HERE IT STOPS, NOBODY KNOWS (1/1)
By Sweetiegrrl
DISCLAIMERS: All things "Buffy" belong to Whedon, the lucky git.
RATING: PG-13
SPOILERS: Mucho for OAFA
FEEDBACK: I love it! E-mail at mihalik@wpaccs.com
DISTRIBUTION: Just tell me where it's going, and all's good.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is a response to a challenge posted at the Crumbling Walls B/S forum by Greengirl47. The challenge was a game of 'Spin the Bottle' played during OAFA. Thanks for the idea, Greengirl47, it was a hoot to write! Challenge listed at the bottom.
Oh, and **thoughts** and *emphasis*. Hope that helps.
Buffy looked around at the vast array of soiled dishes, used cups, and various other party favors that had been strewn throughout the kitchen and let out a weary sigh. Alone in the room, she sat at the counter and dropped her head into her hands. The party had wound down and although everyone was tired and ready to go home, no one had left. Just as Buffy had begun to ponder the oddness of their refusals to leave, a large crash sounded from the living room where she had left her guests. The Slayer quickly sprung to her feet and raced to the awaiting catastrophe.
Buffy reached the living room and saw the most frightening thing her Slayer eyes had ever beheld. Clem and Sophie, furiously making out on her living room floor. So furiously, in fact, that they had knocked over the lamp that had been standing next to them. Apparently Clem's 'skin condition' wasn't that much of a problem for her DoubleMeat co-worker. Spike snickered, Willow and Xander giggled like school children, Tara blushed embarrassedly, Richard searched for something else to look at, and Anya watched in fascination. Finally, Sophie came up for air, though apparently Clem didn't need to. She looked around at the Scoobies surrounding her, took another large gulp, then calmly asked, "Okay, who's next?"
Buffy stared at her friends completely bewildered. "Alright, I very obviously missed a great big something here. Could someone please tell me exactly what's going on? 'Cause right now, I'm thinking I need some answers."
"Relax, Buff," Xander replied with a goofy, drunken grin plastered on his face. "We're just having some fun of the 'Spin the Bottle' variety. Wanna play?"
Buffy glanced over to Spike, who already had tonight's familiar leer in place. She rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to Xander and Willow. "Are you guys reliving the high school glory days? Or are you just seriously drunk? We *should not* be playing 'Spin the Bottle', especially not while Dawn's here!"
Willow grinned a sleepy, also drunken smile and let out a giggle. "Don't worry, Buffy. Dawn fell asleep over on the couch." The Slayer looked to the couch and confirmed what Willow said. "Anyway, she's a really heavy sleeper. She'll never even know it happened, promise."
"So all the lamp crashing won't be a problem, then?" Buffy replied dryly. Willow started giggling uncontrollably and got Xander started again as well.
"Relax, pet." Spike rose from his spot on the floor and stood next to the small blonde. "Sophie and Clement here just got caught up in the moment. Heat and passion and all that. I'm sure we could be much more *controlled*." The deep drop in his voice at the last word coupled with the sexy grin he shot her started to do unmentionable things to Buffy, but eventually she realized where she was and snapped out of the thrall he put her under.
"*WE* are not doing anything, Spike. And really, I'm not seeing the fun here."
Xander looked up to Buffy from the floor, goofy grin still on his face, and let out a whine. "Aw, come on Buffster. Making out with various, good- looking people. What's not fun about that? Plus, numerous opportunities for merciless ridicule."
Buffy again turned her attention to Spike, thought for a moment, then let a wide grin wipe across her face.
"I'm in."
* * * *
The Slayer took her place in the circle, sitting snuggly between Richard on the left and Tara on the right. Spike sat directly in front of her, with Xander and Anya to his right and Willow on his left. Clem and Sophie sat to Willow's left and Tara's right. They sat there in their tight circle while Buffy twirled the bottle absently in her hands.
"Okay, it's been a very long time since I've played a make-out game, so does anyone want to run the rules by me real quick?"
Anya perked up, happy to know that she was finally able to do something important tonight. Besides, she was a pro at making-out, so she should be the one to handle this. "Oh, it's simple. We all take turns spinning the glass bottle. When it lands on someone, you kiss them. If it lands to their right, it's a small peck, something nice and chaste. No big fun there. But if it lands to their left, watch out! Then it's get-a-closet time!"
Buffy absorbed this information, then looked at Anya. "What happens if it lands directly in front of them, though?"
Anya smiled eagerly, again happy to be of service. "Well then, it's the choice of the person the bottle landed on. Small and sweet, long and sloppy. All up to them."
