Chapter 5

She was asleep. He could see that. But it still freaked him out, seeing the slayer pressing her body against him. She's probably dreaming about that poofy sire of mine when he was all soul having. Bloody Hell. Spike growled as he remembered that Angelus still had Drusilla. I'll get her back. It's just a matter of time.

Buffy's hand moving even lower down his body sent Spike snapping back to reality. Bloody hell, not my fault the slayer has dirty little dreams; of course if she wakes up she will make it my fault and out will come the stake.

Very carefully Spike slipped out of her grasp. Buffy frowned in her sleep, but didn't wake up.

For the next few days Spike got up at night and made some money. Buffy slept. Then in the day Buffy got up and went out and returned at night. Spike slept. They were both wordlessly avoiding each other.

Buffy thought that not seeing Spike so much would stop her having those dreams about him. But they didn't stop. Meanwhile Spike had started sleeping with his jeans on. The slayer's wandering hands could be very dangerous, he decided.

The only time they spoke was that short time in-between day and night when Spike would be going to sleep and Buffy would be getting up. He would give her some money and say "Here slayer, spend it on food and other things humans require on a daily basis." He never said where he got it from though, and the slayer was getting suspicious. So one night she waited for him.

The minute he walked through the door, Buffy pounced. "Spike, tell me where your getting the money."

He froze in the middle of sliding off his duster. Then he finished slipping it off quickly, turning his back to her. "Sorry luv, it's a secret." He smirked.

But inside he was worried. Don't think that's going to work, mate. Bloody slayer, so bloody nosey, can't she mind her own business for once? I'm doing her a bloody favor. And I can't tell her. She will laugh her head off; I want to keep what little shreds of dignity I still have left, I have a reputation to keep after all.

"Spike! Tell. Me."

"No."

"Yes!"

"NO."

"Spike tell me or I'll -."

"You'll what?" he challenged cocking an eyebrow.

"I'll . . . I'll . . . I will steal your duster!" Buffy exclaimed and lunged for the beloved duster, which he still held in his hand. She shoved him to the floor and the fight was on.

"Come and get it, slayer!" he sent a swift kick to the back of her knees and she fell down next to him. Buffy swung her fist but Spike rolled over quickly and was up on his feet again. She joined him on her feet, dodged a punch, and spun around, sending a kick to his midsection.

Spike grunted and stumbled backwards.

"You know Spikey, I've always had my eye on that duster, it's a very nice use of leather, if I do say so myself." She grabbed him and tackled him to the ground. "Of course," she said, straddling him, "You can tell me about the money, and I'll let you keep it. For now."

Lightning fast, Spike flipped her off him. I don't think so slayer." He growled. "Not bloody likely."

She wouldn't admit it, even to herself, but Buffy was becoming very aroused. Fighting with Spike had always done this to her and when he growled… it just made her hotter.

They fought on, perfect matches, blow for blow. It was good, so good she felt herself becoming lost in it. But then Buffy remembered how it started. With a burst of speed, she pinned Spike to the ground, resuming her position on top of him once more.

"You love it on top, don't you slayer?"

A stake appeared in her hand. "Why won't you tell me Spike?" her voice was low. Menacing. "The only thing I can think of is that you are killing people. Then taking the money from you victim's pockets. Is that true? Am I right?" her voice got louder, "Is that what your doing Spike?"

"No!" he shouted back in frustration. Why couldn't she just at least try to trust him? "Slayer, I promised you I wouldn't. I said -."

"How CAN I trust you? You're a vampire Spike! They are not well known for their honesty. We're mortal enemies! How could I ever think we could get along? Trust each other? Spike if your killing again, I have to kill you. I have to."

"So do it."

"What?"

"Kill me then slayer, if you can't trust me. If you can't lower yourself to trusting a vampire, then just stake me."

There was a long silence.

Buffy didn't move.

Spike pushed her off him, got up, grabbed his duster and walked away, leaving Buffy staring after him.

"So then he tells me to kill him. He says 'Just do it.' As if I could really just stake him when he had asked me to. It's so not fair to put me on the spot like that! You agree with me, don't you?" Buffy asked her glass of coke. But it just wouldn't answer her.

The slayer was sitting on a stool in a place that seemed similar to the Bronze. She was feeling miserable. Buffy had wandered through the town's few shops aimlessly all day, but when night fell she didn't want to go back yet so she had decided to sit and talk to the only thing that was there for her, her glass of coke.

To tell the truth, the slayer was feeling very lonely. Her mother wasn't there. Her friends weren't there, Giles wasn't there and . . . Angel…he had sent an ancient monster after her, that she had no idea how to kill. Buffy had always been surrounded by her friends, who were there to help her, but now . . . now she was all alone, and just when she had been beginning to trust Spike . . .

Oh boy, she really needed a good slay. "Probably no vamps around in this stupid town anyways," she grumbled to the coke. She was about to take a sip when she felt her spidery slayer senses tingle. Could it be? Her eyes roamed the room frantically. Once. Twice.

"Ah ha!" she smiled as her eyes settled on a young "man" in the corner of the room, leading a women out the door. Buffy could barely contain her excitement. Was it possible she had actually missed slaying? Reaching casually into her bag she got out her trusty stake and followed the pair outside.

