Buffy stretched her arms over her head; the movements relaxed and slow. Her
back arched as her shoulders and elbows popped. Oh, that felt so good.
And, um yes, her bed was nice and toasty this morning. She rolled over onto
her side and opened her eyes to glance at the window and try to guess what
time it was. Except there was no window. She frowned in consternation.
Where did that pesky frame of glass and wood go?
She lifted her head off the impossible softness of the pillow to look around. Blue satin surrounded her. Satin? Blue satin? She ran her hand over the sheet. It was so soft and. slippery! Ooh. Slippery good! She sat up; suddenly noticing her nakedness as the sheet fell away from her body. Surely she wasn't completely. She glanced down. Yep. Naked as the day she was born. She fell back and wiggled her body, luxuriating in the feel of the silky material against her skin. Nothing could get her to budge from this spot. Not even.
"Spike!" She shrieked and jumped out of the bed, pulling the top sheet with her. "Oh my god oh my god oh my god!" She looked around, panicked. She was alone. Where had he gone? What had she done? What had they done? She searched back in her memory to the night before. She remembered the big fight with the Washubu demons, side by side with Spike. It had been a long, hard battle. There had been knives and swords, punches and kicks, biting and blood. And that had just been her contribution. Spike had fought just as hard, with all his heart and soul. Yes, the new souled Spike was as much a warrior as the old demon controlled version, perhaps better. He fought each of her battles as though they were his own. Last night had been no exception. They had triumphed despite being out-muscled and out-numbered. Exhausted, they had turned toward each other. She had seen the hunger and passion in his eyes, and answered them with her own hot gaze. Then.
Then nothing. Her memory was blank after that. Carefully, she re-approached the bed. It was big. California King. She reached out and quickly flicked the fluffy comforter off, expecting something to jump out at her. Nothing. No one. She sighed in a frustrated puff of air and sat back down on the mattress. So where was she and what had she done? She was sore and bruised, but then she'd had a major battle the night before. That was nothing new. She squirmed. Ouch.
She turned suddenly when the door opened. Spike walked in stark naked. "Oh my god."
"Finally awake, are you?"
"Where are we?"
"Clem's."
"We're naked at Clem's?"
He glanced down at his pale body, then looked back up at her, amusement dancing in his eyes. "Yeah."
"Oh!" She turned away, cheeks flaming.
"So now you're bashful. Didn't see much of that last night." He lifted a brow and inclined his head toward her.
"Where are my clothes? I can only find my boots."
"I took 'em."
"What?" She stood up, eyes blazing. "What is this, one of your crazy schemes to get me to cave in to your..." she looked him up and down. "Your limited charms?"
She paled as he laughed at her. Laughed! "That the best you can do Slayer? If so, I think I can prove you wrong in short order."
She turned away again. "No thanks. Just give me my clothes and I'll go."
"Can't." He replied airily, then plopped down on the bed, tucking his hands behind his head. "They're a bit wet."
"Wet? Like, with water wet?"
"Wet like in the washing machine wet." He glanced over at her, smirking as she continued to avert her gaze from him. "They were all covered with Washubu blood. Makes an awful stain if you don't get it out right away."
"Oh." Her shoulders were stiff and her neck rigid. "So, how much longer?"
"Give 'em an hour in the dryer, you'll be set to go."
"An... hour?"
"'Bout the size and shape."
"Um, Spike. If we're going to be here for an hour..."
"Yes, love?"
"Would you... would you." She blushed again and gestured in the general vicinity of his crotch.
"Oh, is this botherin' you?"
"Please?"
"Sure, love." He plucked up her pillow and deposited it over his lap. "Better?"
She gave him an irritated glare. "It'll do."
"Glad to hear it."
"Did you have to use my pillow?"
"Thought you were done with it. Besides. It's Clem's pillow."
Buffy closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Spike, what are we doing at Clem's?"
"You don't remember?"