Buffy turned her focus to Spike, who was now grinning like a mad man, and fidgeted nervously. "Fine. Who's first?"
Anya once again piped up, thrilled to be the expert on something other than demons or vengeance. "The bottle landed on Clem last, so that means it's his turn to spin," she said proudly.
Clem looked up startled, still recovering from his encounter with Sophie. "Oh, me? Alright." He nervously took the bottle from Buffy's hands and set it on the floor in the middle of the circle. He grasped it in his hands and, with a flick of his wrists, sent the bottle spinning. Around and around it went, seeming to slow then speed up as it passed each of the girls.
**Wait a sec** Buffy thought uneasily. **He can't move things with his mind, can he? Because that might be one of his demony powers. Oh, god, I hope he doesn't have a thing for me…** The Slayer really didn't have anything against Clem. She actually thought he was quite nice for someone she supposedly should be slaying. But she refused to make out with more than *one* demon at a time.
Finally, the bottle's rotation slowed more and more until it eventually rested on…
"Tara!" Willow giggled and clapped her hands together.
Luckily for Tara, the bottle rested slightly to the right of her so the kiss was short and sweet. Again, no offense to Clement, but there was only one person Tara could ever think of kissing.
Tara moved back to her seat after the kiss ended, then realized it was her turn now. She went to the center of the circle once more, placed her hands on the bottle, and spun. The bottle went around and around, while the blonde witch silently prayed to her Goddess that it would land on her semi- ex-lover. But apparently the Goddess wasn't taking calls today.
Anya's face lit up and a huge smile spread across her face. "Yippee! My turn! Remember, Tara. Just because I make out with you doesn't mean I'm a lesbian." She sent an adoring glance to her fiancé. "I belong to Xander and him alone." She turned back to face the witch. "Although I do find you very attractive."
Tara smiled politely, then disappointedly noticed that the bottle was slightly to the ex-demon's left. She and Anya moved to the center of the circle and awkwardly placed their hands on each other's shoulders, though Anya still had a grin on her face. Tara, being an expert on kissing girls, took the lead. She slowly leaned down to Anya, planning on being gentle and soft. But as the former demon that she was, Anya would have none of that. She grasped the back of Tara's neck and pulled her into a fiercely passionate kiss. Lips clashed, tongues swirled, hearts raced. Finally, they both came up for much needed oxygen, Anya's smile still firmly in place. "How was that? Did I do well?"
Everyone stared at the two women in the center of the circle, while all of the males picked their jaws up from the floor. Finally, Xander groaned loudly. "Oh god, I'm uncomfortable. And not in a bad way."
Buffy snapped out of her stupor and put on a *yuck* face, "Welcome to 'To Much Information-Ville'. Thanks for sharing, Xand."
Willow glared at the ex-demon, now having another reason to dislike her, and spoke shortly. "Fine. Good. Tara's turn is over. Get it over with, Anya."
Anya returned the redhead's glare. "It's just a game, Willow. A game that I happen to be good at." She giddily turned her attention back to the rest of the gang. "My turn!"
* * * *
The partygoers took a refreshment break before Anya spun the bottle, knowing that they would need something to drink once she was through again. When everyone returned with their alcoholic beverages in hand, she eagerly picked up the bottle and placed it back on the floor. The bottle continued to twirl for what seemed like minutes, finally resting on Richard. He sat up straighter, looking decidedly more eager than he should while sitting right across from Xander, when everyone heard Anya's loud sigh.
"Darn," was the only thing she uttered before she proceeded to remove her top, leaving her in just her bra.
Xander looked horrified. "Ahn, what's with the nakedness?! What are you doing?!!"
"Oh, did I forget to mention that?" She replied, apparently not fazed by her lack of a top. "If a person refuses to kiss who the bottle lands on, both of them have to remove an article of clothing."
Again, Xander appeared flabbergasted. "Okay, I get that. But why aren't you kissing Richard? And couldn't you have removed a shoe or something?"
Anya giggled. "Silly Xander. The game's no fun if everyone acts like a prude! Anyway, I can't kiss Richard." She leaned in and whispered to him conspiratorially, "He's here for Buffy, remember?"
Richard looked downtrodden, removed a shoe, and moved to the center of the circle to take his turn. He spun the bottle, and it landed directly on…
"SPIKE!!!" Buffy burst into a hysterical fit of giggles, rolling onto Tara's lap. Everyone decided that Buffy had drunk a little more alcohol than she should have, and was quickly approaching Cave!Buffy territory.
