Chapter Ten

The Dead Rest Easy

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"Pants okay?"

"Check."

"Shirt on straight?"

"Check."

"Hair good?"

"Check."

"No . . . underwear all over the place?"

"Mine or yours, love?"

Buffy wrinkled her nose. "Too much information there, Spike. I'm just gonna count that as a check, okay?" She lifted her shirt to her face, inhaling deeply. She frowned. "I don't smell too much like whiskey, do I?"

Spike sniffed the air. "Not to worry," he said with a grin, "I think a little eau de Jack suits you."

She sighed, bending down to retrieve a stake that had rolled under the bed. Her fumbling hands met the firm oak handle of Mr. Pointy and she grasped it hard, shoving it into the black duffle bag she used for patrolling. "I'm just worried what everyone else's going to think. I show up late, my clothes all askew, smelling like booze . . . they're gonna know something's up."

"They won't make the connection," he said, taking the weapons-laden bag from her hands and hoisting it over his shoulder. "If anything, they'll just think you got a little pissed."

"Oh, great. So now I'm drunkard Buffy?"

"Everyone's allowed to let loose now and then, pet. Doesn't make them a drunk." Spike began heading up the stairs and Buffy followed, her steps heavy with reluctance.

"Yeah, but I said patrolling," she explained, climbing the ladder slowly. "I didn't say college party drink-a-thon. I'm the mature one; I'm the one that has to make the right decisions. Which, last time I checked, doesn't include dousing myself in cheap alcohol."

"It wasn't like you had a choice in the matter," Spike said, grasping her hand as she reached the top rung. "And that stuff wasn't cheap."

"Fine then," she grumbled, hoisting herself up to the top landing. "I'm expensive boozy Buffy. Still not the image I'm hoping for."

"If you're so worried about it, you could borrow one of my shirts," he offered, setting the duffle down on a nearby chair, "They're clean. Just did laundry."

Buffy looked at him in disbelief, but he just shrugged. "What? Just 'cause a bloke's dead, doesn't mean he's gotta smell that way."

"You do - where did -" She trailed off, shaking her head. "Never mind. I don't think I want to know. And thanks for the offer, but it wouldn't work. On the off chance that they figure out whose shirt it is . . . let's just say that my newfound love of alcohol would be the least of their worries." Buffy took the bag from the chair, slinging it over her shoulder. "Hopefully a nice, long shower will get me smelling springtime fresh again."

Taking the back of his head in her hands, she ran her fingers through his scalp, tousling his hair. "I had fun last night," Buffy purred, pulling his taut body closer to her.

Spike groaned, removing the hands from behind his head and placing them in a much lower region. "So did I, pet." He leaned forward and buried his face in her neck, laving her soft skin with his tongue. Buffy gasped, and Spike could smell enticing odour of arousal coming off of her in waves.

"Isn't this the part where you say that you're gonna call me?" She asked, gripping the duffle bag tightly.

He pulled back, a lazy grin on his face. "Don't have a phone."

Buffy smiled, giving him a playful shove. "That's always the excuse. Let me guess. You can't see me tomorrow because your grandmother's visiting?"

"Grandmum can sod off, if it means another night with you." Spike took a strand of her flaxen hair and twirled it mindlessly around his index finger, watching as the dim strands of light streaming in through the crypt's windows made the highlights shine. "Shame you can't stay," he sighed. "But I guess you've got to go out and spread the word that the big bad wolf's back in town, probably eating red riding hoods right and left."

"I wish I didn't have to go," she lamented. "But, you know, civic duty and all that. I'll come back tonight, bring any new information I get," Buffy said, kissing him softly on the cheek. "I just hope we can find something. Because, Angelus on the loose? Very much not of the good."

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Author's Note: Okay, so I know that this chap. ended rather abruptly. Truth is, I'm swamped, haven't updated in fifteen years, and finally managed to get a page out. So here it be. I swear I'll do better from now on.