CHAPTER 11 - THE GIFT

Buffy made her way up the narrow stairs, looking at old photographs along stairway, until she got the second floor. There was a somewhat small, but densely packed, room - the antique shop. She made her way to the far end of the room, used the restroom, and fixed herself up, somewhat.

She left the restroom and decided she'd have a look around before going to meet Spike at the front door. The room had the general collection of antique accoutrements from eras gone by. At least there wasn't any kitsch from the 70's, like so many other shops. This was the real deal. As she was about to leave, she saw a little sign that said, "BOOKS," and a sign leading up to another floor.

Deciding it wouldn't hurt to have a quick look, she ascended the second staircase. "Maybe I'll find something to read this weekend. Suppose to relax, right? Even find one of those philosophy books," she mused to herself.

However, after looking for a few minutes, she decided there wasn't anything she really felt like she could get into. Just as she was about to go back downstairs, she gave the nearest shelf one final look. There on the top shelf, was a book pushed almost to the back. Something made her curious to find out what it was. She pulled an empty milk crate that was nearby, towards the shelf and stood up on it.

She pulled the old book off of the shelf and blew off the dust. It was bound in a heavy brown leather, with red writing, "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare," it said.

Buffy looked inside for a date, but could only manage to find something in Roman numerals, "Stupid Roman numerals!" she thought to herself, then smiled. "Well, if it's old, maybe Spike will like it."

She took the book and headed back downstairs to pay for it.

On the second floor again, she saw Edna standing behind a counter with an old fashioned cash register.

"Thought you might be needing my assistance, Miss Elizabeth," Edna said.

"Thanks, I'd like to purchase this," Buffy said, laying down the book.

"Oh, this is very nice. I didn't know we still even had this, I haven't seen it for years," Edna said.

"It was high up, I had to stand on the milk crate in order to reach it; hope that was alright," Buffy said.

"Oh, perfectly fine, Elizabeth, perfectly fine," Edna said, then added, "I think Master William will really like it."

"How did you know I'm buying it for him?" Buffy asked, "I could be buying it for myself," she said, slightly defensive.

"Of course you could, dear," Edna said, "But Master William has a lovely English accent, just thought you'd want to have him read it to you."

Buffy smiled, "It is for him, you were right. That's a nice idea, maybe he'll read it aloud. Do you think he'll like Shakespeare?" she asked.

"I think that Master William is bound to, let me explain. As long as I've known him, and I don't profess to really know him well, not even after all these years; not well at all, I've thought of him, as being like a deep, dark well. And in there, in that dark, deep well, I think he has many secrets, many different parts of himself, so I would suspect that a Shakespeare-reading self, might just be in there, too. Don't you?" Edna asked.

"He's not just dark," Buffy had blurted out, before she could stop herself.

"Oh, I didn't mean that at all, not at all. I've just always sensed a great sadness, a great yearning in Master William. In his father and grandfather, as well. Guess it's a family thing, though I'd swear they are all most alike, only difference is the clothes and mannerisms that come with each age," Edna said, looking at Buffy.

Buffy didn't know what to say, so she just asked, "How much is the book?"

"Let's see here," Edna said, opening the front cover, "Oh, good, it's good that nobody ever wrote in this. I'd say it's $3.00."

"Is that all? You sure?"

Edna nodded.

Buffy paid her, then seeing the little pad of paper with faint pink hearts on them, she decided to do something. She took out her pen and wrote a note, then folded it. On the outside, it simply said, "To William, From Elizabeth."

"Edna, can I ask you a favor? A special favor?" Buffy asked.

"Of course, what is it?"

"If Sp, if you see William again, sometime, anytime in the future, it doesn't matter how long from now; if you see him and I'm not with him, would you please, please give him this? From me?" Buffy handed her the note, knowing that Edna would see to it, no matter when that might be.

Edna sensed, somehow this might be the only time she would see Elizabeth. She hoped not, with all her heart, but she nodded, "I'll see that he gets it, if you're not here to give it to him yourself," she said solemnly.

"Thank you. It was nice meeting you, I hope, I hope I see you again," Buffy said, putting the book into her purse and heading toward the stairs.

"I do too, dear, I do, too," Edna said softly, to Buffy's retreating figure.

When Buffy had gone upstairs, Spike had gone to the front door of the restaurant to wait. As he was standing there waiting for Buffy, he saw a slightly opened door with a light coming from within it. He walked over and looked in and saw a small room full of yet, more antiques; these being more of the girly type things, jewelry, hairbrushes, mirrors, little frames, etc. He pushed the door and walked in. He looked around for a few minutes, until something caught his eye, under glass at the jewelry counter.

It was the most unusual necklace he'd ever seen. The necklace had a delicate chain, which came down on either side to two little pieces of lavender glass, connected by a little brass shell. Under the shell was a couple of little links, and finally there was the main piece: a brass heart holding two lovebirds. Above and below the heart were two other pieces of the little lavender glass, one above and almost between their heads, the other between their tails. The heart dissected the birds, right at their tails. There was a sort of half rectangle of brass that had two tiny, white cloisonne flowers on both ends. The half rectangle sort of dissected the heart (or would have, if it had gone all the way through) and it also served as the bird's perch.

Edna had come in and watched, as Spike stared at the necklace, "Would you like to see that, Master William?" she asked him.

He nodded, "Yes, please."

She handed the necklace to him and watched as his fine hands caressed the birds within the heart. She could almost see him putting it on Elizabeth's pretty neck; see the delight in his face as she opened the box; saw it for the first time, lovingly held it in her hands, looked at William with eyes that spoke of love...

She remembered how she felt when Lawrence had first put it around her neck, the night he asked her to become his wife, to come to California with him.

"How much for this?" William asked her.

She wanted to just give it to him, but knew he wouldn't accept it, "Oh, let's see, hmmmm, how much was that? Oh, I remember now. Ten dollars," Edna told him.

"That all? You sure? Okay, I'll take it," Spike said, handing her the money, "do you have a box, by any chance?"

She nodded, and reached down, getting out a purple, heart-shaped box. She put the necklace inside, looking at it one last time; she closed the lid, smiling. She put the $10.00 in her pocket and handed William the box, which he carefully placed in his inner jacket pocket.

"She'll love it," Edna said to him.

"Thanks, I think so, too," he said, happy to have found this little beautiful thing for her.