Spike glared at the drunken Slayer and removed his prized leather duster. "Bloody hell, no! Are you insane? I'm not kissing this ponce!" Richard let out a sigh of relief, then took off his shoe.
Spike moved to the center of the circle and, smirking all the while at the Slayer, sent the bottle spinning with a flick of his wrist. Buffy felt her face flush, but couldn't decide if it was from anticipation or consumption of so much alcohol. As the bottle slowly stopped right to the left of her, she went with anticipation.
Buffy stumbled into the circle with Spike, hearing Xander's gleefully muttered, "She has to kiss the Evil Undead!" underneath all of his giggles, and sighed. She looked up just as Spike smiled at her, and she noticed something peculiar. This was not his usual smirk or leer, but a genuine, simple smile. It warmed something inside her chest seeing him like that, but she decided *that* was the beer talking.
Spike placed a hand on each side of her face and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. Buffy knew that she should be mad at his show of affection in front of her friends, but with the warm feelings inside her multiplying like bunnies, she just couldn't seem to care. Spike slowly leaned towards her, knowing this may be the only chance he had to be gentle. His lips lightly ran across her own, brushing softly before pulling back. Buffy, who had already closed her eyes in response to the sensation, dazedly opened them back up and looked into the vampires soft blue ones, which were fastened on her, awaiting approval. She then realized what he was doing. He was giving her an out, telling her that they didn't have to make out in front of her friends. But the Slayer played by the rules. Well, most of the time… Anyway, the bottle landed to the left and she knew what she had to do.
She once again leaned into Spike's embrace, kissing him slowly, sensually. She wrapped her arms around his neck and ran her tongue across his lips. He allowed her entry and responded in kind, snaking his arms around her back and sliding them underneath her shirt slowly. He ran his cool hands along her spine, making her shiver from the touch. Their tongues dueled, but not in the fierce fight for dominance that they were used to. This kiss was more playful, softer. It was everything Spike had been waiting for, and everything Buffy never knew she wanted from him. They were lost in each other, the world falling away beneath them.
"Uh-hem." That is, until Xander realized that they had spent *much* more time making out than was required. "You guys *can* stop macking on each other now."
Mid-kiss, Buffy's eyes widened comically as she realized where she was and pushed Spike off her. He was startled for a moment, in shock from loss of contact, but quickly regained his wits and glared at the blonde in front of him. She glared back, and as the heat sizzled between them, Xander coughed once more.
"That would make it your turn, Buff."
Buffy continued to glare at Spike as he went back to his spot. "That it would."
She took the bottle in her hand and spun it lightly. Again, it landed on Richard. The poor boy looked *way* too hopeful. Buffy noticed it landed right in the center, too, meaning that it was Richard's choice. Yippee.
She glanced at her vampire, and was shocked by how jealous he seemed. Well, not shocked really. She knew Spike, and she knew that he'd be jealous of a pineapple if she was showing it some affection. She gave a small sympathetic smile to him, then turned to Richard. "Sorry," she said as she took off her shoe.
Richard and Spike both looked at the Slayer in disbelief, Spike with pure wonderment and Richard with utter desperation. The construction worker grumbled to himself as he pulled of a sock. Spike turned to Buffy, mouthing 'Why?', to which she replied, 'Later'.
Richard 'humphed' once more before again taking his place in the center of the circle. He spun the bottle, and this time it landed on Willow. He enthusiastically moved towards her, hoping to finally get some lovin', when to his horror she began to remove her shoe.
"Sorry, not interested," she said distractedly, while glancing at Tara. She took the bottle and spun it, using a little telekinesis to land it exactly where she wanted, magic addiction be damned. She smiled wickedly at Anya, ready to wreak a little vengeance herself.
"Xander! No, you can't kiss Xander!!" Anya shouted in terror.
Willow smirked. "Sorry, Anya. Them's the rules." She and Xander moved to the circle and the witch whispered to her friend. "It was in the middle, so what do you want to do, Xander?"
Xander shrugged and whispered back. "Seeing as I'm drunk off my ass, we could probably get away with some serious making out right now. But I really don't want to hurt Ahn. And I know you don't want to hurt Tara, either. So…" He bent down and placed a chaste kiss on her lips, as Anya and Tara let out matching sighs of relief.
Xander was leaning back into the center to spin the bottle when everyone heard a loud yawn from behind them.
"What are you all doing? Trying to raise to ancient spirit or something?" Dawn sat up, opening her sleep-filled eyes and looking suspiciously at the gang.
