She sat on the floor, playing with her fingers.
Impatiently she kicked her foot at a piece of crumbled up brown wrapping, and then looked at the tiny blue cooler Tara had left beside her.
When she saw him coming down the stairs she stayed quiet and still until he found her himself.
His eyes softened, but he still looked hurt.
In more ways than one.
"What's this?" he asked, standing by the stairs.
"Your blood. And me...delivery girl."
"I see that. Why? You didn't seem to care that I was covered in blood last night so why bring me some this morning?"
She smiled.
God, she'd missed him.
"I was busy."
"Oh...BUSY."
"Trying to put Angel in the hospital....not like he'd ever need to go, but..."
He frowned. "Angel? You...you went after Angel?"
"Yeah, I did."
He moved closer, standing right in front of her but not sitting down on the floor. "Why?"
Buffy looked at his shoes, reaching out and touching them with the base of her thumb. "Because."
"Because?"
She didn't have to look at him to know he was smiling.
"He hurt you, didn't he?"
"He did."
"So I hurt him."
She heard him sigh and looked up, meeting his eyes. "Why?" he asked again, growing impatient.
"Because."
Suddenly he was sitting down in front of her, their eyes only inches apart. "Because why?"
"Because..." she reached out to touch his chest, her fingers coming dangerously close to the opening in his shirt.
His breath caught and she smiled.
She loved it when he did that...though he didn't need to. "Spike..."
"What?"
She looked up at him, licking her lips. "Kiss me."
He leaned in so close she could feel the cold coming off his skin.
"Why?"
She grinned. "Because I love you, stupid."
He laughed, licking his lips. "Really?" he asked, sounding uninterested.
"Yes...for some time now."
"Took you long enough." he mumbled.
His hand went behind her head and he pulled her mouth to his.
The kiss was slow at first, exploring what he'd missed the last few days. Then she pushed open his mouth and he remembered they didn't need to take it slow.
"Buffy..."
"Hmm?"
"I'm still mad at you."
"Okay." she mumbled, kissing him again.
He pushed her away a second, just looking at her face. "I love you."
She smiled, tears forming just a little in her eyes. "I love you too."
"And...I have to tell you something." he whispered, his mouth now right next to her ear.
Buffy leaned into him, sighing. "Okay."
"I asked Angel to beat me up."
"What?"
"I...he...it was sort of him helping me. He approves."
She looked at him. "He APPROVES?"
He nodded. "I guess. Or he just REALLY wanted to kick on me."
"I would guess the latter."
Spike's tongue came out of his mouth and she caught it in hers, sucking on it a little. He laughed, wiping his chin.
"You're so vulgar."
"Hey, you told me you liked that."
"Well I DO...it's still vulgar."
She kissed him quick and grinned. "Whorish."
"Very whorish."
She tugged at his earlobe. "You're so mean to me."
"Just truthful...not mean."
She kissed him and then shook her head. "Okay...I guess...so...about this Angel thing...I didn't HAVE to beat him up?"
"You never HAD to...but if you HAD had to...then no, you didn't."
She stared at him. "We have a real messed up thing going on here."
He scooted closer to her and she settled against him, almost in his lap. "That we do, kitten."
"Kitten?"
"No good?"
"No."
"Hmm..."
"Baby was...okay it's just......nothing seems...right."
"Whore?"
She turned pinched his leg. "No."
"Well...figure something out and get back to me."
"Okay...hungry?"
His lips were suddenly on her neck, and she sighed when a slow sharpness came across the sensitive skin. "Very."
"Not for...me...for food."
"You're food some of the time..."
She turned her head up so she could look at him upside down and he kissed her, his teeth cutting across her tongue.
"Mmm..."
"Spike...are you hungry or not?"
His arms went around her and squeezed. "You're not mad at me...about Angel?"
"Angel's a bastard."
He laughed, kissing the top of her head. "That he is, slayer....but...he's...."
She turned fully now, looking at him.
His vampire face was gone in an instant and she saw the hurt all across his face. "He's what?"
"He's Angel."
"So?"
"You..."
She sat up some, on her knees in front of him. "He's nothing...you're what I want and have now. Angel's...an afterthought."
He sighed. "Still...he's a thought."
"He's a thought I have when I'm feeling particularly happy and I instantly get depressed. He's...he's not you."
Spike smiled. "He's not, is he?"
She kissed him slow, hands lingering in his hair and messing it just a little. "No one is. No more Angel...or fighting."
Spike's arms came up around her lower back, picking her up some and setting her in his lap. "Unless it's foreplay."
She laughed, pushing him onto the floor. He didn't seem to mind. "Of course."
