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great fics. I mean it . . .go vote. . . or no more chappies for you!!!
Yes, I mean YOU!! I get over 500 hits per chapter, and yet, not so many
votes? Hmmmm. . .are some of you NOT VOTING? Or NOT REVIEWING. Shame on
you! Kidding. . .I still love you!
Thanks again to Flames, Lady Anne and Silver.
Read and review away!
29. First Steps
Willow chased Buffy down the street outside of The Bronze. "Buffy stop! Buffy. . .please!"
The blonde finally slowed and felt her body begin to shake uncontrollably. Willow reached her and pulled her into a tight hug, petting her hair gently. "Don't let it get to you. He's just drunk."
Buffy pulled away, and shook her head rapidly. "No . . .I'm evil."
Willow chuckled and gave her friend a sympathetic look. "Buffy, you're not evil."
Buffy felt the tears start rolling down her face. "Yes, I am! I'm evil!" She took a deep breath. "And worse than that - I'm not JUST evil. I'm like the thing that created all evil. The first! May all lesser evil bow down before me!" She choked on her tears and began to cough.
Willow moved behind her friend and patted her on the back. "Can you breathe now?" When Buffy nodded, the redhead burst into giggles. Buffy stared at her friend incredulously, giving her a dirty look through swollen eyes. "Are you listening to yourself? 'I'm evil! Boohoo!' Do you realize how lame you sound?!"
Buffy realized just how ridiculous she was being and joined her friend in laughter. When they finally regained control Buffy spoke again, "But really-"
Willow looked at her with one eyebrow cocked. "-you're evil?!"
Buffy chuckled a bit. "No. Well, yes . . .but that's NOT what I was going to say," she said, pointing at her friend. "I was going to say, that Spike wasn't all wrong back there."
"Come on, Buffy," Willow said, taking her friend's hand to walk back to campus, "Spike's just a bad drunk. A REALLY bad drunk." She thought about it for a moment. "Yet, at the same time, can still kick a little Karaoke ass." Off of Buffy's death stare, Willow held up her hands protectively. "Stopping now."
The blonde sighed. "I know, he's a really bad, angry drunk. But, if you knew the things I did . . . I don't think you could look at me the same way again." Buffy avoided her friend's eyes.
"You mean like screw on a laundry table?"
Buffy froze in her tracks and turned to her friend. "What?!"
"Duh! It was way obvious. The way you two responded to Cordy's little story."
Buffy nodded, they really weren't being all that smooth that day in the van. "But there's more than that." The two began walking again. "That night in the day-off room, after we watched 'When Harry Met Sally,' I practically attacked him. He wanted to talk, and I wouldn't let him."
"What did you do?" Willow asked as she wrapped her jacket tightly around her body.
Buffy pulled the chopsticks from her hair, letting her locks fall loosely around her shoulders. "Nothing . . .I just-" she began twirling the wooden sticks between her fingers, "kinda . . .blew him."
Willow burst out laughing again. "No way!! You are so the guy!"
"What?"
"You know - he wants to talk, you want to screw - that's some major role reversal."
Buffy sighed and opened the gate for her friend. "Yup, and I blew it."
"Literally!" Willow shrieked, earning her a smack on the shoulder from her friend.
"Whatever." Buffy rolled her eyes. "He wanted to start a real relationship, and I just wanted to jump his bones."
"They are nice bones though," Willow said, thinking of Spike's tight body.
"Stop!" Buffy commanded.
"What?"
"Imagining my drunken, asshole, potential boyfriend, naked."
"Fine. . ." Willow walked with Buffy towards Revello. "What was with all that Angel talk?"
Buffy shrugged. "I don't know, maybe he's harboring some latent hostility towards him for the last time. Unless . . ." Buffy trailed off.
"Unless what?" Willow asked, curiously.
Buffy shook it off. "Nothing . . .it's not important. Besides, Spike's been hanging around with Drusilla a lot lately. I don't see why he would care about Angel, or even ME for that matter."
Willow couldn't believe her best friend's apparent stupidity. "He's like totally butt-crazy in love with you, that's why!"
"I don't know. . .it just seems like over the past few days they've been inseparable."
