Strip Snap
by Lilachigh
Author's note: Short episode but will update again very soon.
The story so far: On the evening after her 21st birthday party, Spike takes Buffy for a picnic, so she can experience being a "normal" girl. But following a night of champagne, passion and storms, they are attacked by a demon that burns Spike with acid. When he regains consciousness, he has become William again - still a chipped vampire but the sweet Victorian boy he was before Dru turned him. Feeling naughty, Buffy has initiated him into the joys of sex but now knows she has to get him home so that Willow can bring Spike back.
Chapter Six: Introductions
It was dark when the car lurched up the road and bumped up onto the sidewalk outside Buffy's house. William was holding onto both sides of his seat with a grip that no demon in the world would have been able to break. As the car stalled and jerked to a halt, he let out a long sigh.
"Were you supposed to hit that sign as we came into town?" he asked hoarsely. He didn't think he'd ever felt such fear in all his life, even when the monster came rising up out of the water, or when Miss Summers had unzipped his trousers and -
"Oh, you mean the one that says Welcome to Sunnydale? I think someone must have moved it. Stupid sign. Being welcomed to the Hellmouth is a very strange thing to say to strangers. "
"And the man who had to jump several feet across the road as we came round the corner?"
Buffy shrugged. She wasn't sure why people always complained about her driving. OK, she and cars were not mixy things, but she thought she'd done really well considering she was sitting next to a vampire who kept squealing like Dawn just because they were going over twenty miles an hour.
She glanced up at the house and groaned. All the lights were on. She'd half hoped that the gang would have gone to bed and she could take William indoors and get both of them showered and changed before all the questions started. But there was no putting off the evil moment. "Come on, William. This is where I live."
"A fine residence."
"Ah, well, no, not really. Just an average sort of house."
"Do I live here, too?"
"Certainly not!"
"Oh, then perhaps you should transport me to my own lodgings, Miss Summers. I have to accept that I am in a strange country and a strange time. But I'm sure that if I can sleep well tonight I will find a way tomorrow to make all this come right again."
Buffy sighed. "No, William, you won't. Not on your own. You need to meet Willow."
"Meet? But your friends know me, you said?"
Buffy stared at the tousled hair, the slanting cheek bones, the way his muscles played under his skin as he moved. She swallowed. God, what was it with her and this guy? He was an evil vampire, no matter what his character, and even if he said he loved her, that was no excuse for her to want him so badly.
In he dark of the car, his eyes glittered like blue stars and she could see the curve of his lips. The rush of passion that flooded through her, startled and scared her. There was no way she could feel like this about William! It was bad enough having sex with Spike - well no, bad was not the word she should have used - sex with Spike was anything but bad. Wrong! She grabbed the word out of the last brain cell that still seemed to be working. All these feelings for this vamp were wrong.
Wearily, she led the way up the path and into the house. Willow and Anya jumped up from the sofa. Xander was just coming in from the kitchen, eating a slice of pizza that was dripping melting cheese down his chin.
"Buffy! Thank heavens. Where have you been? Are you OK?"
"And what on earth are you wearing!" Anya said, gazing in horror at the tight shorts and T-shirt, both now torn and dirty.
"Hey, Buff. Good to see you back," Xander mumbled. "For god's sake is that Spike lurking out there?"
Buffy turned round and realised William hadn't followed her inside. He had a hand out, touching an invisible barrier. Of course! He was William, not Spike. And William had not been given permission to enter. "Oh come in," Buffy said swiftly and the vampire blinked as the magical obstacle vanished.
"And he's coming in the house because...?" Xander said sarcastically. "And why is he only wearing a pair of jeans? Buffy, what's going on?"
"Can we have the inquisition in the morning?" Buffy said wearily. "We both need a shower and some sleep. As there's no squealing and yelling, I take it Dawn's at Janice's."
"How do you do?" William pushed past her, and advanced across the room, hand held out to Xander who gaped, dropped the pizza and automatically shook hands with the vampire.
"How do you - ! Spike! What the hell are you doing?"
