own, “Anything you want to drink to?”
She sighed in relief and felt a warm glow bloom in her chest. Smiling through her gathering tears, she touched her glass to his and simply stated what she was thinking at that moment. “To the most perfect and thoughtful date I’ve ever heard of, let alone been on!”
Spike dropped his head for a moment, smiling to himself, before looking at her again. He had to admit, hearing that from Buffy went a long way to assuaging his worries that maybe he should have done something a little different. He knew how cliché a picnic was, but he just wanted their first date to be about them, and spending time with each other, not some ridiculously expensive night where he would be constantly worrying about things going well.'How bloody ironic', he thought, as here he was worrying that maybe the picnic wasn't the right choice!
They both took a sip of the sweet nectar he'd selected as they gazed into each other's eyes. With the wine still on her lips, Buffy leaned forward again, and placed a chaste and gentle kiss to Spike's lips. She'd honestly meant what she said. This truly was the most perfect, romantic and thoughtful date she'd ever experienced. Once again, the prejudiced arguments of others seemed to fill her head. How could she have been so stupid to ever believe that Spike couldn't love!? The man seemed to do nothing but that. A man who wore his heart so proudly on his sleeve, he'd nearly bled to death, for her. 'What exactly did I do to deserve him?' Buffy couldn't help but wonder.
Having laid out the assortment of food, Buffy helped herself to a wrap, finding it filled with a mixture of chicken and salad with a Caesar dressing. Eyeing the rest of the food, she was certain that Spike had obviously put a lot of thought and effort into tonight, and had to admit, that meant a great deal more to her than just whisking her off to an elaborate restaurant and throwing money at someone else to feed them.
Spike, however seemed to still be a little unsure. He dipped his head again and rubbed the back of his neck nervously as he enquired quietly, “Are you sure that this is alright, pet? Didn't really know what to bring for a picnic? Not exactly within my fields of experience.”
“Spike, it's perfect. Stop worrying, OK? Everything is wonderful. Thank you so much. I love it.”
The night was warm, but a soft, cool breeze blew in from the ocean, making the candles in the trees sway and the ones on the ground gutter, casting random patterns of golden light and deep shadow over their sanctuary. Up here, high above the city lights, it was easy to imagine that they were the only people in the world. Buffy thought that was fitting since, apart from her mom and Dawn, she had decided that this thing with Spike-- whatever it ended up being-- was no one else's business but hers and Spike's. She was suddenly doubly-happy that Spike chose this setting for their first date, just them, no chance of running into any of her so-called friends in town. She just wanted to spend this time with Spike, enjoy his company, getting to know him better, not getting upset by people who had no right to condemn her.
Most of the food disappeared in good time, leaving just the fruit and the odd piece of miscellaneous stuff here and there. Conversation flowed easily, comfortably between them, but was relatively nondescript, touching on various subjects that Buffy had heard Spike speak of during his time confined to bed or about plans for his new house.
Buffy felt completely at ease with Spike. He didn't treat her like an idiot, didn't talk down to her like Angel had. The stories he told her weren't blatantly boastful; they weren't told to prove his prowess or abilities to her, like Riley had always tried to do, instead they were meant to entertain, and usually to make her smile or laugh. And, on the flip-side, Buffy felt comfortable sharing stories with Spike that she would've been reticent to share with either Angel or Riley. Spike never chastised her for taking risks in battle, but rather seemed impressed with her victories, attributing them to her skill, no matter how large a role luck might've played.
“Make your own luck, pet,” he reminded her seriously. “Fortune favours the bold. Remember, 'Who dares, wins' as the S.A.S would say.”
When the conversation waned into a comfortable silence, they took the moment to lie down and stare up at the stars above them. Buffy watched as Spike picked up a strawberry, and dipped in the now-melted chocolate that he had set up earlier.
Bringing it to her lips, he watched with tightly controlled arousal as she first traced her tongue over the berry, tasting the chocolate, before taking a bite and allowing her eyes to close in bliss at the sweet tasting fruit.
“Hhhmmm, yummy!” Her smile lit up her face more so than the dozens of candles scattered around them, and Spike could barely contain his happiness at the knowledge that he was responsible for it. Buffy should smile more; after all her sacrifices, she deserved to be happy. A warm spark bloomed in Spike's heart to think that he could give her even a little sliver of the happiness she deserved.
“More, please,” she added with a slight girlish giggle, taking in his dumbfounded and awestruck expression.
'If he looks like that now, just imagine what he's gonna look like when we start sucking his cock!'
Apparently, Buffy's inner Slayer had decided to drop in and pay her another visit! 'SHUT UP! NOT NOW! I’M ENJOYING THIS!' After successfully banishing the uninvited guest to a closed off corner of her brain, Buffy brought herself back to the moment, and allowed Spike to serve her another chocolate covered strawberry. 'Kinda puts Riley and his brown apple slices to shame, huh? I mean, who goes for a picnic and doesn't bring chocolate!'
Leaning back once again and looking up at the stars, Buffy drank in the scene. Here she was, in a clearing in the woods, with Spike, on what could possibly be the most romantic night of her life. How had she gotten here? And now that she was here, she asked herself once again, why had it taken her so long?
Brought out of her contemplation by Spike's smooth, soft voice, she tuned her thoughts back in to what he was saying.
“You know, it's funny, but the sky that you're looking at right now... … it's older than I am. Isn't that strange? That some of those stars aren't even there anymore.”
Buffy frowned; 'huh' was just about the extent of her brain's reply to that. Deciding to give voice to that thought, she asked Spike, “What do you mean, how'd ya figure?”
Turning his head to look at her, he smiled at her puzzled expression. “Those stars are so far away, the light that we're seein' right now has been travellin' for thousands of years, so it's right likely that some of 'em have since exploded, and aren't even there anymore. What we're seeing is the light that left them thousands of years ago, so you're really looking into the past. Kinda weird, but brilliant, yeah?”
“I'm going with weird. Totally weird, 'giving me a headache' kinda weird, actually.”
She watched as he made a light chuckle and turned back to looking at the sky. A moment passed, and then she felt his hand moving to come into contact with hers. Without hesitation, their fingers entwined, and there they lay, staring into the past, their bodies rooted in the present, and their minds exploring and wishing for the future.
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Author's Chapter Notes:
Hello, one and all. I managed to tear away from real life, and slap my muse into giving me another chapter. Here is the result. Hope that it meets with everyone's approval. Now, onto my thanks. A huge thank you has to go out to EVERYBODY that has read and reviewed, I appreciate each and every one of you. My second thanks have to go to P4S for all her help with betaing for me and for teaching me the ropes. Lastly, a huge thank you to PaganBaby for her beautiful banners, and for setting me on this road to begin with. It is her talent for writing that encouraged me to give it a try. Thank you, PB. And finally, as a matter of course... I don't own anything remotely attached to BTVS, only the plot is mine, so no lawsuits, OK? This is done purely in the name of entertainment.
Chapter End Notes:
Well, everyone, there it is. I hope that you like it. I want to take another moment just to express my thanks once again to all of you that have taken the time to read this story of mine, and leave me comments. I truly do appreciate each and every one of them. Finally, just 'cos I can, another shout out has to go to both P4S for all of her help as a beta, and PaganBaby for her beautiful banners and inspiration. Seriously girls, you're both awesome!