Edna had gone upstairs afterwards, and taken care of Elizabeth's purchase. It was so cute, how they had each thought to buy the other one something, secretly.

She walked downstairs as they were leaving, "Come back soon Master William, Miss Elizabeth," Edna said.

"We will. And thank you for the lovely dinner," William said.

Elizabeth echoed his sentiments.

She watched them as they walked out the door, then turned and picked up the little sign that had fallen off of the door to the room where William had found the necklace; it said, "The Rittenhouse Museum Antiques Room."

END CHAPTER 11

CHAPTER 12 - MAGIC GATES IN THE NIGHT

"It got cold," Buffy said, shivering, as they walked to the car.

"Yeah, usually does up here, this time of year," Spike said, holding the door for her.

Buffy settled grabbed the warm jacket she brought from home and put it on, before buckling herself into the car.

"I should check with home," Buffy said, starting to call.

"Why don't you just plug into the computer?" Spike asked.

"Good idea," she agreed, not really wanting to talk to whomever might answer, especially if that whomever, might just happen to be Giles.

Buffy hooked up the computer to the phone and dialed her home.

"Wow, it works," she exclaimed.

Spike took a look over at the screen, where the main camera just happened to be pointed to the living room.

"Looks pretty normal," he said, seeing all the potentials, Giles, Xander, and Willow.

"Hey, Wil's on the computer. She just showed me this Instant Message thing, I should...oh, there she is," Buffy said, hearing the chime of the AIM.

Wicca1: Buffy, you there?

Slay1: Yeah, here.

Wicca1: where are you?

Slay1: car, how's everyone? Problems?

Wicca1: fine, no problems, no FE

Slay1: good

Wicca: tried to IM you before, where were you?

Slay1: eating, restaurant

Wicca1: two in a row

Slay1: what? two in a row?

Wicca: restaurants

Slay1: yeah

Wicca1: nice?

Slay1: very

Wicca1: which one?

Slay1: huh?

Wicca1: nicer?

Slay1: this one

Wicca1: company too?

Slay1: uh-huh

Slay1: nosey!

Wicca: "Oh, Spike, she gasped, I just love your 'evil energy', "

Wicca: :)

Slay1: and say, how's Kennedy???

Spike looked over at the screen, "Wicca1? Slay1? Sheesh, that's original! Better hope The First isn't getting help from the former geeks," he said, shaking his head.

Slay1: Spike says hello.

Wicca1: back at him, tell him I still think...

Slay1: I will not. ;)

Wicca: Giles wants to talk to you. Uh-oh,

"Giles, I think I've lost the connection,"

Wicca1: bye ;)

Slay1: bye, talk to you tomorrow.

Slay1: tell the girls, "I'll be watching!"

Wicca1: k

Slay1: bye

Wicca1: bye

"Hey, I'm a geek, now, too!" Buffy said, disconnecting the phone/modem and laptop from each other.

"Yeah," Spike said, laughing.

He drove along, following the road back out of town and veering off the main road about 2 miles out.

"Gonna get sort of bumpy, Slayer," he told her.

"Buffy, I want to be Buffy this weekend," she corrected.

"Going to get sort of bumpy, Buffy," he said again.

"Bumpy-Buffy. Okay, Spike, if you have to say words like that together, you can use 'Slayer,' but only under those conditions," she said laughing.

Spike was now driving on a dirt road, heading up to a higher elevation. About 2 miles later, he stopped the car.

"What is it? Did you take a wrong turn?" Buffy asked, seeing that the road abruptly ended in forest as dense as those to either side of her.

"Wait here, you'll see," Spike said, getting out of the car.

She watched in the headlights as Spike climbed up a nearby tree and seemingly jumped down on the other side of trees that were in front of the car.

"What the...?" she had just started to wonder, when all of a sudden the trees in front of her, in front of the car, started moving off to one side. The 'trees,' about 12 feet of them were moving. Some to the left, some to the right. Buffy just stared as they separated until there was an opening, in the middle of which, stood Spike, grinning.

He walked back to the car and got in, "What do you think?" he asked her.

"How? What? How?" Buffy stammered.

"Gate, secret, magic gate - pretty convincing, huh?" Spike said, still grinning.

"I'll say!" she answered.

"Couldn't take the chance on someone ever finding this, could I?"

"Guess not. No."

They drove in silence for another 3/4 of a mile. All of a sudden the Buffy could lights through the trees.

"Spike! Look!" she said, pointing.

"It’s the house, you’ll see in a minute," Spike said, then added, "no worries, Slayer, I mean, Buffy. It's not what you think; I had Clem come up and set everything up for me, earlier," Spike said.

"Clem?"

"Yeah, I’ll explain all more about that later. He came up to start the generator, no real electricity here. Probably got a fire started, in the fireplace, too, if I know him," Spike said.

They soon pulled up in front of a log house.

The front door opened and Clem came outside, waving at them, as he came up to the car.

"Howdy guys! I was wondering if you were going to be coming at all, I’ve been here for about 6 hours already," Clem said.

"Well, had to wait until later in the day to get out of Sunnydale, then stopped by The Rittenhouse and got a bite to eat," Spike said, as he walked over to help Buffy out.

"Was Edna there? Did you see her?" Clem asked, starting to grab their overnight bags.

"Of course," Spike answered.

"Hey, Girl! How are you? Did you enjoy the ride up? Isn’t that Edna something else?" Clem asked Buffy all at once.

"Hi, Clem, good to see you, too. Everything is so…fine, it’s all fine," Buffy said, trying to absorb each new situation that she’d been faced with all night long.

Spike took some stuff into the house as Clem and Buffy spoke about the area, the restaurant, Edna, etc. He now came back outside, and down to the car, where he gently, took Buffy’s arm, in order to disengage her from any further conversation with Clem.

"Think the lady’s tired from the trip," Spike said to Clem.

"Of course she is," Clem cheerfully agreed.

"Just let me get these bags into the house," Clem said.

Buffy stood there with Spike holding onto her arm, looking at the front of the house. On the wrap-around porch, there were some old-fashioned looking swings and chairs, which suddenly looked awfully inviting.

Clem came back outside and down the steps," Well, I’ll be going now, Boss. I’ll see you guys tomorrow?" he asked.

"Yeah, you’ll see us tomorrow, maybe afternoon. Got your phone? Good, you know the drill" Spike said.

"That I do, Boss, that I do!" Clem said, walking off.

"Night, Buffy," he called back over his shoulder.