"It's very good to find a gentleman here," William said cheerfully. "Are these ladies your paramours, perhaps?"
"What!" Xander's yell could probably have been heard in Los Angeles, Buffy reckoned. Then she started to laugh and sank down on the sofa, her legs feeling weak. She couldn't help it. The sight of Spike being all English and polite, trying to introduce himself to Xander was worth all the trouble she'd been through in the past few hours.
Anya went close to William and gazed up into his eyes. "Not Spike," she said softly. "I can sense it."
"Anya, of course it's Spike," Willow said snippily. "Look at him. Pale, thin, dyed hair, all Billy Idol except , of course, bare chested and - Buffy, why are you wearing those dreadful shorts?"
William was happily touring round the room, shaking hands as he went. Xander stood staring after him, his mouth open in astonishment. William took Willow's hand and bent his head briefly over it. "Madam, I must say, I have never seen hair your colour before. Is it magic that makes it that red?"
"What! Oh, no, it's called October Flame - I mean, Spike, why are you calling me Madam?"
William looked confused. He reached out to touch Willow's screaming red hair and Xander propelled himself forward, grabbed him by the shoulders and threw him sideways.
William cannoned off the wall, and came up in game face. He took a long stride towards Xander, then stopped, shook himself and went back to human. "Sir, obviously I have made some mistake in the etiquette of this strange country and times. I offer you my sincere apologies and trust you will not hold it against me. Perhaps we could remove to a hostelry and you can tell me exactly how life is lived here. I must admit it would be welcome to have some male company. As exciting and interesting as Miss Summers is, I yearn for a little sensible conversation."
Xander looked pleased. It wasn't often that he was singled out as the person someone wanted to spend time with. "Oh, right, yes, we could find a bar - and, hey! What the hell are you talking about, Spike? I would rather chew off my right arm than go out for a drink with you."
"And why is Xander suddenly more interesting than me?" Buffy put in, her voice cross. She felt hurt. OK, all sorts of goodness to be called exciting and interesting, even by a vampire. But surely there was no way William could prefer Xander's company to hers! Not after what they'd been through together.
"I keep telling you," Anya said, sitting at the table and picking up a nail file. "Not Spike." She stared up at him. "I reckon - it's William."
"William!" Xander and Willow spoke together.
"Yes?" William said mildly, looking from one to the other.
Buffy sighed and stretched her arms above her head. God she was so tired. If she didn't have a shower soon, no one would want to come within a mile of her. "Guys, yes, Anya's right, this is William. Not Spike, not William the Bloody, but William as he was before he met Dru! He's still a vampire, still chipped, but not Spike. Don't ask me how. It was something to do with the acidy stuff he got burnt with. Acid from a Tazksha demon. We need to find a way of changing him back, Willow. But, please, can we do it in the morning! I'm beat."
The other three stared at her and then back to William, their faces pictures of amazement and disbelief. "I told you so," Anya said at last. "No one was listening to the ex demon, of course, but I knew it wasn't Spike."
"But Buffy, where on earth did you meet a Tazksha demon," Willow said worriedly. "They're very, very rare. Don't tell me there's one wandering around Sunnydale?"
"What? Oh, no, we were - er - "
"We were in a little house on an island in the middle of a lake, Madam," William put in helpfully, ignoring the glare Buffy sent him.
"It doesn't matter where we were," Buffy said swiftly. "I'll explain later. Just now, William needs a shower, so do I. Then sleep."
"Am I to share your bed, Miss Summers?"
"Now listen here, Spike, William, whoever you are," Xander growled. "If you lay one finger on Buffy, I'll personally stake your lousy skin and walk in your dust."
William looked bemused. "But we've already - "
"Yes, well, it's getting very late," Buffy broke in hurriedly, guessing that he was just about to tell Xander details of exactly what they'd shared in the last few days. "Let me show you where to wash up, William. Then you can sleep down here on the sofa. We'll talk again in the morning." And she urged him up the stairs, wondering as she did so, exactly what the new day would bring and how she could prevent William telling her friends every intimate details of their relationship so far.
to be continued