Willow stopped at the back door of Revello, lowering her voice, so as not to wake the campers. "I wouldn't worry that much about it. Plus, he's going to have to grovel to you for a lot more than Drusilla after he wakes up tomorrow with the mother of all hangovers."
Buffy laughed, and crossed her arms. "Well, it serves him right!"
Willow yawned and gave her friend another hug. "Are you alright now?" She pulled back and eyed her friend up and down. "Cuz I'm beat, and want to rest up. Tomorrow's the big game!"
Buffy smacked her forehead. "Oh my god! I can't believe I forgot." She paused, realization hitting her. "I guess Spike forgot too."
They both giggled at the thought. "THAT's going to be an interesting game."
"Even though I hate him," Buffy said, receiving a skeptical look from Willow, "I still want him to kick Angel's ass."
"I wish. But, I'm not sure our boy stands much chance of winning anything tomorrow - except for maybe toilet-bowl gymnastics."
---------------------------
DAY 14
Buffy searched the cafeteria for Spike. 'Where is he?' She spotted Conner with Dawn and walked over to their table. "So, where's bleach-boy this a.m.?"
Conner looked up at the counselor, with fear in his eyes. He hadn't said much to her since she busted him in Dawn's room. "I don't know . . .please don't hurt me?"
Buffy laughed, "I'm not going to hurt you Conner. I tried that tactic with Dawn - and it didn't work too well; she's still causing trouble."
"Hey!" Dawn exclaimed, rising from her chair.
Buffy lightly pushed her back in her seat. "Don't try to protest, honey, I know you and Janice short-sheeted Jonathan's bed two days ago."
Dawn's mouth dropped open wide. "How did you . . .?"
"Been there, done that, remember? Anything you can do I have done better," Buffy said, reminding the girl of the very first cabin meeting. She turned back to Conner, "So, you have no idea where Spike is?"
Conner shook his head, "I checked his bed this morning, but he wasn't there."
Buffy sighed, and thanked him for his help. She walked over to her co- counselor, who was sitting at a nearby table. "Anya, I have an errand to run, can you make sure everyone is quiet during the announcements?" When the woman nodded, Buffy continued. "I also have another huge favor to ask you."
"Shoot."
"Well, Giles is refereeing the big soccer game today. It's supposed to start in a little over an hour, do you think you can stall him? Like ask him a lot of questions about the business or his time in England - you know how he is when he gets going; it's hard to shut him up."
Anya rolled her eyes. "Do I ever. . . As for the stalling part, I'm pretty sure I can think of something." She grinning widely at Buffy and went back to eating her eggs. Buffy opened her mouth to speak again, but decided now was not the time; she had to find Spike.
Buffy slowly opened the door to Spike's room and peered inside. Conner was right; the bed was empty. She took another step in and saw the door to the bathroom slightly ajar. Taking a deep breath she knocked lightly on the door. "Spike?" When there was no answer she let herself in. She gasped when she saw his half-naked body curled around the toilet, hugging it like a teddy-bear. She kneeled next to him and spoke softly, "Spike, get up." When he didn't respond she shook him gently, raising her voice slightly. "Spike, get UP." When he still didn't show any signs of waking, she screamed loudly, "I said GET UP!" slapping him sharply across the face at the last two words.
Spike slowly opened his eyes and peered at the two blonde women staring at him. "Mornin' girls, how are you today?"
Buffy groaned and held him under the arms, attempting to lift him to his feet. His body was dead weight and she ended up toppling backwards, with him on top of her. He let out a shrill laugh and rolled to the floor, passing out once again.
"Oh no . . .I don't think so!" She straddled his legs and shook his shoulders. "You have to sober up. The big soccer game is in about an hour."
He grabbed her hips and pulled her down, so she was now sitting directly on his crotch. Buffy gasped as she felt his morning erection through her shorts. "I like this game better," he said sleepily, his eyes still closed.
She gulped, and allowed her heartbeat to slow. "Well, according to the song from last night, I hate you, so . . ."
Spike opened one eye and looked at the girl above him. "Buffy?"
"That's right," she nodded, "unless there's another girl who might be straddling you this early in the morning." A picture of Drusilla entered her mind, but she shook it out quickly. She stood up and reached for his hand, helping him to his feet.
