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A/N: Again, thanks again to all my wonderful reviewers. You guys kick some major booty :-) Keep the reviews coming, it's like gas in a car... makes me write faster


CHAPTER 14: Therapy



"Mmm. You know…" Buffy breathed softly, eyes shut, a lazy smile stretching her pretty lips. "I think we're supposed to be talking about you. That's what this session is all about. Me, you, talking."


Spike had carefully slipped his bound arms around her, mindful of the handcuffs around his wrists, and was holding her close. He was feasting on the side of her neck, leaving a wet trail on her golden skin. They were cuddling on the couch in her office, enjoying the short time together this therapy session allowed them.


"Can't talk. Busy."


She giggled, both from his answer and from the way he was tickling her warm skin. "When Willow proposed that I'd take your case, I'm sure that's not what she had in mind. Not that I'm complaining. But I'm supposed to meet with her later on and share the information I gathered. What am I going to tell her?"


"Don't know, pet. Tell her I like the way your skin tastes..." He licked the side of her neck until he reached her ear lobe and sucked on it, making her moan throatily. "... and how the feel of your body against mine has a wonderful effect on my mood. Making out with you is a bloody great therapy if you ask me. You can also tell her you did that picture association game with me. You know, the one where you show me ink stains and I'm supposed to tell you what I see in 'em? Tell her I saw only you in each and every picture."


He kissed her lightly on the lips, then went back to working on her neck. But even though they were comfortably holding each other, Buffy could sense that Spike was still tensed and hesitant. As if he was afraid to go too far and push the boundaries to their limit—afraid she'd change her mind about the whole situation any minute.


With the specific intention to make him relax and to show him without any possible doubt that she wasn't about to change her mind, she tried to make them more comfortable on the couch. She leaned back until her blonde head rested on the armrest, pulling Spike along with her to lay intimately on top of her. He tensed noticeably when his erection pressed against her thigh, but she soothed him by running a loving hand up and down his back to show him that she really didn't mind. His body relaxed into hers and his lips found hers again, resuming their kiss.


"God, Buffy. You taste like heaven."


"... Never felt so good before, Spike. How am I supposed to be the reasonable one here?"


He stopped to look at her. "Luv, I think we're anything BUT reasonable. Bloody hell, we're a world away from reasonable."


Her girlish laughter echoed in the room. To the casual observer, they would have look like a happy couple who didn't have a care in the world. "Point taken."


They remained quiet for a moment, enjoying a rare and incredibly precious moment of happiness in their strange and new relationship. Spike's forehead was resting against hers, her tiny fingers running leisurely through his bleached hair.


"Tell me... What were you like when you were a little boy?"


Spike frowned. "Is that part of the information you're planning on sharing with Willow?"


"Nope. Legit curiosity, I swear. Besides, it's always good to have a minimum of information on the person you're making out with, don't you think?"


"Mm. Makes sense." He seemed lost in thoughts for a moment before his expression softened. He smiled down at her and brushed a strand of her blonde hair away from her forehead with his finger tips. "I'm sure you were an adorable little girl. I can almost see you in my mind, running around bare foot with your pigtails and sundress, not a bloody care in the world. It must have been a lovely sight. Were you always strong willed and rebellious, even back then?"


"Yep. Mom always repeated that I'd be the death of her. I could never sit down for more than five minutes at a time. I was always... "


Buffy interrupted herself and stared at Spike with her mouth gapping, suddenly realizing what he was doing. "Hey! Nice try, mister."


"What?" He gave her an innocent look.


"You are one clever man, Mr. Rayne. Here I am, with all my years of training and experience in criminal psychology, and I'm the one being interrogated?" She clicked her tongue, pretending to be annoyed. "It would almost make me feel incompetant, almost, if you weren't so damn sexy."


"And how is me being sexy an excuse?"


"Well... How could anybody expect me to resist that boyish charm of yours? I can't be held responsible for my weakness. I am a woman before being a warden, you know." She pouted prettily, already knowing how he couldn't resist that.


Instantly, his blue eyes focused on her mouth. "Yeah. That you are, luv." He drawled before capturing her plump lower lip between his in a hot kiss. "You're all woman. From head to toe, and everything in between."


She smiled, but it didn't reached her eyes which were strangely sad considering the lightness of the mood.


"This therapy excuse—it's very convenient. But it won't last. I won't be able to justify seeing you like this for long. Only real psychos, serial killers, or sex offenders, get to meet with the prison staff for evaluations and case study. Which doesn't happen a lot here since this isn't a high security prison. You getting yourself into a few spots of trouble and refusing to talk to the therapist hardly justifies being seen on a regular basis by the warden."


