Chapter 17 - A Slayer's Norm

*Warning: Some explicit content in the middle of this chapter*

Buffy and Spike were sprung awake by some incessant knocking on Buffy's door. Buffy didn't know if she should be more concerned or annoyed. "What?" she hollered trying to convey both reactions.

"It's like 3 o'clock you two don't need that much sleep." Dawn insisted from behind the door.

"Seriously?" Buffy looked to see her little sister was correct, then commented to Spike. "Didn't expect to sleep quite that long."

"Your body's still healing, needed the rest." Spike assured her, looking over her 'morning glow' state. Hair tossed, pillow creases on her face, shirt half twisted and showing a bit of side boob. The smile on his face grew as he stared. "You are so beautiful luv."

Buffy went to tuck some hair behind her ear and felt the unkept cat on her head. "Oh, god, no I don't, I've got bed head, and..." She looked down to her shirt and went to straighten it out but Spike grabbed her hands.

"Don't take this from me, let me take it in a moment longer." he smiled sweetly.

"Ughh!" Dawn groaned from the other side of the door. "You guys had all day to be gooey, I want some training before patrol tonight!"

"Alright Little bit," The vampire called a bit louder. "Go warm me up some blood, be down in a minute."

They heard an elated "Yes!" from the other side of the door before the vampire trotted off.

"How soon till your fan club gets annoying?" Buffy asked the vampire as she stretched.

"It'll start bugging me when she takes time away I could be spending with you." He pulled her toward him. She accepted the hug for a little bit then shrugged her shoulders for him to loosen.

"Well, why don't we let you and the mini-vamp have some training time while Willow, Tara, and I go shopping, pick you up some shirts."

"I suppose I could tolerate that time apart." He smiled. "Guess you haven't really been out in the sun since..."

"Well went for a walk with Riley yesterday when he… But yeah… Plus I'm thinking I may owe Willow some girl time." Buffy added before stepping out of bed.

"Alright then." Spike stood up and walked around the bed to the girl. "I suppose I can teach the nibblit a few things I thought I already taught her." He wrapped his still bare arms around her.

"No sex smells talk though please." He got an odd look on his face and was ready to question it. "I don't need her knowing every time you turn me on..."

"Oh," He smirked, surprised she'd admit that to herself. "Suppose I can keep that lesson to just us until she needs to know it."

"Thank you." She gave him a peck on the cheek then rested her head against his chest.

"Not like she has the same uncontrollable urges you do around me." He smirked before growling a little and diving into another kiss.

"You can't leave yourself open like that Nibblit." Spike reiterated holding a yellow tent steak over her heart. "Try again."

"I know, I know." She shook off her mistake and came at the vampire again. Blocking punches and redirecting his jabs. Then she saw her opening, kicking the stake out of Spike's hand and sent an uppercut punch to his jaw, throwing him to the floor. Before she could step up to 'stake' him, he intercepted her, tossing her behind him down to the floor, then rolled to his feet.

"Nice try pet." He stepped over, grabbed her by the shirt and pulled her up against the wall.

"No fair, you don't have a shirt for me to do that." She whined from her uncomfortable pinned spot on the wall.

"Was this your plan at any point?" he asked knowing the answer was no. Dawn merely grunted in return. "When your sis comes back with some new shirts feel free to try and pin me to the wall." he joshed.

"Oh I will, but for now." She quickly tucked her legs in and pushed him away, causing him to let her go.

"Good." he commented as he regained his balance. "Using your size and speed."

"I'm little, I gotta use it to help me, not bloody hinder me." She mimicked an earlier lesson.

"Could do without the tone..." He shook into game face, and flashed his teeth. Dawn matched his intensity and changed her own features. "You ready to take things up a notch?"

Dawn growled in agreement, smiling through her sharp teeth. Spike ran at her, lunging for her neck, then she evaded to her left and ran up a couple stairs, by the time Spike turned around Dawn leapt off her high ground tackling he teacher to the ground then continuing to roll and bounced to her feet. There's my girl, she's really picking up on all this. Then he swung his feet around the floor and tripped the girl, but instead of going down she pushed into the momentum, rolled away from him, then bounced up on her feet again.

"Brilliant." he complimented.

"Really?!"

"Don't stop to gloat, keep at it Pigeon."

Dawn snarled and ran at him, they exchanged a mix of punches and blocks. Then when Dawn had backed him against a wall she braced one arm against him and reached for her stake from the small of her back. Spike however seized the small window and swung his leg up breaking her hold on him then swipped the stake from her hand and went for the killing blow. But as soon as the yellow tent spike touched the girl's chest the older vampire recoiled in pain and yelled loud enough to wake the dead.

