Disclaimer: Don't own 'em - not making any money off 'em. Dern it.
Notes: Was vague with details because I never watched Angel. Don't really what story line would be going on right now during Buffy's visit and I don't know the layout of W&H or how Spike gets around in the sunlight. I also don't know who Fred is as a character. All I know about her is she's a sweet scientist.
Chapter 8
"It doesn't expunge all of my sins," Spike murmurs against Buffy's forehead.
She groans. "I'm trying to give you a very nice good morning present, and you're talking about this."
Spike shrugs. "I just don't want you thinking I've redeemed myself for everything I did, especially to you."
Buffy sits up, and Spike follows. Both of them rest their backs against the headboard. "I know you're still working on redeeming yourself. I don't think you're suddenly pristine white. I know better than that. As long as you allow me to be with you as you work towards redemption, I can deal with everything else that comes my way."
"I've followed you all around Sunnydale. I definitely don't mind us walking side by side now. As long as I have your love, I feel like I can do anything."
Buffy nods. "Good, so why were you suddenly so introspective?"
"You're giving up some of your friends for me. Some of your family. I just want to make sure you know what you're getting into.
She rolls her eyes. "You really do sound like a broken record, you know that? For the very last time, and I better not hear anymore about this, I'm positive you're what I want."
"Even if my poof of a grandsire suddenly becomes human because of a prophecy?" he asks uncertainly.
She blinks at the question, feeling a bit surprised because she thought they covered this already, but she quickly shakes the thought away. "Yes, no matter what happens, I pick you. Not stop beating a dead horse. That's the saying, right? If it is, it's a really gross saying."
He chuckles. "It was the correct saying."
"So, you ready to move on from California and start our life together? After you say goodbye to everyone of course."
"The only one I'm actually going to miss is Fred. She's the only one who showed me a bit of kindness."
Buffy leans forward and presses a kiss to his chest. She nips her way to his left nipple and before she takes it into her mouth, she looks up at him through fluttering eyelashes. "I've decided to prioritize, and since you ruined my good morning present, I need to do this before we start our day." She takes the nipple into her mouth and gently sucks, enjoying his groans as he fingers clutch her hair. She's now thankful she decided to grow it out, especially when Spike gives it a little tug, and she forces her mouth away from her feast. "Somehow, it's both sweet and salty," she grins.
Spike chuckles. "Never knew that about myself, but I'd rather have your mouth on a much better body part. It needs your attention a lot more."
She sits back on her hunches and pretends to think about it. "Um, no. It's time to get up," she exclaims brightly.
His mouth opens and then snaps shut. He opens it again and unintelligently manages, "What?"
She shrugs. "I think you've lost your touch since you've been in Los Angeles; you mind me of an amateur, and that's definitely not true for you when it comes to me. You're being punished for stopping the activities earlier. Maybe next time, you'll stop and think, and then you'll get your good morning present."
"How about if I promise to be a good boy for the rest of the day?" he asks with a pout.
Her grin is positively wicked as her eyes flash. She reaches down and gropes him playfully, making him arch into her hand, before she jumps off of the bed and runs into the bathroom.
He stays in bed sullenly until he hears the shower start. All sorts of ideas run through his head as he quickly moves from the bed. He tries the door and is happy to see it's not locked. It's a hint, and the hint's telling him that Buffy wants him to follow her.
She acts scared when he rips the shower curtains open, but her welcoming arms and an even more welcoming mouth belies her fear.
She jumps and wraps her legs around his waist, and he easily holds her against the shower tiles, sliding into her warmth as if she's a glove. Their lovemaking is fast and harsh. Buffy is no longer shy about admitting that she likes it rough as much as she likes it soft, and Spike is happy to give both to her.
She tightens her legs around his waist, her head thrown back and her eyes closed. He knows she's close and watches her face intently, always loving how expressive she is when she comes.
"Come for me, pet," he gasps, and when she does, she clenches him so tightly, that Spike follows quickly after her into the abyss.
The water has considerably cooled since they started, and her shivering propels him into action. He shuts off the faucet and dries her off, carefully toweling her hair.
He runs his fingers through the glorious sunshine. "Love the tousled look."
She kisses his chin. "I think you'd love anything I did with my hair."
"Probably." He isn't afraid to admit it.
"Come on. Let's get dressed and get to Wolfram. We already missed breakfast. Maybe we can have an early lunch with Fred." She grabs his hand and pulls him into the bedroom in order to dress.
Spike keeps his eyes carefully averted, knowing that if he sees her, he'll throw her on the bed and ravish her. He wouldn't mind that, but they'd never leave at that rate.
