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A MURDER IN SUNNYDALE


Chapter 21: ‘Falling In Love’


A/N: This is a longish chapter. I’m moving the time up here, getting it going a bit more. Lots of hints in this chapter…


Spike slipped out of his hotel bedroom, closing the door, ever so softly behind him. Buffy was sound asleep in the sumptious bed of the Sunnydale Arms and he had no intention of waking his ‘angel’ from her rest.

Although his Buffy was totally naked, and had been for several hours in his bed, thank you, she wore around her neck Spike’s Grandmother’s locket. It had been over two weeks since Spike had placed that special locket around his true love’s neck and it pleased him to know she rarely took it off.

‘If that’s not love,’ he assured himself with a smile, ‘then what is?’

He clicked his cell phone open and dialed his cousin, Wesley, hoping the man would answer. Lately, old Wes was pretty tied up with one Cordelia Chase and Spike was happy for him. Wesley was a little too tightly wound, for the most part, and this bird seemed to have loosened the man up a bit.

“Hello,” came Wesley’s clipped, proper voice.

“Wesley,” Spike greeted, “won’t keep you, just wanted to know what’s up with that key we have?”

Spike’s cousin sighed loudly, “not much, I’m afraid Spike,” he admitted with an exasperated sigh. “I’ve tried the bloody key in every lock I’ve found so far; a safe in the wall of that ridiculous Club our Holden owned. A few safe deposit boxes I scrounged up, nothing new there, really. Even an old roll top desk in Holden’s front of an office of his. Nothing, nothing at all. I just don’t know what to think of it.”

Spike was disappointed, no question, but he covered it and asked if Wesley had thought to get in touch with the maker of the key.

“There has to be a name of the locksmith? A number on the key?” Spike pointed out to his cousin.

“Well,” Wesley began carefully, “there is some words, a number on the key, but when I tried to check those out…..another dead end.”

“The words, letters really read; ECCLII4, and that’s it, Spike,” Wesley muttered. However, I checked out key makers, locksmiths, everything I could think of and it just does not pan out I’m afraid. Those etchings surely are some kind of company name and number?”

“Fuck,” Spike hissed into the cell phone. He was beginning to get really frustrated about this damn key thing and all. Both he and Wesley were sure that this key fit into whatever held the all mighty, fucking end all ‘list’ that half the known world seemed to be looking for.

Spike was more then worried, really, both he and Wesley were sure that something on that list, some name or something was very important. He, Spike had an uneasy feeling about the document and worried that it had something to do with Buffy. Even Wesley agreed with him on this one and it pissed Spike off to no end that they could not find the container of the list, at all.

“We’ll just have to keep looking, Wes,” Spike sighed and lit a cigarette, nervously. “Whatever this ‘list’ is, it’s got to be important to the ‘family’ since so many bloody people want it.”

‘That and I have a real fucked feeling in my gut,’ Spike continued silently, ‘that it’s got something to do with Buffy, or at least someone she’s close to.’

Spike heard the sound of a female voice on the other end of the line, from behind Wesley he supposed. He smirked wickedly, “better let you go, Wes,” he chuckled. “Sounds like you have much better things to do then talk to me.”

“Yes, thank you Spike,” Wesley almost stuttered. “However, I will keep looking, scouting all of the avenues, Spike. We will find that bloody whatever it is that holds the list. If that is even what’s in the damn locked thing!”

Wesley sounded pretty well frustrated himself, causing Spike to feel even more anxious about the key, the lock and this mystery list.

‘Where the fuck did Holden put that damn list?’ he asked himself again. Spike did not want Buffy worried about this whole mess, so he tried not to discuss it in front of her, ever. Not since he had first mentioned the possibilty of someone on the Sunnydale Police Department being involved with Holden. It was all so fucking bizarre, really.

Spike sighed and stubbed out the cigarette, his mind wandering back to the bedroom and his wonderful little Buffy bundle in his bed. He smiled softly, thinking about how responsive Buffy was to him, their love making was amazing.

‘Too fucking good for me, she is,’ Spike assured himself as he thought about his Buffy. ‘Too perfect for my fucked up existence,’ he shook his head and again lit another cigarette.


‘Thank you God,’ Spike mouthed as he looked up. Although, actually, Spike was not religious, at all, he found himself thanking God a lot lately. Mainly for sending Buffy his way and allowing him to love her like he did. For love her, he did, and the fact of the matter was, Spike intended on spiriting Buffy back to England with him when he went home.

