Practically Perfect in Every Way

Coupling:  S/B, S/? for a time.

Rating:PG-13.  *Gyrates to "I feel pretty", as the crowd cheers.  I know I'm going to make it on "Girls Gone Wild" this year.*

Author:  Hostile 17

Disclaimer:  It had been a long full day of work and I was glad to be home.  I silently slipped off my clothes once reaching the bedroom and quickly climbed into bed.  I slept for what seemed like hours before morning approached and the daylight filtered in through the blinds.  I rolled over and opened my eyes to find four armed guards and two police officers over me.  "Joss is playing that trick again, huh?  The one where he has me arrested and gives me that silly court order to stay away?"  They looked at me as if I had grown a second head and ordered me to the ground.  After hand cuffing me they led me sown the staircase where I saw my "husband", the creative genius behind BtVS, crying in another woman's arms.  I mouthed, "One day my love, we'll be together," before taking my seat in the back of the car. 

A/N:  Yeah I'm a sick, sick woman.  You'll learn to like that in a while though.  J  Just sit back and enjoy the show.  Thank you Dee for being my beta.  Oh and dude, to the girl that reviewed Dee's story that was all sick like, like we are, a big hug to you sweetheart.

Chapter 3

            Breathing, she heard breathing.  Not sure if it was her own she looked up and into the very confused eyes of Spike.  He was still, alive.  Alive.  He was a living breathing human being.  A man.  She didn't know whether to laugh or cry.  Desire had really done it.  She made him perfect.  Rising so that she was now eye level with him she looked at him, almost in awe.  She inspected the scar on his eyebrow, tracing it lightly with her finger.  Buffy then moved her hand to his cheeks, while her thumb explored the softness of his lips.  Those lips, she could kiss them now without feeling guilty about not being ashamed. 

            William watched her, each second his concern growing.  He had never seen her look at him like that before.  Her eyes seem to have a mixture of pain, confusion, laughter, and he was probably imagining it, but desire.  His face tingled where she seemed to be inspecting him, touching him.  He wondered what had caused the freak out, first in the crypt and now.  At first he thought that she had come running to his side because he might have been hurt.  When she started sobbing though, it became apparent that something else was going on in her mind.   She had seemed so scared, like she was well, losing him.  Not knowing how to react, he just looked at her not moving a muscle.   It wasn't until she leaned in to kiss the lips that she had been exploring with her thumb that he stood up, abruptly.  'Bloody girl has lost her mind.'

            After the almost kissing incident the group had each walked to their respective cars and parted ways.  Leaning her head against the window, Buffy let out a frustrated sigh.  She didn't have to be ashamed of her feeling anymore.  She didn't have to hide anything anymore, and when she goes to kiss him he went all wonky.  'That's what I do.  He goes to kiss me and I get all weirded out for no good reason other than the fact then my friends will freak.  Now he's doing it?  What kinda stupid wish land was this?'  She thought her mind racing as to what she might have done wrong.  She hadn't come up with anything by the time they reached the house and she was still confused as ever. 

            Everything was the same right?  Except for the changes she made to Spike everything was fine.   Her mom was recovering, Dawn was doing all right in school and the Scoobies were still here.  Putting it out of her mind, she made her way to the kitchen and whipped up some hot chocolate with little marshmallows.  'Mmmm choclately goodness always heals near death experiences.  Okay not near death, hell chocolaty goodness solves everything.  Except weight gain.'  Shaking her head she drank the rest of her drink and called Giles.  Not knowing what else to do she decided that more research on Glory was need.  "Maybe Spike will be there.  Maybe he'll be naked.    Maybe he'll do a striptease, to like "Pour some sugar on me."'  Buffy was shaken out of her somewhat delicious thoughts when Dawn entered the kitchen asking what Buffy was looking at.  Blinking and adjusting her eyes to actually look at something she scanned the yard.  'Shovel, old sock, people having sex net door, rose bush, and fence.'  She glanced again at the neighbors thinking she should try that position before turning to Dawn.  "Somebody left an old sock on our yard." She told her sister, a smile forming on her face. 

            Dawn gave her a half believing look and went back into the living room.  'Sock my ass.  She was watching our kinky new neighbors.' 

            Hours later they had all assembled at the Magic Box.  Even Spike, although to her disappointment he wasn't naked or seemingly willing to do a strip tease.  And she had even brought a tape.  She found herself looking at him through the corner of her eye.  Watching his every movement, the way he unconsciously licked his lips when reading about hell-gods or the way he would mess with his curls when reading wasn't telling him anything new.  She wanted to touch him, to be all kissy with him, to rip off his clothes in such a frenzied fashion that he wouldn't know what hit him until he was deep inside her.  But to actually say that might scare him, that or make him suspicious.  Glancing at her book she thought of plausible excuses to get the two of them alone.  'Maybe I should be all blunt like Anya.  "Excuse me guys but I would like it if Spike and I went into the other room so that he can please me with many orgasms."  Uh, no.  Or maybe I can say "Due to the excessive noise out her I think it wise for Spike and I to research in the training room."  And then I would get the crazy looks.  Gah why is this so hard!!!'  It was then that Giles spoke up and gave her the perfect idea.

