Chapter Seventeen:
Break the Spell
In the winter when the cold comes
And the wind blows with a scornful spite
And the hard ground feels barren
And the forest is deathly quiet
And the whole world lies sleeping
There's a gypsy all dressed in white
Put my hand out, ask the question
Here's the silver, do you have the gift of sight?
Can you break the spell?
Can you ring the bell?
Can you break the spell?
It's cold black as night
I've got a hard heart
Since we've been apart
Can you break the spell?
Break it all down tonight.
-Rolling Stones
Spike stood with his back against the door to their hotel room, his hands buried deep in his pockets. He let out a long sigh, looking toward the elevator at the end of the hall expectantly. He had managed to beat Faye back to their room--though, through no choice of his own, really. The minute they entered the hotel Faye made a beeline for the elevator, making a show of closing the doors just seconds before he reached her. So, bolting up the stairs was really the only shot he had of heading her off before she reached the room.
Then the elevator doors opened, revealing Faye in all her magnificent fury. He couldn't help but smirk, watching as she stepped quickly into the hallway, her gown trailing behind her in long ribbons as she moved.
"You're lucky I'm here," he said. "I've got the key to the room." He held it up between his middle and index fingers as if to illustrate the point. When Faye reached him she snatched the card from his hand, inserting it roughly into the lock. She pulled the door open slightly--just far enough that she could slip through--and attempted to close it before he could make his way into the room.
Spike grasped the door quickly with his right hand, forcing it open as he stepped inside. Faye had already begun moving away from him--apparently accepting the fact that getting him to leave was a lost cause--and made a point of standing with her back toward him. He closed the door softly and ensured that it was locked before he started toward her.
"Faye, listen--"
"What the hell was that?" she asked, turning to face him.
"What the hell was what?"
"Back at the restaurant! You dragged me away from Bosch like I was a fucking child."
"Geez, Faye, calm down--"
"Calm down? How dare you tell me to calm down! You and Jet have put me through a lot of shit, Spike, but never before have you made me feel like I didn't deserve to work on a case with you--like I was just some dumb broad along for the ride. You never made a secret of the fact that you didn't want me around but--Jesus. If this is how you planned on taking out Bosch, why the hell did you spend all that time tracking me down? Why did you practically beg me to come along with you--as if I were going to be your--your goddamned sherpa?"
"I told you we couldn't do it alone. We needed another person."
"You mean a piece of meat? Someone to play the little woman to your macho man? To say all the right things and swoon on cue so that you could prove what a big hero you are?" Faye huffed, an incredulous smile forming over her face. "That's really what you think, isn't it? That I'm your little sidekick? That you're superman and I'm Lois fucking Lane?"
"Come on, Faye--"
"I can't believe that's what this whole thing has been about. Or maybe I can, because that's always what its been about. And any time I've tried to do anything myself, any time I've gone it alone--"
"Any time you've gone it alone you would've ended up dead if it weren't for me." The words came out more forcefully than he intended, and he swore he saw Faye recoil from the blow.
She took a moment to compose herself before continuing. "Yeah, that's rich, Spike. It just proves what an egotistical bastard you are."
"Oh, really? I can recall a few times that you would've ended up in a gutter somewhere if I hadn't saved your ass. How about your first run-in with Vicious? Or the time you ran off to join a fucking cult? A cult, Faye--"
"And there you go again! Spike Speigel, always around to play the hero."
"The hell are you talking about?"
"I'm talking about the fact that the only time you've ever shown up to 'save my ass'--" she said as sarcastically as she could manage, "was when you had a vested interest in finding me. Whether dead or alive--it was always about a bounty I was after that you wanted. Or money I stole. Or a score you had to settle. Or a fucking vendetta that you just couldn't let die. So don't try to tell me that you were really coming after me because you couldn't bear to see me get hurt. Get fucking real, Spike."
"That's not fair and you know it."
"It's not fair? Since when did you become the pillar of morality? You know you're only saying that because you can't think of a single time you actually gave a damn about what happened to me. Because god forbid you do a single unselfish thing in your miserable--"
"I thought Bosch was going to kill you tonight."
