Chapter Seven

(I got a little, actually a lot of, inspiration from the reviews you all have submitted. So thank you. Plus I just relieved my bladder, and I think that helped to free up some creative space. Oh, and don't worry, I won't inflict pain on myself. But you try to listening to "it's a small world" every day for five days and that fork starts to look real good.)

"What time is it?" Spike asked from under his heavy blanket.

Buffy glanced at her watch. "Ten to six. The sun should be setting soon. Just hold on."

"Easy for you to say. You're not danger of becoming charcoal bits," he muttered. She gave him a Look and he shut up. They had left before the sun set, and Spike had grumbled about that too. The rough terrain made it difficult for Buffy or Xander to drag Spike, so Xander fitted the spare tire, which strangely hadn't been slashed, and they were able to wheelbarrow Spike along.

"Are we going the right way?" Dawn asked.

"Yeah," xander said. "We'll just take the road all the way back..." The gang stopped. In the middle of the road, blocking their path was a huge rock slide.

"How did this happen?" Willow asked.

"What are we going to do?" Anya asked.

Spike peered out from under his blanket. "There aren't any mountainsides around here," he pointed out.

Buffy looked around. "You're right."

"S-somebody d-doesn't want us getting help," Tara stuttered.

"We'll have to go through the forest then," Xander said.

Buffy frowned. "Uh, maybe there's another way." She definitely didn't want to go through the woods. Especially with the demons animals running around.

"Oh yeah. So what? You're gonna move all these rocks?" Spike asked rudely. "Sorry, love, you may be the slayer, but there's no way you could move boulders."

She spun around, hands on her hips. "You're one smart-ass remark away from losing that blanket, mister."

The vampire hugged his protection around him tightly. Xander grinned like an idiot. "What are you grinning at, wanker?"

"Nothing," Xander put his hands up. "Just a nice mental picture." Spike growled, but cowering under a blanket he knew he was far from menacing.

Buffy sighed. "Let's head down."

They were able to hike a good five miles before Dawn started complaining of being tired. Xander chimed in with an "I'm hungry", and they stopped for the night. Tara and Willow gathered kindling for a fire Xander was unsuccessfully trying to produce.

"How are you doing?" Tara asked Willow.

Willow half shrugged. "Okay. I guess. I mean I've never really been out in the woods like this before," she laughed. "The closest I've been to camping was out in Xander's backyard when we were kids. We used sheets to make a tent and told ghost stories."

Tara smiled. "I meant about earlier."

"Oh," Willow looked down. "The demon moose. Yeah, I'm okay about that too."

"I s-saw you. You were trying so hard not to use magic. Even to protect yourself and Anya," Tara told her softly.

"Yeah. I was real heroic," Willow said sarcastically.

Tara stopped walking. "You were. It takes strength to use magic. But it takes so much more to not. To battle your demons with virtue and hard work. It might not seem as glamorous, but it's what makes people love you." Willow smiled and blinked back tears. Tara looked away shyly and they continued back to camp.

"Thank you." Willow said before they reached the rest of the gang. "It helps that someone notices."

"I always notice you." Willow looked at Tara, their eyes met bashfully.

"So do I. And it's not that hard anymore. Everyday is a little better."

Tara pressed her lips together thoughtfully. "How so?"

"There was a time where I'd just wave my hand and a fire would appear."

"And now?"

Willow looked over at the camp. Xander and Spike were arguing about how to start the fire while Anya and Buffy looked on rolling their eyes. She smiled. "That's so much stronger," she said nodding in her friends direction.


"Jeez, Dawn. Did you bring anything that wasn't sugar loaded, dipped in chocolate and have less than 200 calories?" Buffy asked as Dawn pulled out two bags of junk food out of her pack.

"Hey, we're camping, we're sitting around a campfire. We need s'mores," Dawn pointed out.

Buffy considered this. "Hand me a stick." Dawn grinned and gave her sister a long, slender stick.

"Not to disrupt the junk food binge, but I'm feeling a might bit peckish and I'm afraid that I'm not much of a sweet tooth," Spike said. "Someone could rustle me up a squirrel or a bunny..."

