A/N : Muchos apologies for not updating sooner. Everything has been kinda crazy-busy lately!
(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 10 - To Know You Is To Love You

"What the hell are you doing!" Cordy asked angrily as she sprung away from Xander. He looked equally confused for a moment before shaking his head and letting his thoughts and memories re-arrange themselves into a proper order.

"What the hell was I doing!" he asked incredulously after a moment, "I believe it was you who was doing whatever was doing" he pointed out, "You were the kisser, I was an innocent kissee"

"Liar!" Cordy snapped back, "You tried to take advantage just because I was all confused and..."

"Er, hello! I was confused too" Xander reminded her, "You really think I'd kiss you if my brain were functioning properly?"

"You mean there's actually a brain in there?" came the immediate reply from the girl who just seconds ago he'd been kissing all but senseless.

"Look, let's just think for a sec" Xander said, trying to be calm, "There was a spell, our minds got messed with, and we kissed" he recapped the events of the evening, "You were scared, and I was being all manly and protective, it was all just the spell, right?"

"Right, the spell, absolutely" Cordelia nodded, "I mean, it's not like we've done that before. Well, just that one time and I was so totally drunk then" she pointed out.

"Oh yeah, me too" Xander lied, knowing he'd been sober as a judge the night of the party at the Bronze when Cordelia had come onto him. He knew it was wrong but he liked that she wanted him. She was attractive and so sweet sometimes when she dropped the act. If it weren't for the fact she was Cordelia Chase he could easily have a crush on her, but people like him just didn't like people like her, that was the way of the world. Of course he had no idea that just as he was thinking all these things, Cordy was having almost the exact same thought process about him.

"So, we just forget this happened, don't tell anyone, and get on with our lives" she said with a firm nod, "Okay?"

"Sure, deal" Xander agreed, and they both glanced up at the same moment, their eyes locking.

In moments they were back in each other arms, and joined at the lips. They just couldn't help themselves.

Willow stirred beneath the sheet that she'd worn to disguise herself as a ghost. She was back and solid she realised, right where she had been when the spell hit and turned her into a real spook. She looked down at herself as she threw the sheet off her body. The restrictions of it were not pleasant as she tried to regain some grip on reality after being unconscious and previously incorporeal. When she remembered how she was dressed she almost retreated back under her costume but at the last minute changed her mind, dumping the white sheet in a trash can and walking off down the street with a new confidence in herself. She'd noticed a couple of boys, apparently unaffected by the spell seemed to be checking her out earlier, and no-one had made fun of her at all. She'd wandered around for hours in her sexy clothes and she didn't mind getting home dressed like this at all. She had nothing to be ashamed of, Buffy had been right, she did look good.

It soon became evident she wasn't the only person to think that as she crossed over the road and continued walking. A screech of tyres behind her made her jump and she glanced behind her to see a van had pulled up at the side of the road, and the guy jumping out of the drivers seat was someone she recognised.

Willow was rooted to the spot as she stared at Oz and he stared right back as he walked towards her, stopping a couple of feet in front.

"Hey" he said after a moment and Willow replied in kind, "I... I thought I saw you before, at the Bronze"
"Oh you did, maybe" she replied with a shy smile, "I was there, looking for my friend"

"Huh" Oz nodded, questioning his sanity for the second time that night. He could've sworn he saw this girl walk through a wall, but that was impossible. She was solid as he was, at least she looked it from here, and incredibly hot along with, "Did you find your friend?" he checked and Willow shook her head.

"No, actually" she admitted, suddenly realising the fact for herself, "but she's really good at taking care of herself, it's no big"

"I guess you're good at that too" Oz ventured, looking for an angle to spend some more time with this girl he was taking a great liking too, "but y'know if you wanted a ride home or anything..." his sentence trailed away as he glanced at his van, hoping his meaning was obvious without him having to say anymore. Oz was not a great talker at the best of times but around Willow, words seemed to dry up almost completely.

"I don't know, I... er, yeah, why not?" she said suddenly in a burst of confidence she wouldn't have had before tonight, but she had nothing to be afraid of now. Oz seemed like such a nice guy and she really didn't want to have to walk all the way home this time of night. With a smile she followed him over to the van and he opened the passenger door for her. When he'd closed it behind her, he ran around and got in himself, putting the van into gear and asking Willow where she lived. She gave him her address and they set off, just as a thought hit her mind. This was Sunnydale after all, perhaps she should have thought more carefully before accepting a ride home from a practical stranger, but then she'd seen him both in the dark and the daylight, he didn't seemed very evil-creaturey, just sweet and cute, and very... Oz.

Buffy's head was spinning madly as Spike deprived her of oxygen in the best way possible. Part of her knew this was very wrong. Proper ladies didn't allow men to kiss them this way, to touch them like this, but it felt too good to want to make it stop. It was somewhere in the middle of their making out session that the spell broke and Buffy remembered who she was, and who William was. Still she didn't bother to stop what was happening, not until she absolutely had to breathe.

"Wow" was all she could manage to say as she gasped in oxygen. As she moved her head, Spike found her hair, or more specifically her brunette wig, was left in his hand.