"Night Clem," she said, then turned to Spike, "where is he going? Isn’t he staying here?"

"He’s got his own guest house about ¼ of a mile away," Spike said, motioning through the woods.

"Why’d he call you Boss?" Buffy asked.

"He sort of works for me, when I need him to,"

"How long has this been going on?"

"Years; decades. Long story made short? Saved him once, a long time ago. He’s grateful, ergo, he works for me when I need him to, I keep him in poker kittens and whatever else he needs and he watches my back," Spike said.

"Look, can we…talk all about that another time?"

Buffy nodded, not sure she could take anymore surprises about William tonight, as it was.

"Would you like to come in?" Spike said, smiling shyly at her, a look of hopefulness in his eyes.

Her eyes smiled back at his in wonder. Putting her arm through his, she said, "Yes I would Spike, very much."

Then arm in arm, they walked up the steps to the porch and into the house.

END CHAPTER 12

CHAPTER 13 - DANS LA MAISON DE WILLIAM

Spike held the heavy wood door for Buffy as they walked into the main living area. He watched her to gage her reaction.

From the looks of the well-built log house, Buffy almost expected the decor to be somewhat rustic and spartan. Somewhat minimalist perhaps; like Spike's old crypt.

However, besides the high beamed ceilings and wooden architecture of the log house, the decor was anything but rustic!

It was Victorian! The wooden floors were covered in warm, decorative woolen carpets and all the furnishings, from sofa and chairs, to the decorations on the walls were almost genteel in nature. There were, what looked like, mahogany and cherrywood chairs, scattered throughout the living room, all with maroon cushioned seats.

A tall settee stood near, what must be a dining room off the side of the living room. There was also a little drawing table, near one end of the far wall. She could see that a collection of books and papers lay on the top of it; the only plain wooden chair in front of it. A fire was just starting to blaze in the huge fireplace, in front of which, sat the only piece of somewhat modern furniture - an oversized, maroon leather couch, covered in throws and pillows. On either far ends of the fireplace, were two doors; bedrooms she supposed.

"Wow, Spike, Wow," Buffy said, appreciatively. She'd almost laughed at the decor when she first saw it, but seeing him almost let out a sigh of relief, she was glad she'd suppressed that.

"Do you like it?"

"It's amazing, not at all what I expected from the outside. Guess I thought it would be more woodsy or something," Buffy said, "but knowing you, I guess I shouldn't assume anything.

"Yeah, I guess the outside doesn't exactly go with the inside," Spike said.

"Let me explain my decor in one word. Edna."

"She decorated for you?"

"Well, not exactly. I never explained, but I decided to finish this project about 30 years later, and have been sort of adding things here and there ever since then."

"When Edna found out my father was working on it again, she volunteered some older furnishings from the hotel. She'd updated a bit herself," he laughed, "but William's father got some of the cast-offs. Whenever she redecorated a guestroom, back when she owned the hotel next door, too, she would put the furniture in storage for me, then when I was about, I would pick it up and bring it here. And that, dear Buffy, is how I came to have a Victorian decorated log house!" Spike said.

"Well, I see you have a couple of newish things," Buffy said, pointing to the couch.

"Yeah, I love that couch! Believe it or not, that came from Edna's son, Lawrence. He used to keep a small house up here where he'd spend the summers. Sold it a few years ago, just stays in San Diego now, but he gave me the couch and some other furnishings."

"I see," Buffy said, not knowing what else to say.

"I lied," Spike said.

"About what?" Buffy said, on guard all of a sudden.

"I told you last year that I'd ate a decorator once, and that maybe something stuck; I lied,"

"About eating the decorator or about something sticking?" Buffy asked, with a grin.

"I'll let you be the judge of that," Spike said, with a smirk.

"Let me show you to your bedroom, then we can sit on my 'newish' leather couch and enjoy the fireplace, if you'd like," Spike offered.

"Okay, lead the way."

Spike took picked up her overnighter that was by the front door and lead her through the living room to the room to the right of the fireplace. He opened the door to a large room that had a white, four poster bed, with a white, flowered, old fashioned looking blanket atop it.

It had a small dresser with a framed mirror above it. The room also had a larger chest of drawers and a small desk.

"There's a bathroom over there," Spike said, pointing to a small door, "it's between the bedrooms, but there's a lock on both doors inside doors, so when you use it..."

"Okay."

"I'll go outside for a minute and make sure that the pilot light's on the water tank."

"See you in a few minutes, then?" he asked.

"Yeah, see you in a few minutes," she answered.

He left her then, closing the door to her bedroom.

She looked around the room for a few minutes, touching the desk, looking in the empty drawers, using the bathroom. Finally, she decided to change out of her clothes. She was just going to change into another sweater, but then decided that she'd just put on her flannel nightgown and a robe, then decided that would be too warm, and put on the shorty. With a robe!

"Not like he hasn't seen me in pajamas, or less!" she thought to herself. "Doesn't mean anything, just getting comfortable."

At the last minute, she changed into a two-piece lavender pair of polyester pajamas. With a robe! Not too sexy, not too flannel!

At the last minute, she remembered about something and grabbed her purse.

Spike was sitting on the couch when she came out. He had changed, too. He had on a loose pair of gray drawstring pants, which he'd probably lifted from Xander. His T-shirt had been exchanged for a bright silky, short blue robe, which was open. Buffy's breath caught for half a second at seeing his chest; muscular, scared, inviting. He was barefooted, too, which for some reason, always made her feel soft towards him. His boots were almost as much a part of him, as his black leather duster had been, but the duster had been gone for a while now, but never the boots. Somehow, Spike, sans boots, seemed so vulnerable.

He stood up as she came out of the bedroom. This small wisp of a girl, with lavender pajama bottoms, sticking out from under a little white fuzzy robe that looked like she’d had it since childhood. She wore little white fuzzy slippers, too.

He smiled, "Fire’s getting’ goin’ pretty good now, pet," he said, getting up and kneeling down in front of it, using the poker to move some wood around to a better position.

Buffy set the purse down on the couch, then came over to where Spike was kneeling. She had this overwhelming urge to touch his hair, run her hands through it, to squat down next to him and hug him to her; any and all of the above, but she resisted, instead just stood next to him. Close, intimate.

Spike felt her when she came up towards him, he always felt her. She was standing so close to him, her legs, her essence, so close he could smell her, drink her in; and the fire, the heat of the fire, was causing her smell to reach him all the more. He felt intoxicated.