Faye stood in silence for a brief moment--a very brief moment--before bursting into hysterics.
"You thought Bosch was going to kill me? What are you, insane? What on earth would give you that idea?"
"It doesn't matter."
"Uh huh. You know, this is low, Spike. Even for you. It's one thing to be utterly indifferent about the lives of your comrades, but to make shit up just to win a stupid fight is like a whole other level."
"Edward ran a trace on his phone. We heard it all last night."
"Ed? Right. So, who was he talking to?"
"I don't know. Reception was bad."
Faye crossed her arms over her chest, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. "I'm not completely hopeless, Spike. I had my gun on me. And you know damn well that I know how to use it."
He let his eyes roam slowly over her body, not even attempting to make a secret of the fact that he was trying to figure out where the hell she'd even keep a subcompact.
"Imagine little Miss Valentine packing heat in a dress like that." Really, he couldn't believe it.
Faye cracked a dangerous smile, her tongue peeking out from her mouth to trace the contours of her upper lip, and Spike prayed to whatever gods might exist that the move was wholly unintentional. "What's the matter? That get you hot?"
God, yes.
He cleared his throat. "Yeah. Cute."
Faye regarded him for a moment longer before turning toward the bedroom, as if suddenly remembering that they were in the middle of a fight and she had a part to play. "I'm going to pack my things," she said.
Spike shook his head, running a hand through his tangled hair as he followed after her.
"Don't go."
She was gathering her clothes from the floor, tossing them haphazardly into her suitcase. "What?" she asked.
"I said don't go."
"Why does it matter to you?"
"I just--fuck, Faye, don't go."
She turned to face him, her hands placed obstinately on her hips. "You have thirty seconds to convince me."
"You're not even wearing a watch."
"Tick. Tock." She emphasised the words with the sway of her hips as she advanced toward him.
"I was telling you the truth. Bosch is up to something. And he wants you."
She didn't stop--just kept walking toward him slowly, that all-too-familiar predatory look in her eye.
"You know, when I said 'you have thirty seconds to convince me,' I was implying that you use a more effective appeal."
"Like what?" He took a step backward instinctively.
Fuck.
Don't let her intimidate you. It's Faye, for godsake.
"Like the truth."
"I told you--that was the truth."
"I don't believe you."
Two steps in front of him. One more step back couldn't hurt.
"Evidently." The word escaped his lungs just as his back connected with the wall. God fucking damn it.
"Ten seconds. Give me another reason."
"I--fuck--"
"Five seconds."
"I don't have one."
She waited for a moment, as if she were literally waiting for the seconds to fall off the clock.
3, 2, 1--
"You're out of time, cowboy. And evidently out of reasons."
She moved to take a step back, but before the smug smile could spread across her face, he pulled her roughly against his body.
"Then stay with me because I have none."
Faye's eyes widened.
And it was then that he realized he'd been rock hard for at least the last five minutes, and he presently had Faye's hips pressed hard against his own. Suddenly the situation seemed painfully familiar.
She grasped his tie firmly in her small hands and he winced, recalling exactly what happened the last time he found himself in this position. She jerked the tie--hard--and he didn't resist as his body gave way, bending effortlessly toward hers.
For a moment he felt her breath on his skin, and he tried hold the memory in his mind long enough to block out the pain that was sure to ensue as her fist connected with his jaw.
Then her free hand moved to his neck, and her fingers lingered momentarily over the sensitive skin at the nape before tangling in his hair as she pressed her lips hard against his.
Spike moaned helplessly against her mouth as she pressed her lips full against his own, and it was all he could do to let his large hands find the small of her back as he deepened the kiss. He traced the curve of her lower lip with the tip of his tongue before grazing it with his teeth and drawing it into his mouth.
Faye shifted in his arms and moved her hands from his hair to his neck, letting her fingernails delicately graze his skin as she did so. He suppressed a shudder and, in one smooth motion, turned to pin her between his body and the wall. She sighed, arching her back and tilting her head against the wall as she moved her hips against him.
