A.N. Just a reminder, Spike doesn't have his soul. I thought he was just fine without it.

Chapter 22

May 1, 2000

Nervously Liz rubbed her stomach trying to relax the butterflies fluttering up a storm. Spike wasn't even in the room anymore and her nerves refused to calm. She sat at the front desk fiddling with her teacup while the others finished wiping up the blood. Fred refused to let her help saying that she had helped moved the bodies now she had to sit and watch.

Currently Spike was outside grabbing his duffel bag from his car. Liz kept casting fidgety glances toward the door he had disappeared through. Any moment now he'd be back inside and in her line of sight.

Sure enough as she downed the rest of her tea Spike came sauntering back in and tossed his duffel on the floor of the lobby. "So where am I staying?"

"How 'bout behind the dumpster?" Cordelia sarcastically suggested.

"No thanks ducks. Wouldn't want to take your sleeping place." Spike shot back.

Fred stood up and took a drink of her cooling tea. "Liz can show you to your room." Not paying attention to her cousin's expression of 'oh God no'.

Lorne however saw her dilemma but instead of helping her like she thought he would he backed up Fred's suggestion. "Yea, that's a great idea sweet pea. Lizzie knows where you'll be staying." He wiped up the last bit of blood in the section he was working in.

Liz glared at Lorne. He saw her reaction to him and now they're making her lead him to his room. Alone. Together. By themselves. Just the two of them. Didn't they see the problem?

"Yea luv, show me the way to my room." Spike smirked. He'd be blind not to notice the inner struggle of the young girl in front of him.

Swallowing hard she nodded. "Okay." She slowly slid off the stool and made her way around the front desk. "Follow me."

"With pleasure." He purred

Liz nodded and nervously smiled before she began her ascent up the stairs. She felt Spike behind her, watching her, roving over her body…or maybe that was wishful thinking. If it was her imagination though then why did it feel like she was being hunted?

Spike breathed in deeply; the little miss wanted him. Desired a taste of the big bad. He followed closely keeping the distance between them to a minimum. Buffy mentioned that the girl was a potential, so there was that added bonus, but he sensed something else underneath the potential slayer. Spike sniffed lightly, something innocent but powerful.

When the duo reached the second floor Liz went left away from Angel and Buffy's rooms. Before the vampire and slayer got back together Angel, according to what she heard since she hadn't been there before then, had only one hotel suite. Granted it was a very large hotel suite, largest one on the second floor but still it was only one.

After Buffy though, Angel expanded the suite. He took over the two hotel rooms on both sides of his room and paid contractors to make the three rooms into one massive hotel room. The room to the right became a huge bathroom that Cordelia remained to be jealous of. On the left was a bedroom, meanwhile Angel's original room was converted to a living room/dining room/kitchen area.

Liz led the way down the hall; Spike could smell who belonged to what room. The brunette…Cordelia if he remembered correctly was the first door on the left. Two other scents, one across the hall from Cordelia and the other right next to her room he couldn't place. Whoever inhabited those rooms either didn't leave a lasting impression or he hadn't met them.

She continued down the hall past Gunn, Wesley, and Fred's rooms. As Liz moved past a group of empty rooms on both the right and left Spike's curiosity peaked. "So where exactly are you leading me now luv?"

"To your room." She explained. It was a little odd to have a cluster of people in one spot near the stairs but then have her room and Spike's be at the end of the hall right before turning the corner into another hallway.

"But the Poofter's Pal's are all down there," he stepped a foot closer to his guide. Once Liz stopped in front of his door he trapped her effectively between the door and his hard body. "While we're three rooms away."

Liz licked her lips and fought the groan threatening to escape. "It's not what you think." She whispered.

Spike bit his lower lip and stared down at her. "Really, that's not what I think." He spoke almost as softly as she had, any louder would have broken the spell. Liz wanted him. The hitch of her breath, the tightening and releasing of her hands, and that sparkle of lust starting back at him.

Liz couldn't take her eyes off the man in front of her. His high cheekbones and slim face gave him a permanent primal expression. Of course Spike's half-lidded lustful gaze down her body could have a little something to do with that.

"The other rooms are smaller." Liz told him. "Besides we were already cleaning this room out." She subtly let out a breath hoping he wouldn't notice her nerves.

In that instant she realized her predicament. On the one hand she needed to open the door to Spike's room so he could settle in. On the other hand though she didn't feel comfortable turning her back to him. He was a vampire, a vampire without a soul.

Although it could be argued that Buffy wouldn't have let Spike come here if he was truly a danger to anyone. Right? She did let Angelus out that evening and took him to Sunnydale with her. Maybe she should have questioned Buffy's judgement on that. She certainly wouldn't have brought up her concerns in front of everyone but she could have taken her aside and asked.

Now there she was with her back against the door with someone Cordelia described as a vicious killer trapping her between his rock hard body and the wooden door. Then again Cordy wouldn't have let her come up here all alone if there was really a huge danger. Or maybe she would…she hated arguing with herself, it accomplished nothing except frustration.

There were two options, one go against every instinct in her body and turn around to open the door or… "Do you mind moving to the side?"

Spike watched her carefully, "Why?" He leaned in a bit, his nose lightly brushing against her hair. She smelled of pears, he softly moaned in the back of his throat.

Liz's breath caught as she breathed in. Could that man be any hotter? God he sniffed her hair and moaned at her and she was ready to throw caution to the wind and beg him to pound her into the door.

Needing distance she gently pushed him away. "Because I need to get back downstairs." She moved away from his confining embrace and stood at his right side. "Here's your key. Enjoy your stay." Liz hurried down the hall but Spike's voice called her back.

"Aren't you going to fluff my pillow?" Spike stared after her biting his lower lip.

With false confidence Liz turned back briefly. "Fluff your own damn pillow." She walked down the rest of the hallway and went downstairs to give Lorne a piece of her mind for making her go up there with Spike alone. In the distance she could hear Spike's gleeful chuckle.

TBC