            "Buffy in light of the recent mishaps you've had with Glory…"

            "And by mishaps you mean ass kicking's?"

            "Er, yes, well I was just thinking that maybe we could step up on your training.  Perhaps you could come here after school and we could…."

            "That's it!"  Buffy said almost to excited about the prospect of training.  "I mean you right.  I should start train more.  And sparring, lots of sparring.  With people.  Like Spike.  Spike's good to spar with.  Come on Spike let's spar, now."  Her enthusiasm was met with confused faces and a cough from Xander.  "What I think that Giles is right, a jumpy kicky prepared Buffy is better than gets her ass kicked every time I meet with hell goddess Buffy."

            "Buffy, who's Spike?"  Willow finally asked, confusion still playing on her features. 

            It was Buffy's turn to be confused.  Had they all gone mad?  I mean he was sitting right there.  All smug like, okay not smug but a bored slash sexy look on his face.  It's not like when she turned him human she, oh wait she did.  They didn't know about Spike and his bleached blond hair.  No one knew about the man that would have jumped at the first chance had she offered a rough and tumble.  She decided to cover. 

            "William, I meant William.  I just thought that would be a cute nickname for him.  You know like rascal, or evil undead."  This got her more confused looks.  "Come on he has pet names for us.  You're Red and Glinda, he's the whelp, Anya's Demon girl, Giles got The Watcher and I'm usually Slayer, Pet, or Luv."

            This time William interrupted.  "Buffy I'm beginning to think the hospital released you a wee bit early.  The only name besides Buffy that I have ever called you is bitch."  He didn't know what the hell she was on but he was determined to get his hands on it and take some himself.  She had been acting weird since the graveyard and today was no different.  Screaming when he fell, trying to kiss him, and watching him when she thought he wasn't looking.  And he wasn't sure but he thought he saw a Def Leppard tape in her purse.  It was weird and out of character.  Not even two days ago she had been ready to kill him for saying that Angel was a poofter and that she deserved better.  Okay there had been some cussing and throwing of arms but it didn't explain her behavior now.  Anything was better than reading about Glory, the goddess of no information whatsoever.  He indulged Buffy's request and motioned to the training room.  "You up for a tumble?"

            'That's Spike all right.'  Buffy thought a smile forming on her face.  

            They both walked silently to the back room.  Taking the time to stretch and relax their muscles, they both thought about how to defeat the other.  It wasn't often that Spike beat Buffy, but occasionally it happened.  It wasn't until he had got his black belt in three different martial arts that she seriously looked at him like an equal.  At least in the fighting sense.  Their relationship was weird.  He had met the three of them when they were in high school and he was in college.  Buffy had been the only one who hadn't warmed up to him.  Sure they had made their alliances with each other but she never seemed to give him the light of day.  All they did was bicker and banter with each other.  Each trading blows until one was hurt and ran off.  In the past year or so he had been helping out more, with Scooby stuff and with research, maybe now she would drop whatever grudge she held against him.  Deciding to put the idea of actual peace out of his head, he dropped and started doing pushups. 

            Buffy turned around as he began his pushups.  'To be the ground under that body.'  She almost shivered at the thought.  She walked over to him, lightly brushing his skin, relishing the way it felt under her fingers.  "You ready?" 

            And so it began.  It felt somewhat weird to her though.   Sure the moves were there but she felt like he was holding back, or rather that they both were.  He was ready for her moves but he wasn't hitting her back, He was just defending himself.  She stopped suddenly, not realizing that he was still swinging.  Less then a second later she was on her back and in shock. 

            "Now that's better."  She said to William as he lent her his hand so that she could be back in the standing position.  Again this was met with a hint of surprise.  Okay, not so much a hint rather a strange mixture of confusion and horror on his face.  "Jesus, since when do you just stand there and not do anything about it.  Where's the dance?  Where's the whole "I wanna beat the shit out of her attitude?"  I get more out of puffy Xander than I do you.  Fight damn it!  Like you want to kill me."

            He began to wonder if that feeling was to far off.  He stepped back, giving her the signal for a break trying to get into the killing her frame of mind.  'Think about what she said about Dru; think about her not telling us that Angel was back, think about Riley and the way she let him talk to you.  Think about how she made a fool of you during all the nights of slaying, talking about your latest failure with woman, talking shit about your poetry.  Okay the poetry was bad, granted but she didn't have to shove it in his face whenever convenient.'  He looked up, his blood boiling and roared. 