“Just hope Buffy’s on board with that plan,” Spike chuckled softly.

“On board with what plan?” came Buffy’s voice from the bedroom door.

Spike almost jumped up from the couch, he had not heard her at all. Had no idea she had risen from bed and opened the door.

“Christ woman,” Spike yelped slightly, “you’re quiet as a stealth cat!”

Buffy giggled and strode over to the couch to join him. She flopped down on his boxer covered lap, being stark naked herself.

“You know,” she began with a smirk of her own, “it helps to be all ‘stealth’ like when you’re a cop, William. I’d think you of all people would know these things?”

For just a moment, Buffy noticed Spike flinch, almost in regret, but she couldn’t be sure. She had been smirking, but suddenly frowned when he did that.

“Never been a cop,” Spike mumbled with a forced smile.

“No, that’s for sure but…..Spike,” she asked, softly, “is there something wrong? When I mentioned the word cop, you got all distant and almost wiggy. What is it?”

Spike avoided Buffy’s beautiful eyes, relit his cigarette and thought for a moment or two. He had tried to be careful, really, about just exactly how he reacted to the word cop. Especially in front of his Buffy, especilly since the very naked woman he loved, who was snuggled up on his lap at this very moment, was a cop.

‘No fucking way is Buffy ready to hear this one, mate,’ he assured himself firmly. ‘If she finds out, while ‘we’re’ still so new together? If she gets wind of what I pulled back in England, when I was a fucked up teenager? Jesus, she and I’ll be over before I get a chance to get her precious arse home to London with me.’

Spike could not let that happen. He needed Buffy, loved her, treasured her in his life. No, he had to keep her in the dark about his rather unsavory past with the law. She would never, ever understand that fucked up mess in his dark past, never.

“It’s nothing, baby,” he finally mumbled, meeting her confused green eyes once again with a slight smile. “You know,” he shrugged, “my family, me and my misguided youth and all.” He actually managed a brief laugh, just to break the tension that had suddenly engulfed them both.

“Oh,” Buffy murmered as she searched his indigo blue eyes, “I see.” She decided to let the matter drop, completely and snuggled even closer to him. ‘I can ask him some other time,’ she told herself, ‘when we’re even more comfortable with each other.’

“Are you hungry?” Buffy asked Spike with a huge grin. “Cos’ I’m starving!”

“Oh, starving is it?” Spike growled as he lay on the couch, positioning Buffy so that she was prone, covering his body with hers.

“Really starving!” Buffy giggled merrily. “I could eat a horse!”

“How about a Spike?” he raised his left brow and gave a wicked smirk.

“Uckkk!” Buffy squealed with traitorous glee as Spike tickled her mercilessly. “That’s nasty!” she slapped at him, playfully.

“What can I say, Princess?” Spike chuckled happily, “you just bring out the nasty in me!”

He pulled Buffy’s lips to his own and kissed her, greedily, “my girl,” he murmered into her mouth.

“Yeah,” Buffy responded slowly, “I guess I am your girl.”

Spike somehow sat up, Buffy still in his lap and then stood up from the couch. He carried her back into the bedroom and laid her down on the bed, covering her with his own body.

He began nibbling Buffy’s neck, tenderly, then ran his lips down to her breasts. After he’d left her moaning and wanting for more that way, he traveled down to her tummy and gave it a quick little nip.

“Mmmm,” Buffy hummed as Spike slid his lips and tongue down to his ultimate goal. But first, he nipped and licked her inner thighs, causing the most lovely little squeak from her lovely little mouth.

“Like that?” he purred up at her, delighted to see Buffy watching him as he ministered to her.

“Uh huh,” she sighed dreamily.

“Well,” Spike smirked up at her, “then you’re going to just ‘love’ this.” And he buried his warm, wet tongue into her sweet, warm, wet cunny.

Buffy sat at her office desk on Tuesday morning, going over the paperwork in front of her. Her mind, however, kept wondering back to last night and her ‘activities’ with William. She sighed, dreamily, something she rarely did, until lately that is.

‘God,’ she shook her head in self-derision, ‘we’re practically living together at our respective places. You are so in deep this time, Buffy Summers,’ she warned herself.