"Would I ask if I remembered?"
"Ooh. Touchy touchy."
"Spike!"
"You don't remember anything?" He sounded genuinely surprised.
Buffy softened. "I remember our fight, then...nothing" she frowned. "Except my butt is really sore."
Spike smirked. "It would be."
"Ewww!"
"You didn't think so last night." His voice trailed off and he wagged his eyebrows at her.
"Oh my god." She clutched the sheet more tightly around her. Tentatively she raised her eyes. "I don't know why this is bothering me so much. I mean, its not like this is the first time we..."
"Woke up naked together?"
"Well, maybe it is the first time for that. I mean, the waking up part."
"Yeah." He nodded his agreement, then rolled over to face her, dislodging the pillow in the process. He picked it up to cover himself again. "Buffy, what is it that you think you need to be ashamed about?"
"It's... I... we..." She took a deep breath. "This wasn't supposed to happen yet."
"Yet?"
"Before we could, you know, talk."
"Hmm. Now this is gettin' interesting. What did we have to talk about?"
"You know. You. Me. How we were. How we are."
"Oh you talked, sweetheart."
"Why don't I remember."
"I'm guessing that would be the demon blood."
"What about the demon blood?"
"You were covered in it, pet."
"So were you."
"So you don't remember falling either?"
"Falling?"
"Yes." His voice was a study in patient lecturing. "We finished off the Washubus. Next thing I knew you were charging toward me with intentions of compromising my honor and..."
"Compromising your honor?!"
"Technically, poor William is a virgin, you know."
She rolled her eyes. "Oh brother."
"And there you were, ready to jump my bones with nary a by your leave."
"I. Did. Not."
"No you didn't, because you picked that moment to slip on a pool of demon blood and you fell on your..." He bit his lip and attempted to peek under her sheet. When she drew the sheet more tightly around her backside he lifted his gaze back to her face. "That's when you started in with the babbling."
She drew back and frowned at him. "What kind of babbling. I don't babble."
"Right."
"Sometimes I have trouble explaining myself, and I try to clarify what I meant to say when I didn't really say what I meant, but I don't babble."
"Right."
"Stop it!"
"Stop what?"
"Agreeing with me like that."
"OK." They looked at each other, and dissolved in laughter.
She reached out and touched his face. "You know what? I like you."
"I know."
"You know?"
"You told me. Last night."
"Oh." She dropped her hand self-consciously. "What else did I tell you?"
"That your favorite color is bubblegum pink, that you'd rather buy clothes than eat, that killin' demons really is a turn on for you, and..." He smiled evilly and she glimpsed the tip of his tongue, "that I'm the best sex you've ever had."
"I didn't... I couldn't... Why did I tell you all that?"
"Demon blood. Washubus have a special power to make people tell secrets. You took a bath in it."
"When I fell?"
He nodded.
"And I hurt my.?" She glanced toward her backside.
"Now you're getting' it."
"Oh." She looked at him. "Did I say anything else?"
"Love, you talked for four hours straight. I dare say you have no secrets. The striptease was nice too."
"Strip.?" She couldn't quite squeak out the word.
"You shoulda seen me tryin' to get your knickers down from the ceiling fan so I could wash 'em."
She smacked his arm. "Stop it!"
"I was just sayin'."
"Shut up." She pulled her arms tightly around her and turned her back to him again. "Where's Clem?"
"My place. He's a bit shy about these sorts of things. Doesn't much like seeing so much tight flesh."
"His place is. nice."
"Only the best for my boy Clem."
Buffy fell silent and stared at the wall uncomfortably. Finally she spoke up. "How much longer? For the clothes, I mean."
"Half hour, give or take." Spike nudged her. "We could maybe do something to make the time pass faster."
"No!" Buffy was emphatic. "No doing anything like that."
"Like what?"
"Like you and me and naked sweaty body stuff."
"Thought you liked it. In point of fact, last night you said."