If Spike had to pick just one thing, one extrasensory aspect about being a vampire, that he relished the most, that he would never want to give up, it would be the ability to smell the delectable scents of a woman, of Buffy.

Neither was it just what every man appreciates and recognizes as a woman’s scents; her perfume, her shampoo, the sweat under her arms, the wetness between her legs…No, this was more, it was as if he could read each molecule of her essence. Each emotion she felt, each thought, each intention had it’s own molecular marker that he could track like a trail of breadcrumbs. It wasn’t something he even did consciously all of the time, but it was always there, always alerting him to just how she felt, what she wanted, what she might desire; the possibilities.

He closed his eyes briefly and inhaled Buffy’s womanly scent, so near, but yet so out of reach. He gave the fireplace a final poke and stood up slowly, facing her. She turned, looking at him, feeling the heat of the fireplace, the firelight that reflected in his eyes.

Abruptly the moment ended as Spike turned and walked over to the couch, sitting down and patting the seat, that she might do the same.

"I should check up on the home front," she said.

"Already did that when you were changing, luv. Here, it’s all set up. Just turn on this button, phone’s already hooked up," Spike said, showing her how to switch views from room to room back at her house.

"I really should probably check this about once an hour," Buffy said.

"Let me do that for you, Buffy. You’re here to relax. Can’t see you sleeping very well, if every hour you have to wake up to check this. I can do this for you, I want to," Spike said.

"But Spike, you won’t get any sleep that way either. Maybe we could take turns or something," she suggested.

"No, tonight I’m on watch, Slayer, er, sorry, Buffy. I can easily wake up every hour and have a look-see, just have to tell myself to do so. Probably even set the bloody thing to beep at me, if you don’t think I can be trusted," Spike said.

"I trust you. Thank you, Spike," Buffy said, relieved in more ways than she cared to express to have this responsibility taken from her shoulders, even if only for a few hours.

"Oh, I forgot," Buffy said, reaching for her purse. She took the book out and handed it to him, "Here, Spike, I bought this for you when I was upstairs at The Rittenhouse. I couldn’t read what year it is; it’s in Roman Numerals, something I think I learned and forgot back in fourth grade. In any case, I hope you like Shakespeare, The Complete Works of," Buffy said, watching Spike’s face as it lit up, like a little boy at Christmastime.

Spike took the book from her hand like it was made of glass. He opened the front cover, inside which was written, "To William, From Elizabeth, February 14, 2003"

"You bought this for me?" he asked with a sort of wonder in his voice, looking at her. He didn’t remember the last time somebody had bought him a gift. Sure, he’d gotten the furnishings from Edna, and Dru use to bring him all sorts of strange gifts, like puppies to eat, but an actual store bought-paid-by-cash-gift? Never. It was also something that he never expected Buffy to do for him.

He looked away, before he could start to get choked up. He opened the next page and read the Roman Numerals, "It says 1878, it’s really quite old, hope you didn’t pay too much for it, luv," he said.

"Do you like it?" Buffy asked, not quite sure what the ‘quite old,’ meant in terms of satisfaction.

"Oh God yes! It’s lovely Buffy, just lovely," Spike said, as he fingered the old leather binding, "it’s the nicest thing anyone has ever bought me."

She turned away, embarrassed. If this was the nicest thing…Poor Spike!

"Buffy?"

"Huh?"

"I forgot, I got you something, too; when I was waiting for you," Spike said, taking the velvet box out from the pocket of his robe and handing it to her, "here," he said, not quite making eye contact with her.

"For me?"

He nodded, still holding out the purple, velvet, heart shaped box to her.

Buffy took it from him and opened it. Her eyes grew moist as she saw the beautiful, delicate, lovebird necklace. She took it from the box, gently tracing the shape of the lovebirds within the heart, and the cloisonné flowers. Now it was her turn to get misty-eyed as she turned to Spike.

"It’s beautiful, Spike, I don’t know what to say."

"You like it, then?"

"No."

"No?" he said, with a sinking feeling, waiting for her to give it back to him, say something about why she couldn’t,…

"I don’t like it; I love it," Buffy said, then she leaned over and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek. "Thank you, Spike," she whispered in his ear.

Spike silently sighed with relief.

"Help me on with it?" she asked, as she sat back up and turned sideways on the couch, holding up her hair with one hand.

Spike took the necklace from her and put it over her head gently, then secured the clasp.

She felt the necklace softly fall into place a couple of inches above her breasts. She turned around to face him as she looked down, "How does it look?" she asked him.

Spike looked at the necklace, and the couple of inches above Buffy’s breasts, appreciatively, "Nice, looks real nice," he said shyly.

"Matches my pajamas perfectly, doesn’t it? Hey, were you going through my stuff again, were you?" she joked, playfully hitting him in the ribs.

"No, gave that up some time ago, luv," he answered.

She was still looking down admiring the necklace when Spike stood up to put another log on the fire. When he was finished, he took the heavy rug that lay between them and the fireplace and pulled it up to the edge of the couch. He sat down, back against couch and looked up at her.

Buffy scooted to the front of the couch, then slid down to the floor so that she was sitting next to Spike.

They sat there watching the fire for a couple of minutes in silence.

"This is nice," Spike said.

"Ummmhmmm," Buffy agreed.

"Spike?"

"What, luv?"

"How much time have you spent here, at this house?"

"Oh, let me see…over the years? Maybe a total of 2 months or so," he answered, "a couple of days here and there."

"That’s all?" Buffy asked, surprised. "Why not more? You’ve got this lovely house, money…"

"I don’t know, Buffy. Seemed like the house is something else, I don’t know, something that’s almost outside of myself; outside of my nature. Vampire, you know, couldn’t just live here, like a man…I needed other things, the kill, the violence, happy meals with legs, even the company of other demons. You know these things about me," Spike said, his voice strained.

"Look, can we not talk about this anymore?" he asked.

"Okay," Buffy said, leaning up against him, hopefully reassuring her that she wasn’t there to either probe or judge him. Not here. Not anymore, not after what he’d done for her, the lengths he’d gone…

And so they sat there, side-by-side, watching the fire and talking of small things for the next hour.

Spike looked over at Buffy, her eyes were closed and he knew she was almost asleep.

Poor Slayer, all done in.

"Buffy?" he said, shaking her gently.

"Huh?"

