"Pictures."






"Pictures."
Part three of the "What Am I?" series.
Rating: R. For this part of the series anyways.
Spoilers: I don't have the time or the energy to go through and state exactly what spoilers are contained in my fics just assume that anything that has aired in the US is fair game.
Disclaimers: Joss owns everything fun. I only borrow it for a while.
Feedback: Let me know what you think. (ladyduvessa19@icqmail.com)

He lie awake in his bed staring at the ceiling. He was frustrated because he had found nothing in the graveyard and because it had been two days since he last saw her. He knew that she was OK. Dawn had come by to see him earlier and assured him everything was fine. He knew that Buffy had told her nothing about what had happened that night because every time he had asked Dawn if Buffy was alright (and if he remembered correctly he had asked somewhere around seven times) she would answer with things like "Yeah, fine why wouldn't she be?" or as their conversation went on "Worry much." He couldn't help it. Everything about the whole thing made him uneasy. Someone had sent the demons to leave Buffy helpless. Yet, as far as he knew, there had been no other attacks.

He decided to give up. He wasn't getting any closer to figuring it out by staring at the ceiling and he was getting hungry. He went to the fridge got out his blood and poured it into the "Kiss the Librarian" mug he had stole from Giles. He warmed it in the microwave and then took it to go sit down in front of the television. As he sat down and pressed the buttons on the remote he heard his crypt door swing open. He turned and saw her. It sent heat rushing through his whole body, but he decided to play it cool. All he did was move his eyes back to the telly and say nothing but "Oh it's you."

"How did you do that?? You were just running towards the other side of town. How did you get here before me?" Spike could tell just by the way she sounded that she was confused and disappointed at the same time.

"What's that, luv? Could you keep it down, I'm trying to watch Passions. There's big twists and turns happening." He pretended to pay her no mind even though he wanted nothing more than to touch her.

"Oh I see. You're trying to convince me that I wasn't just chasing you all over town. You know what? I'm not going to fall for it. Besides you need to think of a better story. Passions is a soap opera and if I remember correctly they are still on during the day."

"I got one of them VCRs. Been a bit tired these past couple of weeks, sleeping through Passions. Could be my extracurricular activities have worn me out." He smirked as he spoke and he could tell by the way she was avoiding his gaze that she had realized that by the extracurricular activities he was referring to the nights they had spent together. "And I hate to disappoint you, but you weren't just chasing me around. Although if hide and seek is your fancy I wouldn't turn you down."

"You're sick Spike. You think that this is a game. Well I'm not playing anymore. Just stop following me around taking pictures of me."

"Pictures? I didn't take any bloody pictures. Besides why would I need to take pictures? I've had an eyeful of you. Not that I wouldn't want another taste." He gave her a very suggestive look and she punched him. He grabbed her arm "Hey now. That's not very nice." She spit in his face, but he just wiped it away and put his hands behind her neck and kissed her. She didn't push him away; rather she moved her hands down and undid his belt buckle. Once she did that it made it impossible for him to think. He had wanted to ask her if she had called Angel. And he knew that he should be questioning her about the pictures and the person/demon that she had been chasing around, but she was finally giving in to him and he couldn't tare himself away. He pushed her to the ground, positioned himself on top of her and finished what they had started the other night.

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When he woke up the next morning he found her gone. He hadn't even heard her leave. He was so exhausted from their night. He found that he had some new bruises and sat silently remembering how he got them. It made him smile. As sick and twisted as it was the fact that she hurt him made him smile. He dressed quickly and grabbed his blanket heading out into the sunlight.

He reached her house and climbed in through her window. She wasn't there and so he decided to roam into the hall and then he heard Dawn.

"Where were you? Got some new boyfriend or something?" That's Dawn always with the boyfriends.

"No…. No new boyfriend." It was Buffy. She was right he wasn't exactly new.

"So it must be a new demon then. I can call the gang and get them to come over and we can do research and stuff." Dawn always wanted to be a part of the research.

"No it's ok I think that I took care of him." She had taken care of him all right.

"So it was a him huh?? How can you tell?"

"Tell what?" It was clear to Spike that Buffy hadn't really been paying that much attention to her sister.

"Whether the demon is male or female."

"I don't know. Just call it a lucky guess. I'm going to go upstairs and lie down for a while." As he heard her coming up the stairs he hid behind her door. She entered the room and he walked up behind her.

"Miss me?". He had taken a single rose and rubbed it against the skin of her face, down her neck, then down her arm and placed it in her hand. Then he turned to face her.

"So now you're bringing me flowers. What kind of vampire are you?" There was a playful ness to her voice.

"One that knows just what you like." She threw the flower on the bed and moved a step away from him.

"Is that so? What is it that you think that I like?" He moved closing in the gap that she had made when she moved away. He took his finger and ran it down her face just like the flower had. He took the clip out of her hair and let it fall over her shoulders. He stroked it taking in the scent of her shampoo. When his hand reached the back of her neck he brought his lips to hers. Their tongues danced in each other's mouths. As they kissed he lowered her to the bed. He had begun to move his hand up her shirt and suddenly she pushed him off her.

"Oh come on Buffy. I know that's what you like." He had begun to move back on top of her, but once again she pushed him away.

"Dawn's downstairs." She said in a voice that stated that she didn't want to get caught.

"Oh come on. I can be real quite. She won't know a thing." His mouth met hers before she could give an argument. As he kissed her his hand went down her body to her thighs. Just as he was about to move upward to unbutton the same pants that she had shed for him the night before she pushed him away once again.

"Spike I can't. Not that I don't want to. I just can't." She turned her head away from him.

"I understand about the little bit. I know I shouldn't have come here, but I couldn't help it. When you're not there I feel empty. You're everything to me Buffy." He reached his hand out to touch her shoulder. She moved the instant his fingertip graced her skin.

"It's not just about Dawn. Spike, I don't know if I can do this. I don't even know who I am anymore." It was catching up to her again. She had been fine for a while, but he could tell that this was about her being brought back. He wished that he had known what Willow had been planning. He would have tried to stop her.

"What are you talking about? Your Buffy." Her eyes avoided his.

"It's just. It's different. He told me that there was something different. Something that made us all different."

"Who told you?" Spike hated when people danced around the subject. He had gotten enough of that during his years with Dru.

"Angel. I called him this morning. I didn't call him the other night because I didn't know exactly what to tell him. I asked about the Patofi thing and then about the pictures. He wasn't much help. He just told me that I was different. That you would know. And to tell you that he knew." So she did call him. He knew she would, but a part of him had hoped that she wouldn't. Hoped that she didn't need him anymore. That all she needed was him, but who was he kidding.

"He told you to tell me? Is he off his rocker?" Spike couldn't remember the last time he had even heard from Angelus. Hadn't even given him much thought.

"Yeah. I don't have the slightest idea what he was talking about, but he assured me that you would." She was still saddened by the fact that she had once again been told she was different.

Spike had an idea of what Angel was talking about, but he had no idea how he knew. He hadn't told anyone. "Not a clue. Listen why don't you just relax today. I'll patrol tonight and you can have a sister moment with Dawn or what not." He left before Buffy had the chance to protest. He needed to think. Needed to figure everything out. There was something that he didn't know. Something that for some reason Angel could figure out from LA. Something that was connected to a night that he had tried to forget for fifty years.



Part 2 || Part 4