A/N : Thanx to all those who reviewed; RoleModelGirlie, Mistik07, kargrif, SlaYeRGiRLkaL, gypsy-jin, Anyanka0705, Demonica Mills, kim, Mr Lennox I pressume, Celestia Nailo, Ashes, sheilamarie, Shadowhawke, Amandamanda3. It's so funny how everybody loves Lorne, I do too and I was glad to find a way to get him into this story. Anyway, as promised, here's what happens when Buffy and Spike start drinking. Hope you like...
(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 13

"When you said you wanted to get a drink, luv, I hadn't realised you meant this much" Spike smirked as Buffy let them into her apartment, carrying three bottles each of various alcoholic drinks.

"It's not all for now, dummy" she rolled her eyes at him as they walked through to the kitchen, "It just made sense to re-stock the drinks cabinet whilst we were in the liquor store" she shrugged, lining up the wine and spirits on the kitchen counter and slipping off her jacket.

"So where do we start?" Spike tilted his head as he looked at her, "Wine, I s'pose" he grabbed the necessary bottle and eyed it with distaste. He really was not the wine-drinking type, but he'd do anything to spend time with Buffy right now. Still, it seemed he wouldn't have to go to such terrible lengths just yet.

"No, something stronger" the blonde surprised him by saying, "You chose this one" she said, handing him the bottle of Jack Daniels, "Open that" she told him, holding the bottle in his direction. He looked at her strangely as he slid off his coat and then took the bottle from her.

"Do you even like bourbon?" he asked her suspiciously and Buffy shrugged.

"I dunno, one way to find out" she smiled, walking past him, "You pour the drinks, I have to go and change" she said, disappearing into the bedroom.

Spike found some appropriate glasses and went through to the living room to open the bottle of bourbon. He heard Buffy moving in the bedroom and his mind couldn't help but wander to places it probably shouldn't be going right now, but what was a bloke s'pose to do when he knew the woman he loved but wasn't allowed to touch was beyond a door not three feet away and taking all her clothes off? It was bloody inhuman torture is what it was!

"That's better" Buffy said as she emerged from the room and Spike was glad he had good self control as he poured them both a drink. She came to sit beside him on the couch and took the glass he offered her.

"Cheers" he said, clinking his glass to hers, before knocking back the contents in one. Buffy took a deep breath, looking at the brown liquid with some apprehension.

"Well, here goes nothing" she said, copying Spike's example and downing the large shot in one go. He was a little stunned by that, but then he'd noticed she seemed to be just full of surprises since he arrived back in town.

"Wow" she commented, slamming the glass down on the table, one hand going to her chest as she coughed.

"Too much for you?" Spike asked, trying not to look too amused as Buffy's eyes watered. She really was not used to alcohol that strong.

"No, I..." she tried to speak but coughed instead and Spike had to give in and laugh just a little bit. It didn't seem to matter since she joined in too.

"Maybe we should have had that wine after all" she realised when her breath came back properly. Spike offered to fetch it but she told him she could at least walk in a straight line still, she was not so much of an amateur drinker!

The white wine was fetched and poured in clean glasses as the pair talked over a few happier times past, mostly involving Willow and Xander too. It was nice just to sit and talk and laugh about silly things they'd said and done in their teens. They'd missed each other as friends as well as lovers.

As Buffy grabbed the wine bottle and filled up both their glasses before they'd even finished the first, Spike noted she was swaying oddly.

"Hey, you go steady with that, luv" he advised, "Don't want you ending up sloshed, do we?"

He knew he could hold his drink but he also knew only too well how badly alcohol affected her, and he was not going to held responsible for anything stupid she did, or how awful she felt in the morning.

"I've never been drunk" Buffy protested over-zealously and Spike's eyes went wide.

"Oh, I beg to differ, pet" he argued with a smirk on his face, "The week after Prom at the Bronze?" he reminded her. Buffy ducked her head behind her hair in embarrassment. She'd momentarily forgotten that it seemed.

