Disclaimer: I own Keith, the other unnamed vamps, and the plot. The rest belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, the WB, etc.
Finished: December 15, 2000
~~ Cordelia's Men ~~
~~ Chapter One ~~
As I ran from the motel to my car, the rain poured down on my shoulders and soaked my clothes and hair. I quickly got into my car and tried the ignition. It wouldn't start. *Piece of junk!* I thought as I slammed a fist down on the dashboard. My stomach growled fiercely and I got out of my car and stood under the awning of a nearby store, shivering.
I looked in my purse and gaped at its emptiness, aside from the stake Angel insisted that I take. I thought I had at least enough money for a small meal at a fast food restaurant. And since when did motels stop taking personal checks...or did they ever take them? I looked at my watch, 7:56 p.m....the banks were all closed. I guess the city had given up on ATM's since they were vandalized every time a new one was installed. Where could I go now? I had no food, no room, and no money for any either. I started walking to the first place that came into my mind...Giles' house. He wouldn't turn me away...no matter how Ice Queenish I became.
As I knocked quietly on his front door fifteen minutes later, I realized that I shouldn't be there. I had been living in LA for almost five years, helping Angel and Wesley fight demons and vampires that threatened the human race...maybe no one would care that I was back. When I suddenly quit having the visions, I felt dispensable and although Angel told me that he still needed my help, I couldn't convince myself of it. I guess the Powers That Be thought that Angel could find the battles without a psychic. So I packed up and left, saying tearful good-byes to Phantom Dennis, Angel, Wesley, and even Gunn.
I had given up on trying to become a world famous actress when I had only received crummy commercial auditions. Ones for dishwashing detergents, vacuums, feminine products, toothpaste, shampoos...everything! I never got any jobs and pretty soon the agency couldn't find anything that I hadn't already auditioned for. When the film, sitcom and soap opera auditions appeared, I was first in line, but last on their lists. I guess it was for the best since I was still having the visions and they would probably have ended up interrupting the scenes. Yet even after the visions ceased, no directors or producers would hire me. Well, none whose movies weren't pornographic, which of course I declined immediately...I may have been from Sunnydale, but I still had my dignity.
I was about to walk away when the door swung open. Giles stared at me in shock. "C-Cordelia?" he stuttered.
"Giles, hi," I said in my best cheery voice despite the fact that I was soaked to the bone. I stood there shaking for a minute before he pulled me inside, taking my suitcase from my icy grip.
He grabbed a blanket that was lying on the couch and wrapped it around me. "Thanks," I said, my lips quivering uncontrollably. "Sorry to just show up, but I have no money, no food and the banks are closed."
"Come sit down," he said. "Do you want some tea or coffee?"
"Coffee would be great, thank-you." I said graciously.
"Of course, well, actually I don't exactly have any at the moment, but I can buy some at the store." he offered.
"No Giles, it's okay...tea is fine." I replied quickly. "You don't have to do that. It's pouring outside."
"It's no trouble at all, really." he insisted. "There's a spare bedroom on the left upstairs...you can use that. It has it's own bathroom and shower. I'll be back in no time."
"Oh, wow...I mean, thanks Giles, but you don't have to--" I started.
"Cordelia," he said sternly. "You will stay here until tomorrow, no questions asked. It's very dangerous out there." With that he left and closed the door behind him.
Feeling defeated, a first for me, I went upstairs to my room and had a hot shower. I put on my bathrobe over top of my tank top and shorts and wrapped my hair in a towel. I heard the front door open and as I headed downstairs I figured that Giles had returned. "You know Giles, I should at least pay you for letting me stay here because--" I looked down at him, except it wasn't him...it was Spike.
~~ Chapter Two ~~
"Spike?" I yelled. "What are you doing here? Buffy's gonna kill you!"
"Relax, Pet," he said tediously. "I'm sure Peaches told you about the friggin' chip in my head?" he asked.
"He was all smiles for about an hour. I think he even laughed when he read Willow's letter...it was good for him." I replied.
"Yeah? Well it's nice to know he found it amusing. Anyway, I still have it and I'm as threatening as a toddler so you've nothing to worry about."
He slumped down on the couch and patted the cushion beside him, offering me the seat. "No thanks, toddlers can be pretty dangerous," I said, sitting down in an armchair across from him. He grinned at the fact that I was still a little scared of him...I was also very attracted to him. "So what are you doing here?" I asked as he took a cigarette out and lit it.
