Service Unit

Chapter Thirty Five – Awkward

Buffy rolled onto her back and stretched, her arm bumping the person lying next to her. The person groaned something that sounded like, "Mmphh," and jerked the blanket, rolling themselves up like a burrito. Buffy sat up and looked over at the lump under the blanket – Wait a minute. Blanket? Where'd that come from? The tangle of brunette hair poking out of the top identified the lump as her sister. Then she noticed who wasn't in the bed. Her eyes flew around the room. Where's Spike?

She climbed out of bed and hurried toward the door, poking her head into her closet on the way by. No Spike. He wasn't in the bathroom or the guest bedroom, either. The dead trainer was still there, though, staring up at the ceiling with all his dead eyes. She really needed to do something with his body; he was starting to stink. He'd never really smelled good, but now the odor emanating from her guest bedroom was reminiscent of a landfill in the middle of July. She shut the door. He would have to wait. Stinky dead trainers were not really at the top of her worry list right at the moment.

She heard him before she saw him. Well, she heard the distinctive slurping sound of a feeding vampire. When she stepped into the living room, Spike was just lifting his mouth away from Angelus' neck. Spike licked his lips as his demon faded then he smiled over at her. Angelus jerked his head out of Spike's grasp and turned to glare up at him. Spike smacked the back of his head, muttering, "Behave, you tosser," as he stepped around the chair. He nodded back over his shoulder and his face morphed into his signature smirk. "Gonna have to feed 'im at some point, Slayer. His tank's gettin' a bit low."

Buffy goggled for a few long seconds then she squealed in delight and rushed across the room, launching herself at Spike. He caught her easily, sliding one arm around her back and the other under her rump, holding her close. She didn't really need the support, though, because her legs were wound tight around his waist and her arms around his neck, one hand cupping the back of his head. Her mouth plunged toward his in a fierce kiss that lasted until she was breathless and gasping. She broke off then rested her forehead against his and panted, "You're back."

Spike smiled. "I am, and I take it you're happy to see me."

Her smile nearly blinded him before she dove in for another kiss. When she'd pulled back, she nodded. "Yeah. Well… maybe just a little." Her eyes widened and she started squirming. "Oh God… you're hurt and I just jumped on you. I'm sorry. Put me down."

He tightened his grip on her and shook his head. "I'm fine and I like you right where you are, luv."

Her eyes closed and she stopped squirming, lowering her head to rest her forehead against his. She whispered, "I never thought I'd hear you call me that again."

Spike cut his eyes to Liam then started walking toward the kitchen. He really didn't care to have this conversation – well, ANY conversation with Buffy – in front of the poof, considering his penchant for twisting other's words to use against them, but being that Dawn was in one bedroom and his dead trainer was in the other one, the kitchen was the only place left to go. It really wasn't far enough away for Liam not to hear them if they spoke in normal tones, but if they closed the door and whispered, then maybe…

He stopped just inside the kitchen door and Buffy looked at him quizzically then asked, "What?"

He nodded back toward Liam. "Need to talk to you, but don't think he needs to listen in. Do you still have those stones that made me deaf?"

She nodded and started to squirm again. "Yeah. I'll get them."

He set her lightly on her feet and she headed down the hall, returning a few moments later with a small ring box, a small silver stick, and minty fresh breath. She leaned into him and stole another kiss. "Sorry for the dragon breath. I'm surprised you didn't fall over."

Spike smiled and slipped his arm around her, pulling her close. "Didn't even notice, pet, and didn't matter anyway. I'd never say no to a kiss from you."

Buffy visibly melted against him and they shared another until-she-was-breathless-and-panting kiss. When they broke apart, they both turned to look at their captive. He was making loud gagging noises. Spike shot him the two finger salute. "Shut it, you git."

Buffy opened the ring box then held it up. "The brown ones go in his ears."

"You'll have to do it, kitten. Was kind of busy bein' in agony when they were used on me, so I don't know how they work."

Buffy grimaced then nodded. "Yeah… okay."

They walked over to the glowering vampire and Buffy picked out a small brown stone. "Hold his head, please." Spike obliged her, grasping Liam's hair and tipping his head to the side. Buffy touched the stone with the bulb end of the silver stick and the stone stuck to it like it was magnetized. She slid the stone deeply into Liam's ear canal then twisted the stick and tapped it twice with her index finger before withdrawing it, sans stone. Liam twitched and Spike let go of his head. Liam started shaking his head furiously, like a dog shaking off water, then he rubbed his ear against his shoulder several times. He raised his head and glared up at the two of them with murder in his eyes.

Buffy readied the second stone and nodded at the still glaring vampire. "Other side." Spike gripped Liam's hair again, after having to chase his head for a few seconds, then tipped it the other way. Buffy inserted the second stone and Spike let go. More head shaking and ear rubbing then more murderous glaring.

Spike took a step back so he was out of Liam's line of sight then clapped his hands sharply together. Buffy jumped, but Liam didn't. "Seems to be working, but let's check." Spike stepped around to the front of the chair so he could see Liam's face. He smirked then raised his hand to block his mouth from Liam's view before speaking in a loud, concise voice, "Luv, would you fetch the clippers? Want to shave the poof's head. Wonder what he'll look like completely bald? Probably save him a fortune on that Nancy-Boy hair gel."

