[Reviews - 83]
-
Table of Contents [Report This]
Microsoft Word Chapter or Story | ePub eBook Chapter or Story | Printer Chapter or Story

Has been viewed 2279 times

- Text Size +




Chapter 13





Buffy sipped her tea as she looked out over the forest. She had retreated to the balcony after Spike had practically ran her out of the kitchen while he cleaned up the breakfast dishes and she wondered what he was up to. It was something she was sure. He was being too - nice. Not one question about the previous night, no hint of what they had done. Nothing. The whole thing was so un-Spike like it was scary. She figured he would be nagging the hell out of her about it, yet what was he doing?



She turned her head and looked back inside. The kitchen appeared to be clean and she could see a basket on the bar. He was darting around the room and she leaned up in her seat and craned her neck to try and see what he was doing. When he turned his head and looked at her she quickly turned back to the forest. She smiled as she took a slow sip of her tea. Whatever it was, she knew she should probably be worried. With Spike, nothing was ever as simple as it seemed.



Spike grinned as he saw Buffy looking in at him before he continued his task. The idea had come to him while he washed the dishes and he fought to keep the wide grin from his face as all the details clicked into place. It was nearly ten and the last hour had been spent scurrying around the kitchen preparing everything. He looked down into the basket one last time, making sure he had everything before he walked to the closet. He pulled two of the spare blankets outs before laying them with the basket. He stared at his supplies before looking around the room. Everything was packed. All he needed now was her.




~*~*~*~*~*~*~





Buffy stared at the back of Spike's head as she followed him through the heavy foliage of the forest. She asked herself for the tenth time what she was doing. No way did she agree to this. She must be completely insane. What in the world possessed her to agree? Spike turned his head and looked at her over his shoulder and the smile he gave her caused her stomach to flip over itself. Right. Now she remembered.



A wide, melt-in-your-shoes smile and those damned blue eyes of his and she had barely even protested. She was now convinced he was the devil. He had to be. No way could anyone be that devious and completely lickable at the same time. A friendly lunch on top of the mountain and all of it completely innocent - or so he said. So why did she have this sinking feeling he was up to something?



Spike led them up the path with a smile planted on his face. He couldn't believe how easy it had been. A few smiles, a slight tilt of his head and Buffy had caved. He almost laughed out loud as he remembered the conversation.



"Okay, Spike. What are you doing?" Buffy asked as she leaned against the bar.



"Making us lunch."



Buffy watched him as he looked through the basket again before he turned his head to look at her. She swallowed heavily at the smile he gave her. Her heart rate increased instantly and she had to look away. "Why is our lunch in a basket?"



"I thought we could take a little walk," he told her. "Picnic up at the overlook."



"What overlook and why?" She asked him curiously.



Spike laughed softly before turning his body toward her. "The overlook that the brochure said was here and `why?' Well - because I want to."



Oh, there it was again. That smile. Buffy felt her stomach clench as she looked at him. His eyes roamed over her form and her already rapidly beating heart tripled its tempo. How the hell did he do that?



"What do you say, luv?"



His voice was soft and sensual and Buffy knew she was doomed the minute he spoke. Her skin tingled from just the sound of it and she wondered if he practiced it or if it just came natural. The head tilt he had perfected. The eyes - well everyone knew those things could capture you and turn you into a blubbering idiot but that smile, now that just made you want to melt into a puddle and agree with anything the man said. Oh yeah. Spike Williams had it all and right now Buffy wanted it.



"It's not much further," Spike said as he looked back over his shoulder at Buffy. She hadn't said much after they left the cabin and he wondered what was going through her mind. He had to bite his tongue several times to keep from asking her about the previous night. If he played his cards right, he'd find out what her problem was and then they could move on.





~*~*~*~*~*~*~




"Are you sure you know where you're going?"



Spike looked around at the trees surrounding them and smiled before turning to face her. "Of course I know," he said before he was again started walking.



Buffy raised one perfectly shaped brow at him before she sighed and followed. They had been walking forever and she was beginning to wonder if this wasn't some ploy on his part to see if she'd follow him endlessly. So far it was working. She sighed before shaking her head and slowing her pace. "Okay, we've been walking forever," she said. "If you get us lost I'm going to kick your ass."



Spike chuckled as he continued to walk. "You're free to do anything you wish with my ass, Buffy. But let's wait until we have a scenic view, shall we?"



Buffy almost growled as he turned his head and winked at her before he laughed. That just proved her theory. He was playing with her. "Alright, I'm not taking another step until you tell me what this is all about, Spike."



Spike stopped and turned around to look at her before he smiled. She was standing there with her arms crossed over her chest and her chin jutting out defiantly. Her cheeks were flushed and the breeze caught the few strands of hair that had managed to escape her ponytail to whip around her face. She looked adorable. No other word for it. Puffed up and trying to look all mighty and all she was doing was making him want her more. He walked the short distance to her and stopped directly in front of her before he leaned down close to her face. "I just wanted to spend the day with you is all," he said softly.



