For a while, neither one dared to say anything, both knowing what was in their heart, yet unsure of how the other felt. They just stared at the place where the fairy had deserted them, afraid to look at their companion. Buffy finally looked towards the confused vampire, taking in his thought-filled face.
"Spike?" She said nervously, wondering what was going through his mind.
"Hmm,,,oh...righ'..." He seemed to come out of a trace and then looked back at her, almost shyly. "I suppose we're here to talk, so I should start by...thanking you...well...for earlier and all..."
At the thought of what had happened, he looked at the ground with embarrassment in his eyes. Buffy stepped closer to him and put her hand on the same arm she had earlier, only now it was fuller and his muscles tensed under her touch. She didn't speak until he had turned to look at her and saw the fire burning in her eyes.
"You probably didn't hear me the first time, but I told you I would fix everything, and I will," she said sincerely.
"Why? Why are you doing this for me?" He pulled away from her touch and turned his back to her. "You shouldn't. It's not like i' would ma'er if I was gone or not. In fact your little pals would probably be all happy. One less vampire to worry 'bout."
"It would matter to me," she broke in quickly, not knowing where it came from and thinking of what to say next. He looked back at her for a moment with deep interest, wondering how she was going to explain her little outburst. The answer wasn't exactly what he had been hoping for.
" I mean, if you're not around, who am I going to blackmail or bribe into helping me? Whose nose am I going to punch whenever I feel like just hurting someone for the fun of it? Whose going to try and annoy me until I almost put myself out of my misery?"
Spike shook his head sadly and sighed, closing his eyes and smirking in frustration. Buffy continued on.
"Who will be there to decide that I need help, which I never do, when fighting something too big for me to handle, which never happens? Who will be the one to get me out of most of the difficult situations I manage to get stuck in? Who will keep me in line when I am ready to mess things up with my friends?"
Spike looked up curiously at Buffy while she was speaking. Where exactly was she going with this?
"Who will watch me fight? Who will watch me sleep? Who will drink my mom's hot cocoa with the little marshmallows?"
By this time tears had started to form in the slayer's eyes. She hadn't expected it to feel this strong, yet here she was, practically bawling her eyes out.
"Who will always be there for me whether I want him to be or not?"
She sighed quietly and looked at the ground, avoiding Spike's piercing gaze.
"I suppose I kinda like having you around. It feels too normal for you to be in my life. When I heard what had happened and then saw you...I ...I was afraid of what it would be like if..."
She felt a cool finger on her chin as he gently pulled her face up to look at him. At the same moment, his other hand gripped her arm lightly, pulling her closer to his body. Before she knew what was happening, his lips were pressed tenderly against her own. Everything that had been running aimlessly around in her mind, vanished as she felt herself giving in and started to kiss him back. Her heart was racing as he began to deepen the kiss in response. She raised her hand to grip the back of his head, as if to stop him from backing away, drawing him closer to her yet. It had started as a light, comforting act, but it soon turned into one of intense passion. Their bodies pressed close, neither wanting to make any attempt to pull away.
It was Spike who finally ended it after what seemed like eternity, taking deep, unneeded breaths. He looked at his one-time fantasy, now in his arms. She was standing in front of him, trying to catch her breath from the unexpected reaction. For what seemed like the first time since he had met her, he couldn't tell what she was thinking behind those beautiful hazel eyes. It was then that he had time to realize that the passion had caused the demon to come out. He quickly shifted back into his human features, unsure how she felt about it.
"I...I'm sorry," he said quietly, moving back, not knowing what her reaction would be. "I didn't mean to..."
"Mean to what?" she asked with an amused look on her face. "Kiss me or vamping while kissing me?"
"Well, I suppose both...no...I take that back, I bloody well meant to kiss you. The shifting was jus' a bit unexpected."
"I really didn't mind it much," Buffy remarked as she drew closer to him again.
"Wha' exactly didn't you mind?" Spike asked curiously. "The kiss, or the vamping?"
"Surprisingly both, actually, but I much prefer this," with that, Buffy leaned forward, putting her arms around his neck, and kissed the peroxide-blond vampire firmly on his lips. It did not last nearly as long as the first had, but the same feelings and intensity were there. As they began to separate, Buffy removed her arms from Spike's neck, bringing them down and entwining his hands with her own.
"Well," she sighed, "I guess we don't have any choice but to stay here for a while. I mean, what is a poor girl to do with nothing but the most beautiful atmosphere she has ever seen, wonderful sunshine, and a great-looking guy who she adores by her side?"