            'Did he just roar?'  Buffy thought before looking up to see him rushing at her.  'Aww shit.'  She lunged out of his way in just enough time as to not get hit.  This was it, this was dancing.  They were matching each others moves and dancing to the same beat.  For every attack there was a counter attack.  Grunts were the only sound heard in the room.  The fire in their eyes never dimming, their breath becoming more ragged as the fight proceeded.  Sure it hurt when they got hit, but it felt even better to get the hit in.  To release all of their frustrations on each other.  Each of them had got the other on the floor, pinning their form to the mattress only to have the pinned one fight the other off within seconds.  Yes it was a good dance.  An exhausting one too.  They had only been sparring for 45 minutes when William's arms began to lose some of their force and he began to lose the fight. 

            First she had kicked him in the gut with a roundhouse kick, and seemingly at the same time the shirt that he was wearing was somehow torn and now the right half was hang to his side.  Then as he ducked to avoid being hit she slammed him in the back of the knees.  He didn't remember how, but he remembered falling.  Then the final blow came sending him straight to the mat with no chance of recovery.  She quickly took this chance to grab a stake and startle him. 

            "You're dead."  She said pointing the stake directly above his heart. 

            It should have ended with that, but she stayed there.  Straddling him and not moving, instead putting more of her weight on him.  Shifting herself so that now her hips were directly over his.  Her face moved in closer, a smirk playing on her mouth and a glint in her eye that he knew so well but had never seen directed at him.  Lust.  He was seeing things, he had to be.  But she was leaning in, licking her lips in anticipation.  'Bloody hell she's insane.  Glory did that suck your brain out and make you all bonkers thing on her.  It has to be.' 

            She felt him move under her, disappointment at the lack of arousal that was usually there when they fought.  Looking into his eyes confused her even more.  The lust, the thrill of the fight, the adrenaline from the dance weren't present.  Instead she found him looking at her with questions in his eyes.  Leaning forward she went to erase any questions he had about what she wanted.  Closing her eyes she parted her lips then she felt like she was flying.  She was in a sense flying, he had taken the opportunity to buck his hips, and at the same time grabbing on to hers send her flying over his head.  Landing with a thud and "umphh" she turned and glared.  "What the fuck was that?"

            William looked at her.  'She's asking me what the bloody fuck I'm doing.  Where the bleeding hell has she been the last forty minutes.'  He shook his head not knowing how to interpret her recent change in attitude towards him.  He supposed he should look at it as a gift from God.  She was actually treating him like man rather than someone that she tolerated because he was around.  He wanted to ask her what was going on, what she was thinking.  He wondered if red had done another spell.  Color rose into his cheeks remembering the magic engagement.  They had been all over each other, touching and caressing.  Saying naughty things that would make a sailor blush.  His eyes wandered over to meet hers and just as he was about to ask what was going on Xander entered the room. 

            "Hey we heard some yelling.  Not that it's new or anything, but whoa what happened to your shirt?"  Xander said motioning to the still torn fabric that William was wearing. 

            "Buffy decided that this was clothing optional fight."

            Xander looked at Buffy.  Buffy could have cursed her body at betraying her.  She felt the blush rise in her cheeks and her panties become all the more soaked.  She knew that neither of the two could be noticed from where she was standing but it was still new to have these feelings for him and not be frightened of them.  "What did you need Xan? 

            "We're all tired of the researching but not coming up with anything.  Thinking about going to The Bronze, you guys game?"  He asked looking at Buffy and thinking of clothing optional wrestling time with her.  'Stupid fantasies, at least this time she can't read my mind.'  He continued smiling and staring off into space getting him strange looks from the two others present.  

            "Yeah sounds good mate.  Just let me go home and change." 

            They had all made plans to go home and change and then eventually meet at Spike's place.  Buffy had never been so giddy.  She practically ran her mother over trying to reach her room for the perfect outfit.  It was like Angel all over again, except without all the danger and brooding.  The excitement of looking into his eyes while their bodies moved to its own beat, the look of longing that she would see as he pulled her tight into his embrace.  Yes tonight she would show him exactly how she felt.  'How do I feel?'  Sitting on the bed she silently convinced herself it was all the changes that she asked for that were letting her feel this way.  'I never liked Spike, never.  He was evil, he didn't have a soul, he was, and well he wasn't that bad.'  Groaning at the path her mind was taking, she absentmindedly picked up whatever was on top. 

             They had all been ready in under an hour and they were now on the way to William's.  'William.  It almost doesn't sound real.  "That's because it isn't!"  The other part of her mind shouted out to her.  Shaking her head as to make the thoughts fall out she looked at the road and noticed they were entering a more expensive part of Sunnydale.  They came to a stop outside what looked like a hotel.  Entering the building after confirming with the desk clerk that they were in fact on a guest list they made their way up to his apartment. 

