Buffy woke and smiled as one strong hand flattened against her abdomen and pulled her in tight to a cool body. She sighed as Spike's lips played along the back of her neck. The perfection of the moment brought a tender smile to her lips.
"Thank you," she said softly.
"For what, Love?" He asked with the barest of whispers before nibbling on her ear.
"For being you and being here." She relaxed back into his embrace, letting her body slide along his.
"No place I'd rather be than here in your warm embrace," he said as he smiled against her shoulder. "Well, wouldn't mind if I was encased in more than your loving arms, but it's a nice start."
Buffy giggled and turned in his arms. Their lips met and melded as she stroked his side gently. His fingers traced lazy circles on her back as the morning sun glowed the through her hair. She smiled and slid across him, pushing up until he was staring at her.
The joy that shone so clearly from his face made her rapidly beating heart launch into overdrive. She stroked her thumbs along his cheek bones. The gentle moment stretched between them. Spike's wonder struck expression warmed her. This was what had been missing, this affection, this sense of being part of a whole. She dropped to his beautifully sculpted chest and kissed him with all the joy cresting within her.
"This is the way I want to wake up every day," she said in a gasping, breathy voice as his lips trailed along her neck.
"Do we have to restrict it to mornings, Love?" His voice was muffled against the tender flesh of her shoulder.
"No, I'm pretty sure we could do this whenever," she moaned as he licked along the mark that bound her to him. He pushed her up slightly and grinned at the dazed expression on her face.
She dropped her fingers to his scars and rubbed her fingers until he started breathing erratically.
"I love when you do that," she said. "The breathing thing is so sexy."
His quick smile was all the reward she had ever wanted. He rolled them and slid down her body, dropping light kisses along her stomach. She panted in anticipation, shuddering with every tender touch from her mate. The world fell away and they sank into pure sensation.
The loud chime of a door bell, broke through the sensual haze and Buffy bit back a curse.
"I will find a way to kill whatever is at the door," Spike snarled and caressed her cheek with a gentle lingering touch.
"Put on some pants, and no killing. It's probably a friend. They are the only ones that know we are here." Buffy smiled. "We can always pick this up later."
"We need to lay down some ground rules with your bloody friends. I don't enjoy being interrupted while loving my mate." He growled and dropped a fierce kiss on her lips. Buffy felt joy crest higher inside her at his words. She smiled and yanked him back down for a devouring kiss.
The door bell rang three more times before Spike broke away from her. He slid on his jeans and stalked from their room with a rumbling growl. Buffy pushed up from their silken sheets and smiled as she thought of Xander or Giles facing her angry mate.
She grabbed the sheet as she ran after Spike. He might find a way to kill them. It wasn't out of the realm of possibility. Rounding the corner into the cavernous great room, she stumbled.
Her mother stood glaring at her Spike. He looked at Buffy with panic in his eyes. She fought back a giggle.
"You had better have a good excuse for this, Buffy Anne." Her mother swung her arm in an all encompassing gesture. Buffy blushed and wrapped the sheet around her body more tightly. "That horrible Angel showed up outside our door last night spouting off all sorts of nonsense. Only, here you are, in this house with this vampire. What is going on?"
"Mom, relax. This isn't a bad thing. I mean it could have been, but it's so not. Come in and we will get dressed and have a nice conversation." Buffy pleaded. Spike nodded and stepped back to allow her into the house.
Buffy blushed at her mother's wide eyed assessment of their appearance. She stepped closer to Spike, instinctively seeking protection and comfort. His gentle purr soothed her, and he pulled her into an easy embrace.
"I'd like an explanation now." Her mother's eyes narrowed to slits as she glared at them.
"We kinda got engaged because Willow cast this spell and it so didn't work the way she planned. We decided to bond as mates while the spell was working. Now, we are mated." Buffy babbled as her cheeks flamed bright red. "Can we please go get some clothes on now?"
Buffy felt Spike's awkward embarrassment and clutched her sheet tighter in one hand so she could comfort him. No one wanted to face an angry mother in law after a night of passionate exchanges. Wow, she was starting to think in Giles's speak. This situation was out of control.
"I won't be put off, Buffy." Her mother's angry tone stung.
"Leave off, Joyce. We aren't avoiding this conversation. We just want to be properly attired. Our state of undress hardly lends itself to a discussion, lengthy or otherwise." Spike's fingers brushed along Buffy's shoulder soothingly. She could feel his desire to protect her getting stronger.
"Mom, please." Buffy looked at her mother with pleading eyes. This was going to be a horrible disaster.
"Fine, go, but no more delays. This will be explained or heads will roll. Am I clear?" her mom looked so fierce. Buffy was awed and Spike was more than a little intimidated. She could feel his trepidation. Images of her mother with an axe kept surfacing as his thoughts broadcast to her. Buffy nodded and led her mate from the room quickly.
She sped through the house and groaned when she reached their room. Spike looked up at her with alarm.
"What's wrong?" He spoke softly as if her mother could hear them.
"She doesn't have super hearing like us. Relax." Buffy smiled as he swallowed and then nodded.