"Time to go to bed. Um, you’re tired, you should go to bed and get some sleep," he stood up and extended his hand to her.

"Yeah, you’re probably right," she answered, letting him help her up.

They were standing in front of the fireplace, between the two bedrooms, "Goodnight Buffy, sleep well. And don’t worry about the house, I’ll keep watching," Spike said.

She turned to look at him, so unreal in this setting, "Goodnight, Spike," she said, once again, taking the initiative to kiss him on the cheek, "Thank you, for everything," she said as she went into the bedroom.

She turned down the covers and crawled into bed. She was sort of sad that Spike hadn’t even suggested to her that she might want to share his bed. Of course, she would tell him, "NO," but none-the-less…she drifted off to sleep.

END CHAPTER 13

CHAPTER 14 - MY EYES ARE CLEAR

Buffy had only been asleep for a couple of hours when she woke up, heart pounding from the usual nightmare, revisited, "Spike!" she had screamed in her dream right before bolting upright in bed.

She looked around, taking stock of where she was, then decided to get up and splash some cold water on her face.

As Buffy stood in the doorway of the bathroom, she saw it; a little light flickering between two pieces of wood, not quite fitted against each other. She walked quietly across the bathroom floor, until she came to the sliver of light. She could barely see him at first, but then as her eyes grew accustomed to the candleglow, that had first attracted her, she could make him out.

Spike was lying in bed, tossing and turning. Suddenly, he threw the covers off, groaning as he lay there naked. Buffy held her breath, afraid he’d sensed her, but he didn’t look her way. Her breath caught in her throat as she watched him run his hands down his chest, his stomach, finally to his cock. He rubbed himself gently at first, then quickened the pace as his erection quickly grew to its full length. She could see the glistening shimmer of pre-cum as she watched as he fondled himself, stoked himself again and again, before he finally convulsed in orgasm. As he did, she heard him softly moan one word, "Buffy!"

Buffy bit down hard on her bottom lip and backed quickly out of the room, before she sobbed aloud. In the past she would have felt revulsion at even thinking about him doing this, pleasuring himself, probably with some picture of herself or intimate article of clothing he’d nicked from her bedroom. But not now. Now it was breaking her heart.

The tears came as Buffy put her hands to her face. Useless buckets of tears, useless seed, useless torture, useless love…for her. Tears flowed, flowed thinking of him laying there; his passion and love for her unclaimed, unbidden, abandoned – like this beautiful house was.

"Fuck this! No. Fucking. More!" she said, as she dried her eyes and walked out of her bedroom and into Spike’s.

"Buffy? What is it, luv? Bad dream? Everything’s okay at the house, just checked," Spike said, staring at Buffy who’d walked right up to his bed.

"Shut up, Spike," she said softly and crawled into bed with him.

Spike lay on his side, towards her as she nuzzled up close to him.

Wants more comfort, he told himself. Alright then! Bird’s got to have what the bird’s got to have. Never could deny her anything.

Before he could form another coherent or not so, thought, Buffy leaned into him, kissing him softly on the lips. Shocked, Spike didn’t respond for a few seconds, but then he was kissing her back, falling into a beautiful aura of sensation that was starting to surround them. Lips, kissing, heat, aura.

Coming back to earth for a second, Spike broke off the kiss, gently taking hold of her shoulder and pushing her back a few inches, "Buffy, do you know what you’re doing?" he asked, giving her the chance to come to her senses.

Buffy looked at him, with a look he’d only seen one other time; the night she’d come to rescue him from The First.

"I do know, Spike, maybe for the first time since you’ve known me, I do know; my eyes are clear," she said, "I’m kissing the man that I love," she said, leaning back in for another delicious, all-enveloping kiss.

"That you love?" his voice asked, almost cracking; breaking the kiss again, holding her off to look into her eyes in wonder.

Buffy did not waver as she looked at him, and slowly, effortlessly, maneuvered her lithe body atop his, the lovebird necklace hanging from her neck to lie on top his chest, "Yes," she said looking in his eyes, kissing him softly between each word,

"I." kiss, "Love." kiss, "You." kiss, "Spike."

"You love me?" he repeated, unbelieving; afraid to believe.

Buffy nodded her head, "Yes. I love you." kiss "And if this man would still like; I’d like to be his girl," she said, kissing him deeply, as her body, atop his, moved on its own accord. Up and down, feeling his once again, full erection.

"My girl? My girl! Oh God, Buffy!" Spike groaning, grinning, grabbing her face, kissing her back as fully as he wanted, as she wanted, finally giving in to the incomprehensible, and the unbelievable, Love claimed and bidden, by her, by them.

END CHAPTER 14

CHAPTER 15 - W E

It was late when she finally got to bed, she grabbed her nightcap and put it on, crawling into bed, "Right old granny, I am," she chuckled, "ah well, old habits die hard, and it's right chilly in this old place."

He came to her, as he often did, after she'd been asleep for only a few minutes. The dreams would last hours and she always looked forward to them. Sometimes they went back to the old country, sometimes they were young, other times older, sometimes even, he would appear to her, as he would have looked, if only he hadn't died so long ago.

As always, she asked, upon first seeing him, "Is it time for me to join you yet?"

"No darling, not yet. But we'll just have our normal visit, like always. Where would you like to go tonight?"

"I think I'm right happy here tonight, is that alright. No wait, let me see where you got it, when you gave it to me," she said.

"Oh, you knew I'd know about it."

"Can't hide anything from you, Lawrence," Edna said.

"No, you're a right open book, ye are," he said laughing.

"So, tell me all about it; about them," Lawrence coached.

"Ah, it's been so long since I'd seen him, but you know him, never changes anything but the clothes and the hair. But there was something different about him this time. Can't quite put my finger on it; it was like he was softer, somehow. A little less afraid to be kidded with, approached. Ach, I don't know what I'm talkin' about," she said.

"Yes you do, you've always known that your Master William was a..."

"Don't say it!"

"Loner, Edna, just going to say loner,"

"No, he's not a loner. Lonely is what he's been, always lonely. Guess his type always is..."

"But he wasn't alone tonight?" Lawrence asked.

"No, that was so exciting. In all these years, never seen him, nor his father or grandfather with anyone what-so-ever, but tonight," she said, her eyes shining, "tonight he brought a lovely lass with him; Elizabeth!"

"Nice name,"

"Yes, it is. She's a lovely lass, smart, bright and he loves her so much!"

"He told you?"

