One. Two. Roundhouse. Left. Right. Back Kick. Repeat. One. Two.
Roundhouse. Left. Right. Back Kick. The punching bag swung on its
chains, the only sound in the room were the dull thuds as each strike
hit home.
'I can't let this get to me.' She thought. 'All I have to do
is take it out on the bag. That's what is there for.' Another punch.
Another kick. The door to the gym opened, Buffy kept going, not
hearing the person enter the room.
"H'lo, is this room occupied or can I join you?" A british
voice sliced through the thick silence.
"It's a free country." Buffy retorted, continuing her attack
on the leather. Landing one final punch she turned to face him. The
air in the room suddenly became very suffocating as the distance
between them decreased.
"We need to talk about this." Quickly he held his hand up,
stifling her next comment.
"Fine." She said icily. "I'm listening." He took the moment to
look at her. She was clad in black yoga pants and a tank that clung to
her frame, accentuating her curves. A thin shimmer of sweat glistened
on her body and her long blonde hair was pulled up in a high ponytail
and her face was scrubbed clean of makeup. Spike thought she had never
looked more beautiful.
Unable to form coherent thought after the sight. He stumbled
over his words. "Buffy, I'm sorry." He choked. He vainly reached out
to put his hand on her shoulder but she pulled away, looking down.
"I know you are." She finally whispered after minutes which
seemed like an eternity. She couldn't stay mad at him. He did what any
other guy would have done if they were in his position. Mack on the
first girl they lay eyes on, understandable.
Suddenly her mouth went dry and the room began to spin, heat
surrounded her and she felt herself getting lightheaded. Blindly she
groped for something to grab onto but she was too late. She crumbled
to the floor in a heap.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"Buffy." She heard a deep voice through the haze. "Buffy!"
There it was again. Panic set in as the realization of what happened
returned. With a gasp she sat bolt upright. "Where am I?" She coughed,
painfully aware of the throbbing headache.
"You fainted in the gym. Y'know, if you didn't want to talk to
me all you had to do was say so, luv." Spike chuckled, placing a hand
on her forehead momentarily. "I brought to back to my place, it was
closer. Better than just leavin' you there."
"Thanks. I appreciate it." She felt a blush creep up her
face. "Sorry I was such an Uberbitch." She added shyly. 'Oh good
Buffy, you wake up in the guy's bed and you go all giggly teenager on
him.'
"Do you want some water or something?" 'Yeah, good Spike, she
wakes up in your bed and you offer her water? Up for the poofter of
the year awards is.'
"Spike?" He snapped out of his fantasy at the sound of his
name.
"Huh? Oh Right,water. Be back in a sec, pet." He patted her knee and rose
from the bed, making his way into the kitchen.
"Ice?" He called from the other room.
"No thanks, I'm good." She called back.
She took the opportunity to survey his room. It was plain, more or
less. There was a dresser on the far corner with only a bottle of hair
gel and peroxide on it. 'I like his hair better curly though.' She
thought. Against the opposite wall was a nightstand with a picture of
a dark haired woman and himself. 'Ex.' She thought bitterly. The bed
she was curled in was plain too, black bedspread and grey jersey knit
sheets. 'Boring, but pleasantly Spike-y and Spike smelling.' She
smiled thoughtfully.
"Somethin' funny, ducks?" Spike emerged from the kitchen,
grasping a glass of water and two little white pills in his hands.
She looked up. "Ooh! You brought me drugs! I like you." She
flashed a smile in his direction, wiggling free of the blankets and
crawling to sit at the edge of the bed, brushing her leg against his.
"Here, luv." She took the glass and pills from his
outstretched hand and smiled, the contact making her shiver slightly.
"Cold?" He asked tentatively.
"Nope." Focusing on the aspirin she threw her head back,
tossing the pills to the back of her throat.
"Buffy, believe me when I say that....I really did..DO care about you." His
gaze was pleading. "And I'd never do anything to
intentionally hurt you. Can you forgive me?" He grabbed her hand
before she could resist. "Please, Buffy."
