Spike and Buffy left the reunion with another round of hugs and promises to get together again with her old friends before they went back to New York. Spike stayed pretty silent on the drive back to her house, partially contemplating what Willow had told him and partially planning what to do when they got home.
Buffy noticed the silence, but it didn't feel awkward; rather it felt like a comfortable silence that good friends sometimes fall into. She soon found herself studying Spike as he drove the black convertible through the deserted streets of Sunnydale. The moonlight was once again playing on the sharp angles of his face, making him look even more beautiful than he usually did. A ghost of a smile founds its way to her lips as she thought of him as 'beautiful', but it was really the only term that truly fit him.
Something felt different between them tonight, but at first Buffy couldn't really pinpoint what it was. The night had started out like any other night they went out, but then she remembered when everything had changed. She had been talking with Joey, just before they danced, and looked up to catch Spike gazing at her. Her heart had flip-flopped in her chest at the sight of him, and she could almost swear she was looking into the eyes of a man who was as much in love with her as she was with him. She'd winked at him then, and noticed how his expression had changed only slightly, but his face had relaxed as if her wink had reassured him. From that moment on, the rest of the night was different. They had another drink at the bar, and danced for at least another hour. But each time they were together, he found some way to touch her; when they danced he held her a little closer than normal; when they were talking with her friends he just looked at her as if he was worshipping the ground she stood on.
When he stopped at a red light, he glanced over and caught the dreamy look on her face, and he couldn't help reaching out to gently brush his fingers over her cheek. She seemed to snap out of her reverie, but only to smile at him and take his hand in her own. Feeling a sudden wave of bravery, she brought his palm to her mouth and kissed it, and when he didn't flinch or look confused, she turned his hand to link their fingers together.
The thought that it probably wasn't too safe for Spike to be driving one-handed flitted through her mind, but the way their hands fit together felt too right to let go. Finally, she broke the silence between them just as the car turned onto Revello. "Thank you for tonight, Spike. It was much better with you there."
"You're welcome, pet. It actually wasn't so bad after all," he said with a smirk, which made her laugh lightly.
She let go of his hand so they could get out of the car, and both of them felt a little bit sad at the loss of contact. As they neared the house, though, some of her bravery began to slip, and she wondered what Spike would really say if she just opened up and poured her heart out to him. Once inside the door, she felt more hesitation creep into her as she realized she was standing dangerously close to him.
"Um, I'm going to take a shower before I go to bed, I feel icky from dancing so much," she said, making her way to the stairs.
"Alright, I think I'll just check out what's on the telly before I head upstairs, then," Spike replied, knowing that watching television was the last thing on his mind. He watched as she disappeared upstairs, and listened carefully for the water to turn on. As soon as he heard the shower start to run, he raced up the stairs, set on putting his plan in motion.
He moved around her room quickly, picking up the random items of clothing that had escaped from their suitcases and putting the luggage neatly into her closet. He then ran back downstairs and found every single candle that was sitting out, and brought them up, placing them all around the room with the ones that were already there. As he turned down her bed, he briefly wished for flowers and rose petals, but then also briefly wondered if he was being too cliché with his plan. As he heard the water shut off, he quickly went about putting the finishing touches on the room.
Buffy stepped out of the shower and wrapped up in her bath towel, waiting a moment for the steam to clear a little before drying off. She towel dried her hair and quickly ran the hair dryer over it, getting out most of the dampness before twisting it up into a loose twist and securing it with a clip. This night, however, she purposefully smoothed the vanilla lotion into her skin and misted some of the spritz of the same scent through her hair. Taking one last look at herself in the mirror, she felt some of her courage seep back into her consciousness. Her golden skin had taken on the tiniest tinge of pink from the warmth of her shower, and a few wisps of her half-dried hair had fallen from the clip to frame her face with their shimmering strands. Discarding the towel that she'd been wrapped up in, she reached for the only remotely sexy night garment she'd brought with her; a satin negligee that fit all of her curves and fell to the middle of her thigh. She smiled when she noted that it was red, Spikes favorite color, and wondered if she'd perhaps had him in mind all along when she bought it.
She shut off the light in the bathroom and padded silently out into the hall, noticing that her bedroom door was half-closed, and she recognized the flickering lights coming from within as candlelight. Is he planning on seducing me? She thought, suddenly feeling much more at ease with her earlier thoughts of seducing him.