Buffy looked up at him and had to remind herself to breathe. His scent surrounded her and those eyes were like liquid pools of molten glass. She felt her lips twitch as a tiny smile pulled at the edges of them before she let her eyes roam over his face. She sighed automatically when he smiled at her.



"What do you say, kitten?"



"If you're playing with me Spike I'm going to kick your ass."



Spike grinned widely as he looked at her. "Don't tease me, Summers. Hard enough just looking at you without letting my mind wander."



Buffy held back her smile as he turned and started walking again. Not a day went by without some snarky remark. Did you expect anything less? She asked herself. Sighing again she finally grinned as she followed him. Whatever he was up to, she was certain she was going to be sorry.




~*~*~*~*~*~*~





"How the hell did you know about this place?" Buffy asked as she stared out over the mountains.



"It's in the brochure," Spike told her as he laid the basket and blankets down before looking over at her.



"Oh," Buffy said as she took in her surroundings. The mountains stretched as far as she could see. Colors ranging from blue to purple to black met her eyes and the sky looked as if it sat on the very top of each snowcapped mountain. It was breathtaking. The breeze was surprisingly warm and Buffy slipped her jacket off as Spike spread one of the blankets out. She eyed him curiously as she walked to the edge of the cliff and looked down over the railing that had been placed there. "What else was in the brochure?"



Spike looked up at her as she spoke before he walked the short distance to where she stood. "Just the usual," he told her. "Nature trails, the hot spring, waterfalls - lions, tigers and bears."



"Oh my," Buffy said as she turned her head to look at him and smiled as he winked at her. "I guess I really should have paid more attention to my travel agent then, huh? She worked extremely hard at getting me this place."



Spike chuckled before he stuck his hands in his pants pockets and looked at her. "Probably wouldn't have hurt," he told her. "Then again if your travel agent had done her homework you would have had the cabin to yourself." Buffy grinned at him and was about to agree when he stepped closer to her. "Remind me to thank her when I get back home."



Buffy's smile widened as he turned around and walked back to the blanket. She stayed in her spot, staring out across the mountains and she inhaled the evergreen scent that lofted through the air before silently reminding herself to call the travel agency. A little friendly thank you wouldn't hurt, now would it?



Spike sat down on the blanket and leaned back on his hands before crossing his feet one over the other. He took a deep breath, inhaling the fresh mountain air as he stared at Buffy. He was content to just sit there and watch her all day but he had other plans. He leaned his head to the side and tried to figure out a way to get her to open up without it being too obvious what he was doing. Buffy may be blonde, bleached he was sure, but she was far from dumb. She was already suspicious of him. There was no reason to throw a big red flag in the air and set her alarms off before necessary. If everything worked out like he hoped, Buffy would spill her secrets without any prompting from him at all.





~*~*~*~*~*~*~




"You're lying."



"No I'm not," Spike laughed as he looked over at her. "The crazy girl was just laying there naked as the day she was born."



Buffy laughed again before shaking her head. He had been telling her of his more exuberant fans and his latest tale seemed almost too scary for words. "What did you do?"

The look he gave her made her mouth gap open and her eyes widen. "You didn't?"



"What?" Spike laughed. "She wanted it, so I gave it to her."



"God, you really are a pig," Buffy told him.



Spike grinned before lying back on the blanket and propping himself up on his elbow. "Okay, so I had security escort her out. Besides, Drucilla was ready to rip her a new one and if I would have taken her up on her offer hard telling what she would have done to me," he told her.



"I can imagine," she said. "So what happened?"



"Well, she was quite pissed, that's for sure. I didn't think much of it after that until she started calling my manager endlessly and showing up everywhere I went. No matter what part of the world I was in, she was there. Front row center."



"Stalker?" Buffy asked.



"Oh, I'd call her more than that," Spike laughed. "I've had groupies follow the band before, but this girl - now she was in a class all by herself."



"What do you mean?"



"Well, she could talk her way into any restricted area, managed to get my home phone number and my address. Anything she wanted really. I was told to ignore her so I did. Completely blew up in my face. We had this huge signing when the second album came out and fans lined up for blocks just to get an autograph. The rest of the guys were blown away by all the attention and after four hours, fans were still coming. I was having a hell of a lot of fun - until I saw her. The look on her face literally made my skin crawl."



Buffy stared at him as he told his story and she could tell it was going to be bad. All the other stories had been funny or light-hearted, but the look on his face told her this wasn't one of them.



"Anyway, when she finally made it up to the table, I just smiled at her and shook her hand. I guess when I didn't acknowledge her as more than a fan, she snapped."



"What happened?" Buffy asked, almost afraid to know.