"Spike, I want to, I really do. But I need some time to think
about it ok?" She gently removed her hand from his. She felt like a
part of her had been taken at the loss of contact. "But I'll try." She
smiled hesitantly. "Oh my god!" She exclaimed. "What time is it? I
have to meet Willow!" Forgetting the blinding headache she stumbled
off the bed and went around the room searching for her things. "I
can't believe this!" She mumbled under her breath.
"Buffy, calm down. Willow called earlier while you were asleep,
and she said that if you wanted, you could reschedule." He smiled,
trying to reassure her.
'Stay, stay, stay, stay.' He repeated his silent mantra. "I
took care of it."
"Really?" Her voice came out high pitched and girly. "I'd love
to stay, really I would, but I have to get home. Can you give me a ride?"
She looked at him, a hopeful look on her face.
"Sure luv, I'll give you a ride." He waggled his eyebrows
suggestively and cocked his head to the side. Her hazel eyes grew as
big as dinner plates when the undertones sunk in,
"Eew! No Spike, that's not what I." She trailed off, waving
her arms trying to encourage a point. "You. Me. Car. Drive...Now!" Buffy
hopped around, sliding her shoes on.
"Right then." With a sleepy groan, he lifted himself off the
bed and fumbled in his jean pocket for his keys.
He nodded toward the door and they left the room. When they got down
to Spike's car, Buffy couldn't control herself. The urge was too
strong, overwhelming. She just couldn't help herself, what with Spike
just standing there.
"Spike?" She purred, leaning up to him.
"Yeah luv, what is it?" He moved so their noses were almost
touching, sending shivers down his spine.
"You car is disgusting." She breathed.
"Oi!" He jumped back as if burned, placing his hands on his
hips. "I'll have you know that that car is a classic! It may be a
little out of...out of." He sighed, exasperated. "Yeah. Let's go then."
Buffy giggled at the sight of him getting so protective of his car,
and followed him into the vehicle.
Wrinkling her nose she sniffed. "You need to get this cleaned, as in
right now."
"You, insult my car one more time and I just might." He
pointed an accusatory finger at her.
"Might what?" She challenged, leaning towards him.
Without a word he smashed his lips down on hers, his tongue delving
into her mouth without warning or permission. She squeaked, startled,
but gave in to the pleasure of it. His mouth was warm and hard on
hers, his tongue barely touching her own but still ignited something
in her, a slow burn. Her head was swimming, surrounded with him. His
hand clasped the back of her neck, holding her to him as the other
slid up and down her spine, causing her to shiver. Their tongues
danced and fought for dominance. Soft lips met soft lips in a
passionate embrace, she rocked against him in time with the kiss.
Gasping, he pulled away, lungs burning from lack of oxygen.
"Buffy, luv." He mumbled, raining kisses down her neck. "Want you." He
paused to nibble at her earlobe, making her moan quietly. His hands
pulled at the edge of her shirt, struggling with the fabric, the
anxiety making him clumsy.
"No, no, stop." She whispered, a plea. The word 'stop' cut through the
passion that clouded his mind, and his hands pulled away from her
immediately.
"Did I.are you ok?" He started babbling incoherently, sliding farther
back into the driver's seat.
"Spike, I'm fine." She paused a moment, pondering her next words. "I
do want you, I want to do this. But not here, not now." She finished,
taking his hand. "I wanna take things slow." She turned to buckle her
seatbelt. "Besides, you have to work things out with your girlfriend...
EX-girlfriend first. And I won't do anything until then. No dating, no
fooling around, no nothing. We can date other people or whatever but when
you figure your personal life out, we'll see what happens." Spike
looked stunned.
"Yeah, sure." He ran a hand through his hair, mussing it. "I don't
know if I can handle that." He turned to face her, his blue eyes,
clouded with passion, melding with her hazel ones, a similar
shade. "I need you."
"You'll have to." She smiled at him. "But I'm not going anywhere."
A/N: HA!! Had you goin there for awhile! Made you think they were gonna do it in the car, didn't I? Yeah, well if they did it right then, there wouldn't be much of a story would there? Dontcha just lurve cliffhangers??? I know I love writing them! Keep reviewing, u guys are great! Special thanks to Sarah for beta-ing this chapter on such short notice!! ~Sarfinn
Roundhouse. Left. Right. Back Kick. The punching bag swung on its
chains, the only sound in the room were the dull thuds as each strike
hit home.