Spike shot her a mischievous grin as he purred into her ear.
"I don't know, luv, I don't suppose I shouldn't let 'er spend too much time thinking 'bout it though. I' would be such a shame to waste time on jus' thinkin' about them now wouldn't i'?"
"It certainly would."
....................................................................
Joyce came downstairs, not at all surprised to see the whole gang trying to occupy themselves in the living room.
"Is there something going on that I should know about? Where's Buffy?" she asked, a little frightened.
Giles stood up quickly and walked over, motioning to the kitchen with his glasses which he held in his hands. "Actually, I don't suppose you have any tea, by any chance, do you?"
"Of course, I'll go make some up now. You want to join me and then tell me what exactly has happened."
"Naturally," he replied, following her into the next room.
As she put the tea kettle on, Giles briefly explained the little that he knew about the situation.
"Do you think that they are safe, up there, alone, together?"she asked the watcher, not hiding her uncertainty.
"I...I think they will be okay, after all, Crea has seen to making sure they are safe, and we have protection spells all over the house."
"I don't exactly mean safe from whatever this thing is that did this, I mean them, alone, together in her room. I know I may just be sounding like an over protective mother, but I've seen how they've been looking at each other lately. I just don't want them to do anything...rash." The kettle had begun to whistle slightly, so Joyce removed it and started to pour the water into two mugs she had pulled down.
"I understand your worries, I've noticed that myself. But, at least for now, we don't have to worry about that. Buffy is too exhausted from the spell, she almost couldn't even make it up the stairs, and Spike, well, this 'creature' took almost more out of him than he could handle. I suppose you may be interested in going up to see for yourself. Thank you," he said, giving her a slight smile as she handed the cup of tea to him.
"Yeah, it would make me feel much better, and I also just want to see if they are okay." She took a sip out of her own.
"Well, I'm sure they won't be going anywhere. We can go check up on them after we've finished."
"You're right. Well, I hope that they are getting the rest that they need," Joyce replied, putting her cup down for a moment as she sat in a nearby chair. "I know just how much neither of them likes to rest very much."
................................................................
The Slayer ran swiftly through the entanglement of trees, her hair flying loosely behind her. Her heart was racing as she heard the footsteps gaining on her. They were coming closer and closer. She knew at any moment they would be upon her. She was fast but not fast enough. So, so close. Suddenly, it lunged at her, pinning her to the ground.
"Nooo......!" she screamed loudly, "Spike......! You idiot!" She started to burst out laughing as he twisted her around to face him. He laid on top of her, grinning down in pleasure.
"Told you I could catch you," he said knowingly. "Now I get my prize, right?"
"Oh, and what prize would that be?" He was pressing himself so close to her that she could feel every inch of his hard body as it touched her own. It excited her just as much, if not more, that what excitement she could feel from him.
"Hmm...I suppose we could figure tha' out soon enough, don't you?"
Spike leaned his face closer, kissing her firmly on the lips. The kisses began to trail down her face and into the curve of her neck. He playfully nipped at her skin with his exposed teeth as he moved even further down onto her bare chest.
"Mmm....Spike....."
...................................................................
Giles walked into the room first, followed closely by Buffy's mother. They saw the two, unmoved from where they had first lain. Joyce covered her mouth in shock as she saw the sleeping vampire. She had been told what to expect, yet she hadn't thought he would be in such bad shape.
"Oh, Giles, will he be all right? I didn't think it would be this bad."
He will be fine once we take care of who had done this to him. Crea fluttered to the opening where the two adults stood watching.
"You are the one who helped him?" Joyce asked the small creature. "Thank you very much, and for keeping my daughter safe as well."
'You are the Slayer's mother? Then it is I who should be thanking you,' the fairy replied. 'It is because of her that he was saved and it will be she who destroys the Evil One. My kind has feared her for so long, yet we do not have the ability to fight her. We have out magic, but it is our magic that would destroy us. If we expose ourselves to her, she will take it from us, and we cannot let that happen.'
She looked back at the two sleeping figures and smiled knowingly.
'We should let them rest now. I made it so that they will sleep through tomorrow night. The Slayer will be recovered by then, and the vampire, well, I thought that the sleeping might make it easier for him until we reverse the effects.'