Spike put a hand to his head. "I feel like I've been hit by a truck." He opened both his eyes, squinting from the florescent light. "What are you doing here?"
Buffy sat down on the edge of the tub. "I hate you, remember, so I didn't want to miss a moment of your suffering. . ." she said with a smirk.
He looked at her wide-eyed, and slid back to the floor, putting his face in his hands. "Oh my god, I was so pissed last night." He raised his eyes to her again. "You know I didn't . . ."
"Doesn't matter . . ." Buffy squatted in front of him. "Now we have to get you into soccer-playing shape, stat." She smoothed his hair from his eyes and gave him a small smile.
'Why is she being so nice to me?' Spike thought as he watched her walk back to the tub, turning on the shower spray.
"Get over here," she waved him over. He slowly crawled over to her, and lifted himself to his feet. He gave her a confused look, and without warning, found himself sprawled in the tub, ice water splashing over his body. Gasping for air, and shocked by the cold, he began thrashing around.
Buffy reached towards him to still his movements and only ended up slipping on the wet floor. She yelped as she fell into the tub with him, getting completely soaked in the process. Sitting up right, she smoothed her hair from her face and wiped the water from her eyes. Spike continued to struggle beneath her, so she grabbed onto his shoulders tightly, ignoring the icy chill spreading through her body. "You HAVE to sober up!"
Spike stared at her, and nodded his head slowly, his body shivering from the cold. Her clothes were now soaked through and he could see the outline of her breasts through her shirt. He watched in awe as she poured some shampoo into her small hand and lathered up his hair, massaging his scalp as she rinsed it clean. She repeated the action with his conditioner, while staring deeply into his eyes. He lifted a tentative hand to her face, but before he could touch her she stood up, avoiding him and the awkwardness of the situation. They weren't together anymore, and she knew that Spike and Buffy, in water, would only lead to badness.
"I'm going to go into your room and pull out some clothes." She looked down at him, and then stepped out of the tub. "Strip and finish washing up."
He watched her grab a towel from the door and enter the main room, closing the door behind her.
Buffy sat on Spike's bed with the clothes she had picked out sitting beside her. Since her own were sopping wet, she had changed into one of his t- shirts and a baggy pair of flannel pj bottoms. The bathroom door creaked open and her mouth dropped open when she saw Spike clad only in a towel, chest shimmering from the water droplets. She stood up and slowly walked towards him, handing him the shorts and shirt she had selected. "Put those on, I'm going to get you some aspirin from the cabinet."
Spike nodded at her slowly and took the clothes from her clenched hands, brushing her fingers lightly. Her eyes shot to his at the contact, and they stared at each other for what seemed like hours.
Buffy cleared her throat and backed away. "Aspirin . . .now."
He gave her a weak smile and turned towards the bed as she made her way into the bathroom. As he lifted the shirt over his head he asked her the question that had been plaguing him for the last fifteen minutes: "So, why are you helping me?"
Buffy sighed and closed the cabinet, having removed the bottle. She glanced into the mirror just as he dropped the towel. Letting out a sharp gasp she watched in awe as the muscles in his backside flexed while he lifted the shorts over his naked body. 'He is so beautiful, why can't I just . . .'
Buffy was ripped from her thoughts as he asked again. "Buffy? Why are you doing this?" She gulped and walked back into the main room. Thrusting her hand out to him, she gave him three white pills. "I feel kind of responsible for what happened . . .this was the least I could do."
After swallowing the pills down without water he looked at her seriously. "No . . .it was me. I was a complete wanker."
She held up her hand to stop him and went back into the bathroom to fill up a small glass of water for him. Smirking at him in the mirror, she continued her explanation. "Besides - I haven't seen you play yet, and didn't want my fantasy ruined by you barfing all over the field."
He chuckled lightly and accepted the glass of water, gulping it down quickly. "Fantasy, huh?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow in her direction.
She shook her finger at him sternly. "Nuh uh, mister. Don't even go there."
Spike shrugged and batted his eyes at her innocently. "What did I say?"
Buffy put her hands on her hips and shook her head. "It's not what you said, it's how . . ." She caught his eyes again and felt tingles shoot through her entire body. "Never mind." She walked past him and took a seat on his bed. Deciding to play with him a little more, she scrunched up her face at him. "Plus, since I'm with Angel now, that would NEVER happen."
