"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Spike was holding his bleeding nose, the nose Buffy had just punched.

It had been two weeks since they had kissed that night in Spike's crypt. Two unbelievably long weeks… for both of them.

"What's wrong with me?!" Buffy was cocking her fist up to punch him again.

"You heard me!" Buffy took another swing at his face but he caught her fist mid right-hook, struggling against her slayer strength to keep it from hitting him. He bellowed, "You come into my crypt unannounced and start beating the bloody pulp out of me!"

"How can you not know why I'm upset?! You're Mr. Perceptive guy!"

"Perceptive not a bloody mind reader!" Spike pushed Buffy's fist back and she relented.

"It's been two weeks!" Spike tilted his head to the side. "Two weeks since our beyond sexy kissing session and you haven't said a thing about it or tried to kiss me and I'm just a bit confused because you say you love me but the second I realize I have feelings for you its 'let's not even bloody think about bloody Buffy!'"

Spike laughed at her attempt to mimic him and then he processed what she had just said to him.

His face dropped in shock.

"You have feelings for me?"

Buffy's eyes filled with panic and she stepped backwards.

"What? No. I didn't say that."

Spike started to slowly walk towards her, wiping the blood off his face and refusing to break eye contact. His features were soft but his eyes had a hunger Buffy had never seen before.

Buffy continued to move away from him until her back hit the wall on the other side of his crypt. She started to move to the side in an attempt to get the higher ground but he slammed his hands onto the wall, pinning her.

"Fancy me then, pet?"

"No." God yes.

"I thought you just had a moment of weakness, when you didn't say anything I assumed you wanted to forget about it."

"Oh." Buffy suddenly felt bad for hitting him so much.

Spike bent down and kissed her neck, and Buffy couldn't help letting out a small moan when he traced his tongue around her ear. He kept his voice low and sultry as he spoke directly into her ear.

"Guess I don't have to be a gentleman anymore; do I, pet?"

"Shut up." Is he teasing me? I can play that -

Buffy's brain couldn't complete that particular thought once Spike had gone back to kissing her neck.

"No." Buffy pushed Spike back, forcing him to do a couple of tiny backwards hops to stay on his feet. Buffy walked up and slapped his face.

Spike couldn't take this anymore; he loved it when Buffy roughed him up.

"Don't act like you don't want me pet."

"I don't." Oh I so do.

"Stop playing games with me." His voice was suddenly low and angry.

Buffy let a smile slip across her face, taunting him with her words,

"You can't hurt me, force me to stay. You've got that chip in your head."

I don't believe this. She's messing with me!

"It'll be worth it."

"Wha-?" Spike slammed Buffy up against his crypt door as hard as he could, waiting for the pain, and Buffy found herself even more aroused than before.

The pain never came.

Spike pulled his arms back and stepped away, looking confused; and a look of terrified realization spread across Buffy's face. How long- has he been killing again? No- he looks as confused as me…

"Your chip?"

Spike looked back up at Buffy, "Didn't fire off…"

"Oh."

Buffy started to feel the stress of her life start to creep up from the depths that being with Spike had repressed it to.

Spike realized that the thought of feeding didn't sound remotely interesting with Buffy standing in front of him.

"Movie?" Spike stepped closer to Buffy again.

Buffy was somehow more surprised than before.

"What?"

"You know, moving pictures with the popcorn."

"Are you asking me out… on a date?"

"Well, yeah." Spike tilted his head to the side and smiled. "So? What'll it be, pet?"

"Spike. Your chip-"

"It doesn't matter."


Buffy's head was reeling. She was sitting in the movies with Spike. They weren't watching someone or trying to foil and evil plan, they were on a date. A date she had accepted; happily.

Spike's head was reeling. He was on a date with Buffy. Buffy. She wanted him, even after everything that she went through, everything they had been through together… after the chip didn't work. She liked him, wanted him – cared for him.

The movie wasn't anything special, standard rom-com. Boy and girl meet, they argue, they kiss, they get together, break up and realize they were right for each other all along.

Neither Spike nor Buffy wanted to admit that they loved these movies.

Spike looked at Buffy, whose eyes were on the screen, adorably chewing away at another mouthful of popcorn.

God, I love her.

Buffy could feel Spikes eyes on her and a smile spread across her face when she saw the puppy-dog look he was wearing. Buffy couldn't help it; she just had to kiss his perfect lips.

When she pulled away from the small peck that managed to ignite her entire body in lusty flames, Spike had the dopiest smile on his face and placed a hand over hers. He turned his attention back to the movie; even though he was pretty sure he'd never be able to focus on anything ever again.

Meanwhile, Xander felt rage coiling up in every muscle in his body as he saw them together.

Anya bumped his arm with her elbow and gestured at the movie, "Pay attention or you'll miss the sappy and humorous conclusion"


Last few weeks were not what Xander was expecting; sure, Buffy came back, but she wasn't the same; and not just because she was kissing Spike. He could kind of understand her weirdness; who knows how long she was in that Hell-place, it probably messed with her brain.

The point was that Xander was bored.

A week or so back while researching Buffy's exploding lint situation he had found a summoning ritual for a demon that made everybody burst into song and dance, with the extra bonus of those songs forcing everyone talk about how they really feel… for once.

Xander was determined, they would all have a little extra fun and he'd be able to know how Anya really feels about getting married.

He had already gathered his materials, and while not a badass Wicca, he figured this would be simple enough. He put the talisman around his neck and began to read from the book in front of him.

"Dulcis-"

Thump.

"Dulcis-"

Thump. Thump.

"What the-"

Buffy's scream pierced through the air and was followed by another loud thump.

Xander tore through the Magic Box into the back room where he found a sweating Spike straddling a laughing Buffy; her arms pinned beneath his legs.

"Had enough?" Spike continued to hold the slayer down as he tickled her.

"Spike! I…Ah! Spike! I- can't… Breathe!" Each pause in Buffy's speech was filled with howling laughter.

"Then say it." Spike paused his tickle assault momentarily to let her catch her breath and speak.

"No way!" and with that Spike began again.

"Ah!.. No!...Okay!… Sp…Spike… are… Big.. Ah!... Bad!" Spike stopped again, a huge smile spread across his face.

"What was that, pet?"

"I said it." Buffy was panting, desperately trying to catch her breath.

"Again"

"…You're…" Buffy loved tormenting him, "The Big Bad."

"Bloody right I am." With a growl he bent down to kiss Buffy who was still pinned beneath him.

"Oh, god." It was a whisper no human could have heard, Xander stepped back slowly and Spike froze mid-kiss and pulled back.

"What?" Buffy looked up at Spike before her brain registered Xander in her peripheral. She turned her head just in time to see him running out of the room.


Buffy ran into the deserted shop through the training room; scanning the area for signs of Xander. She yelled his name a few times but received no response. Buffy made two laps around the shop before she concluded that Xander had left.

She hated that he had to find out like that.

Really, she just hated that he'd found out.

Buffy found her way to the training room once again only to find it as empty as the storefront.