Buffy made a quick grab and hid the bottle under the couch before turning to face her sister. "Of course not Dawn. We tried that last week, remember? It wasn't really oodles of fun." The Slayer smiled a bit too perkily for Dawn's liking. "We're just sitting around, sharing…" She desperately looked to her friends, begging one of them to come up with something.
"Ghost stories," Spike said with a straight face. "Just sharing some of the more gruesome tales, Bit. Don't worry, I already told you most of them." This earned a glare from Buffy. "Why don't you just head up to your room and get to beddy-byes? Tuck yourself in, have a good sleep."
"Ha, no way! I *so* know you guys are keeping something from me!" Dawn knew when she was being lied to, as an expert liar herself. "I'm staying down here for the party, anyway. I can't believe you guys let me fall asleep!"
Buffy turned to the others as Dawn yawned again and whispered, "Guess that means game over, huh?"
They all got up off the floor and started the party up again. Willow turned the CD player back on, Xander brought in more beers, and Richard, Clem, Sophie, Anya, and Tara sat down for a hand of poker. Buffy started to wonder again why no one was leaving, but was distracted from that thought when she saw Spike head for the kitchen. Seeing that everyone else was preoccupied, she quickly went after him.
* * * *
Spike sat at the counter, nursing another beer. Buffy walked quietly into the kitchen, but the vampire sensed her before she was even through the doorway. "Is it later yet?"
Though Buffy knew exactly what he meant, she pretended to play dumb. "What do you mean?"
Spike rolled his eyes and sighed. "You know exactly what I mean, Buffy." He looked directly into her eyes and spoke evenly. "Why didn't you kiss the whelp? Why did you kiss me? And… and why are you staring at me like that?"
Buffy couldn't help it. He just looked so damn adorable sitting there like that, gesturing emphatically with one hand, holding the beer with the other, and his hair all over the place from their recent public make-out session. Of course, she would never admit that to him. It took all of her willpower *not* to rush over and kiss him like he'd never been kissed before.
Buffy smiled and stepped right in front of him. "You know, I like the jealous look on you. Suits you well."
Spike scowled. "I am not…"
"Oh, you know you are." Spike scowled again, but this time stared at the floor and didn't attempt to deny her accusation. Buffy ran a hand through his hair softly, wrapping the curls around her fingers. "I didn't kiss him because I didn't *want* to kiss him, Spike. And I kissed you because I *did*."
Spike looked at her with the same awe as before, when she had denied Richard. He couldn't possibly conceive that she'd want him over that pretty boy. Especially not in front of her friends.
"Just make sure that you realize I am completely drunk right now." Spike's face dropped, crestfallen. Buffy laughed. "Oh, god, are you sensitive! I just meant that I *will* deny anything that happened between me and you tonight to my friends. That doesn't mean I didn't want to kiss you, though. In fact," Buffy paused and looked at him coyly from beneath her lashes, "I'm getting that particular urge right now."
She took him by the collar of his shirt and slowly pulled him to meet her, sharing another soft kiss. As their kisses became more passionate and heated, they once again slipped out of the real world and into their own.
"Hey, Buffy!" Xander yelled to her from the living room, causing the Slayer to yelp and back away from her vamp. "Could you bring in some more of that cheesy popcorn? Man, is that stuff good!"
She looked sheepishly back up to Spike, who regarded her disapprovingly. "How long are we gonna hide from your friends, pet? Are you ever gonna tell them?"
"I will. Eventually." She moved away from her undead lover and picked up the bowl of cheesy popcorn. "But right now, I'm just gonna worry about the party. We'll see where things go from there, 'kay?"
And with that, she returned to the party that would never end.
THE END
THE CHALLENGE:
~ Takes place during Buffy's birthday party during OAFA
~ Someone must suggest a game of Spin the Bottle with twisted rules:
~~ Must kiss whoever the bottle lands on, regardless of sex or their partner
~~ If the bottle lands to the right of the person, it just has to be a peck
~~ If it lands to the left, it has to be a sloppy, make-out kiss
~~ If it lands in the middles, the person it landed on must choose
~~ If you *don't* kiss, both people have to take off an article of clothing
~ The following kisses must occur:
~~ Buffy/Spike (lands to left)
~~ Anya/Tara (lands to left)
~~ Willow/Xander (lands to center)
~~ Clem/Tara (lands to right)
~~ Buffy/Richard (lands to center)
~ The following kisses are optional:
~~ Tara/Xander (didn't do)
~~ Buffy/Willow (didn't do)
~~ Spike/Sophie (didn't do)
~~ Clem/Sophie (did!!!)