Spike felt his jaw clench and the anger build inside of him. "That stupid poofter, how could you even CONSIDER . . ."
Buffy held up her hands at him. "Kidding!" Her face broke out into a wide grin, and she giggled as his body relaxed.
Spike felt the pounding in his head return and slumped to the bed, falling back to his pillow. "See what you do to me?"
She fell back beside him and stared at the ceiling. "Serves you right after your little serenade last night. . ."
He turned his body to face her and brushed her cheek lightly with his fingertips. "I'm an idiot." Spike touched her shoulder, moving her body towards him. "Everything's gone so crazy; I don't even . . ."
Buffy lifted a finger to silence him, and gazed into his sorrow-filled blue eyes. "I know." She leaned in closer to him, her lips mere centimeters from his. "I just really wish that . . ."
"Hurry up man. The game is going to start soon!"
Spike and Buffy shot up as they heard the young man's voice in the hallway. She looked at him, eyes full of fear and ran towards the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.
Spike stood up and looked around the room, spotting her wet clothing on the floor. He quickly kicked the items under his bed. "Damn!" he muttered under his breath, noticing the black lace bra lying next to his dresser. He hurried over to it and picked it up.
"There you are!"
Spike turned around to see one of his boys standing in his doorway.
"Nice lingerie, I didn't know you were into that sort of thing," the teenager said, pointing to the bra clutched closely to Spike's chest.
The blonde let out a weak laugh, "You know . . .practice."
The boy raised his eyebrows and chuckled before running back into the hallway. "Hey Conner! Sarah McLachlan AND black lace!"
Spike groaned and shoved the piece of material into his top drawer. He took a deep breath and walked over to the bathroom door, knocking quietly. "Coast's clear."
Buffy turned the knob slowly and peeked out at Spike, seeing for herself that they were alone once again. "I better get out of here."
Spike nodded and led her to the door, inspecting the hallway for straggling campers. "You run along then."
Buffy nodded and started the long walk out of The Crypt. When she heard him yell "Buffy!" she spun around quickly and shushed him harshly.
"Sorry," he whispered, before adding a sheepish "Thanks."
The petite blonde nodded, gave him a small smile, and ran out of the cabin.
Thanks again to Flames, Lady Anne and Silver.
Read and review away!
29. First Steps
Willow chased Buffy down the street outside of The Bronze. "Buffy stop! Buffy. . .please!"
The blonde finally slowed and felt her body begin to shake uncontrollably. Willow reached her and pulled her into a tight hug, petting her hair gently. "Don't let it get to you. He's just drunk."
Buffy pulled away, and shook her head rapidly. "No . . .I'm evil."
Willow chuckled and gave her friend a sympathetic look. "Buffy, you're not evil."
Buffy felt the tears start rolling down her face. "Yes, I am! I'm evil!" She took a deep breath. "And worse than that - I'm not JUST evil. I'm like the thing that created all evil. The first! May all lesser evil bow down before me!" She choked on her tears and began to cough.
Willow moved behind her friend and patted her on the back. "Can you breathe now?" When Buffy nodded, the redhead burst into giggles. Buffy stared at her friend incredulously, giving her a dirty look through swollen eyes. "Are you listening to yourself? 'I'm evil! Boohoo!' Do you realize how lame you sound?!"
Buffy realized just how ridiculous she was being and joined her friend in laughter. When they finally regained control Buffy spoke again, "But really-"
Willow looked at her with one eyebrow cocked. "-you're evil?!"
Buffy chuckled a bit. "No. Well, yes . . .but that's NOT what I was going to say," she said, pointing at her friend. "I was going to say, that Spike wasn't all wrong back there."
"Come on, Buffy," Willow said, taking her friend's hand to walk back to campus, "Spike's just a bad drunk. A REALLY bad drunk." She thought about it for a moment. "Yet, at the same time, can still kick a little Karaoke ass." Off of Buffy's death stare, Willow held up her hands protectively. "Stopping now."
The blonde sighed. "I know, he's a really bad, angry drunk. But, if you knew the things I did . . . I don't think you could look at me the same way again." Buffy avoided her friend's eyes.
"You mean like screw on a laundry table?"