Flashback

Buffy and Spike had headed out to the Bronze with Willow and Xander for a real celebration of their engagement. They'd managed to buy a bottle of champagne, despite their under-age status and whilst three of them had just a glass each, Buffy found she liked the taste so much she couldn't wait to empty her glass and fill it right back up again.

Her friends found her drunken behaviour highly amusing. Everything could apparently be construed as either hilarious or dirty in the mind of DrunkBuffy and when her laughter subsided, William thoroughly enjoyed her new take on dancing, at first anyway. After a while she started to get a little too inappropriate for a public place and he tried to convince her to go back the table with him and sit down, maybe try a non-alcoholic beverage. She flatly refused, pouting and whining about the fact he didn't want to dance with her anymore. He pulled her gently towards the table but she didn't want to budge and when he let up his grip on her wrist so as not to hurt her she tripped and knocked into the back of a girl at the bar.

Lilah Morgan was known throughout Sunnydale High as the bitch queen from hell, and definitely someone not to be trifled with. Buffy Summers had just caused Miss Morgan to spill her drink down her dress - it didn't look good for the blonde.

"You're going to pay for that" Lilah said dangerously, her double meaning not lost on the on-lookers.

"For God sakes, Lilah, breathe" Buffy snapped at her, stumbling a little as her legs didn't seem as solid as they usually did, "It's not like you look good in it anyway" she giggled.

William grabbed his girlfriend and attempted to steer her away from a fight.

"You know nothing, little girl" the brunette smiled evilly as Buffy struggled to stand her ground.

"You're wrong" she yelled, catching the attention of half the club by now. William didn't know what to do for the best.

"I know stuff" Buffy continued, gesturing emphatically, "I know that you're a stupid bitch who everybody hates" she said fairly coherently for one so drunk, "and I know these girls only hang around with you so they can be popular, they don't even like you" she went on, "and guys only like you cos you're an easy lay"

"I think you should shut your mouth now, or I'll..." Lilah started her threat, but never got a chance to finish as Buffy interrupted, something that no-one ever dared to do to Miss Morgan.

"You'll what?" she challenged, "Tell everyone not to talk to me?" she asked, "Newflash, Lilah, I. don't. care." she said right in her face, "You're a nasty person with a lot of badness inside you, and none of us give a bloody damn what you think!"

She ended with a grin and a phrase she stole from William, as Lilah looked dumb-struck by the whole turn of events. A cheer and round of applause went up through the club, every geek ever trampled on, every guy ever used, every girl ever put down by the evil Lilah Morgan joined in with supporting Buffy's words.

William clapped louder than anyone before walking back to the table with his fiancée's hand in his. She'd never stop surprising him he realised and he was glad about that

End Flashback

Both Buffy and Spike were laughing as they recalled that night from years ago that had been so much fun.

"God I was bloody proud of you that night" he told her honestly. Lilah was such a prize cow she needed bringing down a notch or two, and to have his girl be the one to do it just made William love Buffy all the more back then.

"She was such a bitch!" the blonde waved her arm in an emphatic gesture that would've resulted in spilled wine were it not for the fact her glass was pretty much empty already, "She so totally had it coming" she went on to say about Lilah.

"True enough" Spike agreed, "and you gave it to her, for all the good it did you" he rolled his eyes at a less pleasant memory making Buffy frown. She'd clearly repressed that part.

"I had fun" she pouted, wondering what he was getting at.

"Yeah, yelling at her you did" he smirked, "You forget what happened in the parking lot ten minutes later?" he prompted "Totally ruined my leather bleedin' interiors" he complained, though he wasn't exactly angry about it anymore, it was too long ago and too irrelevant.

Buffy looked at him from beneath her lashes and smiled almost seductively.

"But I made up for that the next night, didn't I?" she recalled, surprising Spike immediately. She didn't remember throwing up so clearly, but then who would want to, but she remembered the night after when her mother had gone out and she'd invited William over to her house, and talking wasn't exactly on her mind.

"Buffy" Spike shifted uncomfortably on the couch beside her. The way she was looking at him, well he knew that look, and as nice as it would be to think she wanted him that way he couldn't let anything happen when she'd been drinking.