"It's raining like hell out there and my place is flooding. The floor is all muddy." he explained.
"Muddy? Are you still living with Harmony in that crypt?" I asked shuddering.
"Harm? God, no," he replied laughing slightly. "I staked that flake a long time ago. I broke it off with her but she came back after about a month...she was way too clingy."
"She always was," I said rolling my eyes.
"And she cramped my style." he added, putting his cigarette out in the ashtray sitting on the coffee table. Giles must have gotten sick of Spike dropping ashes everywhere.
"What style? Black jeans, black shirt, and black jacket? You look the same as Angel." I smirked.
"Don't ever compare me to that soul-having pouf!" he yelled standing up. "That idiot had all the power in the world, and he smashed it!" The ring of Amarra...so that's what he was hollering about. I jumped as he yelled and looked around the room nervously. I noticed the clock, 8:34 p.m. *Where is Giles?* I thought.
I stood up suddenly. "He was smart to do that!" I retorted. "If he had become Angelus again, he would have been unstoppable."
Spike stalked towards me, glaring. "I could stop him...I have before."
"Yeah, when Buffy sent him to Hell and you ran off with Drusilla!" I yelled standing face to face with him. "A big hero you are!"
He grabbed my arms and my heart leaped into my throat. I shut my eyes expecting the worst when he suddenly kissed me. His lips pressed against mine and I shuddered at their coolness. *Do I always have this 'fight first, kiss later' effect on men?* I thought to myself. I kissed him back, ignoring my inner conscience that was screaming for me to stop. He released his grip and his arms slid around my back. I'd missed this.
For nearly four years I had lived without any male contact, aside from my co-workers and the blind dates my friends, Emily and Sarina had set me up with...but they were never anything promising. I had never gone to the physical point in a relationship since Wilson Christopher had impregnated me with the demon's seed and I woke up almost ready to give birth.
I pulled myself away from Spike and gasped for breath. He looked stunned as he turned away from me. "Um, I-I'm sorry," he said clearing his throat. I smirked. Spike, apologizing? "I don't know why--"
"Don't worry about it," I said trying to sound casual, although I really wanted to kiss him again. "I have that effect on guys."
He spun around to face me. He looked upset. "Don't tell anybody I was here." He left the house and slammed the door behind him.
*It wasn't that bad.* I thought to myself just as Giles walked through the door.
"Cordelia," he said. "Was Spike just here? I thought I saw him leave."
"Yeah, he stopped by to complain about his place and when I told him you weren't here, he left," I said casually.
"Well he looked to be in a hurry, even though it's stopped raining." he explained.
I wracked my brain for an explanation. "Well, we argued and I said how he dressed like Angel. He got all defensive...I guess I just pissed him off." I said quickly, trying to sound innocent.
He shrugged his shoulders and headed towards the kitchen with a grocery bag. I followed him and watched as he took four kinds of coffees...regular flavoured, Irish Cream, French Vanilla, and Hazelnut.
"Giles," I said. "You didn't need to buy all of these just for me."
"I didn't," he replied.
"Oh," I said quietly.
"I mean, I bought them for Olivia too." he corrected himself.
"Olivia?" I asked him. "Did I come at a bad time? I could leave if you--"
"No, Olivia is an old friend who will be visiting next week. I figured I'd buy these now to save time." he explained. "Which one would you like?" He turned on the coffee machine when I chose Irish Cream...my favorite.
That night we stayed up and talked until 2:30 a.m. I told him about life in LA and why I left. He told me about the Scooby Gang. Buffy was still the Slayer and would retire at the age of 24, Willow and Tara were very powerful wiccas, and Anya and Xander were engaged.
"Engaged?" I asked in disbelief. "But she was a demon!"
"Cordelia," he said softly. "He couldn't wait forever for you."
~~ Chapter Three ~~
"He waited for me?" I questioned sarcastically. "Is that why he started dating Anya after the prom? He didn't even wait for me to go to LA!"
"He was hurt too, Cordelia." Giles explained. "When you started seeing Wesley, his life crumbled. Anya came along and helped him pick up the pieces."
"I didn't really like Wesley, I just thought--I don't know what I thought I just wanted to prove that I didn't need Xander." I said.
"Did you?" he asked.
"Of course...I always did." I replied. "I still love him, but I've moved on. The only guys I need now are Angel, Wesley, Gunn, and Dennis...they're like family."