Buffy froze in her tracks and turned to her friend. "What?!"
"Duh! It was way obvious. The way you two responded to Cordy's little story."
Buffy nodded, they really weren't being all that smooth that day in the van. "But there's more than that." The two began walking again. "That night in the day-off room, after we watched 'When Harry Met Sally,' I practically attacked him. He wanted to talk, and I wouldn't let him."
"What did you do?" Willow asked as she wrapped her jacket tightly around her body.
Buffy pulled the chopsticks from her hair, letting her locks fall loosely around her shoulders. "Nothing . . .I just-" she began twirling the wooden sticks between her fingers, "kinda . . .blew him."
Willow burst out laughing again. "No way!! You are so the guy!"
"What?"
"You know - he wants to talk, you want to screw - that's some major role reversal."
Buffy sighed and opened the gate for her friend. "Yup, and I blew it."
"Literally!" Willow shrieked, earning her a smack on the shoulder from her friend.
"Whatever." Buffy rolled her eyes. "He wanted to start a real relationship, and I just wanted to jump his bones."
"They are nice bones though," Willow said, thinking of Spike's tight body.
"Stop!" Buffy commanded.
"What?"
"Imagining my drunken, asshole, potential boyfriend, naked."
"Fine. . ." Willow walked with Buffy towards Revello. "What was with all that Angel talk?"
Buffy shrugged. "I don't know, maybe he's harboring some latent hostility towards him for the last time. Unless . . ." Buffy trailed off.
"Unless what?" Willow asked, curiously.
Buffy shook it off. "Nothing . . .it's not important. Besides, Spike's been hanging around with Drusilla a lot lately. I don't see why he would care about Angel, or even ME for that matter."
Willow couldn't believe her best friend's apparent stupidity. "He's like totally butt-crazy in love with you, that's why!"
"I don't know. . .it just seems like over the past few days they've been inseparable."
Willow stopped at the back door of Revello, lowering her voice, so as not to wake the campers. "I wouldn't worry that much about it. Plus, he's going to have to grovel to you for a lot more than Drusilla after he wakes up tomorrow with the mother of all hangovers."
Buffy laughed, and crossed her arms. "Well, it serves him right!"
Willow yawned and gave her friend another hug. "Are you alright now?" She pulled back and eyed her friend up and down. "Cuz I'm beat, and want to rest up. Tomorrow's the big game!"
Buffy smacked her forehead. "Oh my god! I can't believe I forgot." She paused, realization hitting her. "I guess Spike forgot too."
They both giggled at the thought. "THAT's going to be an interesting game."
"Even though I hate him," Buffy said, receiving a skeptical look from Willow, "I still want him to kick Angel's ass."
"I wish. But, I'm not sure our boy stands much chance of winning anything tomorrow - except for maybe toilet-bowl gymnastics."
---------------------------
DAY 14
Buffy searched the cafeteria for Spike. 'Where is he?' She spotted Conner with Dawn and walked over to their table. "So, where's bleach-boy this a.m.?"
Conner looked up at the counselor, with fear in his eyes. He hadn't said much to her since she busted him in Dawn's room. "I don't know . . .please don't hurt me?"
Buffy laughed, "I'm not going to hurt you Conner. I tried that tactic with Dawn - and it didn't work too well; she's still causing trouble."
"Hey!" Dawn exclaimed, rising from her chair.
Buffy lightly pushed her back in her seat. "Don't try to protest, honey, I know you and Janice short-sheeted Jonathan's bed two days ago."
Dawn's mouth dropped open wide. "How did you . . .?"
"Been there, done that, remember? Anything you can do I have done better," Buffy said, reminding the girl of the very first cabin meeting. She turned back to Conner, "So, you have no idea where Spike is?"
Conner shook his head, "I checked his bed this morning, but he wasn't there."
Buffy sighed, and thanked him for his help. She walked over to her co- counselor, who was sitting at a nearby table. "Anya, I have an errand to run, can you make sure everyone is quiet during the announcements?" When the woman nodded, Buffy continued. "I also have another huge favor to ask you."
"Shoot."
"Well, Giles is refereeing the big soccer game today. It's supposed to start in a little over an hour, do you think you can stall him? Like ask him a lot of questions about the business or his time in England - you know how he is when he gets going; it's hard to shut him up."