"Oh, damn" he was brought out of his thoughts by her cursing ,"No more wine. I'll get another bottle" she said as she got to her feet and stumbled towards the kitchen. Spike watched her go, wincing when she almost smacked her head on the door. No-one could get drunk quite as fast as his girl, he thought absently, before she came back into the room with a bottle that wasn't wine and a couple of other glasses.

"I couldn't work the corkscrew" she giggled, "I think it's defective" she considered before waving the new bottle at him, "Anyway I got this instead" she said as he took it from her and noted it was vodka.

"Mixin' it a bit aren't we, luv?" he said, putting the bottle down on the coffee table without opening it.

"Do you care?" Buffy asked as she reached for it again, managed to work the lid and poured out two shots. He caught her wrist when she moved to put the bottle down.

"I care about you" he reminded her, as their eyes met and she leaned closer to him.

"I know" she nodded gently, pushing herself towards him until her lips touched his. What started out sweet and tender, soon became more passionate and hungry. She wanted him, so much it was driving her crazy, and all apprehensions about letting herself go disappeared the more she drank. With no inhibitions left to hold her back, she threw herself into all that she felt for him, and let him kiss her til she couldn't breathe.

Spike had been waiting for this moment, the one where she actually chose to kiss him first. When she initiated what he wanted so badly. There was no way for her to blame him afterwards if she started it, but then he hadn't banked on her being drunk when it all happened.

He'd manoeuvred them both on the couch till she was laying beneath him, before he'd even thought about what he was really doing. If they carried on this way he knew exactly what would happen, and whilst it would be glorious to be with her that way again, he had to remember how much Buffy had drunk, indeed the evidence was lined up on the table beside him. She was probably going to regret this and blame him for it, and he couldn't stand it.

"Buffy" he pulled away slightly, "We can't..."

"Don't talk" she told him breathlessly, "Just kiss me" she begged, pulling his head back down til their lips met again. Spike couldn't take much more of this, he loved her and wanted her too much to turn her down now. He had tried to stop though, even if she did go crazy when she sobered up, he'd get points for intent, right?

All coherent thought started to leave both their minds as their passion overtook them, hands finding their way inside each others clothing. Buffy gasped as Spike's fingers travelled up inside her top and his lips planted kisses around her throat.

"Oh God, you're good at this" she said breathlessly, no longer making comparisons with Riley but just letting herself feel instead of think for once.

"Had plenty of practice, luv" Spike said between kisses, regretting the words as soon as they'd passed his lips.

Buffy's hands stilled half way down his back, her body going suddenly rigid. She may have been a little drunk before but now she was stone-cold sober in an instant.

"Get off me" she ground out in a low voice and Spike felt awful as he did as she asked. Why did he have to mention the one thing that she despised most about him?

"I'm sorry" he tried to apologise "I didn't..."

"Just get out" Buffy interrupted, pulling her knees up to her chest and straightening her clothes "Now!" she snapped when he just stood there staring.

"Buffy, please" Spike reached out a hand to her but she knocked it away violently, tears forming in her eyes that she didn't want him to see.

"Don't touch me, just go!" she told him, wishing he'd just leave her alone like she asked so she could cry in peace.

"Okay, okay" Spike help up his hands in surrender when he realised just how upset she was. He fetched his coat in silence and headed for the door.

"I'm sorry, Buffy" he repeated as he left and when she finally heard the front door click shut, she allowed herself to cry openly.

The real reason for her tears could be so many things, and Buffy wasn't sure which one was most relevant. She hated that William had changed as he had, to the point where she was forced to make herself dislike him even when she really didn't. She also cried because she'd betrayed Riley when he didn't deserve it, and because she'd betrayed herself. After so many promises that she would be strong and not let Spike take advantage of her, she was then the one to initiate something physical between them.

Buffy eventually realised that all these reasons were valid for why she was sitting there now, crying like she'd never stop, but the one that mattered most of all was the one she was trying not to dwell on. Deep down all she really wanted was for Spike to come back in that door, tell her again how much he loved her, and then finish what they'd started.

To Be Continued...

A/N2 : You know what to do, and I'll update again as soon as I can :-)