~~ Willow/Tara (didn't do)
~ The following people must remove clothing:
~~ Spike
~~ Buffy
~~ Anya
~~ Richard
~~ Willow
By Sweetiegrrl
DISCLAIMERS: All things "Buffy" belong to Whedon, the lucky git.
RATING: PG-13
SPOILERS: Mucho for OAFA
FEEDBACK: I love it! E-mail at mihalik@wpaccs.com
DISTRIBUTION: Just tell me where it's going, and all's good.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is a response to a challenge posted at the Crumbling Walls B/S forum by Greengirl47. The challenge was a game of 'Spin the Bottle' played during OAFA. Thanks for the idea, Greengirl47, it was a hoot to write! Challenge listed at the bottom.
Oh, and **thoughts** and *emphasis*. Hope that helps.
Buffy looked around at the vast array of soiled dishes, used cups, and various other party favors that had been strewn throughout the kitchen and let out a weary sigh. Alone in the room, she sat at the counter and dropped her head into her hands. The party had wound down and although everyone was tired and ready to go home, no one had left. Just as Buffy had begun to ponder the oddness of their refusals to leave, a large crash sounded from the living room where she had left her guests. The Slayer quickly sprung to her feet and raced to the awaiting catastrophe.
Buffy reached the living room and saw the most frightening thing her Slayer eyes had ever beheld. Clem and Sophie, furiously making out on her living room floor. So furiously, in fact, that they had knocked over the lamp that had been standing next to them. Apparently Clem's 'skin condition' wasn't that much of a problem for her DoubleMeat co-worker. Spike snickered, Willow and Xander giggled like school children, Tara blushed embarrassedly, Richard searched for something else to look at, and Anya watched in fascination. Finally, Sophie came up for air, though apparently Clem didn't need to. She looked around at the Scoobies surrounding her, took another large gulp, then calmly asked, "Okay, who's next?"
Buffy stared at her friends completely bewildered. "Alright, I very obviously missed a great big something here. Could someone please tell me exactly what's going on? 'Cause right now, I'm thinking I need some answers."
"Relax, Buff," Xander replied with a goofy, drunken grin plastered on his face. "We're just having some fun of the 'Spin the Bottle' variety. Wanna play?"
Buffy glanced over to Spike, who already had tonight's familiar leer in place. She rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to Xander and Willow. "Are you guys reliving the high school glory days? Or are you just seriously drunk? We *should not* be playing 'Spin the Bottle', especially not while Dawn's here!"
Willow grinned a sleepy, also drunken smile and let out a giggle. "Don't worry, Buffy. Dawn fell asleep over on the couch." The Slayer looked to the couch and confirmed what Willow said. "Anyway, she's a really heavy sleeper. She'll never even know it happened, promise."
"So all the lamp crashing won't be a problem, then?" Buffy replied dryly. Willow started giggling uncontrollably and got Xander started again as well.
"Relax, pet." Spike rose from his spot on the floor and stood next to the small blonde. "Sophie and Clement here just got caught up in the moment. Heat and passion and all that. I'm sure we could be much more *controlled*." The deep drop in his voice at the last word coupled with the sexy grin he shot her started to do unmentionable things to Buffy, but eventually she realized where she was and snapped out of the thrall he put her under.
"*WE* are not doing anything, Spike. And really, I'm not seeing the fun here."
Xander looked up to Buffy from the floor, goofy grin still on his face, and let out a whine. "Aw, come on Buffster. Making out with various, good- looking people. What's not fun about that? Plus, numerous opportunities for merciless ridicule."
Buffy again turned her attention to Spike, thought for a moment, then let a wide grin wipe across her face.
"I'm in."
* * * *
The Slayer took her place in the circle, sitting snuggly between Richard on the left and Tara on the right. Spike sat directly in front of her, with Xander and Anya to his right and Willow on his left. Clem and Sophie sat to Willow's left and Tara's right. They sat there in their tight circle while Buffy twirled the bottle absently in her hands.
"Okay, it's been a very long time since I've played a make-out game, so does anyone want to run the rules by me real quick?"
Anya perked up, happy to know that she was finally able to do something important tonight. Besides, she was a pro at making-out, so she should be the one to handle this. "Oh, it's simple. We all take turns spinning the glass bottle. When it lands on someone, you kiss them. If it lands to their right, it's a small peck, something nice and chaste. No big fun there. But if it lands to their left, watch out! Then it's get-a-closet time!"
Buffy absorbed this information, then looked at Anya. "What happens if it lands directly in front of them, though?"
Anya smiled eagerly, again happy to be of service. "Well then, it's the choice of the person the bottle landed on. Small and sweet, long and sloppy. All up to them."
