Disclaimer: I asked for my birthday, for Christmas, for Easter. But do the rights to Buffy belong to me? Nope. I don't even have a naked Spike to call my own! (

Previously: Spike comes looking for Buffy (the day after their make-out session in the graveyard) and finds that she's going out on a date with Riley . . .

AN: Wow!!! I have over a hundred reviews!!! * Does a happy dance around her room * That's more than I've ever had!! Thank you SO much to everyone who reviewed, you guys are the best!

Now, on with the story . . .
Truth or Dare

Chapter Six: Warm, Dry, Crypt.
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Spike looked the whiskey bottle up and down, trying to decide if he should drink it all in one gulp.

Bloody women, always making him depressed.

He had started thinking he was in love with her, and then she's suddenly going out with some farm-boy who probably thinks Sunnydale is a big city. That's when he remembered how much easier it had been hating her, that's when he tried to convince himself that he hated her again.

Only it didn't work, he was just as much in love with her as he had been before, if not more. Not just her looks, she was beautiful, yeah, but he loved everything about her: from the way she touched him to her feisty temper. Everything.

The vampire was trying to decide if he should get drunk, go out and kill something, watch hours of 'Passions' reruns, or all three, when the knock sounded on his crypt door.

Who would be knocking? Sure, people came around, but God forbid they should ever knock.

He opened the door cautiously, and saw the very last person he expected to see.

"B-buffy?" Spike stammered.

She stood in the pouring rain, normally bouncy, curly, hair plastered against her head in waves. Her clothes were soaking, and she was shivering from the cold. (Had she really expected to stay warm wearing a tank-top?) Spike took this all in with one glance, the tear tracks on her cheeks instantly drawing his attention.

"Did he hurt you?" Spike asked, anger rising in his voice. "If he hurt you, I swear he's going to regret it. I'm goin' t' drive a bloody railroad spike through his 'ead, show him where I got my name. And, that, that's just the beginning'! After that, I'm goin t'-OW!!!!" Spike screamed in pain as his chip went off. "Great, now I can't even think about hurtin' people!" He yelled at no one in particular.

Buffy giggled slightly at his outburst.

"Oh fine, just laugh at my misfortune." Spike said, pulling Buffy out of the rain and into his crypt.

"Now dry off." Spike instructed the girl, handing her a few bath towels. "Take off those wet things and put on these." He added, tossing her one of his black T-shirts and a pair of black boxers.

The thought, 'Spike wears boxers?' Drifted briefly through Buffy's mind as she dried off.

"Good, you're dressed." He said a few minutes later. Spike's black T- shirt was loose on her small frame, and she had to roll the boxers up to make them fit. "Not you're going to sit down," he said, indicating the green chair. "And tell me exactly what happened."

Buffy meekly sat down, wondering when she had begun taking orders form Spike.

"And if he hurt you, in any way," Spike continued. "I swear I'm goin' t' kill him, chip or not."

"Riley didn't hurt me." Buffy assured the vampire. "Nothing happened, actually. We saw some boring action movie he wanted to see, and then he brought me home."

"So then why were you standing out side my crypt, in the middle of the night, in the pouring rain, crying?" Spike paced up and down his crypt.

"I-I don't know." Buffy stammered. "I'm so confused . . . I didn't want to be alone. My dorm room's too . . . too empty." Buffy began to talk faster. "And then after this afternoon, after you left, I couldn't stop thinking about you, thinking about how upset you'd seemed. I just wanted to make everything better." The tears began flooding her face again. "I can't stop thinking about you, and I don't know why."

Spike stopped pacing and pulled Buffy into his arms. "S'all right, luv. 'M a bit confused myself. Don' you worry about it though, everything will be alright."

Buffy sobbed and shuddered, pulling herself further into Spike's embrace. How was it he could make her feel so much better in only a few words?

"Jesus girl!" Spike exclaimed. "You're almost as cold as me!" He picked her up in one, graceful movement. "We got t' get you warmed up, or your watcher will blame me for gettin' his slayer sick."

He was rewarded with a small smile from Buffy.

He laid her in his bed, pulling the covers over her shivering frame. Spike laid on top of the covers, draping an arm over the slayer.

"This one time, in London . . ." Spike started, and began telling Buffy the funniest memories he could think of (skipping over the bloody parts); anything he thought would make her feel better.

The tears gradually stopped falling down Buffy's face as Spike continued talking, and soon she was laughing.

"Did farm-boy kiss you?" Spike asked at a lull in the conversation.

"Yeah." Buffy admitted.

"Was it a good kiss?"

"It was okay."

Spike crushed his lips against hers, his tongue plunging into her mouth. Buffy moaned and kissed him back, her own tongue exploring his mouth.

"As good as that?" Spike asked, smirking at the girl panting next to him.

"God, no!" Buffy exclaimed. "Far from it."

"Looks like I won again."

She rolled her eyes. "You are so immature."

"You wouldn't have me any other way." Spike said, laughing.

"Mmmm." Buffy agreed, closing her eyes and soon drifting off into a peaceful slumber.

Spike watched the slayer lying next to him sleep, wondering why he had never noticed how beautiful she was. He moved a lock of blond hair off her face, careful not to disturb her.

"I love you." He whispered softly.

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AN: Review! Please review and tell me what you think!