Anya rolled her eyes. "Do I ever. . . As for the stalling part, I'm pretty sure I can think of something." She grinning widely at Buffy and went back to eating her eggs. Buffy opened her mouth to speak again, but decided now was not the time; she had to find Spike.
Buffy slowly opened the door to Spike's room and peered inside. Conner was right; the bed was empty. She took another step in and saw the door to the bathroom slightly ajar. Taking a deep breath she knocked lightly on the door. "Spike?" When there was no answer she let herself in. She gasped when she saw his half-naked body curled around the toilet, hugging it like a teddy-bear. She kneeled next to him and spoke softly, "Spike, get up." When he didn't respond she shook him gently, raising her voice slightly. "Spike, get UP." When he still didn't show any signs of waking, she screamed loudly, "I said GET UP!" slapping him sharply across the face at the last two words.
Spike slowly opened his eyes and peered at the two blonde women staring at him. "Mornin' girls, how are you today?"
Buffy groaned and held him under the arms, attempting to lift him to his feet. His body was dead weight and she ended up toppling backwards, with him on top of her. He let out a shrill laugh and rolled to the floor, passing out once again.
"Oh no . . .I don't think so!" She straddled his legs and shook his shoulders. "You have to sober up. The big soccer game is in about an hour."
He grabbed her hips and pulled her down, so she was now sitting directly on his crotch. Buffy gasped as she felt his morning erection through her shorts. "I like this game better," he said sleepily, his eyes still closed.
She gulped, and allowed her heartbeat to slow. "Well, according to the song from last night, I hate you, so . . ."
Spike opened one eye and looked at the girl above him. "Buffy?"
"That's right," she nodded, "unless there's another girl who might be straddling you this early in the morning." A picture of Drusilla entered her mind, but she shook it out quickly. She stood up and reached for his hand, helping him to his feet.
Spike put a hand to his head. "I feel like I've been hit by a truck." He opened both his eyes, squinting from the florescent light. "What are you doing here?"
Buffy sat down on the edge of the tub. "I hate you, remember, so I didn't want to miss a moment of your suffering. . ." she said with a smirk.
He looked at her wide-eyed, and slid back to the floor, putting his face in his hands. "Oh my god, I was so pissed last night." He raised his eyes to her again. "You know I didn't . . ."
"Doesn't matter . . ." Buffy squatted in front of him. "Now we have to get you into soccer-playing shape, stat." She smoothed his hair from his eyes and gave him a small smile.
'Why is she being so nice to me?' Spike thought as he watched her walk back to the tub, turning on the shower spray.
"Get over here," she waved him over. He slowly crawled over to her, and lifted himself to his feet. He gave her a confused look, and without warning, found himself sprawled in the tub, ice water splashing over his body. Gasping for air, and shocked by the cold, he began thrashing around.
Buffy reached towards him to still his movements and only ended up slipping on the wet floor. She yelped as she fell into the tub with him, getting completely soaked in the process. Sitting up right, she smoothed her hair from her face and wiped the water from her eyes. Spike continued to struggle beneath her, so she grabbed onto his shoulders tightly, ignoring the icy chill spreading through her body. "You HAVE to sober up!"
Spike stared at her, and nodded his head slowly, his body shivering from the cold. Her clothes were now soaked through and he could see the outline of her breasts through her shirt. He watched in awe as she poured some shampoo into her small hand and lathered up his hair, massaging his scalp as she rinsed it clean. She repeated the action with his conditioner, while staring deeply into his eyes. He lifted a tentative hand to her face, but before he could touch her she stood up, avoiding him and the awkwardness of the situation. They weren't together anymore, and she knew that Spike and Buffy, in water, would only lead to badness.
"I'm going to go into your room and pull out some clothes." She looked down at him, and then stepped out of the tub. "Strip and finish washing up."
He watched her grab a towel from the door and enter the main room, closing the door behind her.
Buffy sat on Spike's bed with the clothes she had picked out sitting beside her. Since her own were sopping wet, she had changed into one of his t- shirts and a baggy pair of flannel pj bottoms. The bathroom door creaked open and her mouth dropped open when she saw Spike clad only in a towel, chest shimmering from the water droplets. She stood up and slowly walked towards him, handing him the shorts and shirt she had selected. "Put those on, I'm going to get you some aspirin from the cabinet."