Dawn stood there stunned as her sire reeled back holding a hand to his head. "What the frilly heck was that?"

"Bloody hell... not again..." Was all he managed.

"Again? You're chip hasn't done this any other time we spared. Did it do it when Buffy was me?"

"No, just happened the other day, shook the witch's hand and the sodding thing lit me up."

"I know a firm handshake is a good thing but..." Dawn joshed, changing her face back and stepped toward the vamp.

"I didn't..."

"I know, I mean, I get that." She assured, then asked. "So what, it's mis-firing? You think it could be deteriorating?"

"I never did check the manual." He sassed, shaking off his own fangs.

"Right, experimental government project..." Dawn shrugged, then it occurred to her. "Ooo! We could ask Riley, maybe he'd know why..."

"No!" He glared at her. "Not giving soldier boy the satisfaction that his little tinker toy is causing me more trouble." Dawn stepped up to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I don't want your sis to think it may not be workin right. She just started trusting me..."

"So you intend to lie to her about it?" Dawn raised a brow to the man's logic.

"Stop being logical." he pulled his hand from his head, it was still resonating, but the initial shock had subsided. "I'll tell her, when I know what the hell's goin on... Buffy'd only see it as a problem if it seemed to stop working. If anything it's getting over sensitive." Spike explained "Shaking a hand and trying to fake-stake a demon."

"I suppose." Dawn agreed, "Fine, I'll let you tell her... but... soon?"

"Of course." Then both vampires looked up, hearing soft footsteps overhead. "Birds are home."

"Thought Willow and Tara were the birds, not Buffy?"

"Bird is just a term for a women, fits the wiccas well though." He explained then gestured up the stairs. "Let's go see what goodies the ladies brought us."

"You know we could get used to the shirtless look on you." Dawn complimented as she started up the stairs.

"Don't think you all would like the repercussions on that..."

"What repercussions? Easier to catch fire? Pale figure that may blind and disorient?" Dawn giggled.

"No, not the direction I was goin' with that..."

"Then what?" She paused and looked over her shoulder.

"Let's just say if your sis and I were feeling better nobody would have gotten any sleep after our dragon encounter."

"Really...?!" She asked more excited than grossed out as she turned to face him.

Spike was pleasantly surprised at the reaction. "Good, then you won't take offense if we want to patrol alone sometimes."

"You'd do it out in a graveyard?" She raised an eyebrow to him.

"You do remember I live in bloody crypt Nibblit?"

"No you don't," Dawn turned and started back up the stairs. "You live here now." She smiled then opened up the door to see her sister loading blood bags into the fridge. "Ooo, leave one out for me! I'm starving!" Buffy held one above her head for her to grab. Almost as a dance Dawn grabbed a couple mugs and poured the blood in before resealing the bag and handing it back to Buffy as she placed the last bag in the crisper drawer.

"I thought you had a couple bags left." Buffy asked, standing up and closing the fridge.

"Just one, finished that off before training. I don't know how the hell you only had a couple cups when you were me, I'm like starving, all the time." Dawn questioned as she started the microwave.

He wouldn't have told her I... "How do you know I didn't?" She asked as she made her way to a bar stool.

"Math...Cause there was way too much left in the fridge compared to how I was eating." Dawn shrugged then asked, "So how was shopping?"

"It was good, much needed normal girl time."

"Thought you didn't need to be a sodding normal girl anymore?" Spike asked in a husky tone behind her, setting his hands on her shoulders.

"I don't need to be, but it is nice from time to time." Buffy acknowledged turning her head to the still shirtless vampire. "How was training?"

"Bitty Buffy is fighting more like you everyday."

"Really!?" Dawn squeaked to the compliment, not even minding the mini-Buffy nickname.

"You're doing good at sorting out ways to stay on your feet. Best way to keep yourself outta trouble."

"Great." Buffy smiled, finding herself still a bit mesmerized by the pale cold chest behind her. The microwave beeped, interrupting her stare.

Dawn chuckled then grabbed her supper out. "Do I need to give you two a minute?"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to stare, just zoned, how are your wounds doing?" Buffy rambled.

"Why don't you pull these bandages off and find out?" he asked cooly, he could smell Buffy's response and Dawn could see it in the bright blush flushing her cheeks.