"I don't want to know." She groaned.
"Wasn't so bad, you know." He told her lightly. "You were very specific about exactly what you do like. Demanding, even."
"De. demanding?"
"Emphatically."
Buffy looked at him in mortified panic, "Spike, please tell me that I didn't ask you to." She broke off and narrowed her eyes at him. "Wait a minute."
"What?" Big blue eyes fastened on her face innocently.
"Where are your bumps and bruises?" She scowled and turned around to stare at the mostly naked body lying beside her. "Where are your scratches and hickeys and things?" She ran a hand across his chest and up to his shoulder. "All I see are day-old demon fighting marks. Where are my nail prints?" She rose up on her knees, her voice growing steadily louder. "Where are my bite marks?"
"Ah, Pet. Well that."
"We didn't do anything last night, did we?" She bent over and glared into his face. "Did we?"
"Wasn't for lack of trying." He muttered.
"I don't believe you!" She backed up and scrambled off the bed and stood across the room, her chest heaving in indignation. "You try to convince me that you're different now, that your soul has taught you right from wrong, and the first time you get a chance to take advantage of me you go and. take advantage of me!"
"What?!" He sat up, completely offended.
"Don't you 'what' me you. you Vampire." She spat.
"Now you listen here, missy."
"I thought you'd changed." Her chin wobbled and she blinked back the tears that were stinging her eyes. "I thought that finally we could, we might be able to.to." She couldn't say the words
His expression softened and he tilted his head, "Fall in love, pet?"
She turned away, unable to stop the tears. He rose from the bed and stood behind her, his hands resting gently on her shoulders. "It's ok Buffy." He whispered softly in her ear. "Nothing happened."
She sniffed inelegantly. "What do you mean?"
He turned her to look at him, his hands still gentle and caressing. "I mean we didn't." He nodded toward the bed.
"We didn't?"
"You did your little sexy dance and babbled all your secrets, then fell asleep. I collected up the clothes and that's all."
"Really?"
"Really." He lowered his lips to hers and barely touched her with a soft kiss.
"Spike?"
"Hmm?"
"I love you."
"I know." He answered smugly. "You told me."
She lifted her head off the impossible softness of the pillow to look around. Blue satin surrounded her. Satin? Blue satin? She ran her hand over the sheet. It was so soft and. slippery! Ooh. Slippery good! She sat up; suddenly noticing her nakedness as the sheet fell away from her body. Surely she wasn't completely. She glanced down. Yep. Naked as the day she was born. She fell back and wiggled her body, luxuriating in the feel of the silky material against her skin. Nothing could get her to budge from this spot. Not even.
"Spike!" She shrieked and jumped out of the bed, pulling the top sheet with her. "Oh my god oh my god oh my god!" She looked around, panicked. She was alone. Where had he gone? What had she done? What had they done? She searched back in her memory to the night before. She remembered the big fight with the Washubu demons, side by side with Spike. It had been a long, hard battle. There had been knives and swords, punches and kicks, biting and blood. And that had just been her contribution. Spike had fought just as hard, with all his heart and soul. Yes, the new souled Spike was as much a warrior as the old demon controlled version, perhaps better. He fought each of her battles as though they were his own. Last night had been no exception. They had triumphed despite being out-muscled and out-numbered. Exhausted, they had turned toward each other. She had seen the hunger and passion in his eyes, and answered them with her own hot gaze. Then.
Then nothing. Her memory was blank after that. Carefully, she re-approached the bed. It was big. California King. She reached out and quickly flicked the fluffy comforter off, expecting something to jump out at her. Nothing. No one. She sighed in a frustrated puff of air and sat back down on the mattress. So where was she and what had she done? She was sore and bruised, but then she'd had a major battle the night before. That was nothing new. She squirmed. Ouch.
She turned suddenly when the door opened. Spike walked in stark naked. "Oh my god."
"Finally awake, are you?"
"Where are we?"