"I know. Are you insinuating that I'll have to be badder from now on? That I'll have to commit acts of unspeakable horror to see you, Ms. Summers? I think you're trying to be a bad influence on me, aren't you? Because that would be wrong."


Buffy tried to open her mouth to reply but he just kept talking, not giving her the chance to interrupt.


"No. Don't you dare seducing me with your words. I'm a pure soul and all that rot.


She tried again to open her mouth, clearly amused by Spike's antics. He covered her mouth with his fingers.


"I know your game. You're trying to use your endless charms and power of corruption on me, Ms. Summers. I won't be a bad man, no matter how much I want to please you..."


She took his fingers away from her lips.


"I understand, Mr. Rayne. Though I can think of other ways to please me."


He opened wide, innocent, blue eyes. "I'm intrigued. Do tell, pet."


Instead of telling him, she showed him by pulling his head to hers and smashing her lips on his for a passionate kiss. They chuckled happily in each other's mouth, not willing to break contact despite their hilarity. But too soon, Buffy pulled away, all humor gone from her hazel eyes. She sighed, a wave of sadness washing over her.


"It's getting too comfortable, isn't it?"


"I'm afraid so. Too comfortable for our own good, that's for sure."


"What do we do when the therapy excuse doesn't work anymore? Which will be like—very soon. People will notice that I've been seeing you an awful lot. They'll ask questions. People are nosy like that."


"Aren't you the boss around here, pet?"


"Yeah. But I'm not almighty. I've been placed here by the State. There's a panel who chose me for the job. And they will be scrutinizing my every move. Especially after the mess my predecessors left behind. Anything looks fishy to them and they'll be on my case like evil bees on a sugar glazed doughnut. These guys... One word to the Governor and I'm history. I suspect that fooling around in my office with one of my prisoners would be one of the things that would get my ass replaced faster than you can say 'bloody hell'. If I was evil like Wilkins and had friends in high places like he did, maybe I could pull it off. Or if I was really good at sneaking around... which I so am not!" She lowered her head to hide the sadness she was sure was obvious in her eyes. "We're so screwed, Spike."


"Come on, warden. You gotta have a little more imagination than that! We just have to be careful and clever. The way I see it, danger only makes things more exciting, is all. We might be blondes, but there's two of us in this. That means almost one complete brain according to brunettes' standards."


She slapped playfully at his shoulder. "Wow. That means we're almost smart. Lucky us! But seriously, Spike, it is kinda exciting, I won't deny that. But it's still a dangerous game we're playing at."


"Luv, if you're too worried and you want to end it..."


"No!—no, of course not. I don't think I could, to be honest. But we'll have to come up with some really great excuses though. I just don't want to lose my job if I don't absolutely have to."


"You won't. We'll just have to make sure we don't get caught. There are ways to communicate with each other, I'm sure."


"Like what?"


Spike tried to move and winced at the pressure it put on his already painful arms. "Pet, as much as I love holding you in my arms like this, if I don't move soon, you'll have to get Anya to amputate me from the lack of blood to my limbs."


"Oh! I'm sorry!" She sat up so he could take his arms from around her.


The young woman pouted in vexation. "I'm the freakin' warden. You'd think I'd have the master to your handcuffs in the top drawer of my desk."


Spike smiled at her, a mischievous glimmer in his eyes. "You sure you don't? This place is a sodden mess. Maybe you have the key somewhere underneath all that rubbish that clutters your desk."


"Hey! Is it my fault there's not enough money in the prison's budget to pay for me to have an assistant or a maid? Stupid budget." She crossed her arms over her chest and huffed in frustration.


"How about you use one of your devoted prisoners for the job? Free help. That would fit in your budget. I know this guy, British, sexy, efficient and discreet, who'd be more than willing to help."


"Do you think he'd work shirtless?"


"I'm sure it could be arranged."


"Yum! That's tempting. But no thanks. My secretary would be in my office all the time."


Spike frowned, waiting for her explanation.


"What? I've seen the way she was checking out your butt when you walked in!"


He grinned, amused at seeing Buffy's irrational side. "Jealous, pet?"


"Uh huh. No way."


"I think," He said, punctuating every word with a light brush of his lips on hers. "you might be... just a little bit."


"Whatever you say, bleachboy. So, did you think of a way for us to keep in touch without anybody noticing? You seemed very confident that we could earlier."


Spike sat up and got more serious. After thinking for a few seconds, his face lit up. "You know how we're allowed to access the internet a few hours a day? I know a couple of guys who use that time to chat with birds or send emails. You could create yourself an address that can't be traced back to you and we could email each other sometimes."