When they leave the apartment, Buffy follows Spike's lead, and they make it to Wolfram in record time.
They make it to the lab with minimal problems and Spike crashes the door open like he always does. "Hey, Fred."
Fred smiles and it brightens when she notices Spike and Buffy are holding hand. "I see you two are doing well."
He happily nods and drops Buffy's hand in favor of putting an arm around her shoulders. She leans into the touch, not minding the change.
"Things have been great," he exclaims loudly.
Fred steps towards them and lays a gentle hand on his upper arm. "I'm so glad for you."
His expression dims a bit when he remembers he's here to say goodbye to this sweet scientist, one of only a few humans to actually care about him.
Buffy notices his expression and her heart tightens at the sight. She's not worried or jealous that there might have been something between Fred and Spike. She can see Fred simply provided the friendship he needed when he felt alone here, and that's something she'll always be grateful to Fred for.
She does her best to smile. "We were wondering if you wanted to have lunch with us."
Fred keeps the smile on her face, but her eyes suddenly seem sadder. "It's to say goodbye, isn't it?"
Spike nods. "We're going to Cleveland to guard the Hellmouth there. I would really like to spend some time with you before we leave."
"When are you leaving?"
"Probably tomorrow night. Just need to tie up some loose ends."
Fred nods and puts down her notepad. "Let's go get food. I'm not that hungry, but I wouldn't mind snacking on some of my almonds."
They go to where the employee break room is and Spike heats up his blood while Fred and Buffy scavenge for some food that Buffy can enjoy.
Fred listens to everything they're planning for Cleveland, and she is happy that total joy is on both of their faces. There's a little cloud when Buffy mentions Giles' betrayal and Dawn's desire to stay in England, but even those two things doesn't bring Buffy mood down much.
Her heart warms when she mentions Willow coming too, and Fred knows that is what's helping to keep Buffy together despite the things conspiring against her and Spike.
She finishes it off by saying, "You can always come to visit. That is, if Angel ever gives you time off."
"I might take you up on that. Do you know where you're going to live?"
"Faith and decided that we can take over the house she and Robin lived in together. It's already paid for by the council, so there won't be any mortgage. I will still need to get a regular paying job since I'm not sure Giles will budge, but I don't think it will be that bad."
"Why did the council pay for a house instead of just an apartment? Wouldn't it have been cheaper?"
"It would be hard to get any privacy with neighbors in close quarters like it is in an apartment. Especially when it's a common occurrence for demons to attack at home. The house isn't in a crowded neighborhood thankfully, so it's not likely for many people to be disturbed by the sounds of fighting."
Fred claps her hands and stands up after they finish lunch. "Now! No more hanging out. I'm sure you two have a lot to do before tomorrow night.
Spike gives Fred a hug just as Angel enters the room. He scowls at the sight. "What's going on here?"
Buffy crosses her arms and stands protectively in front of the embracing pair. "Saying our goodbyes to Fred."
"When are you leaving?" he asks, glaring furiously.
She rolls her eyes. "Tomorrow night." When he opens his mouth, she continues, "And no, you won't be able to talk me out of loving Spike so don't bother trying."
His mouth snaps shut, and he continues to glare.
She feels Spike's presence behind her and feels it's safe enough to face Fred to bestow her own hug onto the girl Buffy quickly learned to like. "Thank you for taking care of Spike," she whispers in Fred's ear.
She knows the vampires can hear her but doesn't let it bother her. Spike won't think it demeaning to have a female take care of him, and it doesn't matter what Angel thinks.
She pulls away from the warm embrace and flashes a smile at Spike. "Let's get out of here."
He takes her hand and they push past Angel who stands in the doorway.
Buffy's a little bit worried about leaving Fred unprotected since it's obvious she's supporting Spike and Buffy's relationship, but no matter how angry Angel is by the turn of events, and it's pretty guaranteed that he hasn't been this angry in a long time, she doesn't think he'll hurt Fred.
"I can't wait to be out of California," she whispers.
"Me either," Spike replies, giving her hand a soft squeeze.
Soon, soon, they'll be gone.
Notes: Not sure what I'm going to write next. I don't think I want to write the road trip. I'm kind of running out of steam since I hadn't planned to make the one-shot a multi-chapter story so there hadn't been a planning. Really don't know what to write. I'll probably end it within 5 chapters before I stop updating completely and with over a month since chapter 7, that's a very real fear for me.
If there's anything you actually want to see, don't hesitate to ask in a review. I'm not promising anything for sure, but I'll definitely think about it.