"Who's Dennis? I-if you don't mind my asking." he said.
"Oh, he was my roommate back in LA." I said. "He's a ghost."
Giles nodded his head slowly. "Well it's getting late," he said, breaking the silence. "And I'm quite tired. Buffy's training session went rather well today. Maybe a little too well." He put his hand on his sore back.
"Yeah," I said, yawning. "I should get some sleep."
************************************************************************
I stood at Xander's apartment door the next afternoon, hoping that he wasn't home. *I shouldn't have come here.* I thought as Anya opened the door.
I put on my fake cheerful smile. "Hi Anya, is Xander home?"
"Who are you?" she asked. I was glad to see that Anya hadn't lost her directness.
"I'm Cordelia...I went to school with him." I replied.
"Oh, you're the one that nearly destroyed Sunnydale." she said.
I winced a little. "Yup, that's me."
"Thanks to you, my amulet got smashed--" she started.
"I'm sorry, but I'm in a bit of a hurry. Could I please speak to him?" I asked as politely as I could.
"Are you a vampire?" she asked.
"No," I laughed.
"Okay, then come on in." she said, holding the door open for me.
She closed the door behind me as I stepped into the apartment. She left the room to get Xander and my I looked around. This was a nice place. The furniture even matched! I wondered when Xander had developed a sense of style. *Anya must have helped him.* I thought, smiling.
"Cordy? Is that you?" he asked. I snapped out of my daze and looked over at him. "I didn't recognize you with a smile on your face." He smiled at me with his half-smile.
"Hi Xander," I said. "It's been a long time."
"Too long," he said as he walked towards me. "I've missed you." He grabbed my arms and kissed me. At first I was shocked but I started to relax as I closed my eyes and kissed him back. I pushed him away, but didn't open my eyes to look at him.
"We can't do this," I said breathlessly. "It's too late for us."
"No it's not," he replied. "It's just beginning." But it wasn't Xander's usual lisp I heard. My eyes flashed open as I recognized the voice. I was staring at Spike. He gave me a sexy smile as his eyes studied my face.
Suddenly I sat up, breathing heavily. The room was completely dark. It was just a dream. After a few seconds when I caught my breath, I switched on the lamp beside the bed. I nearly screamed when I saw him sitting in a chair in the corner.
"Spike!" I whispered, jumping out of bed. "What the hell are you doing in my room?"
"Sorry, ducks." he whispered back. "But I can't seem to forget about what happened downstairs."
"Nothing happened," I said quickly...maybe a little too quickly.
"I see you're living in Denialville too, eh?" he asked, chuckling softly. "Maybe I'll see you there sometime."
"Spike," I whispered sternly. "Get out of here or I'll scream so loudly, I'll wake up China!"
"Actually," he said looking at his watch and smiling slyly. "China's already awake."
"Get out!" I said, throwing a pillow at him.
He caught it with one hand and grinned. "Feisty little vixen, aren't you?"
He tossed it back to me and stood up. I held the pillow in both arms against my stomach as he walked towards the door. He stopped and turned around and his eyes searched my face. I suddenly thought of my dream and blushed.
"What?" he asked.
"Nothing," I said turning around and looking out the window. Suddenly I felt his cool hands on my arms and my heart raced.
"I can hear your heart," he whispered into my ear. "And it's telling me that this isn't 'nothing'." He spun me around and looked into my eyes. "Now, I don't know what made me kiss you downstairs, but I can't stop thinking about it and its driving me mad!"
~~ Chapter Four ~~
I pushed him away and stepped back from him. "Spike, there's nothing between us, " I said. "It was a freak accident, just like you and your bleached hair!" I kept the scowl on my face but smiled inside...I'd missed the Ice Queen. All those years of working with Angel had softened her; five hours in Sunnydale had brought her back.
Spike narrowed his eyes and glared at me. I felt my knees weaken slightly. *What is wrong with me?* I thought. "Look, you little chit," he said fiercely. "I don't kiss humans, I drain them. There's no room for wayward romance...so when something like that happens, I deal with it!"
"What are you going to do...drain me?" I smirked. "That chip in your head will be frying your undead brain until it trickles out your ears!"
He took a step toward me and I felt the coolness radiating off of him and it made my skin tingle. "Maybe we should try it out...how 'bout that?" Suddenly he vamped out. I guess he expected me to flinch or scream or something but I just stood there, waiting for something new to happen.