"Did you even remember to pick up Mr. Marble Statue some shirts?" Dawn asked after taking a drink.

"Oh, um yeah, up er, over in the dining room, I wanted to put away the blood first." Buffy mentioned then saw her sister go for the bags and internally panicked. "I'll get um Dawn, they're mixed in with my clothes and stuff..."

Dawn's eyes lit up, "Did you get me presents?!"

Oh perfect! "Yes, so no snooping!"

"Okay okay fine. I'll just go see what the birds got." Dawn gave a nod with her cup then headed up the stairs.

Buffy gave an incredulous look back to Spike, "Birds?"

"You wanted me to train her. Can't help her starting to jaw like me." He smirked, "And I seem to recall you yelling my insults at a certain dragon..."

"You caught that huh?" Buffy shied away.

"I did."

When she looked back to the man he was smiling at her sweetly, then her eyes started to trail down his chest and she remembered the bandaging. Buffy stood up and turned to the vampire, "Alright, let's see how vampire healing compares to slayer healing." The smile didn't leave his face as he raised his arms, allowing her fingers to make their way around his torso finding the end of the wrap. As she undid the bandaging, Buffy could tell she was getting more worked up, and it made her even more nervous that he knew she was. Spike grabbed her fidgeting hands, making her drop the wrap and look up to him.

"It's alright luv."

"I just... I know you can tell when I... And I don't want you to think... or be disappointed when I say no... even though..."

He flashed an evil smile. "You're right, I can, and that does get me a bit randy just smelling you." But then he softened his smile and placed a hand on her cheek. "But you listen to me, I'm not expecting anything from you. When I say I love you, it's not cause I want you, or I need you in my bed. It has nothing to do with me. I love what you are, what you do, how you try. I've seen your kindness and your strength, I've seen the best and the worst of you. And I understand with perfect clarity exactly what you are." He bent down a little to be at her eye level. "You're a hell of a woman... You're the one Buffy, the one I had to live a lifetime to find. 100 plus years, and you're the only thing I've ever been sure of."

A tear dripped down her face, she didn't know what to say, and his lips were right there... She closed the space between them. Spike welcomed the kiss, wrapping his arms around her and dove deeper into her warm lips. God I can't bloody believe she's here with me... wanting me... I could die now and be sated...

After a few minutes Buffy pulled away, breathing heavy. "Sorry pet, keep forgettin' you have to breathe." he joshed.

"Don't be sorry for wanting me." Buffy stated then looked back to his half undone bandaging. "For someone to want me, the way you do..." She grabbed the wrap, unwinding it again. "It's all I ever wanted..." She gathered the wrap and set it on the counter behind her, then looked to the pad stuck to his wound. "Everyone else leaves me..." Then she ripped the pad off his chest making him groan. "...Eventually."

"I can't imagine why..." He moaned, then looked to the healing holes in his chest. "You trying to get rid of me Summers?"

"No, but how it was stuck it was gonna hurt either way. Sorry..."

He grabbed her hand in his. "Don't be sorry for caring about me luv."

Buffy rolled her eyes to the poetic vamp turning her words back on her. Then she looked a bit closer at his wound, they were nearly healed and only two quarter sized holes remained where the bandage pulled the scabbed over bits loose. "Wow..."

"A might faster than my last gaping hole." He shrugged, stepping away from the girl toward the microwave. "Ribs feel better." He retrieved his lukewarm blood from the microwave, looking a little disappointed at it. This swill is just gonna taste disappointing... "Your persistence seems to have paid off."

"You can just say I was right." She sassed. "And thank you."

"You're right, you're a stuck up tight ass with no sense of fun." He smirked then gulped some of the liquid in his cup.

"I'm a what?!"

Spike was startled by the reaction, he looked up from his mug. "I was just... Umm... a while back in the Bronze... you said..." he set the mug down, "You said that to me... about you... I asked if you knew what I really hated about you..." He staggered trying to jog her memory.

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about." She crossed her arms. "When was this?"

"Dunno, couple years back now..."

"When?"

Spike took another drink as he thought through it more. "Little after I started off on my own after the buggering chip."

Buffy racked her brain. After the chip... I was dating Riley... We didn't go to the bronze much... "Was Riley there?"

"No, but you were getting every other boy in there to stand at attention." He finished his cup and set it in the sink. "Which I regretted at the time included me."

"Do I want to know what I said or did to cause that? Or why you remember this with such detail?" She questioned, still trying to rack her brain for what the vampire was going on about. "Cause at this point I'm assuming I drank so much I blacked it all out..."