Buffy turned her focus to Spike, who was now grinning like a mad man, and fidgeted nervously. "Fine. Who's first?"
Anya once again piped up, thrilled to be the expert on something other than demons or vengeance. "The bottle landed on Clem last, so that means it's his turn to spin," she said proudly.
Clem looked up startled, still recovering from his encounter with Sophie. "Oh, me? Alright." He nervously took the bottle from Buffy's hands and set it on the floor in the middle of the circle. He grasped it in his hands and, with a flick of his wrists, sent the bottle spinning. Around and around it went, seeming to slow then speed up as it passed each of the girls.
**Wait a sec** Buffy thought uneasily. **He can't move things with his mind, can he? Because that might be one of his demony powers. Oh, god, I hope he doesn't have a thing for me…** The Slayer really didn't have anything against Clem. She actually thought he was quite nice for someone she supposedly should be slaying. But she refused to make out with more than *one* demon at a time.
Finally, the bottle's rotation slowed more and more until it eventually rested on…
"Tara!" Willow giggled and clapped her hands together.
Luckily for Tara, the bottle rested slightly to the right of her so the kiss was short and sweet. Again, no offense to Clement, but there was only one person Tara could ever think of kissing.
Tara moved back to her seat after the kiss ended, then realized it was her turn now. She went to the center of the circle once more, placed her hands on the bottle, and spun. The bottle went around and around, while the blonde witch silently prayed to her Goddess that it would land on her semi- ex-lover. But apparently the Goddess wasn't taking calls today.
Anya's face lit up and a huge smile spread across her face. "Yippee! My turn! Remember, Tara. Just because I make out with you doesn't mean I'm a lesbian." She sent an adoring glance to her fiancé. "I belong to Xander and him alone." She turned back to face the witch. "Although I do find you very attractive."
Tara smiled politely, then disappointedly noticed that the bottle was slightly to the ex-demon's left. She and Anya moved to the center of the circle and awkwardly placed their hands on each other's shoulders, though Anya still had a grin on her face. Tara, being an expert on kissing girls, took the lead. She slowly leaned down to Anya, planning on being gentle and soft. But as the former demon that she was, Anya would have none of that. She grasped the back of Tara's neck and pulled her into a fiercely passionate kiss. Lips clashed, tongues swirled, hearts raced. Finally, they both came up for much needed oxygen, Anya's smile still firmly in place. "How was that? Did I do well?"
Everyone stared at the two women in the center of the circle, while all of the males picked their jaws up from the floor. Finally, Xander groaned loudly. "Oh god, I'm uncomfortable. And not in a bad way."
Buffy snapped out of her stupor and put on a *yuck* face, "Welcome to 'To Much Information-Ville'. Thanks for sharing, Xand."
Willow glared at the ex-demon, now having another reason to dislike her, and spoke shortly. "Fine. Good. Tara's turn is over. Get it over with, Anya."
Anya returned the redhead's glare. "It's just a game, Willow. A game that I happen to be good at." She giddily turned her attention back to the rest of the gang. "My turn!"
* * * *
The partygoers took a refreshment break before Anya spun the bottle, knowing that they would need something to drink once she was through again. When everyone returned with their alcoholic beverages in hand, she eagerly picked up the bottle and placed it back on the floor. The bottle continued to twirl for what seemed like minutes, finally resting on Richard. He sat up straighter, looking decidedly more eager than he should while sitting right across from Xander, when everyone heard Anya's loud sigh.
"Darn," was the only thing she uttered before she proceeded to remove her top, leaving her in just her bra.
Xander looked horrified. "Ahn, what's with the nakedness?! What are you doing?!!"
"Oh, did I forget to mention that?" She replied, apparently not fazed by her lack of a top. "If a person refuses to kiss who the bottle lands on, both of them have to remove an article of clothing."
Again, Xander appeared flabbergasted. "Okay, I get that. But why aren't you kissing Richard? And couldn't you have removed a shoe or something?"
Anya giggled. "Silly Xander. The game's no fun if everyone acts like a prude! Anyway, I can't kiss Richard." She leaned in and whispered to him conspiratorially, "He's here for Buffy, remember?"
Richard looked downtrodden, removed a shoe, and moved to the center of the circle to take his turn. He spun the bottle, and it landed directly on…
"SPIKE!!!" Buffy burst into a hysterical fit of giggles, rolling onto Tara's lap. Everyone decided that Buffy had drunk a little more alcohol than she should have, and was quickly approaching Cave!Buffy territory.
Spike glared at the drunken Slayer and removed his prized leather duster. "Bloody hell, no! Are you insane? I'm not kissing this ponce!" Richard let out a sigh of relief, then took off his shoe.
