The next night at almost 8:30, Dani paced her kitchen. The TV was roaring in the background, but she paid no mind to the dancing tiger in the cat food commercial. The sun had been set for almost an hour, and Spike was nowhere to be found.

When she'd woken up to an empty room last night, it had hurt, but she knew that it was just him being moody.

The first time that he had fed from her, she had been able to tell herself he didn't care; that he was just feeding from her and that it meant nothing to him.

The second time, he'd gone out of his way to help her with the Devin situation, but he'd been so rough, it had been easy enough to fool herself into thinking it again.

But last night was completely different. He had been gentle and tender, allowing walls to come down. He'd seduced her into a pile of tittering mass and only then had he brought her to her first official orgasm.

Naturally, she'd been able to find release on many a lonely night, being a virgin and having almost no experience with the opposite sex at all; but she'd never experienced anything like it in the company of another person.

He was much better at it than she was.

She was more than a little embarrassed by it now though. He probably thought she was desperate and pathetic. A virgin that could climax without any real prompt from him? She understood why he may not want to come back, but she refused to admit to herself that he was gone for good.

She would tempt him with her blood if she had to, in order to get him back. She was getting addicted to his presence, and she had no shame in how she brought him around again.

She walked to the front door and ripped it open, allowing some of the evening's breeze to enter the stuffy house. The spring evening was chilly for California. Certain that she would be pacing out on the porch as well, she reached for a pair of flip-flops. They allowed her to see the dark blue nail polish that she had meticulously applied to her toes in a moment of lapse, and reminded her how pathetic she truly was at almost all things girly.

Her mother, Claudia, had been feminine and beautiful, as hard as it may be to believe. She'd been a Cardiologist that worked at the same hospital where her father, Marcus, worked as a Surgeon. It was hardly a whirlwind romance, but they soon fell in love and got married. Claudia was the spontaneous one, enjoying all things beautiful, while Marcus enjoyed order. She nurtured his frivolous side, while he kept her grounded.

When they'd had their little girl, Daniela Grace, Claudia kept her curls in bows and bought only lacy and beautiful dresses. The room was painted purple, and filled with frilly, girly things. She hadn't actually worn anything other than dresses until she was four years old.

When her mother died.

Claudia found a single lump in her breast only a few weeks before Daniela's 3rd birthday. Breast Cancer. After many operations, it was clear that the cancer had metastasized, and within the year, she was gone.

When Claudia died, it was like all the light in Marcus's life died with her. He came to resent beautiful things, and while he may have been versed in three languages, the man hadn't had a clue how to raise a little girl. Unable to braid her hair the way Claudia had, he'd just thrown her hair into a ponytail before shipping her off to day care. Her favorite frilly white socks soon turned into plain ones, and when she grew out of the little black Mary Janes that she loved, he replaced them with a simple pair of white and black gym shoes. Instead of skirts, dresses and jumpers, he purchased jeans, and so that he wouldn't have to shop too often for her, he bought her a size larger than necessary and merely offered her a belt.

Now that she thought about it, he hadn't entered her room since she was six years old. The only reason she wasn't sleeping in the same Sleeping Beauty bed set that she'd had when her mother died is because found her mother's frilly white guest bedroom set in the basement and took them without asking. She still wasn't entirely sure what her father would do if he ever found out.

Dani didn't really blame him for his actions, since he was doing the best that he knew how. Naturally as she grew up, she skipped the ballet classes that she wanted for baseball tryouts. In elementary school, she became best friends with Zander and Willow, since they were the only ones who wouldn't tease her for being 'gender challenged'.

Life in Sunnydale was interesting, but besides Willow and Zander, she always felt like an outsider. She kept wearing the boyish clothes that she had been used to, but once her body started to develop and she needed to start wearing undergarments, she allowed herself to indulge in some of the more flimsy items. She quickly became addicted to lacy bras and frilly panties, merely because no one else would know, and it allowed her to access her girl side and feel close to her mother without upsetting her father.

School was easy, since Dr. Malone was a force to be reckoned with when it came to schoolwork; he assumed that she was going to become a doctor, like him and his father before him and his grandfather before that. But in freshman year of high school, she was introduced to the one thing that truly changed her life: the computer.