Buffy giggled and Liam looked at her in confusion. Spike dropped his hand. "Think they're workin'. He'd be tryin' to chew his way out of those chains if he'd heard what I said. Don't think there's anythin' more important to the wanker than his bloody hair."

Buffy held up the box. "Do you want to use the rest? The voice stone and the scent stones?"

Spike considered for a minute then shook his head. "No. The gag works quite nicely for shuttin' him up, and I don't care to remove his sense of smell, 'specially considerin' where he's sittin'. You're a clever woman, pet. Wicked and clever."

Buffy grinned proudly as she closed the ring box and set it and the stick on a small table. "Yeah, it was a good idea, huh?"

"Very good," Spike said as he bent to pick up the sheet. He lifted it and draped it over Liam's head then secured the corners before turning and taking Buffy's hand. "Now we can sit and talk."

They moved over to the love seat and sat down, facing each other. Buffy nodded to the collar Spike still wore. "Uh… can the first thing we talk about be taking that thing off? I mean… um… can you?"

Spike grimaced and dropped his gaze to his hands. "That's…" He took a deep breath and glanced at her before dropping his gaze again. "I, um… I may have misled you a bit as to the state of my mental health. Don't mistake me… I'm sane. I'm… me, I guess, for the most part, but there are… remnants… of my slavery. Learned behaviors and ways of thinking that may take some time to rid myself of." He indicated Liam with a nod of his head then looked at her. "I've been putting up a bit of a front because I didn't want to appear weak in front of him, although he most likely already thinks so because I'm still wearing the symbol of my slavery."

Buffy frowned. "So, you're not okay? You seem okay." She waved around the living room. "But then there's the cleaning thing. I don't really remember you being all Mr. Clean…" She paused then continued quietly, "Although your crypt usually looked pretty good when I showed up… not so much when I left..."

He shrugged. "Didn't want you to have to deal with the mess, pet. You've been through enough."

Buffy's mouth dropped open and she nearly choked. "I've been through enough? What?" She stopped when he flinched at her sharp tone. "Sorry, but you've been through way more than me…" She paused at his frown then took a breath before continuing, "But deciding who wins that race isn't the point right now. Thank you for cleaning up." She reached out and touched his knee. "You didn't clean it because you still think you're my slave, did you?"

He shook his head. "No… well, mostly no. I wasn't sleepy and it kept me occupied. I had some thinkin' to do and I always think better when I'm movin', so…"

"And you were thinking about the collar?"

He nodded. "Some other things, but mostly the collar, yeah. I want to remove it, was ready to a few hours ago."

"So why didn't you?"

"You were lyin' on my arm and the movement would have woken you."

"Okay… um…" She looked around the living room, indicating the open space with a nod of her head. "You've apparently been up for a while. Do you need my permission or something to take it off? Because you have it. Or I could take it off."

He shook his head. "It's not that I need permission or that you need to do it. I just…" He closed his eyes. "I have this fear – not an entirely irrational fear, being that I witnessed what happened to disowned slaves many times – that removing the collar, whether you do or I do, means you don't want me anymore. Wearing your collar means that this is where I belong, that I'm yours… but without it…"

"You're still mine and you still belong here."

"That's what I spent a few hours trying to convince myself of, but…"

"No buts, Spike." He nodded, not speaking, and she could tell he was terrified of what would happen once the collar was removed. She reached for his hand. "I want you here. Forever and always. I'm not going to get rid of you, no matter what happens. I promise. I love you." He was looking at their hands and she squeezed his. "If you need me to, I'll prove it. I know about the blood thing… what will happen if I keep giving you my blood. Dawn told me."

He looked up at her, eyes hopeful, but wary. "You haven't given me enough to do anything yet, so if that's not what you want…"

"It is what I want. Is it what you want?"

He didn't hesitate for even a fraction of a second. "Yes."

"Because you love me or because of the slavery thing?"

"Because I love you. Yes, a blood bond will erase those fears, but that's… I don't want to… guilt you into it, I guess. It's forever, Buffy. There's no undoing it, so if you're even the tiniest bit unsure..."

"I'm sure. Forever, Spike. You and me." She reached up and lightly brushed her fingers across the bite scar on her neck. "And I want your mark to be here…" She nodded at the sheet with feet over in the corner. "Not his."

His eyes followed her fingers and he swallowed hard. "You want me to bite you? I don't have to. You can just keep giving me your blood in a mug and the bond will still take." He moved his gaze to her eyes. "I know Angel hurt you, as did the other two prats who sank their fangs…"

"You won't hurt me, Spike."

He spoke softly, "Never hurt you again. Won't let anyone else hurt you, either, not if I can do anything to prevent it."

"I know that." She scooted closer, leaning toward him. "So it's okay. I want you to."

Spike leaned away from her, his expression alarmed. "Here? Now?"

Buffy stopped and sat back. "What's wrong with here and now?"