            To say she was amazed at her wish for him was an understatement.  As soon as she entered the apartment she began exploring.  The floors were a dark hard wood, giving it that old fashioned look.  The fire in the living room giving it an eerie but intimate glow.  The couches were made of a plush material that was incased in leather, and of course in black.  'If it's not one thing, it's another.'  She thought, thinking of the duster of Old Spike.  He had a top of the line entertainment center with all the best equipment and the newest products.  She fingered through his DVD collection finding a lot of Monty Python, James Bond, and Dr. Who.  Rolling her eyes she turned her attention to the artwork on the walls.  She recognized the first one as being 'Starry Night.' She remembered her mom vaguely mentioning that Spike and her had talked about it, well before he chained her up and threatened to feed her to his ho bag ex.  She shuddered at the memory trying to remember that William wasn't that man.  He was better.  Moving to the second one she let out a gasp.  It was her.  Her and the gang laughing, it seemed like.  It was drawn in such precision in charcoal and it was amazing.  Looking n vain for the signature she finally located it the artists name bringing a smile to her face.  William Sinclair.     There were more sketchings of the gang both together and apart.  She walked around the room, ignoring quizzical looks from her friends and set off to explore the other parts of the apartment. 

            The kitchen, office and bathroom had pretty much been standard.  No real surprises there.  Okay one surprises she almost died of silent laughter when she open his medicine cabinet to reveal a box of condoms.  She had been relieved to find no woman products or extra tooth brushes.  Now on the forbidden fortress.  His room. 

            She heard him out on the balcony talking to whomever and swiftly and stealthily entered his room.  Then she died and went to heaven.  It was exactly as she had thought when she had wished for it.  Immediately she found herself going to the bed.  It was round and covered in dark green silk sheets, the light from the dimmed lamps making oh so inviting.  She touched the silk, letting it glide in between her fingers and caress her palm.  She wanted to just climb in but that would be crazy, wouldn't it?  'Or would it?'  After seconds of fighting with her mind she decided to leave the getting into bed until she was asked, venturing instead to pick up a pillow to smell his scent.  Buffy picked up a black pillow that looked worn with use.  Bringing it to her nose she took a deep breath, inhaling all of his scent.  She looked at the pillow as if it had done something wrong.  It didn't smell right.  Sure it smelled like William, but it didn't smell like Spike.  She found herself becoming slightly disappointed that the pillow had no lingering scents of tobacco, alcohol, and bleach.  'That's what you wanted, right?'  She thought to herself wondering if that was really true.  Setting the pillow down, she made her way over to the dresser.

            Like all the other wooden furniture in his house it was a cherry colored oak, the knobs of the drawers were a matte silver Celtic design.  Carefully and without making noise to alert the still talking William she opened the top drawer and found boxers.  'Boxers!!!  I didn't ask for that.'  The red now steadily invading her cheeks as she remembered how she knew that he went commando. 'Stupid spell.'  She continued to invade each one of the drawers and it was in the last one, the drawer nearest to the bed and eye level when on it that she found the toy surprise, a button.  Curiosity won over her rational mind and she pushed it.  Buffy yelped in surprise when the bed near her began to vibrate.  That in turn alerted William to a presence in his room and she panicked when she saw him turn around to come back in.  Without giving it a second shot she ran into his closet hoping to avoid the questions and looks when he realized she had been snooping.

            William rushed into his room, finding no one but finding everything else out of place.  His boxers and socks were sticking out of their respective drawers and his bed was now vibrating.  He walked over to his dresser, pushing in the button to shut it off rather than going through all of the other motions that the bed was designed for.  Straightening out the somewhat messed up sheets and pillow formation he looked around trying to find the offender.  It wasn't until her heard a muffled cough that he looked at the closet.  'Probably Xan and Red playing tricks again.  Wankers.'   Putting on his best 'I'm angry but you really know I'm not' face he opened the door to find Buffy looking at his clothes.  'Oh bugger, what the hell was the chit up to now?' 

            "Um, Buffy, did you lose your way?" 

            "I was looking for the bathroom?"  She said, almost posing it as a question.  'God how am I going to get out of this?'  She watched as he put his head down and his body began to vibrate.  'Shit I pissed him off.'  It wasn't until he met her eyes again that she realized that he was laughing.  Buffy didn't remember seeing her Spike that happy.  'Her Spike?'  His smile seemed to bring out the laughter in his eyes as well. 

            "Come on out before I convince myself that bump on your head isn't affecting all the parts of your brain."  He extended his hand and they went to greet the others in the living room.  Once they had checked each other for evil lint monsters and stray hairs they went out for a night on the town.

            'Tonight is gonna be wild,' she thought noting that music and alcohol would provide the perfect opportunity for closeness.