Spike walked around the island to her, he didn't want little sis hearing what he was about to repeat. He placed a hand gently caressing her shoulder as he practically cooed in her ear. "Told me you could do whatever the hell you wanted, have anyone you wanted, even me. Said you could ride me at a gallop until my knees buckled and my eyes rolled back. That you had muscles I couldn't dream of, and you'd squeeze me until I popped like warm champagne and then I'd beg you to hurt me a little more."

Buffy's eyes got wide... I've never say that... not to Spike... let alone in public... I'd never said stuff that slutty alone with Riley... I wouldn't... But Faith would... "Oh my god!" She covered her mouth as Spike stepped to see her face. "Was I dressed like extra slutty? Black leather?" He nodded to the question, smirking at the mental picture. "Well, I think you met Faith after all."

Now he was the one with a puzzled face. "Your wacky slayer counterpart."

"Slut-o-rama, even before she was evil-ish."

"So If I would've tried..."

"Oh she would have rocked your world, in my body... Like she did with Riley." She couldn't help the hurt that shown through, but she quickly shook it off and added, "But there's a good chance she would stake you after so..."

Spike wrapped his arms around her. "If the bint tried I would've known it wasn't you in there."

"You can't know that." She leaned against his head that was resting on her shoulder. "Riley was intimate with her, he knew me way better than you at the time, and he couldn't see..."

"We've been over this luv, he's a pillock who never understood you." He held her tightly, rumbled into her ear. "I know Slayers. I've always known you luv. Even when I hated your guts." Buffy turned slightly so her face lined up with his and sealed her lips to his. She reached a hand up to touch his face, then turned to face him. She worked her other arm around him, pulling him closer against her. He returned the gesture, tightening one arm around her while the other wiggled into her hair and pressed her lips deeper into his.

"You seem like you're feeling better?" Buffy murmured into his mouth between kisses.

"What might you want luv?" He asked just as heated.

After a bit Buffy managed to pull her lips away, but Spike kept kissing her cheek and making his way down to her neck. "Spike..." Buffy let out a soft moan as he started to suckle at her neck. "I want you..." she moaned, then all of a sudden Spike froze. He pulled back and smiled at her. "What?" She asked, confused why he would stop.

"Nothin," Smile still plastered on his face then touched their foreheads together and spoke softly yet still heated. "Buffy, I love you... God... I love you so much!" Then he dove back into her lips and led her backwards toward the basement stairs.

"But..." She protested slightly. "Comfy bed... upstairs..."

"Also got three birds upstairs." She nodded agreeing before she was kissing him again, he lifted her and she nearly instinctually wrapped her legs around him. She loved the feel of his cool skin against hers. Spike walked them down the stairs then over to one of the cots that had been set up for the creatures of the night a few days ago. As he sat down onto the cot, he couldn't help but wince as he had to use his still healing abdomen muscles. Buffy placed her knees on either side of him, releasing her weight from him and leaned back from the kiss.

"You alright?" She asked, trying to sound concerned, but it just came out as out of breath.

"I'm fine luv." He insisted, "Now get back here." He dove for her lips again.

They made out a while more, exploring each others bodies, every touch more sensational than the last. Buffy could feel the vampire's impressive erection through his jeans and found herself, not entirely on purpose, grinding up against the stiffy between her legs. When she did realize what she had been doing, for some time, she peeled her lips from his and intentionally dipped her body as low as it would go, then ground down hard against his jean clad bulge as she sprung back up to kiss him.

"Bloody hell!" Spike practically yelled into Buffy's mouth, causing her to giggle before she did it again. This time she watched his eyes roll back in his head.

"You seem to be enjoying yourself." She teased as she spun to his side and sat herself on the cot. Spike growled in response and turned to face her, then changed his face and playfully lunged for her neck. Then all of a sudden the chip fired, causing him to lunge backward smacking his head on the shelving unit behind him before falling off the cot, hitting the floor.

"What the hell?!" Buffy quickly sat up and knelt by his side. She was more concerned for him than the fact it seemed like he was about to actually attack her. "You okay?"

He was still wincing and holding his head, then after a minute he managed to mutter. "Sodding chip... was just playin'..." Buffy placed a hand on his shoulder. "You know I wasn't gonna to hurt you... right luv?"

"I know your 'I'm gonna eat you' look. That wasn't it." She reassured, "I thought it didn't fire if there's no intent to harm."

"It doesn't, I know my bloody limits with the sodding thing by now..."