"Christ, Faye--" he groaned. He felt a warm aching in his groin, and he pulled her closer to him desperately. Faye rolled her center against his erection once again and he braced a strong arm against the wall to keep from falling.
"Faye, please--"
"Please what?"
"I'm so fucking hard it hurts."
She made a small sound in the back of her throat--a soft, self-satisfied sort of moan--as she arched her body against his once more. He noted the way the light and shadow played over her skin as she moved against him, and he closed his mouth over hers, his kiss urgent and insistent. He parted her lips with his tongue and she responded by nipping at it with her teeth.
Spike squeezed his eyes closed tightly as another moan threatened to tear from his lips. She was going to fucking kill him. Literally, he supposed. Though, all things considered, it wasn't such a bad way to go.
Faye had pressed her palms flat against his chest, pushing him just far enough away that his lips left hers and she could begin loosening his tie and unbuttoning his shirt. Spike reached for her once again, cradling her small face in his hands. He smoothed his thumbs over her cheeks, relishing the way her skin felt so soft beneath his calloused fingertips, before bringing his lips to hers.
His mouth moved slowly over her own--almost painfully slowly--and he attempted to memorize the way she tasted--the way she smelled. Smooth vanilla. A hint of lavender. Ostensibly Faye.
Faye had managed to make short work of his shirt despite being simultaneously good and thoroughly kissed. She trailed her fingertips over his well-muscled chest for a moment, then returned them to his tousled hair.
Spike shrugged the shirt from his shoulders before finally breaking the kiss, bringing his forehead to rest against hers.
"Spike--"
Her voice was barely above a whisper, and she was having trouble catching her breath. His strong hands were placed behind her head, his long fingers woven through her hair.
Well, Spike what? She was suddenly at a loss for words. It wasn't supposed to be happening like this.
Spike's forehead was still pressed against hers, and she could feel his hardness pushing insistently against her belly. She closed her eyes.
He was supposed to be gone by now--eliminated. Out of her life completely, one way or another. Instead his hands were on her body--his tongue in her mouth, his scent on her skin. And damned if there wasn't a single thing she could do about it.
"Faye--the bed--"
The bed. Her head was spinning. She was about to go to bed with Spike Spiegel. Spike Spiegel.
She wasn't sure how she'd ended up beneath him--how she'd ended up engulfed in satin pillows and sheets, or how her hands had ended up tangled in his hair again, but she knew she had to get a grip.
Get a grip, Faye.
Before he could move to kiss her again she reached for her gun, withdrawing it quickly from its holster and pressing it hard against his chest.
"Don't fucking move, Spike." Her voice was unsteady, and she felt the gun trembling in her hands.
His mouth fell open slightly and he took deep, uneven breaths, his chest rising and falling against the end of her glock. If she concentrated she could feel his steady heartbeat pulsing through the synthetic steel of the shaft, the metal absolutely humming with the sound of him.
Spike's lips were swollen from the constant contact, his hair mussed and tangled from raking her fingers through it, and she thought he looked absolutely incredible staring down the barrel of a gun. Her gun.
"Are you going to shoot me?" he asked, his voice still low and breathless. There was no sarcastic lilt there--no gentle teasing. It was a genuine question.
"I said don't fucking move."
"Faye--"
"Did you think I'd just forget? That I'd--fuck--that you'd get away with it?"
He focused his eyes intently on hers--really focused, and for the first time-- He was looking directly at her, the far-away, distant look he often gave her replaced with something frighteningly intimate. She squeezed her eyes closed and turned her head to the side.
"Don't shoot," he said. "Faye?"
"Shut up. Just--damn it."
"Faye--" he said again, reaching for her face. She felt a stinging in her eyes as his palm came to rest against her cheek, and she instinctively turned toward his warmth.