Impatiently she kicked her foot at a piece of crumbled up brown wrapping, and then looked at the tiny blue cooler Tara had left beside her.
When she saw him coming down the stairs she stayed quiet and still until he found her himself.
His eyes softened, but he still looked hurt.
In more ways than one.
"What's this?" he asked, standing by the stairs.
"Your blood. And me...delivery girl."
"I see that. Why? You didn't seem to care that I was covered in blood last night so why bring me some this morning?"
She smiled.
God, she'd missed him.
"I was busy."
"Oh...BUSY."
"Trying to put Angel in the hospital....not like he'd ever need to go, but..."
He frowned. "Angel? You...you went after Angel?"
"Yeah, I did."
He moved closer, standing right in front of her but not sitting down on the floor. "Why?"
Buffy looked at his shoes, reaching out and touching them with the base of her thumb. "Because."
"Because?"
She didn't have to look at him to know he was smiling.
"He hurt you, didn't he?"
"He did."
"So I hurt him."
She heard him sigh and looked up, meeting his eyes. "Why?" he asked again, growing impatient.
"Because."
Suddenly he was sitting down in front of her, their eyes only inches apart. "Because why?"
"Because..." she reached out to touch his chest, her fingers coming dangerously close to the opening in his shirt.
His breath caught and she smiled.
She loved it when he did that...though he didn't need to. "Spike..."
"What?"
She looked up at him, licking her lips. "Kiss me."
He leaned in so close she could feel the cold coming off his skin.
"Why?"
She grinned. "Because I love you, stupid."
He laughed, licking his lips. "Really?" he asked, sounding uninterested.
"Yes...for some time now."
"Took you long enough." he mumbled.
His hand went behind her head and he pulled her mouth to his.
The kiss was slow at first, exploring what he'd missed the last few days. Then she pushed open his mouth and he remembered they didn't need to take it slow.
"Buffy..."
"Hmm?"
"I'm still mad at you."
"Okay." she mumbled, kissing him again.
He pushed her away a second, just looking at her face. "I love you."
She smiled, tears forming just a little in her eyes. "I love you too."
"And...I have to tell you something." he whispered, his mouth now right next to her ear.
Buffy leaned into him, sighing. "Okay."
"I asked Angel to beat me up."
"What?"
"I...he...it was sort of him helping me. He approves."
She looked at him. "He APPROVES?"
He nodded. "I guess. Or he just REALLY wanted to kick on me."
"I would guess the latter."
Spike's tongue came out of his mouth and she caught it in hers, sucking on it a little. He laughed, wiping his chin.
"You're so vulgar."
"Hey, you told me you liked that."
"Well I DO...it's still vulgar."
She kissed him quick and grinned. "Whorish."
"Very whorish."
She tugged at his earlobe. "You're so mean to me."
"Just truthful...not mean."
She kissed him and then shook her head. "Okay...I guess...so...about this Angel thing...I didn't HAVE to beat him up?"
"You never HAD to...but if you HAD had to...then no, you didn't."
She stared at him. "We have a real messed up thing going on here."
He scooted closer to her and she settled against him, almost in his lap. "That we do, kitten."
"Kitten?"
"No good?"
"No."
"Hmm..."
"Baby was...okay it's just......nothing seems...right."
"Whore?"
She turned pinched his leg. "No."
"Well...figure something out and get back to me."
"Okay...hungry?"
His lips were suddenly on her neck, and she sighed when a slow sharpness came across the sensitive skin. "Very."
"Not for...me...for food."
"You're food some of the time..."
She turned her head up so she could look at him upside down and he kissed her, his teeth cutting across her tongue.
"Mmm..."
"Spike...are you hungry or not?"
His arms went around her and squeezed. "You're not mad at me...about Angel?"
"Angel's a bastard."
He laughed, kissing the top of her head. "That he is, slayer....but...he's...."
She turned fully now, looking at him.
His vampire face was gone in an instant and she saw the hurt all across his face. "He's what?"
"He's Angel."
"So?"
"You..."
She sat up some, on her knees in front of him. "He's nothing...you're what I want and have now. Angel's...an afterthought."
He sighed. "Still...he's a thought."
"He's a thought I have when I'm feeling particularly happy and I instantly get depressed. He's...he's not you."
Spike smiled. "He's not, is he?"
She kissed him slow, hands lingering in his hair and messing it just a little. "No one is. No more Angel...or fighting."
Spike's arms came up around her lower back, picking her up some and setting her in his lap. "Unless it's foreplay."
She laughed, pushing him onto the floor. He didn't seem to mind. "Of course."