'I can't let this get to me.' She thought. 'All I have to do
is take it out on the bag. That's what is there for.' Another punch.
Another kick. The door to the gym opened, Buffy kept going, not
hearing the person enter the room.
"H'lo, is this room occupied or can I join you?" A british
voice sliced through the thick silence.
"It's a free country." Buffy retorted, continuing her attack
on the leather. Landing one final punch she turned to face him. The
air in the room suddenly became very suffocating as the distance
between them decreased.
"We need to talk about this." Quickly he held his hand up,
stifling her next comment.
"Fine." She said icily. "I'm listening." He took the moment to
look at her. She was clad in black yoga pants and a tank that clung to
her frame, accentuating her curves. A thin shimmer of sweat glistened
on her body and her long blonde hair was pulled up in a high ponytail
and her face was scrubbed clean of makeup. Spike thought she had never
looked more beautiful.
Unable to form coherent thought after the sight. He stumbled
over his words. "Buffy, I'm sorry." He choked. He vainly reached out
to put his hand on her shoulder but she pulled away, looking down.
"I know you are." She finally whispered after minutes which
seemed like an eternity. She couldn't stay mad at him. He did what any
other guy would have done if they were in his position. Mack on the
first girl they lay eyes on, understandable.
Suddenly her mouth went dry and the room began to spin, heat
surrounded her and she felt herself getting lightheaded. Blindly she
groped for something to grab onto but she was too late. She crumbled
to the floor in a heap.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"Buffy." She heard a deep voice through the haze. "Buffy!"
There it was again. Panic set in as the realization of what happened
returned. With a gasp she sat bolt upright. "Where am I?" She coughed,
painfully aware of the throbbing headache.
"You fainted in the gym. Y'know, if you didn't want to talk to
me all you had to do was say so, luv." Spike chuckled, placing a hand
on her forehead momentarily. "I brought to back to my place, it was
closer. Better than just leavin' you there."
"Thanks. I appreciate it." She felt a blush creep up her
face. "Sorry I was such an Uberbitch." She added shyly. 'Oh good
Buffy, you wake up in the guy's bed and you go all giggly teenager on
him.'
"Do you want some water or something?" 'Yeah, good Spike, she
wakes up in your bed and you offer her water? Up for the poofter of
the year awards is.'
"Spike?" He snapped out of his fantasy at the sound of his
name.
"Huh? Oh Right,water. Be back in a sec, pet." He patted her knee and rose
from the bed, making his way into the kitchen.
"Ice?" He called from the other room.
"No thanks, I'm good." She called back.
She took the opportunity to survey his room. It was plain, more or
less. There was a dresser on the far corner with only a bottle of hair
gel and peroxide on it. 'I like his hair better curly though.' She
thought. Against the opposite wall was a nightstand with a picture of
a dark haired woman and himself. 'Ex.' She thought bitterly. The bed
she was curled in was plain too, black bedspread and grey jersey knit
sheets. 'Boring, but pleasantly Spike-y and Spike smelling.' She
smiled thoughtfully.
"Somethin' funny, ducks?" Spike emerged from the kitchen,
grasping a glass of water and two little white pills in his hands.
She looked up. "Ooh! You brought me drugs! I like you." She
flashed a smile in his direction, wiggling free of the blankets and
crawling to sit at the edge of the bed, brushing her leg against his.
"Here, luv." She took the glass and pills from his
outstretched hand and smiled, the contact making her shiver slightly.
"Cold?" He asked tentatively.
"Nope." Focusing on the aspirin she threw her head back,
tossing the pills to the back of her throat.
"Buffy, believe me when I say that....I really did..DO care about you." His
gaze was pleading. "And I'd never do anything to
intentionally hurt you. Can you forgive me?" He grabbed her hand
before she could resist. "Please, Buffy."