This time, Buffy's smile did reach her eyes. "Yes, of course! How could I not think of that! Ok, so, that's one thing. What other contact can you have with the outside world that can't be traced to me. I mean, you do have your fifteen minutes call a day but... Wait. What if I get someone I know and trust to get me a cell phone in their name? This way, if someone ever tried to investigate, my name wouldn't come up. Not that I think anyone would ever investigate, but better be safe than sorry."


This time, it was Spike's turn to give her a genuine smile. "Brilliant, luv. See? I told you that two blondes are worth a brunette!.. or a red head. I'm sure we'll find other ideas."


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Harmony's shrill laughter echoed loudly throughout the small employees' cafeteria. Faith rolled her eyes and took a vicious bite out of her sandwich, trying to block out the annoying sound. It was harder than it seemed considering the airhead was sitting only two seats away at the same table. Anya sat stiffly in front of the secretary, alterning between picking at her tuna salad without conviction, and throwing desperate glances toward the door. Either she was planning an escape, or she was waiting for Rups to come and rescue her.


Faith smiled at the thought, her lips stretching around the straw. She slurped noisily at her diet coke and Harmony shot her a dirty look. Feeling silly, the brunette took a huge bite of her sandwich and staring intently at Harmony, she chewed with her mouth open, then belched loudly. The blonde woman snorted in disgust and turned her attention back to Anya.


After another couple of minutes of Harm's insipid chatter, Anya sighed and interrupted her. "Why are you taking your lunch break at 11? Don't you usually take it at noon? Why are you here?"


Harmony leaned toward Anya in a conspirational way, as if she was about the share top secret information.


"Lets just say that... Ms. Summers needed me out of the office."


Anya didn't like Harmony and never bothered hiding her dislike, but she was a curious woman.


"What do you mean? Oh my God. Do you think she's pulling a Wilkins and she's gonna run off with the money? Because that's just wrong. Money is important. The prison needs money so they can pay me. I have investments you know. I need my pay check!"


"No no, I don't think she'd do that."


"Then, why would she want you out of the office?"


Harmony pretended to hesitate, looking around suspiciously. Seeing that Faith seemed engrossed in her magazine, she finally started talking again. "I really shouldn't tell you that. Ok. Maybe I will. But you must promise to keep this to yourself. I don't want to lose my job."


"Sure. I promise."


"Cross your heart and hope to die?"


Anya rolled her eyes at how childish the other woman could be, but nodded anyway. "Sure, whatever. Now spill."


"Ms. Summers told me I could take a two hours break because she was meeting up privately with prisoner 106643."


At the nurse's blank expression, Harmony rolled her eyes. "Duh! Rayne. You know, Spike? Only the hottest prisoner this prison has ever had?"


"You learn the prisoners' ID by heart? Don't you have a life?"


"Well, it's Spike, not just any prisoner. And that's not the point! She's with him... Alone."


"So?"


"She covered by saying that Willow wanted her to take over his case, but come on! Who would be dumb enough to believe that? This guy is so sexy he would melt an iceberg. And why would she want me to leave the office? I think she was afraid I might interrupt somet..."


Suddenly, Harmony felt herself being pulled off her chair by her arm and dragged out of the cafeteria. She yelped helplessly when Faith slammed her into a wall in the empty hallway.


Harmony jerked her head back in fear when the taller brunette got into her face. She hit her head but didn't dare make a sound, too terrified by the other woman who seemed enraged at the moment.


The guard wrapped her fingers around Harmony's throat, applying just enough pressure so that the blonde would take her threat seriously.


"Open your yap just one more time to trash talk against Ms. Summers, Barbie, and I'll make you swallow your teeth. Got it? If I hear ANY nasty rumors about her, I'll know who the source is and I'll come knocking at your door. And believe me, it won't be a social call. Do you understand what I'm saying or do I have to explain with examples?"


Harm nodded weakly.


"What was that? I didn't hear you."


"Y-yes. I understand." Harmony croaked.


Faith let go of her and the shorter woman rubbed at her sore neck. "You hurt me you big freak!"


"That'll teach you to think before you open that big trap of yours."


Harmony hesitated, obviously wanting to say something. She opened her mouth and closed it a couple of times before finally finding the courage to make a sound.


"Why are you defending Ms. Summers? Not that she needs to be defended because I really wasn't bad mouthing her or anything.. Just keeping a colleague up to date on what's going on in the office."


"Yeah? Well you should know that this kind of gossips can be really fucking hurtful to a girl's career. Next thing you know, the wrong people hear about it and B's taken away from her position as head honcho of Sunnydale's most popular hang out and we're back to square one. They send another power hungry loser to take over and we're left to deal with the consequences."