"Bunny! Where?!" Anya looked around terrified and clutched Dawn who groaned.

"No bunnies," Buffy said quickly. "No animals. We don't know if they're demonic or not."

"Fine," Spike said and then cursed under his breath. "You bring me anything to eat, Nibblet?"

"Just one blood pack," she grimaced. "I didn't think we'd be camping out like this."

Spike forced a smile, "That's fine. Save it. I can wait." He shifted. Pain ran up and down his leg. He hoped that his vampire healing would kick in soon and that his bones wouldn't fuse together wrong. Damn cable TV. He's have to tell Buffy about Dawn's new obsession.

"Here," Buffy handed him a s'more. He sneered at the gooey mess. "You're kidding me, right?"

"Just eat it."

"I told you I wasn't much for sweets," he said.

"Have you ever had one of these?"

"No."

"You've never had a s'more?!" Xander asked wildly. His mouth was full of graham cracker and marshmallow. He had a ring of melted chocolate around his mouth. "You're like a hundred and fifty years old. You really haven't lived."

"A hundred and forty-six, mate. Get it right. And what's the big deal about these things anyway, looks messy." He examined it.

"That's half the fun Spike," Dawn told him. "Messy, eating with your fingers."

"Then again, Willy Wannabite would rather chase his food," Xander said.

"Damn straight," Spike nodded. HE leaned over to Dawn. "I'll tell you the story of some real finger food." Dawn shivered, excited.

"C'mon, Spike, just try it," Buffy said. He opened his mouth, seductively. She held back a glare and a smile and fed the sweet sandwich to him. He smirked and wiped the sticky marshmallow off his chin.

"Not bad," he commented.

They all sat around the fire, talking and laughing, telling ghost stories. Spike started a story, but had to stop because of Xander's weak stomach. Spike felt warm, he figured he was just too close to the fire. But then, he realized the feeling was coming from within. Slightly disturbed, he moved away, wincing in pain as he did so. He ended up moving closer to Buffy.

"What wrong?" She asked him.

"What? Oh, nothing." He said. "Getting a little too close for comfort. Still flammable."

Buffy leaned back, rested her head on his shoulder and looked into the fire. He was surprised she was showing him affection in front of her Scoobies. "What are you doing?" He asked. She looked up at him and scoffed. "Sorry." She said getting up and retiring to the tent she had made up out of Spike's blanket. "Buffy!" He said hobbling over to the tent. "Ouch!" He exclaimed when he bent down to get into the tent.

"You okay?" She asked.

"Great."

"Damn."

Spike raised an eyebrow. Buffy hardly ever swore. She must be mad. "You cranky with me?"

Buffy shook her head. "I just don't get you, Spike."

"What? You mean my reluctance to snuggle with you in front of your friends? You were the one who made up the rules, love," he said.

"And what? You follow rules now?" She asked.

"I can't do this, Buffy. You can't be hot and cold like this and expect me to bend to what you want. It isn't fair," Spike told her.

"You're telling me what's fair now?" She asked. "Fair to who? Me? You? My friends? My sister? Should I just tell them about us right now?"

He shrugged. "If you want."

"Well I don't," she said crossing her arms over her chest. She looked at him. "Are you?"

He heaved. "Not if you don't want me to. Although for the record, if you don't, I will, but not now."

"Thank you."

"Yeah," he rolled his eyes. He tried scooting up, but couldn't with out the blinding pain.

"Here," she pulled him up next to her. "Better?"

He nodded. "Yes." He brushed back her hair. "I want something sweet."

"I thought you didn't have a sweet tooth."

"Not that kind of sweet, pet," he purred into her ear.

She closed her eyes as he kissed her behind the ear and ran his lips down her neck. "Your leg," she murmured.

"Don't need that for this," he murmured back.

"Mmm, no," she stopped him. "Not here."

Spike exhaled. "Fine."

She kissed him passionately. Her tongue rolled against his with a promise. "Not yet."


To Be Continued...


(Hopefully, this flow will continue. But I'm not getting my hopes up too much. Review and thank you.)