"Oh, come on, Spike," I said, rolling my eyes. "I've seen Angel's game face so many times, it's pretty much lost its 'I'm so bad and scary' effect."
"Well how bout this?" he asked before he cupped my chin and kissed me.
*Now this is new!* I thought. I kissed him back and I instinctively ran my tongue lightly over one of his eyeteeth and whimpered a little as I purposely cut my tongue on it...I hadn't really meant to, but something urged me to. A chill ran up my spine as he pulled me closer and kissed me harder. He had tasted the blood seeping from the small cut and continued to sup from it. I wondered if it was what Buffy did for Angel when she kissed him.
Suddenly he stopped kissing me and I took a deep breath before opening my eyes. He smiled at me, closed his eyes and changed back to his human visage. It must have been hard work trying to tame the demon when there was a beautiful young woman standing in his arms dressed in a tank top and shorts, willing to give him a taste of her blood. I giggled slightly and he opened his eyes and grinned back. It wasn't an evil grin...but a mischievous one. He put his forehead against mine and closed his eyes. "I don't know what this is, but it definitely isn't 'nothing'," he said. I smiled as I put my hands on either side of his neck.
"You're so cold," I said, shivering slightly.
"Then you'd better warm me up," he said, pulling me closer to him and kissing me softly.
That night I had another dream like the previous one...but this time it was with Doyle. He knocked on Giles' door and when I answered he gave me a big grin. "Hi princess," he said in his cute Irish accent. "Look, I know you're probably mad at me and I'm sorry that I passed my visions on to you, but--"
I interrupted him when I threw my arms around him and hugged him tightly. "You're back!" I said, leaning my head on his shoulder. "I never thought you'd come back."
"Of course," he replied. "You can't get rid of me that easily...you should know that better than anyone, Cordy."
"I missed you. I didn't care about the visions...they were all I had left to remember you by. Well, them and that commercial you mumbled your way through." I said smiling. Never once did I release my grip from him. "Promise me that you'll never leave me again." I whispered.
"Never," a different voice replied. "I promise." I pulled away from Doyle only to be looking into Spike's face, yet again. He grinned and vamped out before kissing me passionately and carrying me upstairs to my room.
Finished: December 15, 2000
~~ Cordelia's Men ~~
~~ Chapter One ~~
As I ran from the motel to my car, the rain poured down on my shoulders and soaked my clothes and hair. I quickly got into my car and tried the ignition. It wouldn't start. *Piece of junk!* I thought as I slammed a fist down on the dashboard. My stomach growled fiercely and I got out of my car and stood under the awning of a nearby store, shivering.
I looked in my purse and gaped at its emptiness, aside from the stake Angel insisted that I take. I thought I had at least enough money for a small meal at a fast food restaurant. And since when did motels stop taking personal checks...or did they ever take them? I looked at my watch, 7:56 p.m....the banks were all closed. I guess the city had given up on ATM's since they were vandalized every time a new one was installed. Where could I go now? I had no food, no room, and no money for any either. I started walking to the first place that came into my mind...Giles' house. He wouldn't turn me away...no matter how Ice Queenish I became.
As I knocked quietly on his front door fifteen minutes later, I realized that I shouldn't be there. I had been living in LA for almost five years, helping Angel and Wesley fight demons and vampires that threatened the human race...maybe no one would care that I was back. When I suddenly quit having the visions, I felt dispensable and although Angel told me that he still needed my help, I couldn't convince myself of it. I guess the Powers That Be thought that Angel could find the battles without a psychic. So I packed up and left, saying tearful good-byes to Phantom Dennis, Angel, Wesley, and even Gunn.
I had given up on trying to become a world famous actress when I had only received crummy commercial auditions. Ones for dishwashing detergents, vacuums, feminine products, toothpaste, shampoos...everything! I never got any jobs and pretty soon the agency couldn't find anything that I hadn't already auditioned for. When the film, sitcom and soap opera auditions appeared, I was first in line, but last on their lists. I guess it was for the best since I was still having the visions and they would probably have ended up interrupting the scenes. Yet even after the visions ceased, no directors or producers would hire me. Well, none whose movies weren't pornographic, which of course I declined immediately...I may have been from Sunnydale, but I still had my dignity.
I was about to walk away when the door swung open. Giles stared at me in shock. "C-Cordelia?" he stuttered.
