Cold Comfort
She was unsurprised to find the blonde vampire sitting on the edge of her bed when she turned from shutting the door in Giles' face.
"Bed now?" she'd ask simply before sitting beside him. Pulling her into his embrace, they settle in the middle of the bed and in moments the exhausted pair was sleep. It wasn't long before Buffy awoke though, her rolling emotions pulling her from slumber.
The tears were expected. The mere thought of how close she had come to losing Spike caused small rivers of salty liquid to course down Buffy's cheeks. She must have whimpered because the pale arm slung round her waist tightened noticeably.
"What's wrong, kitten?" came Spike's sleep graveled voice from behind her. His face was buried in the hair at the nape of her neck, his unneeded breath tickling her as he spoke. "Did you have a nightmare?"
"No." Buffy replied softly, trying desperately to control the hitching of her voice. "It's nothing."
A quiet moment passed and she wondered if Spike had accepted her answer and fallen back asleep. His soft sigh and the contracting of his arm muscles as he further tightened his hold on her told her that he hadn't.
"Liar." He admonished. "My slayer doesn't cry over nothing." Loosening the arm around her middle, Spike put just enough space between them to gently pull Buffy onto her back. Starring up into his clear blue gaze Buffy felt herself weakening, the tears flowing freely down her face once more.
"I almost lost you." She choked, cupping his cheek in her small hand. He turned into her touch, his eyes falling closed as she stroked her thumb along his prominent cheekbone.
"But you didn't, Buffy." Spike said quietly.
"But…" Buffy began only to be quieted by Spike's cool fingers pressing her lips shut.
"Shh, none of that now." His voice washed over her, soothing her jumbled nerves. "Don't focus on what could've happened luv, focus on what did happen. And hey, in case you didn't notice, you didn't lose me. It'll take much more than a washed up librarian and a principal with a grudge to finish this Big Bad off."
Spike traced his index finger over Buffy's still quivering bottom lip. His touch was light but the soft pressure of it against her skin did more to reassure her that he was really there, really laying next to her in her dimly lit bedroom than his words ever could.
Buffy tugged Spike down to her, pressing a quick and relatively chaste kiss to his lips. He moved to roll back onto his side but Buffy tightened her grip on his shoulders, momentarily panicked by the thought of any distance between them.
"Don't go." She nearly whimpered, stray tears still escaping the corners of her eyes. "Please don't leave me."
"Never." He said vehemently, the look in his eyes brokering no argument. "I would dust myself before I ever willingly left you. You know that, don't you?" Buffy nodded, finally releasing his shoulders but Spike didn't move away. "Do you really, Buffy?"
"Yes." She whispered. And it was true, she did know that Spike would never willingly leave her but that wouldn't stop someone from taking him from her. After all Giles, the closet thing to a father-figure that she had, had tried to remove Spike from her life that very evening.
Spike starred into her hazel eyes for several long minutes before he finally seemed satisfied with whatever it was he found there.
"I'm not going anywhere, Buffy. I promise." He said earnestly. Spike placed a gentle kiss on the Slayer's forehead before returning to his position at her side. Buffy scooted as close to the vamp's cool body as she could before turning to face him and burying her still damp face in the crook of his neck.
Good, she thought, 'cause I'm not ready for you to be gone yet.