"Clem's."
"We're naked at Clem's?"
He glanced down at his pale body, then looked back up at her, amusement dancing in his eyes. "Yeah."
"Oh!" She turned away, cheeks flaming.
"So now you're bashful. Didn't see much of that last night." He lifted a brow and inclined his head toward her.
"Where are my clothes? I can only find my boots."
"I took 'em."
"What?" She stood up, eyes blazing. "What is this, one of your crazy schemes to get me to cave in to your..." she looked him up and down. "Your limited charms?"
She paled as he laughed at her. Laughed! "That the best you can do Slayer? If so, I think I can prove you wrong in short order."
She turned away again. "No thanks. Just give me my clothes and I'll go."
"Can't." He replied airily, then plopped down on the bed, tucking his hands behind his head. "They're a bit wet."
"Wet? Like, with water wet?"
"Wet like in the washing machine wet." He glanced over at her, smirking as she continued to avert her gaze from him. "They were all covered with Washubu blood. Makes an awful stain if you don't get it out right away."
"Oh." Her shoulders were stiff and her neck rigid. "So, how much longer?"
"Give 'em an hour in the dryer, you'll be set to go."
"An... hour?"
"'Bout the size and shape."
"Um, Spike. If we're going to be here for an hour..."
"Yes, love?"
"Would you... would you." She blushed again and gestured in the general vicinity of his crotch.
"Oh, is this botherin' you?"
"Please?"
"Sure, love." He plucked up her pillow and deposited it over his lap. "Better?"
She gave him an irritated glare. "It'll do."
"Glad to hear it."
"Did you have to use my pillow?"
"Thought you were done with it. Besides. It's Clem's pillow."
Buffy closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Spike, what are we doing at Clem's?"
"You don't remember?"
"Would I ask if I remembered?"
"Ooh. Touchy touchy."
"Spike!"
"You don't remember anything?" He sounded genuinely surprised.
Buffy softened. "I remember our fight, then...nothing" she frowned. "Except my butt is really sore."
Spike smirked. "It would be."
"Ewww!"
"You didn't think so last night." His voice trailed off and he wagged his eyebrows at her.
"Oh my god." She clutched the sheet more tightly around her. Tentatively she raised her eyes. "I don't know why this is bothering me so much. I mean, its not like this is the first time we..."
"Woke up naked together?"
"Well, maybe it is the first time for that. I mean, the waking up part."
"Yeah." He nodded his agreement, then rolled over to face her, dislodging the pillow in the process. He picked it up to cover himself again. "Buffy, what is it that you think you need to be ashamed about?"
"It's... I... we..." She took a deep breath. "This wasn't supposed to happen yet."
"Yet?"
"Before we could, you know, talk."
"Hmm. Now this is gettin' interesting. What did we have to talk about?"
"You know. You. Me. How we were. How we are."
"Oh you talked, sweetheart."
"Why don't I remember."
"I'm guessing that would be the demon blood."
"What about the demon blood?"
"You were covered in it, pet."
"So were you."
"So you don't remember falling either?"
"Falling?"
"Yes." His voice was a study in patient lecturing. "We finished off the Washubus. Next thing I knew you were charging toward me with intentions of compromising my honor and..."
"Compromising your honor?!"
"Technically, poor William is a virgin, you know."
She rolled her eyes. "Oh brother."
"And there you were, ready to jump my bones with nary a by your leave."
"I. Did. Not."
"No you didn't, because you picked that moment to slip on a pool of demon blood and you fell on your..." He bit his lip and attempted to peek under her sheet. When she drew the sheet more tightly around her backside he lifted his gaze back to her face. "That's when you started in with the babbling."
She drew back and frowned at him. "What kind of babbling. I don't babble."
"Right."
"Sometimes I have trouble explaining myself, and I try to clarify what I meant to say when I didn't really say what I meant, but I don't babble."
"Right."
"Stop it!"
