Normal Again
Spike woke up in Buffy's bed, with her wrapped in his arms. She was still sleeping, and he couldn't help but worry that she'd change her mind and kick him out when she woke up, so he made an extra effort not to stir her.
'Gonna make the most of this,' he thought to himself, but it wasn't long until she stretched and turned further into his embrace, slowly opening her eyes.
"Hey," she said, softly. "You're here."
"I am. That's okay?"
Buffy smiled, melting away his insecurity. Feeling more confident he reached up to brush a stray hair out of her eyes, and laid kisses across her cheek.
"Mmm, god, I'm stupid," she said, then, and he pulled back. "To have never done this before," she quickly clarified. "I'm sorry."
"Nothing to be sorry for, luv. Let's just enjoy it?"
"Yeah," she agreed, smiling again, before kissing him, and then making love.
The previous night was the first time she's allowed him to make love to her – to really worship her with everything he had, as he'd always wanted. It was so much deeper, emotionally, than any of the sex they'd had before, and she couldn't believe what she'd been turning down for so long.
Later they talked, like a normal, healthy couple – and that was a surreal experience for Buffy, too.
"It's been too long," she said. "Since I've been functioning properly; since I've been in a functioning relationship. It's nice. Feel almost normal again, or, as normal as a Slayer of demons and fighter against the forces of darkness can get. You know, for a minute there yesterday I thought Xander was getting cold feet, and that things were going to fall apart, but he went through with it. He and Anya are happy. Willow and Tara seem to be getting back together and we…" she trailed off.
"We?" he prompted her, wanting to hear her put into words how things were going. If his heart could beat it would be hammering in his chest.
"We seem to be getting things together. And, bonus, there's no impending apocalypse on the horizon. Everything's not perfect – Dawn's still not caught up in school and there's been total abandonment of the chores – but I think things might actually turn out okay."
"Know you've doomed us now you've said that, don't you, luv?"
Buffy frowned, and looked at the ceiling, "I didn't mean it, oh great and powerful Powers that Suck."
Spike chuckled, and she smiled back at him. It was a dream come true to see her so relaxed around him, and he was reveling in it. Suddenly, though, she moved to get up and panic coursed through him again. Feeling the sudden tension in his body Buffy turned to him explaining, "I need to get ready for work. I'm not… I wasn't ditching, I swear."
"Course not, pet," he said, pretending he wasn't scared of her falling into old habits that would have them spilt apart again.
"We're okay," she reassured him, giving him a quick kiss. "This is good. Better."
Later that evening, after Buffy finished her shift at the Doublemeat Palace, they went patrolling together. After a few graveyards they checked out some rented apartments that the Trio might have been using. Outside the second one on the list Willow had compiled a large demon appeared and attacked them – trying to poke the Slayer with a sticky pole that extended from its arm. Together they warded it off, then headed towards the magic box to try and research what it was.
"That it?" asked Willow, putting a book down in front of Buffy and pointing to a sketch.
"Yeah. We're getting quicker at this, Giles would be so proud."
The witch grinned, then Spike asked, "What's it do?"
"Oh, umm…" Willow took the book back from Buffy and scanned the page once more, "It has poison in its arms, that 'Greatly diminish one's mental state', apparently."
"Lucky escape, then," said Buffy, with a shudder. "Diminished mental states are zero fun."
Willow nodded in agreement, and Spike held her just that little bit tighter.
To be continued...