"Well, come on then," Joyce said, motioning to the door. "Since I will be having guests tonight, I should figure out what to have for supper. I wonder how we can manage the sleeping arrangements? I hope we have enough food."
"Spike?" She said nervously, wondering what was going through his mind.
"Hmm,,,oh...righ'..." He seemed to come out of a trace and then looked back at her, almost shyly. "I suppose we're here to talk, so I should start by...thanking you...well...for earlier and all..."
At the thought of what had happened, he looked at the ground with embarrassment in his eyes. Buffy stepped closer to him and put her hand on the same arm she had earlier, only now it was fuller and his muscles tensed under her touch. She didn't speak until he had turned to look at her and saw the fire burning in her eyes.
"You probably didn't hear me the first time, but I told you I would fix everything, and I will," she said sincerely.
"Why? Why are you doing this for me?" He pulled away from her touch and turned his back to her. "You shouldn't. It's not like i' would ma'er if I was gone or not. In fact your little pals would probably be all happy. One less vampire to worry 'bout."
"It would matter to me," she broke in quickly, not knowing where it came from and thinking of what to say next. He looked back at her for a moment with deep interest, wondering how she was going to explain her little outburst. The answer wasn't exactly what he had been hoping for.
" I mean, if you're not around, who am I going to blackmail or bribe into helping me? Whose nose am I going to punch whenever I feel like just hurting someone for the fun of it? Whose going to try and annoy me until I almost put myself out of my misery?"
Spike shook his head sadly and sighed, closing his eyes and smirking in frustration. Buffy continued on.
"Who will be there to decide that I need help, which I never do, when fighting something too big for me to handle, which never happens? Who will be the one to get me out of most of the difficult situations I manage to get stuck in? Who will keep me in line when I am ready to mess things up with my friends?"
Spike looked up curiously at Buffy while she was speaking. Where exactly was she going with this?
"Who will watch me fight? Who will watch me sleep? Who will drink my mom's hot cocoa with the little marshmallows?"
By this time tears had started to form in the slayer's eyes. She hadn't expected it to feel this strong, yet here she was, practically bawling her eyes out.
"Who will always be there for me whether I want him to be or not?"
She sighed quietly and looked at the ground, avoiding Spike's piercing gaze.
"I suppose I kinda like having you around. It feels too normal for you to be in my life. When I heard what had happened and then saw you...I ...I was afraid of what it would be like if..."
She felt a cool finger on her chin as he gently pulled her face up to look at him. At the same moment, his other hand gripped her arm lightly, pulling her closer to his body. Before she knew what was happening, his lips were pressed tenderly against her own. Everything that had been running aimlessly around in her mind, vanished as she felt herself giving in and started to kiss him back. Her heart was racing as he began to deepen the kiss in response. She raised her hand to grip the back of his head, as if to stop him from backing away, drawing him closer to her yet. It had started as a light, comforting act, but it soon turned into one of intense passion. Their bodies pressed close, neither wanting to make any attempt to pull away.
It was Spike who finally ended it after what seemed like eternity, taking deep, unneeded breaths. He looked at his one-time fantasy, now in his arms. She was standing in front of him, trying to catch her breath from the unexpected reaction. For what seemed like the first time since he had met her, he couldn't tell what she was thinking behind those beautiful hazel eyes. It was then that he had time to realize that the passion had caused the demon to come out. He quickly shifted back into his human features, unsure how she felt about it.
"I...I'm sorry," he said quietly, moving back, not knowing what her reaction would be. "I didn't mean to..."
"Mean to what?" she asked with an amused look on her face. "Kiss me or vamping while kissing me?"
"Well, I suppose both...no...I take that back, I bloody well meant to kiss you. The shifting was jus' a bit unexpected."
"I really didn't mind it much," Buffy remarked as she drew closer to him again.
"Wha' exactly didn't you mind?" Spike asked curiously. "The kiss, or the vamping?"
"Surprisingly both, actually, but I much prefer this," with that, Buffy leaned forward, putting her arms around his neck, and kissed the peroxide-blond vampire firmly on his lips. It did not last nearly as long as the first had, but the same feelings and intensity were there. As they began to separate, Buffy removed her arms from Spike's neck, bringing them down and entwining his hands with her own.
"Well," she sighed, "I guess we don't have any choice but to stay here for a while. I mean, what is a poor girl to do with nothing but the most beautiful atmosphere she has ever seen, wonderful sunshine, and a great-looking guy who she adores by her side?"
