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Chapter 7

"Do I want to get off of the Cleveland Hellmouth? Hell Yeah, B. You offering?"

"Yes. I love just having to slay, not teaching slaying."

"By any chance, your sudden resolve to stand up for yourself and do what you actually want to do... Does it have anything to do with a certain bleached blond souled vampire who's totally head over heels in love with you coming back from the dead?"

Spike snickers while Buffy is speechless. "Um... How?"

"Giles called. Tried to order me to say 'no' when you ask to take over the Hellmouth."

Buffy frowns. Giles doesn't seem to have listened to Buffy when she lectured him about staying out of her business. If he had been genuinely concerned about the slaying, that would be one thing. Buffy knows he's just trying to keep her under his thumb by taking away her options. "Try?"

"Yeah. He should have known better. It's me. When are you and your vampire going to get here?"

She looks at Spike from underneath lowered eyelashes. "My vampire? I like the sound of that."

"Always been yours, pet."

"I know, just a bit slow on the uptake."

They lean towards each other, lips only inches apart, when of course, Faith has to ruin the moment. "Yo, B? Time? When should I expect you?"

Buffy shakes her head, trying to clear the fogginess from her brain. "Um, not sure. Spike needs to say his goodbyes here. I still need to talk to Dawn about my decision. I know she wants to train to be a watcher, so she might choose to stay in England. And then there's travel time. Let's just say a week. Spike and I are still getting reacquainted."

"I'm sure you are." Buffy can hear the smirk in Faith's voice. "Is he still mouth-watering?"

"Faith." Buffy's amusement is washed away, especially considering the history concerning Buffy's boyfriends and Faith.

Spike leans forward and talks loudly so Faith can hear. "Sorry, Dark Slayer. I'm a one slayer vamp."

Buffy kisses him on the cheek. Deep down, she knows she has nothing to worry about. Spike has always been unerringly loyal. Still, it's nice to hear that every now and then.

"Oh, I see how it is. Call when you leave for the city." She hangs up.

Buffy giggles as Spike presses kisses to her neck. His hands massage her stomach and move up, inching their way towards her breasts.

Her head falls back to his chest, and she arches her back, pressing her chest into his questing hands. She feels blindly behind her and grabs his erection, giving it a tight squeeze. She grins at his groan of desire, baring her neck to his hungry lips.

When he scrapes her neck lightly with his fangs, she doesn't tense up despite her slayer senses going haywire. She trusts him inexplicitly.

His hands work their way under the waistband of her pants and before his hands can slip under her panties while her needy pants increase, her phone rings.

"Ignore it," Spike commands, his fingers diving into her warmth.

She screams, her hips bucking wildly. His thumb taps her clit, and she squeezes his hardness in response.

By then, her phone has stopped ringing, but it's only a moment before it starts up again. "Need to answer." She blindly reaches for it. All the while, Spike doesn't stop the pure torture of his fingers.

"H-Hello?" Buffy asks as nonchalantly as possible.

"So, you and Spike busy?" Dawn's amused voice comes over the line.

Like a bucket of ice water has been thrown on her, Buffy sits up straight and pulls Spike's talented, talented fingers out and away from her body. Thankfully, he behaves himself. "Dawnie?"

"Yep."

"Let me guess... Giles called you too." It's not a question.

"Yep. What's this about you and Cleveland?"

"I was going to call you and Willow after I spoke to Faith."

"Well, we're both here right now, so talk. Oh, and hi Spike."

Buffy hands the phone to him, and hesitantly, he answers, "'ello, Niblet."

"We're going to have a long talk about you being back and not telling the people that matter."

Having heard Dawn's recrimination, Buffy takes the phone before Spike can answer. "Dawnie, don't. I've already lectured him. Thoroughly."

"So, what about Cleveland?" Willow asks.

Buffy smiles at the familiar sound of the redhead's voice. "The short version is I hate teaching slayers and after discussing it with Spike, we decided to see if Faith would be interested in us taking over the Hellmouth so she and Robin can leave. They love the idea, or at least Faith does. I'm sure she'll get Robin to agree it's a good idea, knowing how she likes to use her... um... charms." Dawn, if you want to stay in England, in order to train as a watcher, I understand. You and Willow are the only two I'm going to miss from England, but I can't stay there, not with how controlling Giles is being right now."

"You're right. I do want to stay in England."

Buffy nods, feeling tears build in her eyes. It doesn't change her decision, but she still wishes her and Dawn wouldn't be in different countries. "I'm sure you can stay with Will."

"Actually," Willow speaks up carefully. "I was hoping to come to Cleveland and help you guys out. You might need a witch's help, and you know how good with research I am."

Spike comfortingly squeezes Buffy's neck.

She swallows. "Yeah, that would be great. But then, who can Dawn stay with? Giles? He might refuse just to keep me from going to Cleveland."

"Truthfully, I think Dawnie can be trusted to stay by herself. The apartment is paid for by the council. She's out of high school, so there's no worry about that. It's only food we really have to think about."

"Buffy, you can trust me," Dawn implores.

Dawn has grown up a lot, but that doesn't mean Buffy thinks her sister is ready to live by herself with no adult supervision whatsoever.

Willow sweetens the deal. "We can have one of the slayers we trust check up on Dawn twice a week, make sure she's not getting into any trouble. What about Vi? She was probably one of the most trustworthy potentials from the apocalypse, and she has only gotten more trustworthy since. And I know she's still in England."

"That is a possibility," Buffy grudgingly agrees.

"Okay, I'll talk to Vi. Do you trust me to handle it? Trust my judgment?" Willow asks.

"Yeah, I do. So for food, I guess I could wire money to your account, Dawn. I hope you can be responsible enough and use it for food like it's going to be meant for."

"You can trust me, Buffy. I know how much you missed Spike. I'm not going to let my own childishness get in the way of you finally being happy. I'll behave as if you were still in England. I promise."

Buffy smiles and leans against Spike's chest, sighing contently when his arms come around her. "Good."

Buffy talks a few more minutes with Dawn and Willow before hanging up.

"Pet, are you happy with how it's turning out?"

"I wish Dawn was coming, although I'm not surprised, but I'm happy Willow will be there. It will be nice to have a familiar face around."

Spike growls and swoops down, playfully biting her neck. "And what am I?" he asks against her warm flesh.

Buffy giggles, turning her head so she can kiss the side of Spike's head. "The most important man in my life. Nothing can beat a best girlfriend, though. You'll just have to live with that."

"I guess I can. I mean, she is the one who told you about me."

Buffy nods and allows Spike to turn her around so she straddles is waist. She experimentally wiggles her hips, feeling a rush a warmth between her legs when he groans and grips her hips, halting her above his hardness.

"Mmm, so big," she murmurs seductively.

:"For you."

Buffy bends down and claims Spike's lips, and they lose themselves in each other for the rest of the day.