"Of course not; not his way, but I can tell!" Edna said.

"And her?" Lawrence asked.

"Yes, I do believe that she loves Master William with all her heart, although I could tell that he doesn't quite know that yet, but I have a feeling he soon will."

"You've always been so romantic, Edna," Lawrence said, chuckling.

"Oh, you were, too!" Edna said, taking his hand.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you, Elizabeth found that old Shakespeare book; she bought it for him."

"Ah, the one I hid up on the top shelf, I remember," he said, reflecting for a moment, "glad to see someone will get some pleasure out of it."

She nodded.

"And the necklace?" he asked her gently.

"Ah, the necklace. See, Master William thought it was for sale; the sign had fallen off of the door, so he just thought it was another part of the shop," she explained.

"I see. But won't you miss it, dear?" Lawrence asked.

"I'll always see it, whenever I want to; just have to close my eyes," she said, hugging him, "I'm just so glad that it's going to have a whole new life of it's own. Two lovebirds; that's what they are, you know? Master William was so pleased to have found something for Elizabeth, I just didn't have the heart to tell him it wasn't for sale."

"I know, dear, I know," he said, putting his arm around her.

"Did he look at the back of it?" Lawrence asked her.

"The back? Oh, the letters, W E? No, he didn't. I never knew why you didn't use the name that you always went by," she said.

"I just thought I should be formal about it, since it was an engagement present for you, that's why I had them put the 'W,' for Wallace."

"Wallace Lawrence McKennitt," she said, "it's a nice name."

"I just thought of something. Do you realize that those letters go with their name, too?" he asked her.

"William and Elizabeth," she just said and smiled.

"Ah, you knew all along, didn't you? Well, shall we be off on our travels then, dear?" Lawrence asked her.

"Oh, yes! Please let's go! I can hardly wait to see it all again," Edna said, and taking his hand, they once again embarked on their nightly travels.

END CHAPTER  15

CHAPTER 16 – NEVER SO SWEET

"Love you, love you so much!" Spike said, between kisses.

"Spike," she sighed, through ragged breaths. Her body responded to his with a memory of its own. Every nerve ending, every muscle, every hair, every orifice had its own memories, had their own desires to be touched, tasted, licked; to be loved by this man. Spike, who was at the moment, physically beneath her, but not in spirit, not in his capacity to be good, to love and be loved. His capacity for those things, she realized was limitless.

Buffy had started this on top of Spike, with him beneath her, but she was determined that it wouldn’t end up that way, not tonight. She stopped kissing him long enough to look in his eyes; eyes filled with wonder. Before, when he’d looked at her like that it just had made her uncomfortable to know that she had so much power over him. Power that she’d abused. But not anymore. Her eyes, she hoped, reflected back the same wonder that his showed. Wonder that finally, she’d found her heart, and her heart was Spike.

Around to the front of her pajamas, he brought his almost shaking hands, to undo the buttons and free her from the top. Discarded, his hands reached up to tentatively cup each her of her breasts, his thumbs gently kneading her nipples. She moaned in pleasure, closing her eyes as she felt herself grow weak with pure desire.

He pulled her down; his head nestled between her breasts as she straddled him, moving up and down against him, her silky pajama bottoms the only thing between them.

Looking into her eyes, he glanced down at the necklace that rested on his chin. He put his hand underneath the chain to lift it up and look at it. As he glanced back at her, Buffy put her hand in his hand and squeezed hard, feeling the imprint of the necklace between both of their hands. Her mouth sought out his, as his hands went around her.

Buffy gasped, as Spike rolled them over, so that she was now on the bottom, his full weight on her, his desire, pressing almost painfully between her legs.

"Buffy," he whispered as he kissed her neck, her ear, her collarbone, then made his way down to her breasts.

As each new, yet old, familiar sensation coursed through her body, her back arched in anticipation. She could no more have stopped the movement of her body than could a mother in the throes of giving birth; autonomic nervous system, fully engaged.

Spike kissing her breasts, now shifted his body a little, starting to kiss her stomach, her belly button. His mouth rested on the skin just above the waistband of her pajama bottoms as his hand slipped down the front of them.

He felt like his hand might catch on fire, from the heat that Buffy was giving off, "God, you’re so hot, so wet, so hot," he murmured, as he brought his head down over the front of her bottoms, as his fingers found out just how hot she was.

"Wait! Stop!" she said suddenly, almost out of her mind with desire by now.

Spike froze, as if he’d been hit with a two-by-four. He was immediately taken back to the awful night in the bathroom when he’d tried to rape her. He felt the room spinning, as he forgot where he was. All he knew, was that he’d done something awful again, monster, not a man, soul or not…

He bolted upright, scaring Buffy. She looked at him scared, which only made his reaction worse.

"I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry," he repeated, starting to shake and mumble about, ‘not hurting the girl,’ until she realized just what she had done to him that moment before.

"Spike. Spike!" she said, trying to get his attention.

Spike looked at her, laying there almost totally naked, while his brain tried to remember what had happened causing her to yell out to him. What besides the fact that he was hurting her again, trying to make her do something she didn’t want again…

Buffy got up on her knees and put her arms around him, "Spike," she said softly, "I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you, or to make you feel that you were doing something wrong or hurting me," she said to him.

Spike looked at her, her little naked breasts pressed against his chest, eyes looking with love into his.

Slowly he regained his composure, his grip on the present, not the past, as he shuddered slightly, "What it, luv? What was wrong? I thought you were enjoying the way I was…."

"Oh my God, Spike, I was, I was!" she said, her eyes tearing up, thinking what she’d put him through.

"I just, I just…"

"What, Buffy?"

"I just…" she reached down and softly touched his cock, "I just want to feel you inside me, Spike. That’s all, I just want you inside me for tonight," Buffy said, looking him in the eyes.

Could there have been any more perfect words spoken in this world? To him? Ever?

"Ahhh, Buffy," he said, kissing her, "luv, Buffy!"

He gently laid her down, as he got on top of her, his hand pulled off her bottoms.

Her hand still holding him, she led him homeward.

And with a small moan, he was in. He closed his eyes, as her heat enveloped him, burned him, consumed him, made him want to weep.

Buffy cried out in pleasure, her hips rising to meet his thrusts, her body seeking out more and more, the pleasure of him, filling her up, making her whole. She didn’t want to be on top anymore, not in the metaphorical sense, or even the physical. Not tonight. Tonight was about letting herself be possessed, be loved, be claimed.