"Giles, hi," I said in my best cheery voice despite the fact that I was soaked to the bone. I stood there shaking for a minute before he pulled me inside, taking my suitcase from my icy grip.
He grabbed a blanket that was lying on the couch and wrapped it around me. "Thanks," I said, my lips quivering uncontrollably. "Sorry to just show up, but I have no money, no food and the banks are closed."
"Come sit down," he said. "Do you want some tea or coffee?"
"Coffee would be great, thank-you." I said graciously.
"Of course, well, actually I don't exactly have any at the moment, but I can buy some at the store." he offered.
"No Giles, it's okay...tea is fine." I replied quickly. "You don't have to do that. It's pouring outside."
"It's no trouble at all, really." he insisted. "There's a spare bedroom on the left upstairs...you can use that. It has it's own bathroom and shower. I'll be back in no time."
"Oh, wow...I mean, thanks Giles, but you don't have to--" I started.
"Cordelia," he said sternly. "You will stay here until tomorrow, no questions asked. It's very dangerous out there." With that he left and closed the door behind him.
Feeling defeated, a first for me, I went upstairs to my room and had a hot shower. I put on my bathrobe over top of my tank top and shorts and wrapped my hair in a towel. I heard the front door open and as I headed downstairs I figured that Giles had returned. "You know Giles, I should at least pay you for letting me stay here because--" I looked down at him, except it wasn't him...it was Spike.
~~ Chapter Two ~~
"Spike?" I yelled. "What are you doing here? Buffy's gonna kill you!"
"Relax, Pet," he said tediously. "I'm sure Peaches told you about the friggin' chip in my head?" he asked.
"He was all smiles for about an hour. I think he even laughed when he read Willow's letter...it was good for him." I replied.
"Yeah? Well it's nice to know he found it amusing. Anyway, I still have it and I'm as threatening as a toddler so you've nothing to worry about."
He slumped down on the couch and patted the cushion beside him, offering me the seat. "No thanks, toddlers can be pretty dangerous," I said, sitting down in an armchair across from him. He grinned at the fact that I was still a little scared of him...I was also very attracted to him. "So what are you doing here?" I asked as he took a cigarette out and lit it.
"It's raining like hell out there and my place is flooding. The floor is all muddy." he explained.
"Muddy? Are you still living with Harmony in that crypt?" I asked shuddering.
"Harm? God, no," he replied laughing slightly. "I staked that flake a long time ago. I broke it off with her but she came back after about a month...she was way too clingy."
"She always was," I said rolling my eyes.
"And she cramped my style." he added, putting his cigarette out in the ashtray sitting on the coffee table. Giles must have gotten sick of Spike dropping ashes everywhere.
"What style? Black jeans, black shirt, and black jacket? You look the same as Angel." I smirked.
"Don't ever compare me to that soul-having pouf!" he yelled standing up. "That idiot had all the power in the world, and he smashed it!" The ring of Amarra...so that's what he was hollering about. I jumped as he yelled and looked around the room nervously. I noticed the clock, 8:34 p.m. *Where is Giles?* I thought.
I stood up suddenly. "He was smart to do that!" I retorted. "If he had become Angelus again, he would have been unstoppable."
Spike stalked towards me, glaring. "I could stop him...I have before."
"Yeah, when Buffy sent him to Hell and you ran off with Drusilla!" I yelled standing face to face with him. "A big hero you are!"
He grabbed my arms and my heart leaped into my throat. I shut my eyes expecting the worst when he suddenly kissed me. His lips pressed against mine and I shuddered at their coolness. *Do I always have this 'fight first, kiss later' effect on men?* I thought to myself. I kissed him back, ignoring my inner conscience that was screaming for me to stop. He released his grip and his arms slid around my back. I'd missed this.
For nearly four years I had lived without any male contact, aside from my co-workers and the blind dates my friends, Emily and Sarina had set me up with...but they were never anything promising. I had never gone to the physical point in a relationship since Wilson Christopher had impregnated me with the demon's seed and I woke up almost ready to give birth.
I pulled myself away from Spike and gasped for breath. He looked stunned as he turned away from me. "Um, I-I'm sorry," he said clearing his throat. I smirked. Spike, apologizing? "I don't know why--"
"Don't worry about it," I said trying to sound casual, although I really wanted to kiss him again. "I have that effect on guys."