‘Yeah, you are, Buffy Summers,’ her inner voice echoed back to her, ‘what are you going to do when Mr. Wonderful goes back to England?’ Buffy snapped to attention at that thought, “shut the hell up!” she growled lowly at ‘inner Buffy’. The thought of Will leaving back to England was something that Buffy so did not want to even consider right now.

“Hey, Buff,” Xander Harris burst into her office, distracting Buffy from her unpleasant thoughts, “the St. Claire trial starts next week, it’s official!”

Buffy resented the fact that her partner, Xander, was so damned excited about the upcoming trial and all.

‘They, all of them,’ she thought to herself, angrily, ‘Captain Wilkens, of course Angel, Xander, even Giles. They all are so damn sure it was Amy that murdered Holden and Katerina.’

She truly resented this, from Xander the most, no make that Giles. If anyone should have backed her own theory, Buffy’s that is, it should have been Giles. He was the ‘rock’ in Buffy’s life, always had been, even before her folks moved to Los Angeles. However, it was also Giles that ‘knew’ Holden Webster, his past criminal history, his ‘family’ and all, the most.

Buffy rolled her eyes at Xander and motioned for him to sit down in the chair across from her desk.

“I suppose old Angel is dancing in the streets of Sunnydale over this one, huh?” she asked Xander, sarcastically.

“Yeah, he sure is,” Xander chuckled back at Buffy, then stopped abruptly. Xander was well aware of just how far to push his partner, Buffy Summers, and he was coming dangerously close to the limits.

“That nerd, Warren Meers, is going to be one of the first witnesses that DA O’Connor is pulling up on the stand. Amy’s in trouble, Buff, we both know that. This guy, Meers, he’s a pretty reliable guy, or so the information we have would tell us.”

Buffy pulled out a file on Warren Meers, Door Man extraordinaire, from her desk. She skimmed over the history information on this Meers character. For some reason, since the day she’d met this guy, Buffy had disliked him, on sight really. ‘Probably because he’s the one that can put Amy at the crime scene, last of all,’ she snorted to herself.

“Warren Meers seems to be a pretty up front guy,” Buffy said out loud to Xander as she went over his history sheet, again.

“No criminal record, juvenile or adult; no traffic tickets, not even a fucking parking ticket,” she sighed, ashamed that she’d used the ‘f’ word so easily.

Xander reached over and took the file from Buffy, gently, then began to read, also outloud, the personal history that they had on Warren Meers.

“He’s been married, since he was twenty-one, to his child hood sweetheart, April Anderson-Meers. They have a daughter, Audry and a son, Warren Jr. No signs of martital problems, at least publically, but, then, who the hell knows what goes on behind other people’s bedroom doors, eh Buff?”

Xander shot Buffy a smug, knowing look that she quickly dismissed with a shake of her blond head.

“Do not go there, Xander Harris,” Buffy warned menacingly, “neither one of us, especially you, have any right to talk about relationship problems!”

“By the way,” Buffy gave him a best scrutinizing, cop look, “how ‘are’ you and Anya? And, is she aware that you’re flirting, rather openly and stupidly, with the little bimbette file clerk out there?” Buffy jutted her chin out towards her office door and tilted her head to the side, slightly.

“Oh, Buffy,” Xander whined, defensively, “that little skirt, Sandy is her name by the way, doesn’t mean a thing to me. She’s just young and overwhelmed by the whole ‘cop’ thing. Just sensitive and impressed by a big bad cop like myself,” he finished with a self-satisfied grin.

“You mean, naïve, foolish and all out ditsy, don’t you?” Buffy finished for him with a smirk.

Xander didn’t respond to that, just kind of hung his head, slightly, and shuffled the Meers’ paperwork around on the desk in front of him. He finally peeked up at Buffy and gave her a little grin, “you know I love Anya, Buff,” he answered, sincerely enough.

“I know,” Buffy nodded her head, “but you need to ‘do’ something about that, Xander. If you don’t make the move with Anya, and soon, I’m afraid you’ll lose her for good and I do care about both of you. You are both my friends, Xander, I want you to be happy, together, preferrably.”

The dark haired man nodded then went back to the history file on Warren Meers. He shook his head as he kept reading the information, silently for a while.

“You know,” Xander mumbled, “this Warren guy is almost too damn good to be true? He’s just too fucking perfect for the real world. When they interviewed him, the task force, with his wife, this April chick? She, his wife that is, just hung on Warren’s every word, like he was some kind of prophet or guru or something.