Spike shot her a mischievous grin as he purred into her ear.
"I don't know, luv, I don't suppose I shouldn't let 'er spend too much time thinking 'bout it though. I' would be such a shame to waste time on jus' thinkin' about them now wouldn't i'?"
"It certainly would."
....................................................................
Joyce came downstairs, not at all surprised to see the whole gang trying to occupy themselves in the living room.
"Is there something going on that I should know about? Where's Buffy?" she asked, a little frightened.
Giles stood up quickly and walked over, motioning to the kitchen with his glasses which he held in his hands. "Actually, I don't suppose you have any tea, by any chance, do you?"
"Of course, I'll go make some up now. You want to join me and then tell me what exactly has happened."
"Naturally," he replied, following her into the next room.
As she put the tea kettle on, Giles briefly explained the little that he knew about the situation.
"Do you think that they are safe, up there, alone, together?"she asked the watcher, not hiding her uncertainty.
"I...I think they will be okay, after all, Crea has seen to making sure they are safe, and we have protection spells all over the house."
"I don't exactly mean safe from whatever this thing is that did this, I mean them, alone, together in her room. I know I may just be sounding like an over protective mother, but I've seen how they've been looking at each other lately. I just don't want them to do anything...rash." The kettle had begun to whistle slightly, so Joyce removed it and started to pour the water into two mugs she had pulled down.
"I understand your worries, I've noticed that myself. But, at least for now, we don't have to worry about that. Buffy is too exhausted from the spell, she almost couldn't even make it up the stairs, and Spike, well, this 'creature' took almost more out of him than he could handle. I suppose you may be interested in going up to see for yourself. Thank you," he said, giving her a slight smile as she handed the cup of tea to him.
"Yeah, it would make me feel much better, and I also just want to see if they are okay." She took a sip out of her own.
"Well, I'm sure they won't be going anywhere. We can go check up on them after we've finished."
"You're right. Well, I hope that they are getting the rest that they need," Joyce replied, putting her cup down for a moment as she sat in a nearby chair. "I know just how much neither of them likes to rest very much."
................................................................
The Slayer ran swiftly through the entanglement of trees, her hair flying loosely behind her. Her heart was racing as she heard the footsteps gaining on her. They were coming closer and closer. She knew at any moment they would be upon her. She was fast but not fast enough. So, so close. Suddenly, it lunged at her, pinning her to the ground.
"Nooo......!" she screamed loudly, "Spike......! You idiot!" She started to burst out laughing as he twisted her around to face him. He laid on top of her, grinning down in pleasure.
"Told you I could catch you," he said knowingly. "Now I get my prize, right?"
"Oh, and what prize would that be?" He was pressing himself so close to her that she could feel every inch of his hard body as it touched her own. It excited her just as much, if not more, that what excitement she could feel from him.
"Hmm...I suppose we could figure tha' out soon enough, don't you?"
Spike leaned his face closer, kissing her firmly on the lips. The kisses began to trail down her face and into the curve of her neck. He playfully nipped at her skin with his exposed teeth as he moved even further down onto her bare chest.
"Mmm....Spike....."
...................................................................
Giles walked into the room first, followed closely by Buffy's mother. They saw the two, unmoved from where they had first lain. Joyce covered her mouth in shock as she saw the sleeping vampire. She had been told what to expect, yet she hadn't thought he would be in such bad shape.
"Oh, Giles, will he be all right? I didn't think it would be this bad."
He will be fine once we take care of who had done this to him. Crea fluttered to the opening where the two adults stood watching.
"You are the one who helped him?" Joyce asked the small creature. "Thank you very much, and for keeping my daughter safe as well."
'You are the Slayer's mother? Then it is I who should be thanking you,' the fairy replied. 'It is because of her that he was saved and it will be she who destroys the Evil One. My kind has feared her for so long, yet we do not have the ability to fight her. We have out magic, but it is our magic that would destroy us. If we expose ourselves to her, she will take it from us, and we cannot let that happen.'
She looked back at the two sleeping figures and smiled knowingly.
'We should let them rest now. I made it so that they will sleep through tomorrow night. The Slayer will be recovered by then, and the vampire, well, I thought that the sleeping might make it easier for him until we reverse the effects.'
"Well, come on then," Joyce said, motioning to the door. "Since I will be having guests tonight, I should figure out what to have for supper. I wonder how we can manage the sleeping arrangements? I hope we have enough food."