"So, what? It mis-fired?" She asked concerned.

"Not the first time..." He muttered quietly before thinking.

"This has happened before?!"

"Balls, didn't mean to say that out loud..." No way she'll trust me if she thinks the chip ain't doing it's job...

"Oh, you didn't mean to tell me you've been having problems with your chip." She asked a little incredulous, "How long has it been doing this?"

"Not long..." He brushed her off and stood up. "Had an episode with Wil the other day, then while sparring with the nibblit..."

"And you didn't tell me right away because..." She stood up, crossing her arms to him.

"Had a few more pressing issues pet." He explained, his head was still throbbing, and not the one he wanted to be. "Honestly I forget about the bloody chip most days..."

"How?" She asked, now kneeling beside him.

"I don't tend to set it off. Hell the last time the buggering thing had gone off was when I drained Dawn."

Buffy thought about that for a moment, then pushed, "You said you had to fight through it, that it was the worst the chip had ever shocked you?" Spike nodded. "Well, maybe you like, unlocked another level, or short circuited it or something… I don't know tech…"

"Or maybe I just wasn't meant to last this long."

Buffy felt cold at the thought... The initiative didn't exactly care about the extent of pain their experiments caused... why would they care if it killed them... She stood up and started for the stairs. "I'm calling Riley."

Spike stood up following her. "You tell that wanker he's just gonna wanna to watch me burn."

Buffy was on the bottom step and turned back to the vamp. "He won't... If I ask, he'll help."

"And what's he gonna do? Didn't think they trained up soldier boys on brain surgery."

"Not him, but he would know who to contact. He's still in touch with the one who did his heart surgery."

"That bloody git said he couldn't fix me the first go round."

"Cause you were gonna kill him the second he un-fixed you, even he knew that." She defended, then softened and placed a hand on the back of his head. Then let her fingers wander through his hair, feeling for the surgical scar. After a minute of feeling for it, Spike cupped his fingers over hers and guided them to the scar. "Higher than I expected..." She let her fingers trace the mark a minute, then leaned forward and kissed him. The kiss was softer than before, and Buffy could tell it relaxed the vamp who'd been tense since the chip fired. She pulled away from his lips, but rested her forehead against his. "Thought you said you weren't gonna leave me?"

"Never..." He assured her, not entirely sure why she was asking.

"Then let me go talk to Riley." She insisted. "Cause you need to have that looked at."

"Right, get me a new one that won't go off when we're shaggin." Spike shrugged ushering her up the stairs, but she didn't move and just stared at him.

"So not what I'm concerned about."

"I know, you're concerned about my diet."

"Shut up." She stated plainly, she tilted his head to stare straight into her eyes. "I'm concerned about you. The chip is causing you pain when you're not doing anything wrong, we need to get it removed."

Removed... "You'd still trust me without it?"

"I don't need to Tara's spell to see you've changed. And I trust that you don't need the chip to keep you from killing anymore." Spike's jaw dropped a little, staring in awe at the girl. "Tell me if I'm wrong?" She asked lookin for a promise.

"No..." Spike assured her. "I've lost my appetite for it, especially after your mum passed."

"I remember, which is why I'm choosing to trust you." Buffy kissed him softly then stared him down. "Don't make me regret it."

"Never."

A few hours had passed and Riley had yet to return Buffy's calls, she was getting anxious and the sun had just gone down. "You know we could just go out and look for him while we patrol." Dawn suggested sipping her blood while watching her sister pace in the living room.

"What's this we business Nibblit?"

"Oh come on..." She whined. "I did fine out on patrol, even with a dragon coming after us. I wasn't the one blabbing in the mausoleum where he found us."

"Dawn may be right, about Riley at least." Buffy agreed, ignoring her sister's blame. "We could swing by a few of his friends, maybe he stayed with them, or have seen him since yesterday."

"The prick have friends left in town?"

Buffy shot Spike a glare. "Non-initiative friends." Then she looked back to her sister. "Fine. Suns down, grab a couple stakes and a small ax, we'll head out in a few."

"Yes!" Dawn elated then downed the rest of her blood before running to get ready.

"You sure you want her out?" Spike asked, placing a hand on the woman's shoulder.

"If it's not a dragon it'll be some other big bad, I'd rather she'd clock time with us while she can, and for as long as she'll tolerate it." Buffy explained. "Cause we both know she's not afraid to go darting off in the night on her own... and that was before she had super-strength and was nearly immortal."

"True enough."