"Don't you miss Wilkins? Not that I do," she urgently amended, "but... I would have assumed that you, of all people, would have been more hostile to Buffy."


Faith's demeanor changed in a matter of seconds. She chuckled humorlessly and turned her back to Harmony in a protective manner.


"You'd think that, wouldn't you?"


"Well, yeah..."


"You're right. I miss him sometimes. I miss being the almighty Faith that everybody's afraid of and all that shit." She paused and took a deep breath. "And I'm glad as hell that he's gone."


"You are?!" Harmony gasped, incredulous. "Ok, you lost me there."


"Yeah, I am. I didn't like the side of me he brought out. I didn't like the way he made the dark side seem so appealing. Sure, he treated me like a daughter. To a gal like me who grew up without a real family, that was the shit. It felt so good. But towards the end, I finally realized that a father who loves his daughter wouldn't ask her to do the things The Boss asked me to do..."


"So you denounced him, right? That was you, right?"


Faith laughed heartily. "Wouldn't you love to know? Listen, Barbie, I wouldn't trust you with a secret if my life depended on it, so you'll just have to keep wondering. About B... She's a great boss. Some of the guys haven't realize it yet because they're retarded idiots and they're too fucking thick to pay attention, but she's great. And for some really fucked up reason that I haven't figured out yet, the girl believes in me. She's the first person I've ever met who just gave me the benefit of the doubt like this, and I'll do anything to prove that she was right to trust me."


Harmony looked down. "I know. She really isn't so bad, I guess."


"Don't risk losing a boss like B by starting stupid rumors just to entertain the crowd of Ls and Gs. It's not worth it. And so what if she wants to reward herself for her hard work by spending an hour chatting up Mr. Sunnydale prison 2004? Personally, I don't have a problem with it. Besides, what's she gonna do during that hour other than flirting a bit and innocently batting her eyelashes at him?"


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"Oh Spike!"


Buffy whimpered, overwhelmed by the sensation of his body pressed so closely against hers, his hands in her hair, his lips on her skin. They were fully clothed, and yet, it felt more intimate and fulfilling than having sex with some of the boyfriends she'd had in the past. He had slipped his arms back around her now that they were laying on their sides and was holding her as close as physically possible.


When the phone rang, Buffy jumped and fell off the couch, pulling Spike along for the fall. They landed painfully on the floor in a tangle of limbs.


Spike took his arms from around her and Buffy rushed to answer the phone with a sigh of disappointment.


"Buffy Summers."


"Buffy, it's Giles. Are you done with Spike? I was going for my break and I could take him back.."


"Actually, I was just about to call you. I think we're about done here. It didn't go all that well and I think there's nothing more I can do today."


"Don't give up. The bloke is stubborn as hell. Maybe it will go better next time you'll see him."


Buffy hid a triumphant smile with her hand and looked at Spike, eyes sparkling with amusement. "Yes, you're right. Maybe next time I'll see him, he'll be more cooperative. Who knows."


Spike grinned and gave her the thumbs up in a show of approval. He realized that she was subtly preparing Giles for a 'next time' so he wouldn't find it too odd. Smart girl.


"Good. I'll be at your office in a minute."


"Thanks." She hung up and for a moment, didn't move or say a word.


"Well—that was for sure the shortest hour in history." She gave him a quick smile before turning away from where he was sitting on the couch. "All right. Lets make ourselves presentable again. Giles will be here any second now."


Buffy took a small mirror and a brush out of her purse and after smoothing her hair down, pulled it back into a ponytail the way it was when Spike arrived earlier.


He watched her intently as she carefully reapplied her lipstick.


"You're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, Buffy." He said softly.


The young woman blushed and looked down. Spike stood up. She walked up to him and busied herself by smoothing down the wrinkles on his shirt. "Thank you. Sorry I'm acting like a spaz. I don't hear things like that very often."


"You better bloody well get used to it, pet, cause I have a tendency to say everything that crosses my mind and when I think of you, the words beautiful, sexy, funny, amazing, tend to pop up."


"All right then. If it's compliment time, I gotta say... you're the hotest, sexiest, handsomest guy I've ever seen."


It was Spike's turn to blush. Buffy laughed at his reaction just as there was a knock on the door.


"Damn." She pouted. "I guess that's it for now."


"I'll miss you." He kissed her lightly, careful not to smudge her lipstick, then let her go to answer the door.


She watched as Giles took Spike away, closing the door behind him.


"I'll miss you too." She murmured to herself in the empty office.


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