Spike moved to the center of the circle and, smirking all the while at the Slayer, sent the bottle spinning with a flick of his wrist. Buffy felt her face flush, but couldn't decide if it was from anticipation or consumption of so much alcohol. As the bottle slowly stopped right to the left of her, she went with anticipation.
Buffy stumbled into the circle with Spike, hearing Xander's gleefully muttered, "She has to kiss the Evil Undead!" underneath all of his giggles, and sighed. She looked up just as Spike smiled at her, and she noticed something peculiar. This was not his usual smirk or leer, but a genuine, simple smile. It warmed something inside her chest seeing him like that, but she decided *that* was the beer talking.
Spike placed a hand on each side of her face and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. Buffy knew that she should be mad at his show of affection in front of her friends, but with the warm feelings inside her multiplying like bunnies, she just couldn't seem to care. Spike slowly leaned towards her, knowing this may be the only chance he had to be gentle. His lips lightly ran across her own, brushing softly before pulling back. Buffy, who had already closed her eyes in response to the sensation, dazedly opened them back up and looked into the vampires soft blue ones, which were fastened on her, awaiting approval. She then realized what he was doing. He was giving her an out, telling her that they didn't have to make out in front of her friends. But the Slayer played by the rules. Well, most of the time… Anyway, the bottle landed to the left and she knew what she had to do.
She once again leaned into Spike's embrace, kissing him slowly, sensually. She wrapped her arms around his neck and ran her tongue across his lips. He allowed her entry and responded in kind, snaking his arms around her back and sliding them underneath her shirt slowly. He ran his cool hands along her spine, making her shiver from the touch. Their tongues dueled, but not in the fierce fight for dominance that they were used to. This kiss was more playful, softer. It was everything Spike had been waiting for, and everything Buffy never knew she wanted from him. They were lost in each other, the world falling away beneath them.
"Uh-hem." That is, until Xander realized that they had spent *much* more time making out than was required. "You guys *can* stop macking on each other now."
Mid-kiss, Buffy's eyes widened comically as she realized where she was and pushed Spike off her. He was startled for a moment, in shock from loss of contact, but quickly regained his wits and glared at the blonde in front of him. She glared back, and as the heat sizzled between them, Xander coughed once more.
"That would make it your turn, Buff."
Buffy continued to glare at Spike as he went back to his spot. "That it would."
She took the bottle in her hand and spun it lightly. Again, it landed on Richard. The poor boy looked *way* too hopeful. Buffy noticed it landed right in the center, too, meaning that it was Richard's choice. Yippee.
She glanced at her vampire, and was shocked by how jealous he seemed. Well, not shocked really. She knew Spike, and she knew that he'd be jealous of a pineapple if she was showing it some affection. She gave a small sympathetic smile to him, then turned to Richard. "Sorry," she said as she took off her shoe.
Richard and Spike both looked at the Slayer in disbelief, Spike with pure wonderment and Richard with utter desperation. The construction worker grumbled to himself as he pulled of a sock. Spike turned to Buffy, mouthing 'Why?', to which she replied, 'Later'.
Richard 'humphed' once more before again taking his place in the center of the circle. He spun the bottle, and this time it landed on Willow. He enthusiastically moved towards her, hoping to finally get some lovin', when to his horror she began to remove her shoe.
"Sorry, not interested," she said distractedly, while glancing at Tara. She took the bottle and spun it, using a little telekinesis to land it exactly where she wanted, magic addiction be damned. She smiled wickedly at Anya, ready to wreak a little vengeance herself.
"Xander! No, you can't kiss Xander!!" Anya shouted in terror.
Willow smirked. "Sorry, Anya. Them's the rules." She and Xander moved to the circle and the witch whispered to her friend. "It was in the middle, so what do you want to do, Xander?"
Xander shrugged and whispered back. "Seeing as I'm drunk off my ass, we could probably get away with some serious making out right now. But I really don't want to hurt Ahn. And I know you don't want to hurt Tara, either. So…" He bent down and placed a chaste kiss on her lips, as Anya and Tara let out matching sighs of relief.
Xander was leaning back into the center to spin the bottle when everyone heard a loud yawn from behind them.
"What are you all doing? Trying to raise to ancient spirit or something?" Dawn sat up, opening her sleep-filled eyes and looking suspiciously at the gang.
Buffy made a quick grab and hid the bottle under the couch before turning to face her sister. "Of course not Dawn. We tried that last week, remember? It wasn't really oodles of fun." The Slayer smiled a bit too perkily for Dawn's liking. "We're just sitting around, sharing…" She desperately looked to her friends, begging one of them to come up with something.
