Chapter 8

Approximately ten minutes later everyone except Willow and Spike and of course Buffy, had left the Summers' home. Finally, the 3 were now seated at the kitchen counter eating sandwiches while waiting for Dawn and Tara to get back with the missing ingredients for the spell.

"So…Spike, I've been meaning to ask you something." Willow informed him.

Buffy, who was currently sitting on the opposite side of her, got a panicked expression on her face and started signaling to Spike to not mention anything about their new-found, mixed-up relationship.

Spike just glanced at her over Willow's shoulder inconspicuously and gave her a look as though to say, Everythin'll be alright, pet. I've got a handle on it. Don't worry. Buffy relaxed some, and quit signaling, but still kept a panicked expression on her face and was still fidgeting in her seat. Spike ignored it and tuned his attention back to Willow and asked, "What's that, Red?"

"Well…it's nothing really." Willow told him, suddenly sounding more like shy Tara, than confident Willow.

"Aww, c'mon Red. If this was 'nothing', then you wouldn't be gettin' all shy an' stuff. That just aint like you. Now, c'mon tell me, it must be somethin' big if you've been wantin' to ask me for so long. Spit it out."

"Alright, alright…" Willow said, then took a deep breath and continued, "It's just, well…you're so…how do I say this…different from any other Vampire, even Angel. I mean, well, you actually consume human food and drinks like us humans, most of the time you'd even prefer it over the blood that you're supposed to drink and eat. You even display human emotions, even more than Angel ever did anyway. I was just wondering why."

Spike looked at Buffy, who had completely visibly relaxed and practically fainted once Willow finished, and the sight of her combined with Willow's completely random outburst, sent him into a fit of hysterical laughter.

Soon all three were laughing. Buffy was laughing so hard she was crying and soon after fallen off her stool onto the floor. Spike was laughing so hard he was doubled over and also was crying. Willow, she was laughing so hard she just had tears rolling down her face, but she was just laughing at Spike and Buffy, rather than what she had just come out and said, like Spike and Buffy partly were.

All three, in fact, were quite a sight to see. A Slayer, a Vampire and a Witch all laughing hysterically over something, together none the less! Eventually all three managed to gather themselves together and Spike helped his Buffy back up onto her stool and place a quick kiss on her neck making her shiver, blush and swat him away playfully, while Willow's back was still turned.

After that Spike quickly returned to his stool, on the opposite side of Willow. "Alright Red, now that we've all got ourselves together, I'll answer your question. Thing is…I n'er really thought 'bout it. I used to think it was just outa habit, but now that I stop and think 'bout it I guess I n'er really stopped in the first place. I can remember Dru and the bloody Poofter tauntin' me 'bout it all the time as well. To be honest with you, I don't know why I act the way I do, or do certain things that I do. I guess some habits die hard, don't they?" he told Willow honestly, directing the last bit directly at his love, locking eyes with her. Buffy, knowing very well what his second meaning was, blushed deeply and decide that then seemed like a good time to get up and get a bottle of cold water from the fridge. "Was there anything else you wanted to know?", Spike asked Willow once Buffy got up.

"No, not really. Tara and Dawnie should be back soon. We should probably all move into the living room."

"That sounds like a great idea Will. You go on ahead, I'll be in a second." Buffy told her friend as she started making her way into the other room. As soon as she was sure that Willow was out of line sight and earshot, she swatted Spike and the arm and quietly yelled at him. "What was that all about, you nearly blew our cover! All that talk about 'doing certain things that you do and old habits die hard'??"

Spike chuckled and smirked his trademark cocky smirk at her. "Hey, not everyone has their mind focused in the gutter, or what others do behind closed doors. Well…behind other things as well, but mostly behind doors at private residences."

"Spike…" Buffy told him warningly.

"Yeah ok…I'll be good. 'Sides, even if she did, bet she'd pro'ly n'er guess us of all people!"

"Humph! You'd be surprised! We'd better get in there though, no need to create more suspicion."

"Yeah, all right. Just a quick kiss then?" Spike asked hopefully.

Buffy simply replied by wrapping an arm around his neck and pulling him down for a quick, but still searing and mind blowing kiss. "There. Now lets get in there." She told him breathlessly after they parted and walked quickly into the living room where Willow was sitting on the couch waiting for them.

Not even two minutes after they sat down, Dawn and Tara came in the front door.

"Oh good, you guys are back!" exclaimed a very relieved Buffy, as the two walked into the living room.

"Yep and with all the ingredients now too! Tara, you're still going to let me help, right?" Dawn asked hopefully.

"Of course Dawnie. I promised I would, didn't I? Why don't you start setting up in the dining room, while I talk to Spike and attempt to explain what's going to go on to him."

"Alright." agreed Dawn cheerfully, taking all the bags of ingredients from Tara along with the spell book and hurrying off into the dining room to start setting up.

"Umm…Willow?" Tara asked, shyness creeping into her. "You're more than welcome to stay and watch, but maybe you'd feel more c-comfortable going upstairs, or maybe the other room. C-considering your magical leave and all." Tara, not only was being concerned for her ex-lover's feelings and safety, but for Spike and Buffy's safety of their secret relationship as well.

"Thanks for the offer, but I think I'm gonna go to the library and study for a while. I think I'll do better the less I expose myself to magics." She told her. She quickly went upstairs to gather her books and came back down, said her goodbyes and left for the library.
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TBC….

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