Spike laughed bitterly before shaking his head. "The girl went crazy. Started screaming at me about `how special what we had was' and `how could I just pretend she didn't mean anything.' I knew right then that getting close to fans was a big mistake."



"Where is she now?" Buffy asked.



Spike looked up at her before shaking his head. "No clue," he told her. "Last time I saw her was before I went into rehab."



Buffy gave him a tiny smile after his last statement and watched him as he stared out across the mountains. She had read of his ordeal with drugs and alcohol but knowing the tabloids she was sure most of it was false.



Spike looked over at her when she got quiet and smiled at the look on her face. He could see the questions bouncing inside her head. "Go ahead and ask," he told her.



"You don't mind?" Buffy asked, not sure if she should.



Spike laughed quietly before looking back up at her. "I'm sure it's nothing that hasn't been printed already, so what's the harm?"



Buffy stared at him for a few minutes and watched him as he looked out over the mountains before she took a deep breath. "Did you really overdose?"



Spike glanced over at her before giving her a tiny smile. "Yeah, I did," he told her. "But it wasn't intentional like the tabloids made out. Just a stupid mistake brought on by way to much liquor and drugs and a broken heart."



"Drucilla?" She asked him quietly.



Spike nodded his head as that night replayed itself to him before he sat up and cleared his throat. "Yeah," he said. "Funny what a man will ignore in the name of love."



"Not only men," Buffy said. "You see all the little signs and you choose to ignore them."



Spike nodded again before he smiled to try and break the sullen mood they both seemed to have fallen in. "Glad to see I'm not the only one who ignored them."



Buffy laughed quietly before shaking her head. "I still can't believe how blind I was to it all. I mean, it was all right there, I just chose to not see it. In all the time Angel and I were together, I never once saw where he lived. He just kept telling me it was more convenient to stay at my place. And all the little secret phone calls, broken dates and the looks his friends would give me." Spike watched her as she was again fell silent before she turned to him and smiled. "How about we change the subject before I get all weepy and whiney?" She asked.



"Fine by me, luv," Spike said before giving her a smile. "Any more of reminding myself what a disaster my life has been and I'm going to throw myself over the cliff."



Buffy laughed before shaking her head. "I don't think so," she said. "I'd never be able to find my way back down the mountain."



"Living on the mountain wouldn't be that bad. You could live off the land and wear a bear skin bikini."



Buffy laughed before shaking her head. "Living off the land I might could do but the bikini? Not happening."



"You're right," Spike said. "The bikini would be a little much. I'd much prefer to see you in nothing."



Buffy laughed hard before shaking her head and grabbing the picnic basket and opened it. "What makes you think you're going to see me naked?"



"Already have."



Buffy looked over at him and grinned when he smiled and wiggled his eyebrows at her. She shook her head before she started pulling the food from the basket. "Well, once is plenty."



"Twice," Spike reminded her.



"Twice?" Buffy asked as she looked up. "Have you been spying on my in the bathhouse?"



"No. First day we got here, remember? Warming your luscious, naked self by the fire?"



Buffy blushed and looked away from him as his smile caused her face to burn. She cleared her throat before digging into the food. "So," she said quietly. "Hungry?"



"Depends on what's on the menu."



The look on his face made her to realize that Spike was back to his normal self. Sexual innuendo was in full swing. She rolled her eyes at him before tossing one of the sandwiches in the basket at him before grabbing one for herself. "I hate to break it to you yet again, but I'm not sleeping with you."



"Why not?"



Buffy looked up at him when his softly spoken question reached her and the look on his face was priceless. He truly looked baffled as to why she wouldn't sleep with him. "You do realize I've known you a whole nine days, right?"



"So," Spike grinned. "I've shagged girls I've known for nine minutes."



"And where exactly are those girls now?" Buffy asked him.



"Hell if I know," Spike answered.



Buffy studied him for a few minutes as he stared at her and ate his sandwich before she sighed lightly. "Is that all you want?"



"Is what all I want?"



"A quick shag," Buffy said. "Are you going to spend the rest of your life chasing some girl just to get her in your bed?" The minute he looked away, Buffy knew the answer.



"Not interested in anything more than a quick shag," Spike told her and he stared at his food. "Already had the hearts and flowers stuff. Wasn't much impressed."



"Well, maybe you didn't have the right girl." Spike never replied and Buffy watched him as he stared out over the mountains. The tabloids were full of stories of his rocky romance with Drucilla Elliot and if the stories were even half true, she could understand his reluctance in getting into another serious relationship. Hell, the whole Angel fiasco seemed like a walk in the park compared to the life and times of Spike and Dru. Every paper from coast-to-coast had their faces plastered on them and it wasn't always pretty. Their tumultuous affair was always front-page news. Funny how one man's tragedy was the next man's entertainment.





You must login (register) to review.