"Ghost stories," Spike said with a straight face. "Just sharing some of the more gruesome tales, Bit. Don't worry, I already told you most of them." This earned a glare from Buffy. "Why don't you just head up to your room and get to beddy-byes? Tuck yourself in, have a good sleep."
"Ha, no way! I *so* know you guys are keeping something from me!" Dawn knew when she was being lied to, as an expert liar herself. "I'm staying down here for the party, anyway. I can't believe you guys let me fall asleep!"
Buffy turned to the others as Dawn yawned again and whispered, "Guess that means game over, huh?"
They all got up off the floor and started the party up again. Willow turned the CD player back on, Xander brought in more beers, and Richard, Clem, Sophie, Anya, and Tara sat down for a hand of poker. Buffy started to wonder again why no one was leaving, but was distracted from that thought when she saw Spike head for the kitchen. Seeing that everyone else was preoccupied, she quickly went after him.
* * * *
Spike sat at the counter, nursing another beer. Buffy walked quietly into the kitchen, but the vampire sensed her before she was even through the doorway. "Is it later yet?"
Though Buffy knew exactly what he meant, she pretended to play dumb. "What do you mean?"
Spike rolled his eyes and sighed. "You know exactly what I mean, Buffy." He looked directly into her eyes and spoke evenly. "Why didn't you kiss the whelp? Why did you kiss me? And… and why are you staring at me like that?"
Buffy couldn't help it. He just looked so damn adorable sitting there like that, gesturing emphatically with one hand, holding the beer with the other, and his hair all over the place from their recent public make-out session. Of course, she would never admit that to him. It took all of her willpower *not* to rush over and kiss him like he'd never been kissed before.
Buffy smiled and stepped right in front of him. "You know, I like the jealous look on you. Suits you well."
Spike scowled. "I am not…"
"Oh, you know you are." Spike scowled again, but this time stared at the floor and didn't attempt to deny her accusation. Buffy ran a hand through his hair softly, wrapping the curls around her fingers. "I didn't kiss him because I didn't *want* to kiss him, Spike. And I kissed you because I *did*."
Spike looked at her with the same awe as before, when she had denied Richard. He couldn't possibly conceive that she'd want him over that pretty boy. Especially not in front of her friends.
"Just make sure that you realize I am completely drunk right now." Spike's face dropped, crestfallen. Buffy laughed. "Oh, god, are you sensitive! I just meant that I *will* deny anything that happened between me and you tonight to my friends. That doesn't mean I didn't want to kiss you, though. In fact," Buffy paused and looked at him coyly from beneath her lashes, "I'm getting that particular urge right now."
She took him by the collar of his shirt and slowly pulled him to meet her, sharing another soft kiss. As their kisses became more passionate and heated, they once again slipped out of the real world and into their own.
"Hey, Buffy!" Xander yelled to her from the living room, causing the Slayer to yelp and back away from her vamp. "Could you bring in some more of that cheesy popcorn? Man, is that stuff good!"
She looked sheepishly back up to Spike, who regarded her disapprovingly. "How long are we gonna hide from your friends, pet? Are you ever gonna tell them?"
"I will. Eventually." She moved away from her undead lover and picked up the bowl of cheesy popcorn. "But right now, I'm just gonna worry about the party. We'll see where things go from there, 'kay?"
And with that, she returned to the party that would never end.
THE END
THE CHALLENGE:
~ Takes place during Buffy's birthday party during OAFA
~ Someone must suggest a game of Spin the Bottle with twisted rules:
~~ Must kiss whoever the bottle lands on, regardless of sex or their partner
~~ If the bottle lands to the right of the person, it just has to be a peck
~~ If it lands to the left, it has to be a sloppy, make-out kiss
~~ If it lands in the middles, the person it landed on must choose
~~ If you *don't* kiss, both people have to take off an article of clothing
~ The following kisses must occur:
~~ Buffy/Spike (lands to left)
~~ Anya/Tara (lands to left)
~~ Willow/Xander (lands to center)
~~ Clem/Tara (lands to right)
~~ Buffy/Richard (lands to center)
~ The following kisses are optional:
~~ Tara/Xander (didn't do)
~~ Buffy/Willow (didn't do)
~~ Spike/Sophie (didn't do)
~~ Clem/Sophie (did!!!)
~~ Willow/Tara (didn't do)
~ The following people must remove clothing:
~~ Spike
~~ Buffy
~~ Anya
~~ Richard
~~ Willow