"Stop what?"
"Agreeing with me like that."
"OK." They looked at each other, and dissolved in laughter.
She reached out and touched his face. "You know what? I like you."
"I know."
"You know?"
"You told me. Last night."
"Oh." She dropped her hand self-consciously. "What else did I tell you?"
"That your favorite color is bubblegum pink, that you'd rather buy clothes than eat, that killin' demons really is a turn on for you, and..." He smiled evilly and she glimpsed the tip of his tongue, "that I'm the best sex you've ever had."
"I didn't... I couldn't... Why did I tell you all that?"
"Demon blood. Washubus have a special power to make people tell secrets. You took a bath in it."
"When I fell?"
He nodded.
"And I hurt my.?" She glanced toward her backside.
"Now you're getting' it."
"Oh." She looked at him. "Did I say anything else?"
"Love, you talked for four hours straight. I dare say you have no secrets. The striptease was nice too."
"Strip.?" She couldn't quite squeak out the word.
"You shoulda seen me tryin' to get your knickers down from the ceiling fan so I could wash 'em."
She smacked his arm. "Stop it!"
"I was just sayin'."
"Shut up." She pulled her arms tightly around her and turned her back to him again. "Where's Clem?"
"My place. He's a bit shy about these sorts of things. Doesn't much like seeing so much tight flesh."
"His place is. nice."
"Only the best for my boy Clem."
Buffy fell silent and stared at the wall uncomfortably. Finally she spoke up. "How much longer? For the clothes, I mean."
"Half hour, give or take." Spike nudged her. "We could maybe do something to make the time pass faster."
"No!" Buffy was emphatic. "No doing anything like that."
"Like what?"
"Like you and me and naked sweaty body stuff."
"Thought you liked it. In point of fact, last night you said."
"I don't want to know." She groaned.
"Wasn't so bad, you know." He told her lightly. "You were very specific about exactly what you do like. Demanding, even."
"De. demanding?"
"Emphatically."
Buffy looked at him in mortified panic, "Spike, please tell me that I didn't ask you to." She broke off and narrowed her eyes at him. "Wait a minute."
"What?" Big blue eyes fastened on her face innocently.
"Where are your bumps and bruises?" She scowled and turned around to stare at the mostly naked body lying beside her. "Where are your scratches and hickeys and things?" She ran a hand across his chest and up to his shoulder. "All I see are day-old demon fighting marks. Where are my nail prints?" She rose up on her knees, her voice growing steadily louder. "Where are my bite marks?"
"Ah, Pet. Well that."
"We didn't do anything last night, did we?" She bent over and glared into his face. "Did we?"
"Wasn't for lack of trying." He muttered.
"I don't believe you!" She backed up and scrambled off the bed and stood across the room, her chest heaving in indignation. "You try to convince me that you're different now, that your soul has taught you right from wrong, and the first time you get a chance to take advantage of me you go and. take advantage of me!"
"What?!" He sat up, completely offended.
"Don't you 'what' me you. you Vampire." She spat.
"Now you listen here, missy."
"I thought you'd changed." Her chin wobbled and she blinked back the tears that were stinging her eyes. "I thought that finally we could, we might be able to.to." She couldn't say the words
His expression softened and he tilted his head, "Fall in love, pet?"
She turned away, unable to stop the tears. He rose from the bed and stood behind her, his hands resting gently on her shoulders. "It's ok Buffy." He whispered softly in her ear. "Nothing happened."
She sniffed inelegantly. "What do you mean?"
He turned her to look at him, his hands still gentle and caressing. "I mean we didn't." He nodded toward the bed.
"We didn't?"
"You did your little sexy dance and babbled all your secrets, then fell asleep. I collected up the clothes and that's all."
"Really?"
"Really." He lowered his lips to hers and barely touched her with a soft kiss.
"Spike?"
"Hmm?"
"I love you."
"I know." He answered smugly. "You told me."