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Chapter Eight
Buffy quietly approached the door to Spike's bedroom. Just as her hand gently touched the doorknob she paused biting her lower lip. She spun around and walked back towards the stairs.
'What am I doing' she thought to herself as she stopped at the foot of the stairs only to spin around again and stare at the door she had just been standing in front of a second ago. 'His last girlfriend was a ho he doesn't need another one' Buffy continued to argue with herself while she unconsciously took several steps back in the direction she had just come from.
'What am I saying, well thinking, his last girlfriend was a soulless demon . . . and so is he' Buffy though as she silently smacked herself in the forehead and turned around heading back towards the stairs. 'But the Powers that Be think that he's good, they should know right? He's definitely proven himself over the past few months' she thought as she drifted back in front of Spike's door.
'I'm not good at the whole relationship decision making' she thought as she quietly rested her head on door so she could think about her next step.
"Can I help you with something Slayer" Spike said as he quickly opened the door surprising Buffy as she fell forward.
Spike was surprised too; he hadn't expected her to be leaning on the door when he opened it. He tried to catch her as she fell and he did but he lost his balance as well and fell beneath a very embarrassed slayer. As they hit the floor together their eyes met briefly before Buffy buried her face in his chest so that Spike wouldn't be able to she her face turn fire engine red.
"So as I was saying, can I help you with something" Spike said a small grin appearing on his face.
"How did you know?" was Buffy's muffled reply.
"Sounded like someone was doing the Hokey Pokey on the other side of the door," the very amused vampire said as he tried not to think about Buffy's warm breath tickling his bare chest.
"Sorry" Buffy said as she scrambled backwards off of Spike as she realized her and Spike's positions. "I was uhh I was looking for uhh . . ." Buffy looked around the room quickly "my leather pants!" she said a little too loudly.
"You were looking for your pants?" Spike said raising an eyebrow at Buffy.
"Yep, sure was" she said as she grabbed her pants off of the chair near the door "I wanted to get them cleaned and I remembered that I had changed down here and I thought I might forget before morning so I was just going to grab these and head on up to bed" Buffy said way too quickly.
Spike picked himself up off the floor and extended his hands to Buffy to help her up "I see," he said as she took his hands. He quickly pulled Buffy up into his arms and looked deeply into her eyes. "Are you sure that's all you were looking for?" he said quietly his voice taking on a husky nature.
A few silent seconds passed, "huh? Oh yeah that was it, the pants" Buffy said waving the garment slightly.
"Well you better toddle off to bed then," Spike said not relenting his hold on her.
Buffy just nodded in agreement but somehow pressed herself even closer to Spike.
Suddenly there was a loud banging noise that reverberated through out the house. Buffy's eyes went wide as she pushed away from Spike and sprinted back to the first floor of the house. Spike was right on her heels. Buffy ran into the living room to see the large picture window shattered and the living room curtains blazing. She quickly back peddled to block Spike from running into the sun-bathed room.
"WILLOW!" Buffy yelled as she pushed Spike back into the darkened hallway. "Spike sun bad fire" Buffy blurted out as she dashed back out into the living room and out the front door.
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"Buffy, what's going on?" Willow said sleepily as she rubbed her eyes. Just then she saw Buffy run through the foyer and out the front door.
"What the heck?" Willow asked before she smelled the smoke and ran the rest of the way down the stairs. "Oh boy, oh boy" Willow said as she viewed the living room and hopped up and down.
"Make with the waterworks Red" Spike shouted from his spot in the hallway.
"Oh yeah" Willow mumbled to herself before she began an elaborate chant that cause a fairly large downpour on the flaming curtains and the smoldering wall.
While the rain fell Spike ran back to the kitchen and grabbed a pair of oven mitts. "Red! Put these on and throw those curtains out the window before they re-ignite" he said loudly as he threw the mitts through the doorway.
Willow giggled. "I'm a witch, I don't need oven mitts, besides the fire is out" she said as she approached the hallway Spike was standing in.
"It's the Hellmouth Willow, do you really think the fire is going to stay out?" Spike said aggravated that is was daylight and he was stuck in the hallway instead of chasing down the culprits with Buffy.
No sooner had Spike finished the sentence did the curtain re-ignite. "Don't say it" Willow said as she flicked her wrist in the direction of the window causing the curtains to tear from the wall and flew out the window landing on the lawn. "I know, you told me so," Willow said sticking her tongue out at the scowling vampire. "How did you know?"
"If I was going to set fire to the Slayer's house I'd make sure there was a little magic involved to keep the fire humming" he said shrugging.
"Nice outfit" Willow said as she slapped her hand over her eyes. "Where's Buffy?"
Spike shrugged "She didn't say I assume she's chasing after who ever was stupid enough to do that . . ." Spike said pointing towards the window.
"That's nice Spike, would you mind putting on some pants maybe?" Willow asked.
"Red, now I know you've seen a bloke in his boxers before" Spike kidded the embarrassed witch.
"Spike please, I don't need this now" Willow pleaded.
"Fine" Spike said as he headed towards the basement fully aware that Willow was peeking through her fingers as he walked away.