"Spike, I want to, I really do. But I need some time to think
about it ok?" She gently removed her hand from his. She felt like a
part of her had been taken at the loss of contact. "But I'll try." She
smiled hesitantly. "Oh my god!" She exclaimed. "What time is it? I
have to meet Willow!" Forgetting the blinding headache she stumbled
off the bed and went around the room searching for her things. "I
can't believe this!" She mumbled under her breath.
"Buffy, calm down. Willow called earlier while you were asleep,
and she said that if you wanted, you could reschedule." He smiled,
trying to reassure her.
'Stay, stay, stay, stay.' He repeated his silent mantra. "I
took care of it."
"Really?" Her voice came out high pitched and girly. "I'd love
to stay, really I would, but I have to get home. Can you give me a ride?"
She looked at him, a hopeful look on her face.
"Sure luv, I'll give you a ride." He waggled his eyebrows
suggestively and cocked his head to the side. Her hazel eyes grew as
big as dinner plates when the undertones sunk in,
"Eew! No Spike, that's not what I." She trailed off, waving
her arms trying to encourage a point. "You. Me. Car. Drive...Now!" Buffy
hopped around, sliding her shoes on.
"Right then." With a sleepy groan, he lifted himself off the
bed and fumbled in his jean pocket for his keys.
He nodded toward the door and they left the room. When they got down
to Spike's car, Buffy couldn't control herself. The urge was too
strong, overwhelming. She just couldn't help herself, what with Spike
just standing there.
"Spike?" She purred, leaning up to him.
"Yeah luv, what is it?" He moved so their noses were almost
touching, sending shivers down his spine.
"You car is disgusting." She breathed.
"Oi!" He jumped back as if burned, placing his hands on his
hips. "I'll have you know that that car is a classic! It may be a
little out of...out of." He sighed, exasperated. "Yeah. Let's go then."
Buffy giggled at the sight of him getting so protective of his car,
and followed him into the vehicle.
Wrinkling her nose she sniffed. "You need to get this cleaned, as in
right now."
"You, insult my car one more time and I just might." He
pointed an accusatory finger at her.
"Might what?" She challenged, leaning towards him.
Without a word he smashed his lips down on hers, his tongue delving
into her mouth without warning or permission. She squeaked, startled,
but gave in to the pleasure of it. His mouth was warm and hard on
hers, his tongue barely touching her own but still ignited something
in her, a slow burn. Her head was swimming, surrounded with him. His
hand clasped the back of her neck, holding her to him as the other
slid up and down her spine, causing her to shiver. Their tongues
danced and fought for dominance. Soft lips met soft lips in a
passionate embrace, she rocked against him in time with the kiss.
Gasping, he pulled away, lungs burning from lack of oxygen.
"Buffy, luv." He mumbled, raining kisses down her neck. "Want you." He
paused to nibble at her earlobe, making her moan quietly. His hands
pulled at the edge of her shirt, struggling with the fabric, the
anxiety making him clumsy.
"No, no, stop." She whispered, a plea. The word 'stop' cut through the
passion that clouded his mind, and his hands pulled away from her
immediately.
"Did I.are you ok?" He started babbling incoherently, sliding farther
back into the driver's seat.
"Spike, I'm fine." She paused a moment, pondering her next words. "I
do want you, I want to do this. But not here, not now." She finished,
taking his hand. "I wanna take things slow." She turned to buckle her
seatbelt. "Besides, you have to work things out with your girlfriend...
EX-girlfriend first. And I won't do anything until then. No dating, no
fooling around, no nothing. We can date other people or whatever but when
you figure your personal life out, we'll see what happens." Spike
looked stunned.
"Yeah, sure." He ran a hand through his hair, mussing it. "I don't
know if I can handle that." He turned to face her, his blue eyes,
clouded with passion, melding with her hazel ones, a similar
shade. "I need you."
"You'll have to." She smiled at him. "But I'm not going anywhere."
A/N: HA!! Had you goin there for awhile! Made you think they were gonna do it in the car, didn't I? Yeah, well if they did it right then, there wouldn't be much of a story would there? Dontcha just lurve cliffhangers??? I know I love writing them! Keep reviewing, u guys are great! Special thanks to Sarah for beta-ing this chapter on such short notice!! ~Sarfinn