"Never imagined I would be faced with an angry mother in law in my all together," he said with a grimace.
"Hey, you had jeans. I'm the one with nothing to wear. I can't get decent. Mom is going to be so pissed. Angel just had to make more trouble. Didn't he?" Buffy let the sheet slide to the ground and stood facing Spike in all her naked glory.
"You are always decent, Mate. Don't let this ruin your day. We will fix this. Your mum will adore me, eventually." Spike smiled at her, but it didn't reach his eyes.
"Not likely. No fat grand babies for her in our future, are there?" Buffy looked down at her feet.
"We can adopt. Infertility doesn't mean we can't have babies when and if you want them." Spike gathered her into his arms and kissed the tip of her nose.
"You're going to want babies?" Buffy raised a brow and looked up into her mate's frozen features.
"Have to say, the thought never crossed my mind before you came along, but if you want a houseful of brats, I will dig deep and find my inner patriarch." He managed a smile and Buffy stroked his bare chest. "I want you to be happy, Love. Want us both to be happy."
"Well, right now, I really want a cute dress because the whole toga thing is only gonna make Mom crazier." Buffy pouted, knowing full well her mate couldn't resist it.
Spike ran the pad of his thumb across her lip and she could sense his desire to drag her back to bed warring with his fear of her mother. She bit back a giggle.
"I can solve your problem, Love. You might not like the how, but beggars can't be choosers, right?"
"I'm not wearing your clothing out there in front of my mom. That's almost as bad as the sheet." Buffy crossed her arms over her bare breasts and Spike just shook his head happily.
"I do so love a contrary woman." Spike kissed her and whirled from the room, whistling. Buffy bit back a snarl, and tossed the sheet back onto the bed. It was going to be another tee shirt dress special. Her mom was going to hate it and that was that.
"Found something that might do for you, Love. Still has the tags on," he said as he waved an adorable dress in front of her. It was a simple wrap dress in cornflower blue, but it had a floral scarf that went with it perfectly.
"Where did you find it?" Buffy smiled as she grabbed the dress from him.
"It was in one of the crates," Spike stroked her cheek. "Put it to good use."
She dressed in record time, and waited while he took his time selecting a plain black tee shirt to go with his black jeans. The left their room holding hands.
"It's just your mum, Love. It will be okay. She loves you." He smiled as she dragged her feet down the hall.
Buffy shook her head as they walked toward the library doors. Spike was a lamb to slaughter. Joyce Summers would pick his gristle from her teeth.
"I think dusting Angel for this would be fine," Buffy said quietly.
"Yeah, yeah," Spike said with mocking sadness. "Promises, promises."
He pulled her into a warm embrace, her head tucked under his. Buffy felt her body tremble as if it was someone else's. Spike rubbed her back in gentle swirling ovals and she sighed.
"I promise, Love. I will win your mother over if it takes all of our lives." She leaned back and looked up into his handsome face.
"We'd better get in there. The longer she waits the worse it gets." Spike touched her chin gently with his thumb and nodded.
Her mother was staring up at one of the paintings Spike had put up. She turned toward them with wide eyes.
"They're real, the one out in that giant room and this one." She swung her hand toward the painting.
"He was a nice enough bloke, had a good eye." Spike said as he looked up at the painting. "Have a fancy for the arts. 'Ave picked up a piece or two over the years, but his work should be with Buffy. It's like he was trying to imagine her. Suppose it's possible."
Buffy looked at her mate with wide eyes.
"You think of me when you see these?" She asked hereby unable to look at anything but his expressive face. He nodded and her heart beat faster.
"Got more if you must know," he said quietly. "I think I was the one imagining you. Spent years collecting images of you, or almost you. I have been searching for you far longer than I realized."
Joyce turned and looked at them. Buffy broke her gaze away from his and looked at her mother.
"So, this is more than some silly spell gone awry?" Joyce asked, her eyes searching theirs.
"Yes," Buffy grabbed Spike's hand.
"Angel said you could undo it, said I had to save you from another vampire," Joyce looked at them with a sad expression. "He wanted me to talk sense to you."
"The poof doesn't have much sense of his own." Spike snorted. "Can we dust him now?"
"No, he'd just find a way back, but if he tries anything like he did last night we can pour holy oil on him and see if he manages to wash it off before he dusts." Buffy looked up into Spike's eyes and smiled.
"What did he try to do last night?" Joyce asked.
"Well, he tried to talk my mate into leaving me. When he failed he tried to rape us." Buffy met her mother's gaze steadily.
"How could he do that to both of you?" Her mother sat on a chair.
"Rape one, both feel it. It's a favorite game of his, but it would have been horrible for us as mates. The bond is new, just touching others can be difficult. The agony would have been multiplied beyond anything I can imagine." Spike leaned back against a table and rubbed Buffy's shoulder absently.
"So, you are married in the vampire way?" Joyce asked.
"Yes," Spike said softly.
"But she's human. You are still human, right?" Joyce looked from Spike to Buffy with panic in her eyes.
"Yeah, I'm still human." Buffy smiled and walked over to her. "I'm just as human as ever and I am starving. Mind if we order some food and talk this all out over a meal?"