Dani was fascinated in computers and all things electronic, and spent every waking moment playing with them, learning the language. She took even more classes on it as high school passed, in addition to some biology classes and anatomy classes to appease her father.

Letting the front screen door slam behind her, she walked to the bench swing on the front porch. The white wicker was worn, but the floral pattern of the cushion was so well-cleaned that it looked almost brand new. It was her mother's bench swing, and just sitting on it made her feel close to her mother.

She settled against the wicker, missing her mother. She may not have known her mother very well when she passed away, but she could still hear the click of her heels against the kitchen tile, or smell the fancy floral perfume that she wore at the base of her neck. Everyone said that Dani looked just like her, and she just hoped that it was true; because it gave her just a little bit more of her mother to keep close to her.

There was a sound from the sidewalk, and Dani jumped, excited at the thought that it might be Spike. A hooded figure walked down the sidewalk before turning at her driveway. Unfortunately, it was too short to be him.

"Can I help you?"

Pulling the hood back, Devin smiled back at her.

"Oh, hey Dani. I just, uh…" He walked until he was only a few feet in front of her. He looked nervous. "I wanted to apologize, you know, for the way I acted the other night."

"Oh, Devin, no need. I'm sorry about the whole Will thing, we just hadn't seen each other in a while, and-"

He cut her off with his hand.

"I, well, this is going to sound so weird, but I like you. Like, a lot. I kinda did during last semester, and I definitely do now. I've wanted to ask you out for some time now, but I guess I didn't because… I don't know why."

She was stunned into silence for a moment. "Oh, uh, wow. I'm sorry, I didn't know…" She cleared her throat.

He looked down at his feet and shifted his weight. "Don't hate me, but I guess I had a bit too much to drink, and the other night, on my way over here, I made myself think that you needed me. I may have even believed that I was rescuing you." He looked at her, searching her face. "When in reality, you were doing pretty fine without me. So, I hope that you can forgive me, and we can still be friends? I know that you probably don't ever want to speak to me again, and I don't blame you, but hanging out with you in Sociology is the only reason I haven't dropped the class yet." He smiled sheepishly.

She truly looked at him, and realized that maybe he wasn't as polished as she'd originally thought. In daylight, he looked like the typical popular guy, with the GQ good looks, the perfectly gelled hair and the expensive cologne. But right now, outside of school, she could see that he was much shorter than she'd originally thought, his eyebrows were a slightly crooked, and his eyes were just a little too far apart. His hair wasn't as skillfully gelled as normal, and it hung too low over his eyes.

He seemed real; not nearly as teen magazine gorgeous as she'd been led to believe.

"Yeah, Devin. I'd like that." She smiled at him.

"Oh, thanks. So, uh. Are you and that Will guy… together?"

She pondered the question. "It's complicated."

"But that means you're not single?" He aimed a calculated grin her way, but it missed its mark on her.

"To be honest, I'm not sure."

"Well, in that case, let me know? Because I'd really like to try that date again, the right way. You know, without any British tag-alongs." They laughed, but her heart wasn't in it. After another few minutes of forced small talk, he headed back on his way, looking much happier than he'd been when he'd arrived.

Resting her head on the back of the bench, she swung herself back and forth, letting the breeze sway her curls across her face.

She'd been so relaxed that she didn't realize that he was there until she felt the shadow cross over her face.

"So you entertain company every night, do you? I'm glad you're not lonely."

Her eyes shot open. Spike was leaning against the wooden pillar, arms crossed and jaw tense.

"So you came over to spy on me, but couldn't be bothered to come over and say hello."

"I wasn't spying on you… I was just passing through the neighborhood."

"Then how did you know he was here?" He paused for a moment

"Amazing night vision. It comes with the fangs."

She let him stew for a moment before letting him off the hook. "Spike, he just stopped by to apologize."

"Bollocks. He wanted in your pants, and you know it."

"Well, you weren't here. He had every opportunity to try, and he didn't."

"Again, bollocks. All that 'I hope we can be friends' bullshit? A line if I ever heard one."

