Author: Bitten And Staked

Title: City of Angels - Chapter Sixteen - Feigning punches.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Summary: Buffy has settled into sleeping next to Spike and when she wakes up alone on Friday it makes her feel cold. Spike and Buffy spar with each other only to be discovered by her father.

Timeline: set in between season 5 and 6, in my alternate world where Buffy didn't die. Spike's crypt is trashed during the final showdown and Dawn convinces Buffy to let him stay since he protected them both.

Series: Part 16 of ?

Pairing: Buffy and Spike. Romance, love and nooky.

Rating: PG13

Disclaimer: everyone else owns Buffy and all associated with her.

Feedback: always welcome so email me - webmaster@talesoftheslayer.com

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next few days passed in much the same way, Buffy insisted they moved the majority of their daytime TV watching to the main living room where people would actually see them. Buffy grew more and more comfortable with leaning against Spike on the couch, even when the parents were absent all day. She didn't leave his side for the next few days, on Thursday Dawn managed to get Buffy to agree that she would go to the mall with her and Jane.

Buffy awoke on Friday morning to an empty bed and felt cold. Yesterday morning had been perfect with both her and Spike waking up at the same time. They had laid in bed next to each other for an hour, just sharing the space in comfortable silence.

She smiled at the memory of the past week thankful that it had passed with only minor imperfections. She was even starting to think that she would miss sleeping next to Spike when they were back in Sunnydale. His cool body next to hers under the sheets was a comfort, whenever she had bad slayer dreams she instantly forgot them in his arms and was asleep again in moments. Damn you Spike.

Buffy grabbed her sweats from the drawer and headed out of the annex, the house was quiet all around her except a distant noise up ahead. She followed the noise as she wrapped her bandages around her fists. Coming to a halt outside the exercise room an array of swearing drifted to her ears, she pushed the door open to reveal Spike hailing down fury on a punch bag.

Spike stopped as she entered the room grabbing hold of the swinging punch bag tightly. He grinned at Buffy, she always looked good in her training outfit. Buffy circled around Spike and looked at what he was wearing, he had cut up the pair of sweats she had bought him into shorts.

"Hey! I paid good money for those." She pointed to the offending garment.

"They're restricting me it makes it hard to fight." Spike rolled his head to either side to relieve tension.

"Spike, you fight in tight jeans and a pair of baggy bottoms are restricting?"

"Go figure."

Buffy laughed at him, it was one phrase that didn't sound right coming from his lips. She continued circling him and narrowed her eyes.

"Wanna train?" Buffy raised her eyebrows at him.

"Chip." Spike needed a good fight, it had been ages since he and Buffy had fought.

"I won't make with the ouch, I can handle it. If I don't register the pain then it won't go off… will it?"

"Don't know pet." Spike smiled wickedly. "Stay put and I'll test it."

Spike threw a punch at Buffys stomach, she dropped to the floor and sucked a breath in sharply, it was enough for the chip to trigger. Spike dropped to his knees and held his skull tightly.

"Mebbe not." He growled as he shook his head. "How about we just take it in turns to hold the punch bag?"

"Damn, really wanted to fight you." Buffy stomped her foot and pouted like a little kid.

"You can hit me but I won't be able to hit you back, all I can do is feign punches." Spike stretched and smiled inwardly as he registered her disappointment.

"So we both feign punches, I don't want to hurt you if you can't do damage in return." Buffy smiled at him and when he smiled back at her she initiated the play fighting.

Swinging her fists as fast as she could Spike dodged every one of them, he had always been her hardest foe and sparring with him always made her feel fulfilled. Spikes fist stopped short of her face and Buffy jumped a little.

"Christ Buffy, pay attention." Spike backed off a foot, limbered up and waited for her to regain composure. There was a time when she could have stopped him before he even got a punch in.

Buffy launched another attack and it was like dancing with him. She remembered back to the night outside the bronze where they had passed feigned punches in an effort for her to understand how he'd killed two Slayers. Spike dodged everything she had and threw some of his own jabs into the fray. They had been going like it for twenty minutes, exchanging ghost punches when Spike caught her off guard again.

"Sorry love." Spike backed off again and watched Buffy panting hard; she looked a little out of shape. He took a step towards her and bent his head lower. "You alright?"

The next thing he knew she had taken out his legs from under him and was straddling him, hand raised in feigned staking.

"Sucker!" Buffy laughed at him.

Spike chuckled then wiggled an eyebrow at her as his hands slid up her thighs. Then there was clapping coming from the doorway, they both turned their heads to face it.

"Well done, that was breathtaking. Do you spar with each other often? I mean I didn't know Buffy was a fighter." It was Buffys dad, Spikes hands fell to the floor beside him and Buffy coloured slightly as she lowered her hand.

"Quite the little fighter aren't you pet." Spike grinned up at her.

Buffy leapt off Spike and offered him a hand up, he took it and hauled himself off the floor.

"Hey dad." She wiped sweat from her face and stretched. "Thought you were working today?"

"Got half a day off, do you two actually hit each other? Because from here it didn't look like it."

"Can't hit your daughter Mr Summers, not nice to hit girls." Spike raised an eyebrow at Buffy and she smiled.

They moved around to the punch bag and Buffy held it for Spike, he looked like he needed to hit something or take her to the bedroom and right now she was opting for hitting something.

"Grrah" Spike punched the bag with all the energy he had left in him, Hank watched from the doorway quite impressed at his speed and strength.

He was trying to make out what level Buffy and Williams relationship was one, obviously they shared several common interests including watching the TV far too much, but it was nice to see Buffy with a man she obviously felt comfortable with. His little girl was all grown up, a strong little woman. He didn't realise how strong until she starting punching the bag that Spike now held for her. Missing it she managed to clock Spike on the jaw and knock him to the floor.

"Are you alright?" Buffy rushed around and helped him up, Spike rubbed his jaw then gave a sideward glance to her father.

"Suckerpuncher." Spike grinned at her and pinched her ass as she walked back towards the punch bag.

"What say I leave you two alone for a while?" Hank turned and left the room, after a few minutes Buffy and Spike followed.

"I'm going to grab a shower honey, I'm off to the mall in an hour with Dawn and Jane." Buffy smiled at the sight of her little hand in his as they walked down the hall towards the annex.

"I'll be fine here there's plenty to eat and they're showing Passions all afternoon." He pushed the door open and came to rest on the couch.

"I can't believe I am actually getting into that. Not only do you corrupt my sister but now you're corrupting me too." Buffy headed straight for the bathroom.