"You're such a fucking bastard, Spike." Her voice was barely above a whisper, and her throat ached from the effort of keeping the words steady and even. "Fucking bastard--"
He pressed his lips softly against hers again, taking her hand in his and guiding the gun away from his chest. Faye released her fingers, letting the glock drop softly against the carpeted floor.
He smoothed her tears away with the side of his thumb, and she immediately pulled him hard against her, kissing him so forcefully it almost hurt. She arched her body against him, making a point of grinding her hips against his.
Spike moaned, his mouth falling open to form an 'O.'
"Faye--"
"Tell me you need me," she said, her fingernails dragging over his back.
A low growl escaped his lips and his breathing became ragged.
"I need you," he gasped.
"Say it again."
"Oh, Fuck. Faye--Faye, I need you."
With that she wrestled out from beneath him, turning in one smooth motion to pin him forcefully against the bed as she straddled him. She moved her hips in a circle over his--deliberately, mercilessly--as she leaned forward to run her tongue along the curve of his neck. She made her way down his body, stopping when she reached his left nipple. Faye flicked her tongue over the hardened nub softly at first before taking it between her teeth, sucking hard.
"Fucking Christ--easy--"
"Shut up."
Spike said something under his breath that was soon lost in a tortured moan. He placed his hands on her hips, squeezing tightly as he surrendered to her assault of his body.
Faye set to work on his belt, her hands trembling slightly as she did so. Spike moved his hands to her exposed thighs, easing his fingers beneath the fabric of her gown. He pushed it over her body slowly, letting his hands linger over her soft skin. In an instant the dress was over her head, and she tossed it absently to the floor, still pulling at his leather belt and fiddling with the buttons on his trousers.
As soon as she had finished, Spike shimmied out of his pants as best he could manage with Faye still positioned squarely on top of him. His shorts soon followed, and he was quick to hook his thumbs beneath the strings of her panties, sliding them swiftly over her hips.
Faye glared at him, grabbing at his wrists and pinning them against the bed.
"You're pushing your luck, Spiegel."
He gave her a crooked smile. "Am I?"
She lowered her hips over his, letting her slick folds just barely graze his hard flesh. He cursed, arching his back off the bed and bucking his hips desperately against hers.
"Jesus--don't--"
"Don't what?"
"You're gonna make me--"
Before he could finish his sentence she took him inside her, moving as slowly as she could manage and making sure to take him only halfway.
He squeezed his eyes closed tightly and raised his hips, desperate for her to take his entire length.
Faye, on the other hand, appeared to be in no hurry. Her head was tossed back, her thick hair cascading over her shoulders, just barely framing her full breasts. She appeared to be completely lost in her own world, concentrating solely on her pleasure. The thought caused him to throb painfully inside her. It wasn't often--or ever--that he was the one being used as a sex object.
Faye still hadn't moved past his head, and she had started thrusting more quickly. If she didn't stop soon he was sure he was going to lose it.
"Christ--Faye--take it all--"
She didn't respond or give any other indication that she'd heard him--or that she cared. She just gave a low moan, her nails digging into the flesh of his wrists as she increased her pace.
Desperately he twisted his wrists from her grasp, placing his hands on her hips and pulling her down hard over his length. Her hips connected with his and he moved his pelvis in deliciously slow circles.
"Spike, don't stop...don't--"
He reached for her, unable to resist the temptation to claim her lips with his once again. His hands tangled in her hair, and with one final thrust she was moaning piteously against his mouth, her fingers clawing at his shoulders--his arms--anything to keep her grounded.
The woman was going to be the death of him--that much he knew for sure. He called her name one last time before surrendering to her completely, wrapping his arms securely around her back and hugging her tight against his chest.
A/N: Mm kay. There you have it. I hope you're all happy now. If you're not...too bad. This was probably the hardest chapter I have written yet, and I'm not exactly sure if I'm happy with it. However, I can only read over it so many times and, frankly, I'm sick of looking at it. So if you have any helpful comments or suggestions, I'd love to hear them!
Also, thank you to all my loyal readers/reviewers. You guys make the trouble worthwhile.
Till next time, lovelies!
-Nevi