"So if you were just passing by, how did you hear him?" She tried really hard not to laugh, but she could feel the ends of her lips curling.

"Excellent hearing. Comes with the fangs too."

"Spike, even if he had come on to me, I wouldn't have let him. You know that."

"I know nothing of the sort. You technically had a date with the guy, so how am I supposed to know that you're not going to go out with him again, maybe go home with him this time. Nothing's changed since then…" She knew that he was testing her, but she just let him continue. "I mean, let's be honest. A nice college boy, probably from a nice family. He's got a lot to offer a girl like you. Hell, he can go out during the day, which definitely makes him more suited for you than another guy I know."

"You're right. I'll call him back and we'll fool around until my dad gets home."

He froze, angry and surprised. She couldn't help but laugh out.

"Spike, are you jealous?"

He paused, not moving from his position against the post. "I'm not jealous; I'm just, uh, territorial. It comes with the fangs."

His face softened under the porch light, and she felt warm despite of the cool breeze. Standing, she walked toward the screen door. "Come in, Spike."

She walked slowly, with more confidence than she felt. She shed her flip-flops, leaving them on the rug. She stood at the lowest stair and watched him as he pulled off his boots, hung up his jacket on the banister. He followed her up the stairs silently, mere inches behind her. She took the first step into her bedroom, and waited until he was inside before she closed the door with a soft click.

His eyes were trained on her, and his gaze was almost nervous in nature. His Adam's apple bobbed.

"Pet, I'm not sure what-" He cut off when she laid her finger against his lips.

"Spike, what were you talking about down stairs? You said Devin had a lot to offer a girl like me… In comparison to who?"

He was quiet for a long time.

"Dani, I have nothing to offer you. I would never dream of hurting you, but I can't be sure that this chip won't malfunction, or worse-"

She kissed him. The kiss almost spun out of control, but she pulled away before it could gather any steam.

"Spike, I know you. I know your whole horrific history, and I know what you're capable of. I'm kind of ashamed to say it, but… I've had a little crush on you for about a year now."

His eyes narrowed. "But I've only had this bloody chip for a few months."

"I know." She took a deep breath. "Do you remember last summer, when you and Drusilla and those creepy French vamps took over the old train depot? We all rushed in to stop you, and near the end of the fight, you, uh, grabbed me as bait?" He had a pained expression on his face which showed that he remembered, but he nodded for her to continue. "You could have killed me, but you didn't. Buffy was too slow to get to you, but instead of snapping my neck like you could have, after trying to kidnap me, you tossed me at Zander and ran off."

"Dani, you've been carrying a torch since then?" She nodded. "Christ." He stalked away from her, and ran his hands through his hair. "Love, I was a different person then. I was dangerous, I was power-hungry. Bloody Hell, I was a very bad man."

He remembered it well. He had never wanted to kill her. Killing her was far from his mind when he'd held her against his body with his arms around her waist. He'd wanted to take her back to his lair, and tie her down to play with him and Dru for a few hours. After she was spent, he would have made her into a monster like him. She would have been his pet, forever servicing him and playing dolls with Drusilla, all day, every day.

"I know… I just, well, I… You kind of, sparked a few ideas in my head, holding me like that, and I guess…" Her cheeks were flushed crimson now, and she dropped her gaze to the floor.

"What kind of ideas, love?" His whole body thrummed, waiting for her answer. "Are you saying that my rough handling of you sparked… Fantasies?"

She didn't say a word, but her face was redder than he'd ever seen it. His dick was so hard that he could barely think straight, and when she started biting her lip, he snapped.

He rushed her, wrapping an arm around her lower back with his other hand braced at the back of her neck. He forcefully brought her lips to his, while scooping her toward his erection, where she instinctively wrapped her legs around him. He slammed the two of them against the back of the door, careful not to hurt her.

The usual hunger that he felt in her presence was running rampant through his system, but this time there was no blood involved. He ground his dick against her, creating friction and heat as his jeans rubbed forcefully against hers. He ripped his mouth from hers, used his grip on her hair to tilt her head back and lowered his mouth to her neck, knowing that if he wasn't going to be able to fuck her, he had to drink from her. He knew of no other way to get as close to her as he wanted to be.