He spun around to face me. He looked upset. "Don't tell anybody I was here." He left the house and slammed the door behind him.
*It wasn't that bad.* I thought to myself just as Giles walked through the door.
"Cordelia," he said. "Was Spike just here? I thought I saw him leave."
"Yeah, he stopped by to complain about his place and when I told him you weren't here, he left," I said casually.
"Well he looked to be in a hurry, even though it's stopped raining." he explained.
I wracked my brain for an explanation. "Well, we argued and I said how he dressed like Angel. He got all defensive...I guess I just pissed him off." I said quickly, trying to sound innocent.
He shrugged his shoulders and headed towards the kitchen with a grocery bag. I followed him and watched as he took four kinds of coffees...regular flavoured, Irish Cream, French Vanilla, and Hazelnut.
"Giles," I said. "You didn't need to buy all of these just for me."
"I didn't," he replied.
"Oh," I said quietly.
"I mean, I bought them for Olivia too." he corrected himself.
"Olivia?" I asked him. "Did I come at a bad time? I could leave if you--"
"No, Olivia is an old friend who will be visiting next week. I figured I'd buy these now to save time." he explained. "Which one would you like?" He turned on the coffee machine when I chose Irish Cream...my favorite.
That night we stayed up and talked until 2:30 a.m. I told him about life in LA and why I left. He told me about the Scooby Gang. Buffy was still the Slayer and would retire at the age of 24, Willow and Tara were very powerful wiccas, and Anya and Xander were engaged.
"Engaged?" I asked in disbelief. "But she was a demon!"
"Cordelia," he said softly. "He couldn't wait forever for you."
~~ Chapter Three ~~
"He waited for me?" I questioned sarcastically. "Is that why he started dating Anya after the prom? He didn't even wait for me to go to LA!"
"He was hurt too, Cordelia." Giles explained. "When you started seeing Wesley, his life crumbled. Anya came along and helped him pick up the pieces."
"I didn't really like Wesley, I just thought--I don't know what I thought I just wanted to prove that I didn't need Xander." I said.
"Did you?" he asked.
"Of course...I always did." I replied. "I still love him, but I've moved on. The only guys I need now are Angel, Wesley, Gunn, and Dennis...they're like family."
"Who's Dennis? I-if you don't mind my asking." he said.
"Oh, he was my roommate back in LA." I said. "He's a ghost."
Giles nodded his head slowly. "Well it's getting late," he said, breaking the silence. "And I'm quite tired. Buffy's training session went rather well today. Maybe a little too well." He put his hand on his sore back.
"Yeah," I said, yawning. "I should get some sleep."
************************************************************************
I stood at Xander's apartment door the next afternoon, hoping that he wasn't home. *I shouldn't have come here.* I thought as Anya opened the door.
I put on my fake cheerful smile. "Hi Anya, is Xander home?"
"Who are you?" she asked. I was glad to see that Anya hadn't lost her directness.
"I'm Cordelia...I went to school with him." I replied.
"Oh, you're the one that nearly destroyed Sunnydale." she said.
I winced a little. "Yup, that's me."
"Thanks to you, my amulet got smashed--" she started.
"I'm sorry, but I'm in a bit of a hurry. Could I please speak to him?" I asked as politely as I could.
"Are you a vampire?" she asked.
"No," I laughed.
"Okay, then come on in." she said, holding the door open for me.
She closed the door behind me as I stepped into the apartment. She left the room to get Xander and my I looked around. This was a nice place. The furniture even matched! I wondered when Xander had developed a sense of style. *Anya must have helped him.* I thought, smiling.
"Cordy? Is that you?" he asked. I snapped out of my daze and looked over at him. "I didn't recognize you with a smile on your face." He smiled at me with his half-smile.
"Hi Xander," I said. "It's been a long time."
"Too long," he said as he walked towards me. "I've missed you." He grabbed my arms and kissed me. At first I was shocked but I started to relax as I closed my eyes and kissed him back. I pushed him away, but didn't open my eyes to look at him.
"We can't do this," I said breathlessly. "It's too late for us."
"No it's not," he replied. "It's just beginning." But it wasn't Xander's usual lisp I heard. My eyes flashed open as I recognized the voice. I was staring at Spike. He gave me a sexy smile as his eyes studied my face.
Suddenly I sat up, breathing heavily. The room was completely dark. It was just a dream. After a few seconds when I caught my breath, I switched on the lamp beside the bed. I nearly screamed when I saw him sitting in a chair in the corner.