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Spike quickly ran down the stairs and grabbed his jeans putting them on as he climbed the stairs. Just as he re-entered the kitchen Buffy was entering as well through the back door. With her she had a very ugly green scaly demon who was struggling with all its might against the small slayer holding it firmly.
"Well hello luv, what do we have here?" Spike asked as he took the demon from Buffy holding it up in the air by its throat and slamming it back against the wall.
"Our friend is the slimy silent type." Buffy said. "I told him I knew just the person to get him to talk." Spike quickly slid into game face and growled at the demon. "Now don't get in a hurry Spike we have time why don't you secure it in the basement while we get our tools together"
Spike remained silent but grinned evilly at the trembling beast. Spike then roughly shoved the demon down the basement stairs.
"Buffy, you're not really going to torture it are you?" Willow asked.
"Nah probably not, I'm thinking we leave him chained up for a while and then Spike knocks him around a bit and he'll tell us what we need to know." Buffy said casually as she picked up the cordless phone that was lying on the counter and quickly dialed.
"Xander, did I wake you? . . . . Sorry, um we've had a situation over here . . . . long story, involved fire and broken windows . . . . no, get some more sleep and then later come over and see what you can do . . . . uh huh yeah . . . .thanks Xand" Buffy finished as she pushed the off button on the phone. "Xander is going to fix up the living room this afternoon. Where's Dawn and Tara?"
"Oh they probably slept through it. We were up late last night packing, you remember Tara and I were planning on moving back to the dorm today right?"
"Oh yeah, I remember" Buffy trailed off.
"We can stay" Willow quickly added.
"No we will be fine, you guys should still go, really" Buffy reassured her friend.
"If you're sure," Willow said just as Spike re-emerged from the basement.
"All chained up" he said to the girls "What are we going to do with him?"
Buffy turned back to Willow "Will do you think you could grab a heavy blanket and cover up the front window for me?"
"Sure thing Buffy"
"Then why don't you go back on up and try to get some more sleep"
"Ok, but I'm not that tired," Willow said as she stifled a yawn. "Do you want me to put up the protection spells around the house again like we did with Glory?"
Buffy smiled at her and said, "That would be great Will. Thanks for the help with the fire"
"No problem" Willow said on her way out the kitchen.
Buffy turned back to Spike "Is he secure?"
"Yeah he's not going anywhere"
"Good cause I'm exhausted. Let's get some sleep and deal with him after a nice nap" Buffy said as she ran her hand through her hair.
"Oh sure you get to sleep. I've got a pissed off demon rattling chains outside my bedroom door" Spike said crossing his arms over his bare chest in a mock pout.
"Well I guess you'll just have to sleep upstairs," Buffy said as she grabbed his hand and led him out of the kitchen flipping the lock on the basement door. "I'm glad that Willow already covered up that window." Buffy mused almost to herself.
Spike was grinning at the back of the Slayer as he followed her up the stairs.
"Well here you go" Buffy said as they reached Giles room and she flung open the door "I'm sure Giles won't mind you crashing in here"
"But pet" Spike started to complain.
"And just where did you think you'd be sleeping?" Buffy asked knowing full well where Spike had hoped to spend the day.
"It smells like bloody tweed in there," Spike said trying to pull off a convincing pout.
"Spike, we are going to have a very long night tonight and this is only way either of us is going to get any sleep." Buffy explained as she quickly gave him a peck on the cheek, turned and entered her own bedroom closing the door behind her.
Spike started to enter Giles' room when he paused "Screw that" he huffed as he spun around and he entered Buffy's room quite to her surprise.
"Spike what the hell" Buffy began but she was quickly interrupted by a pair of soft lips pressing against her own. She pressed feebly against Spike's chest not really trying to push him away but not wanting to give in totally.
Spike plundered Buffy's mouth reveling in his power over her as her mock attempt at struggling slowly turned into caresses. He slowly backed her up the few feet to the bed. As the back of Buffy's legs gently bumped into the bed Spike pulled back from a panting Buffy. He had forgotten that she needed to come up for air.
"Spike" Buffy whispered breathlessly.
Spike ran on of his hands around her waist and the other hand up her back to caress the back of her neck as he gently laid her back on the bed and began to kiss her again gently this time enjoying the feel of her body under his own. Then as sudden as entrance had been he broke away from Buffy and the bed and headed back towards the door.
"Night luv" Spike said.
"Spike!" Buffy almost shouted.
"What?" Spike said feigning innocence "You said I had to sleep in Giles' room, you know I always do as you say" Spike finished in a sing song voice.
Buffy growled at the blonde vampire in front of her and her hand groped around the bed looking for a weapon. As her hand fanned out to the left it bumped into a familiar weapon that she quickly grabbed and threatened Spike with it.
"Now, don't be hasty luv" Spike began but was quickly interrupted by Buffy flinging her weapon of choice towards the cause of her ire.
Spike quickly snagged the weapon out of the air holding it out for Buffy to see "Tsk tsk luv is that anyway to treat your old friend Mr. Gordo" Spike said as he tossed the stuffed animal back at Buffy and quickly made his exit before Buffy could come up with a real weapon.
"It's going to be a long day" both Buffy and Spike thought simultaneously.
TBC . . .
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