Spike nodded at her slowly and took the clothes from her clenched hands, brushing her fingers lightly. Her eyes shot to his at the contact, and they stared at each other for what seemed like hours.
Buffy cleared her throat and backed away. "Aspirin . . .now."
He gave her a weak smile and turned towards the bed as she made her way into the bathroom. As he lifted the shirt over his head he asked her the question that had been plaguing him for the last fifteen minutes: "So, why are you helping me?"
Buffy sighed and closed the cabinet, having removed the bottle. She glanced into the mirror just as he dropped the towel. Letting out a sharp gasp she watched in awe as the muscles in his backside flexed while he lifted the shorts over his naked body. 'He is so beautiful, why can't I just . . .'
Buffy was ripped from her thoughts as he asked again. "Buffy? Why are you doing this?" She gulped and walked back into the main room. Thrusting her hand out to him, she gave him three white pills. "I feel kind of responsible for what happened . . .this was the least I could do."
After swallowing the pills down without water he looked at her seriously. "No . . .it was me. I was a complete wanker."
She held up her hand to stop him and went back into the bathroom to fill up a small glass of water for him. Smirking at him in the mirror, she continued her explanation. "Besides - I haven't seen you play yet, and didn't want my fantasy ruined by you barfing all over the field."
He chuckled lightly and accepted the glass of water, gulping it down quickly. "Fantasy, huh?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow in her direction.
She shook her finger at him sternly. "Nuh uh, mister. Don't even go there."
Spike shrugged and batted his eyes at her innocently. "What did I say?"
Buffy put her hands on her hips and shook her head. "It's not what you said, it's how . . ." She caught his eyes again and felt tingles shoot through her entire body. "Never mind." She walked past him and took a seat on his bed. Deciding to play with him a little more, she scrunched up her face at him. "Plus, since I'm with Angel now, that would NEVER happen."
Spike felt his jaw clench and the anger build inside of him. "That stupid poofter, how could you even CONSIDER . . ."
Buffy held up her hands at him. "Kidding!" Her face broke out into a wide grin, and she giggled as his body relaxed.
Spike felt the pounding in his head return and slumped to the bed, falling back to his pillow. "See what you do to me?"
She fell back beside him and stared at the ceiling. "Serves you right after your little serenade last night. . ."
He turned his body to face her and brushed her cheek lightly with his fingertips. "I'm an idiot." Spike touched her shoulder, moving her body towards him. "Everything's gone so crazy; I don't even . . ."
Buffy lifted a finger to silence him, and gazed into his sorrow-filled blue eyes. "I know." She leaned in closer to him, her lips mere centimeters from his. "I just really wish that . . ."
"Hurry up man. The game is going to start soon!"
Spike and Buffy shot up as they heard the young man's voice in the hallway. She looked at him, eyes full of fear and ran towards the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.
Spike stood up and looked around the room, spotting her wet clothing on the floor. He quickly kicked the items under his bed. "Damn!" he muttered under his breath, noticing the black lace bra lying next to his dresser. He hurried over to it and picked it up.
"There you are!"
Spike turned around to see one of his boys standing in his doorway.
"Nice lingerie, I didn't know you were into that sort of thing," the teenager said, pointing to the bra clutched closely to Spike's chest.
The blonde let out a weak laugh, "You know . . .practice."
The boy raised his eyebrows and chuckled before running back into the hallway. "Hey Conner! Sarah McLachlan AND black lace!"
Spike groaned and shoved the piece of material into his top drawer. He took a deep breath and walked over to the bathroom door, knocking quietly. "Coast's clear."
Buffy turned the knob slowly and peeked out at Spike, seeing for herself that they were alone once again. "I better get out of here."
Spike nodded and led her to the door, inspecting the hallway for straggling campers. "You run along then."
Buffy nodded and started the long walk out of The Crypt. When she heard him yell "Buffy!" she spun around quickly and shushed him harshly.
"Sorry," he whispered, before adding a sheepish "Thanks."
The petite blonde nodded, gave him a small smile, and ran out of the cabin.