He had her backed against the wall. "You'll like this baby, I promise." He must have vamped out then because his victim let out an ear splitting scream.

Rolling her eyes, the slayer charged up to the vampire, grabbed him roughly around the shoulders and threw him to the ground. "Run!" she instructed the lady and then turned back to the vampire.

"Hi!" She greeted as she punched him in the face. "How are you tonight? Well I was feeling pretty down, but I'm starting to feel much better! My name's Buffy. I'm the vampire Slayer. Heard of me?" She paused mid punch to allow him to answer her.

"Well?"

The vampire growled low in his throat and somehow it was only sexy when Spike did that. "Die Slayer!" he screamed and kicked her off him. Standing up, Buffy kicked him twice in the abdomen and punched him hard in the nose. "Say do you know Spike? He's a vampire too! A lot more cleaver that you though. He's also a lot stronger. I like it ... So, do you know him?"

The vampire didn't answer, instead he laughed. "I've always wanted to kill a slayer."

"Oh please! Is that all you guys think about? Now, I (punch) asked you (kick) a question!" (punch) (punch).

Buffy could feel the adrenalin rushing through her blood. "You are SO rude!" she declared before staking him. "It's like they have no ability to communicate! They can't even engage in a simple conversation as we fight!"

"Slayer!"

Buffy turned her head. "Oh goody! Another vampire, a female one! Chick fight."

This vampire had a bit more skill and Buffy threw herself into kicking, dodging, flipping and punching, loving it all.

Although she rarely admitted it, she did enjoy slaying. Well, not having to fight huge disgusting monsters or ex – boyfriends, but a fledging here, a fledging there . . . what could she say? It was fun.

"You know . . ." she kicked the vampire in the knee, "Me and Angel, we used to be able to talk, we did. He would sit there and he would just listen. He understood me even more than my friends did. But as soon as he lost his soul . . . there's no use even trying to reason with him. Evil seeps out of and into every pore on his body. Angelus is twisted. But Spike . . . he doesn't have a soul, and we can actually have an intelligent discussion together! Funny that." Buffy said and she drove the stake home.

Buffy arrived back at the motel just as the sun was rising. Usually she would stay up, but the unexpected slaying and her argument with Spike had worn her out.

Spike was asleep, and the slayer changed quickly and slipped into bed. It was soft and cool, yet warm at the same time. She liked that. Her pillow caressed her face and the sheets fell around her body perfectly. She sighed and rolled over facing Spike.

Big mistake! He looked so beautiful, sleeping peacefully; Buffy had to fight the urge to reach out and touch him. The loneliness hit her again in one giant and unexpected wave.

She wanted to slip her arms around Spike and press her face into his chest, to hold him close. She wanted him to hold her back, to comfort her, to be there for her… to take away the pain.

But Buffy knew that could never happen. So turning away, she wrapped her arms around her pillow and squeezed her eyes shut, praying for a dreamless sleep.

Erimoir snatched the woman from the vampires grasp.

"Hey!" he protested and then froze as he watched the unusual demon send the human to hell. Slowly the vampire began to back away, but with his long legs Erimoir was behind him in a flash and grabbed his arms in a crushing grip.

"Do you know where ssshe iss? Where the Sssslayer iss?" demanded the demon.

The vampire squeaked in fright. " The- the Slayer?!"

"I know ssshe is ss-somewhere in this town. I can feel it. I can ssmell it. But where exsssactly?"

"The slayer is in town?!" The vampire's eyes were huge. "I didn't know! I swear!"

Erimoir growled – the noise sounded more like he was gurgling water (or blood) in his throat.

He spun the young vampire around to meet its tiny eyes with his huge one. The vampire could not move. He was frozen in place. His veins began boiling; his insides on fire . . ..

Erimoir nodded to himself when he had finished. The slayer and that other vampire were close. Vary close; it was only a matter of time before he found them.

"Ssssoon." He whispered. "Ssssoon."

Immediately after the door closed behind Spike the following night, Buffy got up, changed cloths, and dashed out the door, hot on his trail.

She had to make sure Spike wasn't killing humans; otherwise she would have to stake him . . . and Buffy didn't know why, but she really didn't want to have to do that.

Maybe it was because she knew Spike. Killing someone you had spent substantial time around, had talked to, argued with, had dreams about . . . well that was a lot harder than killing a vampire who she had never meet, new nothing about.

Anyway, Spike was moving at a brisk pace and Buffy had to jog to keep up with him. She kept to the shadows just in case he looked back. Buffy watched as his duster swished around his legs, and she couldn't stop her eyes from traveling up to check out his butt. Damn! The dusters covering it!

Spike's first stop was to the butcher where he got a bag of blood.

Buffy felt a wave of relief wash over her. She watched as he ripped open the bag with his fangs and drank the blood. Somehow that is both gross and sexy at the same time, her mind commented.

Pushing that thought away, Buffy continued to follow him. Spike took a short cut through an ally that came out to a street lined with the back of many shops. Spike disappeared into the back of one small building.

Curious, Buffy crept up closer. There was a small window that she could peep through if only she was a bit taller! Ah, there was a garbage can she could balance on.

So the slayer hoisted herself up onto the can and placed her hands on the window sill, and peeked inside…