Then, when Scott Hope asked her about ‘their marriage’ and all, April just gushed about how perfect it was, yada yada. No arguments, no seperations, no problems of any kind, even financially. April’s exact words to Scott were “my Warren takes care our little family, always. He’s just perfect!”

Buffy snorted, unladylike, “this April sounds like a freaking ‘Stepford Wife’ to me.”

“Yeah, too good to be true, too, huh?” Xander chuckled. “But, since the history we have on Warren seems to confirm his wife’s adoration of him, what can we do?”

“Buffy,” Xander sighed as he tossed the file on her desk, again, “let’s face facts here. With the way this trial is apt to go, the witnesses, the motives, everything? Amy St. Claire is in major shit, up to her chin.”

Buffy echoed Xander’s sigh, “I know,” is all she could whisper in response.

They sat in silence for a moment or two, until Buffy’s phone rang, shrilly. She answered it with a smile, knowing full well that it was probably Spike calling her.

“Hello gorgeous,” Spike greeted warmly to Buffy, “just wanted to call and run something past you.”

“Okay,” Buffy responded, softly, noting the roll of Xander’s brown eyes when she spoke. Buffy nodded at Xander, then at her door, motioning him, obviously, to leave. And now.

Xander took the hint, he shook his head and reluctantly left Buffy’s office. Buffy thought she heard her partner say some like ‘fucking Brit’ when he left, but she dismissed it.

“Okay, Will,” Buffy spoke normally now, “what’s up?”

Spike chuckled, wickedly, “well since you asked. The sound of your sexy voice just made me go…”

“William…..” Buffy warned evenly, trying not to laugh out loud at her lover’s crudity.

“Okay, baby,” Spike chuckled, “seriously now. I know how much you’re into good wine and all. Thought maybe you and me could go up to one of those wineries you talk about? There’s one in Santa Barbara, by the sea? Right? Thought we might go next weekend, or the next, whatever you say, sweetheart?”

‘He’s done his homework,’ Buffy though happily, ‘not a lot of people in California even know about ‘that’ winery.’

“The trial is starting next week, Will,” Buffy frowned for a moment, “but maybe we could go in two weekends? I’ll have the following Monday off anyway, unless something comes up?”

“Two weekends it is then,” Spike chuckled warmly, “can’t wait to get you away from this town. You need a break, Princess,” he continued. “I was thinking, would you like to go on my Harley? You know, wind in our hair, drive the Blue Highway, all that sillyness?”

Buffy cringed, just a little, for just a moment, “yeah,” she finally responded, nervously. “We could do that, but remember, this is California, helmuts are not optional, they’re demanded. So, no wind in our hair, I’m afraid,” she finished with a giggle.

“Okay, luv,” Spike murmered, “it’s a date then. In the meantime, are you going to come over tonight? Or, should I just meet you at your place and ravish you, properly and all?”

Buffy felt a warm tingle shoot up and down her spine. ‘We are really spending too much time together,’ her mind warned her, twice even. ‘You want him, Buffy,’ her heart reminded her.

“I’ll fix you dinner, Will,” Buffy answered quickly, “anything you want.”

“I love you Buffy,” Spike finished, honestly and then said goodbye.

A few moments after Buffy and Will ended their phone conversation, she picked up her phone and dialed Willow’s office extension. ‘I need to talk to Willow, now,’ Buffy decided as she waited for her best friend to get on the line.

Before Willow picked up her line, Buffy looked into the rather unobvious mirror on her office wall. For once, she noticed, a very serene, very happy looking reflection of herself looked back at her.

“I am so falling in love with Spike Williamson,” Buffy admitted, almost in awe to her reflection.


A/N: Long, long chapter, but I have to get this show on the road.
I am trying to incorporate some of the murder plot line into each chapter. Along with various characters from the show. Also, it’s important for me to show the building of the Spuffy relationship in each chapter.

Here’s the ‘anvil’ notes for this chapter: 1) The etchings on the key ‘are’ important. 2) Spike is hiding something, totally, from Buffy, at least about his past. It’s not of the good thing either; Buffy will be very upset by it. 3) This planned trip to the winery is going to be a catalyst for the rest of the story.

Thanks for reading, please review! Luv, Spuf





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