Spike glanced toward the hallway then over at the lump under the sheet. "Well… if I'm going to bite you, I want to do it right. I don't want it to be just a quick feeding like I did with the poof over there. I can make you feel things, if I want to."

"What things?"

Spike smirked. "You know when we were shaggin' earlier in the chair? How intense it felt? Well, if I bite you at the right time, it'll make your climax about ten times stronger than that one, and your sis might come runnin' out here to see what the problem is when you start screamin'."

Buffy blushed and looked down at her hands. "Oh. Okay. Yeah."

"Yeah, and I don't particularly care to have Niblet gettin' an eyeful of my bits and pieces."

Buffy cringed. "Oh… Um… about that…"

Spike frowned. "About… what?" His mind flashed back to the pad of blankets in Buffy's room and the medical equipment sitting next to them that Dawn must have brought. He blanched. "You mean…"

Buffy nodded. "Dawn's had the medical training, not me, so she showed me how to stitch you up, and she knew where to put the ice packs so they'd work right, and she used the ultrasound to find the wood in you, and… yeah."

Spike swallowed hard. "So… she's seen…"

"Yeah."

Spike swallowed again and ducked his head. "That's not awkward or anything, is it?" He scrubbed one hand over his face. "Bloody hell."

Buffy laid a hand on his arm. "That's not the worst, though, Spike. She's had… sex."

Spike's head whipped up, his eyes flashing amber as he growled, "With what soon-to-be-missing-body-parts git?"

"She didn't say."

He growled again. "She needs to. Don't want my soul to get annoyed for tearin' the bits off the wrong bloke, now do I?"

Buffy smiled faintly. "I think Dawn would be a little more than annoyed if you started tearing bits off her boyfriend."

Dawn stepped into the living room. "Dawn would be extremely pissed, so there will be no tearing the bits off of anybody. I'm all grown up now, and I'll have sex if I want to." She walked over to the love seat and nudged Spike over a little then sat down behind him and wrapped her arms around his middle, laying her head on his shoulder. "Hey. Good to have you back."

He leaned into her embrace for a few seconds then sat forward and turned around. "Thank you for all your help." He motioned toward his belly then his hand lifted to the back of his neck and he looked at a spot near her left shoulder. "About the… uh… seein' me… uh… in the altogether…"

Dawn smiled. "Already forgotten. Like I told Buffy, your junk is hers to play with. I have my own junk. I think you'll like him, Spike." She smirked at Spike's scandalized expression then gazed at him defiantly. "And no, you can't go all fangy on him and try to scare him." She transferred the gaze to Buffy. "You, either."

Buffy blinked. "I don't have fangs."

Dawn rolled her eyes. "I know that, but he knows who you are and what you've done, Buffy. He's already kind of scared of you, so just don't, okay? I like this one and I want to keep him."

Buffy slid closer to Spike and lifted his arm to wrap around her then snuggled into him. "We'll be nice, we promise. Won't we, Spike?"

Spike nodded and immediately replied, "Yes, Mis…" then he bit off the word and grimaced, hanging his head in shame. He closed his eyes and whispered, "Balls."

Buffy reached for his hand and squeezed it. "It's fine, Spike. Like you said, it'll take time, but you'll get there."

Dawn said quietly, "I guess you're not all the way back, are you?"

Spike shook his head. "Not entirely, no. I can keep it tamped down if I'm concentrating, but if I'm not…"

Dawn nodded. "It's an automatic response kind of thing."

"Yeah."

Buffy suddenly stood up and headed for the hallway. Dawn asked, "Where are you going?"

"To get something. Be right back." She came back into the living room holding a small jewelry box and sat down next to Spike. She set the box on his leg and took the lid off then lifted out the necklace Dawn had included in the box of clothes. She held it up. "Would this work for a collar? It doesn't look like one to anybody else, but it would let you know that you're mine, right? Until you've worked through that?"

Spike glanced at Dawn, shame flooding his features again, then he looked at Buffy. "Yeah. I think it would, but um…" He glanced at Dawn again then looked down at his legs. "I don't think it will, I don't know… take… if you just change it right here. I think I need… it's not an ownership transfer, I know that, but if…"

Buffy looked over at Dawn. "There's a whole procedure to changing his collar, and it's… private."

Dawn stood. "Right. Then I'll go… do something… somewhere else. You know what? How about I just go home and come back tomorrow? You guys have things to… do… and stuff, and Spike's all healed up, right?" She looked at Spike. "You are healed?"

Spike nodded. "Yeah. The poof's blood got me tip top… physically, anyway."

"Good. Um… so I'll just go pack up the stuff and see you tomorrow."

Buffy nodded. "Okay. Um… can you do something for me at the compound before you come over?"

"Sure."

Buffy glared over at the sheet-covered chair in the corner. "Clear out a room in the basement. The one all the way at the end of the hall by the entrance to the tunnels."

Dawn smiled. "The one with the drain in the floor and the big rings in the wall you can hook chains to? Yeah. I can do that."

"And bring the furniture cart when you come over. We'll be moving Angelus into his temporary quarters as soon as it gets dark."