"I thought you were going to…" she started as she walked through the door, but her thoughts trailed off as she took in the sight before her. Almost every surface in her room had a candle sitting on it, and the flickering light welcomed her with warmth she thought she'd never actually felt before. Spike turned at the sound of her voice, and she was awestruck. He was standing near her window, lighting the last of the candles, still dressed in his clothes from the reunion, however his shirt had been unbuttoned and untucked, giving him a casual elegance that make him sexier than usual.
"Buffy," he breathed, allowing his eyes met hers before sweeping over her body, taking in her presence. He quickly crossed the room, pulling her gently into his arms, trying to carefully gauge her response or sense any hesitation. She went willingly into his embrace, taking the opportunity to slide her hands up his back and caress the strong muscles hidden under his shirt. "Buffy, love, you look amazing," he whispered in her ear, setting off a series of tingles down her spine and back up to where his breath lingered on her neck.
"Spike," she started, pulling back just enough to look into his eyes and trace the sharp lines of his cheekbones. Whatever else she was going to say to him left her brain, though, as she leaned in a little bit further, until his lips were mere millimeters from hers. Her eyes drifted closed as their lips made first contact, brushing together in the barest hint of a kiss.
They each responded quickly, clutching the other closer and changing the kiss from an innocent brush into a passionate caress. Spike's tongue licked at her bottom lip, requesting the entrance that she willingly gave. Buffy opened to him, drawing him deeper and deeper into the kiss. Her hands came back into play, this time running up the front of his chest, and attempting to push his shirt from his shoulders. They broke away from the kiss, both panting for breath as his shirt pooled on the floor, but never breaking their exploration of the other. Buffy continued running her hands over his well-sculptured chest, while Spike ran one hand up her arm, splaying the other on the small of her back to hold her close to him.
He kissed her again, quickly, and started maneuvering them further into the room and toward her bed. He peppered her face with kisses starting at her temple and working down one side of her neck, across her collarbone and up the other side. Buffy gasped at the feel of his lips on her skin, feeling like he was setting her body on fire with his touch.
When he felt her little hands start fiddling with his belt, he pulled back again to look at her. He reached down to still her hands, bringing one shaky hand back up to caress her cheek. He tilted his head as if he were studying her every detail. "Love, are you sure?" He was so afraid she'd bolt, but he had to ask, to be absolutely certain that they were on the same track before he went any further.
She smiled, and turned her head to kiss the palm of the hand that rested on her cheek. Buffy then turned her eyes back to look into the indigo depths of his eyes, the eyes that she sometimes felt like she could drown in. "I'm sure Spike. I want you…"
It was all he needed to hear. He swept her up in his arms, carrying her over to her bed and carefully laying her down, taking the opportunity to once again engage her in a fervent kiss. Buffy once again went for the waistband of his pants, deftly unbuckling his belt and unfastening his pants. She felt his hands graze her thigh and grab the hem of her negligee; they broke their kiss only long enough to pull the garment over her head.
His hands felt like they were everywhere at once, sending sparks through Buffy's nerve endings and drawing out reactions that she didn't even realize she was capable of. He mentally noted each one, which touches caused her to quiver, which ones lead her to gasp or moan. Soon, her hands came into play as well, eliciting the same reactions from him.
As they made love, each one felt like they had found a missing piece of themselves; a piece that they previously hadn't realized was missing. Buffy never realized that it could feel this perfect, this right, like it was meant to be.
No more words had been spoken between them after Buffy's admission of want. None had been necessary as they each picked up on the subtle hints and clues from the other to silently communicate their passions and emotions. Even in the end, their names had been mere whispers of perfection on the others lips as they fell into bliss together.
Spike held Buffy close to him as she snuggled up as close to him as she could get, and he intently listened as her breathing slowed from short pants to deep inhalations. As she settled down and he was sure she was sleeping, he glanced down at her, placing a gentle kiss in her hair before whispering "I love you, Buffy." Her only reaction was a contented sigh, her breath tickling his chest before he followed her into slumber.
~~~~~~
note: First of all, I would like to say thank you to everyone who emailed me your wonderful comments and kept reading throughout my extra-long hiatus. Moving 700 miles away from home took a little longer to settle down from than I imagined it would! Thanks to s_star and Natalie Elizabeth for taking on the job as beta when mine quit. I've decided that I need to stop promising when new chapters will be out, since real life keeps throwing kinks into my plans, but hopefully the updates will be a bit more regular now that I'm settled into my new home. Thanks for reading… feedback is appreciated!
