At 10am sharply, Spike heard a knock at his door. He crossed the short distance from his kitchen to the door and opened it to find Buffy, right on schedule.

"Given that you took to breaking in yesterday, I wondered if you even knew how to approach a door without kicking it in." He smiled, and moved aside as she stepped in.

His teasing was exactly what she needed to release the tension in her shoulders, the nerves she had coming here today. "Hardy ha ha." She replied dryly. "I'm actually quite renowned for knocking on doors you know, awards have been won, songs have been sung."

"Ballads I'm sure." Spike closed the door behind her.

"Well none that compared to your demon ditty a few years ago, but what can you do." Buffy shrugged. Spike nodded awkwardly, his outburst into song with regard to his feelings for Buffy wasn't something he often let himself think about without inwardly cringing. And Buffy wasn't known to bring up much from his pre-soul days, given... he couldn't even finish the thought.

They stood awkwardly in silence as the tension returned to Buffy's shoulders. "So... tea?" Buffy smirked at the thought of her former demon-turned-lover serving her tea in a China cup. "What?" He asked sheepishly. She sensed some self consciousness from him, it was a new, and yet oddly cute, look on him.

"Nothing! Just... tea. I'd love some." Buffy nodded. She placed her coat down on his armchair and followed him into the kitchen. "I've gotta say, I didn't imagine you in a place so... non-crypty."

Spike let a smile escape as he put the kettle on the gas stove, and grabbed a few mugs. "Trust me, neither did I. Not entirely comfortable with it. But, it'll do for now. At least it's dry. The Crypt was always damp, can't say I miss that."

"Sure." Buffy nodded. They'd fallen into the realm of small talk, and Buffy wondered how long it'd go on for. She stared at him as he fumbled around with mugs and milk and tea bags, she never thought Spike would ever fumble at anything, he wasn't the type to do something without 100% precision in his movements, but now... "You seem... different."

Spike slowed his movements. "Yeah?"

"Yeah, like... I don't know. Relaxed? Or... happy? I can't think I've ever seen you in a normal, non fighting or fu.. fighting, setting." Buffy felt her cheeks colour as she almost said what she had actually been thinking. Frankly, since they met, if they weren't in bed or fighting (either each other or some unspeakable evil), Spike and Buffy had almost no shared screen time. What would normal even look like with Spike? She was beginning to see it in this moment. Tea, and maybe crumpets? Weird.

"Well the fights always come to you, Slayer. Now that you're not the one and only anymore, I 'spose that changes things right and proper." Spike handed her a mug. "Milk?"

"No, thanks." She took the mug from him, leant against the counter top and sipped it. "Since when do you drink tea anyway? Isn't it rum o'clock somewhere?"

Spike smiled. "It's the Brit in me. Dead or alive, if you're in Old Blighty, you drink tea or they kick you out." Buffy sipped her tea again. "Besides, I'm out of booze." Spike moved towards the living room and sat down, Buffy followed suit, sitting in the armchair opposite him. "So..."

"So." Buffy nodded. "Really glad this isn't awkward." He laughed. Buffy squinted, "You know, you're doing that a lot."

"What?" Spike gulped from his mug.

"Smiling, laughing... it's nice to see." Buffy smiled.

"Yeah, well. I saved the world twice in a matter of months, the soul seems nice and settled, and..." He paused for a minute as if to consider finishing his sentence. "You're here, drinking tea. Out of the mug I stole from Giles."

She looked at the mug, it was the Kiss The Librarian mug. From very, very different times. Her mouth dropped open and she smiled, "How did you...?"

"I know a guy who knows a guy who knows where Giles lives in Bath. 50 quid later, I've got his mug, and Giles has a broken window." He smiled mischievously, immediately becoming recognisable in Buffy's eyes.

"That's terrible!" And yet, she was still smiling.

"Well, I owed him one. He made me miss Passions once. He had it coming." Spike nodded nostalgically. Another moment of silence, before Spike exhaled, "Are we done with the small talk bit now?"

Buffy nodded, "Sure." She exhaled and put her mug on the coffee table. Spike has a coffee table. So weird. "Where do you want to start?"

Spike bit his lip and paused to consider. "Maybe let's not start where I want to start, let's start where you wanna start."

Buffy felt the heat rise up from her collar again. "Ok." She leaned forward in her chair, her elbows on her knees. "I'm going to be straight up with you."

Spike scoffed. "Yeah, and how does that one go?"

Buffy smiled, blushed and bit her lip. He watched her as she stood and moved over to him, she knelt down in front of him, paused for a moment in which Spike said nothing and did nothing but stare at her. She placed her hand on his cheek, and moving her body upwards, raised her lips to his own. She started slow, they hadn't touched like this in so long, but her hand reached around to the back of his head gently pulling at him, his lips parted, she could feel he hungered for her, his hands pulled her close, they kissed deeper, harder, with a sense of longing on both sides that needed to be quenched. Spike put his hands on Buffy's waist and lifted her to her feet with him, his lips ran over her neck which sent multiple shivers down her spine, he murmured her name, she pulled at his shirt, pulling it off over his head. "Buffy...", "Spike...", his lips met hers over and over. "Buffy," Spike pulled away, "Are you sure?"

Buffy ran her hand over his chest, stopping at where his heart would be beating. "Just the fact you asked me that, yes, 100%. Now shut up and kiss me." She smiled, pulling him to her.

"Good talk." He let out a laugh and inhaled for the air he didn't need but felt he did. He stretched on his side of the bed, keeping Buffy close.

Buffy smiled. "Ha." Buffy laughed. "I'm quite the conversationalist. God, I've been wanting to do that again for so long."

She caressed his cheek with her hand, he took it in his and kissed her palm. "Me too, love. I just didn't think... Buffy, what does this mean?" His voice stayed soft, gentle, and smirked to himself, "And none of that, 'does it have to mean something' bollocks you sold me at the hellmouth."

Buffy smiled. "I think we're past that."

Spike nodded. "I think we have to be, for my sanity if nothing else."

"Though I gotta say... it was different, right?" Buffy commented.

Spike nodded. "Minus a bit of self loathing on your part, plus a soul on mine, makes sense I guess. Was it..."

"Perfect." Buffy kissed him. "It was us." Spike smiled, keeping his relief right under the surface. "Still..." Buffy mused. "I wouldn't complain if some of the things we used to do we did again..." She smiled coyly.

"Oh yeah? Care to elaborate on that, love?" Spike pulled her into him aggressively, and kissed her, she bit his lower lip.

"I'm sure we can figure it out." She pulled the sheet over her, and sat atop of him, she felt him rise beneath her. She moved her lips from his mouth to his neck, he massaged her nipples, and one in movement spun her and flung her so she was beneath him on the bed. She yelped in delight, and he licked her from her belly button to her breasts, moving his tongue ever so slowly. Buffy moaned in ecstasy, and then lifted her head so her eyes met his, "Get the rope."