Her mouth sought his out and Spike slowed down his thrusts, so as to kiss her good and proper. He couldn’t believe this was the same girl that had so ravenously fucked him last year.

It had never been this sweet. Never had been really sweet at all, she'd never allowed it. Never let him love her, be tender with her, touch her sweetly; touch her face, her hair. She’d fucked him like she fought him; rough and to the point.

Only the one time that she’d allowed him to handcuff her, had he been free to shower her with his ‘unwanted’ affections.

Buffy felt like it was the first time. And in a way, it was. She was almost overwhelmed by this kind of lovemaking; the kind where Spike is looking into her eyes like she’s God’s gift and she almost believes that maybe she is, at that. She’d never felt more beautiful or desired than she did at this moment. Never.

She put her arms around his neck, "I love you, Spike," she whispered, hoping he knew that she did, hoping that he knew that he’d done enough already to win her, to atone, to be worthy of her. Worthy, what a joke! She’d been the one who hadn’t always been worthy.

Yet, still, he had loved her. Through thick and thin, good, bad, terrible, and worse, still.

"Love you ," she said, her lips coming up from his neck, to find his lips again. Soft lips of Spike. Spike lips.

Hands in her hair, on her face, homeward bound, "God I love you , Buffy!" Spike said, kissing her passionately, his tongue exploring her tasty, sweet mouth; candy, sweet like candy. Giving her candy to me.

Spike resumed his thrusts and they each moaned and groaned as their mutual passions crested like the ocean tides.

"Buffy, do you want me to help you along? Help you come?" he asked, as he put his hand down between them.

"I, it, matter, don’t, care, I, oh, Spike, god, oh, no just you, only you in me," Buffy tried to explain.

Spike removed his hand and thrust into her again and again. Deeper and deeper, until she could feel see lights sparking behind her eyelids, feel the rise and fall of desire so great it swept her like the ocean tide, until she felt the the sudden flush of warmth, and the even greater hardness, that was him; letting her know, that he too had arrived on the opposite shore.

He lay there on top her and she wished it could be that way forever. Him inside her, completing her, making her whole, and all the other corny cliches she’d only read, but never experienced. Don’t move, don’t go away. Ever. Stay. In me, on me, near me. Always. Arms wrapped tightly around him. Not alone, not anymore. No more self-induced abstinence from love for her. No more pining for her by him. No more alone, no more lonely.

Spike stirred, raising his head to look at her, "You okay, luv?"

"Uh-hmm," she said, pulling him back down.

He laughed, "Have to move sometime, pet."

"No, never," she said, "have to stay this way."

He raised up his head to kiss her, "Love you."

"Love, you too, Spike."

"Maybe this would be better, won’t be crushing you," he said, pulling her over on top of him, before she could protest.

"Ummmm, this good, too," she said sleepily.

He reached down and pulled the covers up over her, wrapping them both up in warmth and satiety.

END CHAPTER 16

CHAPTER 17 – MORNING SURPISES

Before you start, just two definitions, for those who don't geekspeak: IM'd = instant messaged, and ROTFLMAO = rolling on the floor, laughing my ass off. Now that I've clarified this bit of babble, please read on & enjoy!

Buffy half woke up, groggy, but with the feeling of being warm, enveloped. She half opened her eyes to find herself now on her side, curled up to Spike's back. She could hear him dialing up the phone-modem thingy. It was 8:30 A.M.

Spike felt her stir, "Go back to sleep, luv. Just checking on things. Everything's fine. Girls lining up outside the bathroom, Giles making tea, Willow and Kennedy having some coffee on the couch. Go back to sleep."

"I should let them know I'm ok," Buffy said, sleepily.

"Already did, IM'd Willow. Told her you were fine, just sleeping and that you'd sign on later."

"Thank you," she mumbled, nuzzling in closer to his back and putting her arm around his chest, her face into the back of his neck.

She heard him sigh, as she kissed the back of his neck and ran her tongue softly over his earlobe. She rubbed his chest, her hand going a little lower with each time, until it was just over his naval. She could feel him getting aroused by the way his body tensed up and pushed back into hers.

He reached behind him to cup her bottom through the covers and lightly began rubbing it. She was now getting deliciously aroused out of sleep.

He gave her an unexpected final pat and turned back to his side, taking her hand away from his stomach, brought it up to his mouth and gently kissed it, then brought it to rest under his, on his chest.

"Later, luv, later. Going to love you all right and proper, going to love you like you've never been loved. But now you sleep some more," Spike said, turning over to face her, he kissed her gently on the mouth.

She nuzzled into him, legs and arms entwining with his, head to chest, as close as was humanly (and vampirely) possible to get.

"Okay," she said groggily and fell soundly back to sleep; safe and warm in his arms.

Two hours later, she felt Spike start to get up.

"Don't go," she said.

"Be back, luv. Just going to get you some breakfast," Spike said.

"Don't want breakfast, just you."

"You got me. Always. But I want my girl to have lots of energy for the day ahead," he said, standing up, drawing up the covers to her neck and planting a kiss on her forehead.

"Why's that, Spike?" she said, grinning.

"Well, besides the fact that I want to fuck you into the next century?" he said, grinning right back, eyebrow arched wickedly. "Oh, there's some things that I want to show you around here. Never had a guest before."

"Oh, okay," Buffy said with a false pout.

"Do you want breakfast in bed, or do you want to come out to the kitchen to eat?" he asked.

"Kitchen will be okay. You don't have to do this, I can fix something, you know," she said.

"I know, but I want to. You're my guest. I've been moochin' off you at your house enough, time for me to be the host, okay?" Spike asked.

"Okay, I'll let you," Buffy said, giggling.

It made him happy to hear her laugh. She didn't do that much these days. Not at all, in fact.

"I'll call you when it's done, pet," Spike said, as he walked out the bedroom door.

"Okay," Buffy answered.

While Spike was busy in the kitchen, Buffy lie there and listened to the sounds of the birds she could hear outside, the sounds of the breakfast-making goings on. She didn't know when she'd felt so good, so stress-free. Sure, it was just temporary, but she was damned if she wasn’t going to enjoy it! She didn’t even remember the last time she’d heard birds. Were they still around in Sunnydale, or was she just so preoccupied with all that had, was, and was still going to go on that she didn’t even hear them anymore.

Time to stop moping. She rose and sat on the side of the bed. She could just start to smell coffee and food and her stomach gurgled in anticipation.