"Spike!" I whispered, jumping out of bed. "What the hell are you doing in my room?"
"Sorry, ducks." he whispered back. "But I can't seem to forget about what happened downstairs."
"Nothing happened," I said quickly...maybe a little too quickly.
"I see you're living in Denialville too, eh?" he asked, chuckling softly. "Maybe I'll see you there sometime."
"Spike," I whispered sternly. "Get out of here or I'll scream so loudly, I'll wake up China!"
"Actually," he said looking at his watch and smiling slyly. "China's already awake."
"Get out!" I said, throwing a pillow at him.
He caught it with one hand and grinned. "Feisty little vixen, aren't you?"
He tossed it back to me and stood up. I held the pillow in both arms against my stomach as he walked towards the door. He stopped and turned around and his eyes searched my face. I suddenly thought of my dream and blushed.
"What?" he asked.
"Nothing," I said turning around and looking out the window. Suddenly I felt his cool hands on my arms and my heart raced.
"I can hear your heart," he whispered into my ear. "And it's telling me that this isn't 'nothing'." He spun me around and looked into my eyes. "Now, I don't know what made me kiss you downstairs, but I can't stop thinking about it and its driving me mad!"
~~ Chapter Four ~~
I pushed him away and stepped back from him. "Spike, there's nothing between us, " I said. "It was a freak accident, just like you and your bleached hair!" I kept the scowl on my face but smiled inside...I'd missed the Ice Queen. All those years of working with Angel had softened her; five hours in Sunnydale had brought her back.
Spike narrowed his eyes and glared at me. I felt my knees weaken slightly. *What is wrong with me?* I thought. "Look, you little chit," he said fiercely. "I don't kiss humans, I drain them. There's no room for wayward romance...so when something like that happens, I deal with it!"
"What are you going to do...drain me?" I smirked. "That chip in your head will be frying your undead brain until it trickles out your ears!"
He took a step toward me and I felt the coolness radiating off of him and it made my skin tingle. "Maybe we should try it out...how 'bout that?" Suddenly he vamped out. I guess he expected me to flinch or scream or something but I just stood there, waiting for something new to happen.
"Oh, come on, Spike," I said, rolling my eyes. "I've seen Angel's game face so many times, it's pretty much lost its 'I'm so bad and scary' effect."
"Well how bout this?" he asked before he cupped my chin and kissed me.
*Now this is new!* I thought. I kissed him back and I instinctively ran my tongue lightly over one of his eyeteeth and whimpered a little as I purposely cut my tongue on it...I hadn't really meant to, but something urged me to. A chill ran up my spine as he pulled me closer and kissed me harder. He had tasted the blood seeping from the small cut and continued to sup from it. I wondered if it was what Buffy did for Angel when she kissed him.
Suddenly he stopped kissing me and I took a deep breath before opening my eyes. He smiled at me, closed his eyes and changed back to his human visage. It must have been hard work trying to tame the demon when there was a beautiful young woman standing in his arms dressed in a tank top and shorts, willing to give him a taste of her blood. I giggled slightly and he opened his eyes and grinned back. It wasn't an evil grin...but a mischievous one. He put his forehead against mine and closed his eyes. "I don't know what this is, but it definitely isn't 'nothing'," he said. I smiled as I put my hands on either side of his neck.
"You're so cold," I said, shivering slightly.
"Then you'd better warm me up," he said, pulling me closer to him and kissing me softly.
That night I had another dream like the previous one...but this time it was with Doyle. He knocked on Giles' door and when I answered he gave me a big grin. "Hi princess," he said in his cute Irish accent. "Look, I know you're probably mad at me and I'm sorry that I passed my visions on to you, but--"
I interrupted him when I threw my arms around him and hugged him tightly. "You're back!" I said, leaning my head on his shoulder. "I never thought you'd come back."
"Of course," he replied. "You can't get rid of me that easily...you should know that better than anyone, Cordy."
"I missed you. I didn't care about the visions...they were all I had left to remember you by. Well, them and that commercial you mumbled your way through." I said smiling. Never once did I release my grip from him. "Promise me that you'll never leave me again." I whispered.
"Never," a different voice replied. "I promise." I pulled away from Doyle only to be looking into Spike's face, yet again. He grinned and vamped out before kissing me passionately and carrying me upstairs to my room.