"Well, look who's back" he smirked as he looked at the blonde Slayer, "Feelin' alright, luv?" he checked and Buffy looked around the warehouse they were sitting in.

"Um, yeah, I'm... I'm okay" she said, blinking a lot, as if she was trying to clear her vision or maybe her whole brain, "That was... weird" she said after a while and Spike panicked a little. She could mean the spell of course, or whatever the hell it was that'd turned her into an old fashioned woman as she had been, but what worried Spike was that she'd picked up on something else. The fact he was cold maybe, or something tingling in her Slayer senses, telling her he was a vampire.

"It was so freaky" she continued, "Like I was there, or here, but I wasn't" she tried to explain, "Part of me was terrified and the other part wanted to tell the first part to get up and fight like a Slayer should... but that part couldn't get out"

"You okay now then?" he checked, "Twisted your ankle pretty bad back there y'know" he reminded her.

"Oh, that" she said, flexing her foot, "Can't feel a thing" she shrugged, "Although that might not just be my Slayer strength kicking in..." she told him with a shy smile, "Someone was doing a good job of taking my mind off things"

"Glad to be of service, pet" Spike smirked as they turned to face each other again and he tucked her hair behind her ear, "Though it took everything I had not to... well, take advantage of you. You're bloody gorgeous, 'specially in that dress, and wanted nothin' but to get close to me it seemed"

"That wasn't just the spell, or whatever the hell that was" she admitted, eyes flitting to the floor before coming back up to meet his, "I do want to be close to you, William" she told him, "It's crazy, I mean, I don't know you that well but... I feel things for you, I probably shouldn't, but I do"

"That's mutual, luv" he told her sincerely, hand lingering at her cheek as they leaned in closer.

"So, did you mean what you said before?" she asked stopping him a second before he kissed her, and making him frown, "I mean, when I was... I said I believed in magic, and you told me what we felt wasn't mystic, that it was... y'know real"

"You mean do I love you?" Spike smirked, recalling their earlier conversation, he looked at her with an intense gaze that made Buffy shiver in the best way as he leaned in incredibly close and whispered, "Yes, I love you, Buffy" he swore before he kissed her. He wasn't quite prepared for her response when they parted a moment later, but it thrilled him none the less.

"I love you too" she told him softly, almost unable to believe herself that she'd admitted it, but it was true.

They kissed a while longer and when they finally stopped, Buffy giggled.

"This is insane" she said, as if it needed to be noted, "We hardly know each other, I mean, I don't even know your full name" she said, not as scared by that fact as perhaps she ought to be.

"William Andrews, pet" he told her as he got to his feet, bowing in over-the-top fashion, "At your service, m'lady" he smirked as he held out a hand to her.

"Thank you, kind sir" Buffy smiled as she took the offered hand and hopped down from the boxes she'd been sitting on, landing incredibly close to him. He couldn't resist claiming another kiss but it ended too fast for Buffy, the little sound of annoyance she made at their loss of contact telling him so.

"Sorry, luv, but we ought to be getting you home y'know" he reminded her, feeling as vampires could that the sun was just a few hours away. He had to get the Slayer home, grab something to eat, and get back to the factory in that time, and the way she wanted to keep on kissing him, saying goodbye was set to take a large portion of the time he had left.

They began the walk home, holding hands like kids. She didn't mention the fact his skin was cold against her own, but then it wasn't so strange to be chilly when out at this time of night. She was determined to get to know her 'boyfriend' better and so Buffy was full of questions, most of which Spike had some trouble answering. He gave his age as that of when he died, and truthfully told her his parents were dead, though of course he had to lie about when and how. By the time they reached the porch of 1630 Revello Drive, Spike was wondering if she could possibly have any more questions left for him, and thankfully her mind went onto much more pleasant things as she reached up and kissed him soundly on the lips.

"Thank you for tonight" she told him a moment later, "I guess you kinda saved my life"

"Was nothin', pet" he shook his head, "Don't s'pose it's too often the big tough Slayer herself wants saving"

"Not really" she admitted with a giggle, "but it was kinda nice, to be the damsel, to have some gorgeous, courageous guy be the hero for a change..."

"Keep talkin', luv" he told her, kissing her neck and making her giggle. She wanted him, he could tell. He could smell it, feel it, even if she wasn't entirely certain of what she was feeling. The trouble was he was hungry as hell and she turned him on something terrible. Having his lips near her throat he realised was a very bad idea, he had no wish to kill her now. He loved her, that was no lie, however ridiculous is was.

"You wanna come inside?" she whispered, "My Mom is in LA overnight..."
"Best not, pet" Spike said, reluctantly pulling away, "'S been long night. You ought to get some sleep"

"Okay" Buffy nodded hating that he was leaving but knowing it was the most sensible thing. It wasn't as if she'd invited him in to spend the night or anything, she wasn't a whore after all but she hadn't wanted him to go yet.

They kissed one last time and said goodnight. Buffy disappeared into the house and Spike began the journey home, planning which park he might cut through to look for a snack. He was so mixed up by the Slayer and all that he felt or her, as well as trying to concentrate on catching a meal, he never noticed the presence of his grand-sire in the shadows. Angel had seen everything that had happened between Spike and Buffy, and he was not happy at all.

To Be Continued...