One more thing to do, before breakfast. She dialed up the phone-modem-laptop and got IM'd Willow, who luckily was online.

Slayer1: you there Wil?

Wicca1: Buffy, how are you?

Slayer1: hungry

Wicca1: oh?

Slayer1: breakfast is being cooked as I speak

Wicca1: a vampire of many talents

Slayer1: no comment

Wicca1: :):):):):)????:):):):)

Slayer1: ok, got to go, everything's ok?

Wicca1: fine, no problems

Slayer1: how’s Dawn?

Wicca1: staying at Janice’s for the weekend

Wicca1: already talked to her this morning, going

to the mall with Janice and her mom

Slayer1: fun for her, does she have money?

Wicca1: yeah, stopped by the house and I gave her

$10 and Xander gave her $20, think even Giles gave

her $10 or $20

Slayer1: oh, God, you guys shouldn’t have!

Wicca1: we don’t mind, it’s something for the greater

good, right?

Slayer1: greater good?

Wicca1: like your weekend – a chance to be normal

Slayer1: normal, yeah, like that sound

Wicca1: forgot to tell you, Wood called

Slayer1: when?

Wicca1: yesterday, right after you left, wanted to

Know why you were a ‘no show’ on the job

Slayer1: shit, totally forgot, what’d you tell him?

Wicca1: usual b.s., hard night slayin’ now that he knows

about it, it was a good excuse, true, too

Slayer1: suppose he wondered why I didn’t call

Wicca1: probably, do you care

Slayer1: only that I don’t get fired, but otherwise, NO!

Wicca1: I see…:):):):):)????:):):):)

Slayer1: STOP, I BEG YOU, STOP!!!

Wicca1: when you coming back? tonight?

Slayer1: tomorrow night, probably

Wicca1: good, good for you

Slayer1: Giles pissed?

Wicca1: I'll ask him, GILES...

Slayer1: NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wicca1: ROTFLMAO

Slayer1: ha-ha

Slayer1: ok, got to go, breakfast calls, love to everyone

Wicca1: have fun

Slayer1: intend to, educational, of course

Wicca1: of course, bye

Slayer1: bye - love you Willow, thanks

Wicca1: love you, too, Buffy, you're welcome

Buffy walked through the connecting bathroom, took a quick shower, then dressed and came out for breakfast.

Spike came out of the kitchen just as she was coming through the dining room.

"Just coming to get you. All showered, I see," he said.

"Yep, fresh as a daisy now," she answered.

"Come on, got your coffee and some eggs, bacon, and toast for you," he said, taking her arm, "but first you have to close your eyes, got a surprise for you."

"Surprise? What?"

"Not a surprise if I tell, now is it? Come on now, close ‘em!"

She closed her eyes and let Spike lead her to the kitchen; she heard a door being opened. He led her through it, then opened a second one. Buffy felt a gust of cool air against her face.

"Okay, open ‘em," he said.

She opened her eyes, and stood there mouth open, as she stared at about 3" of freshly fallen snow. It was the first real snow she had seen since she’d been about 5 and had gone to the mountains with her parents; except for that freak snowfall in Sunnydale about 4 years ago.

"Snow!"

"Yeah, happened overnight. What do you think?"

"It’s beautiful, like a Christmas card," she said, as she stepped down the stairs to stand in the snow, forgetting that she was barefoot, she hopped back and forth from one foot to the other, laughing.

Spike just stood there smiling, watching Buffy obviously enjoying herself.

"Think you’d better get back here before your footsies get frost-burned," he said, laughing.

"Frost-burned? Isn’t that an oxymoron," Buffy said, stooping to pick up some snow, making it into a snowball and lobbing it at Spike.

"Don’t make me come down there and get you!" he warned.

She threw another one.

"That’s it, you’re in trouble now, missy!" he said, as he leaped off the porch and came running at her, grabbing a handful of snow as he did.

Shrieking, she ran around the house, with Spike in full pursuit.

"She screamed as he hit her in the back with the snowball.

She slowed down, just long enough for him to grab her and tackle her onto the ground.

Giggling, she rolled over on top him, throwing snow up into his face, "Spike, you’d make a good snowman," she said, laughing.

Looking at him seriously, she said, "I’ve never made a snowman."

He gently tossed some snow at her, "Well, then AFTER breakfast, we shall do just that!"

"Spike! OH MY GOD, SPIKE!" Buffy gasped, looking at him, green eyes large.

"What? What is it?" he asked, leaning up on his elbow, concerned at he tone.

"It’s YOU, you’re outside. It’s daylight!"

"Surprise number two, luv," he said smiling.

END CHAPTER 17

CHAPTER 18 – THE HEART OF WILLIAM

"How?"

"I’ll tell you once you're back inside, having your breakfast, which is getting cold as we speak, and you're all nice and warm again, ok?" he said, getting up and picking up Buffy like a sack of potatoes.

"Stop," she laughed, "I can walk."

"Nope, enough cold, wet snow on me-lady, for now!" he said, and carried her back into the house, through the kitchen, dining room, living room, and to the door of her bedroom.

"Now go change, like a good girl!" he said, setting her down, giving her a gentle push on her behind, into the bedroom.

"Tell me, Spike!"

"After you change. I'm going to re-warm your breakfast for now," he said walking away.

"Aren't you going to change, too?"

"After breakfast; cold and wet doesn't really bother me," he said, as he walked into the kitchen.

'Obviously, not the daylight around here, either,' Buffy mused to herself, as she walked into the bedroom.

A couple of minutes later, she reappeared in the kitchen.

Expecting more of the Victorian look, she almost laughed when she walked into the kitchen. It had a small, old-fashioned linoleum covered table, chrome outside around the edges and two chairs, obviously a throwback to the 60’s. Along the opposite wall from the door to the porch and outside, there was a much older 30’s style stove and Fridgedair-type icebox.

The table was set with an odd collection of both antique type dishes and 60's style silverware.

Spike handed her a cup of coffee, "Cream and sugar, right?"

She nodded, as he brought out a plate of eggs, bacon, and toast and set them down.

"Sit, eat," he said, pulling out a chair for her, then sitting opposite her, a cup of coffee and a cup of blood in front of him.

She started to ask him again, but hunger got the better of her, as she dove into her breakfast.

"Good?" he asked her. "Not much of a cook, but I’ve been watching your resident ‘Guestage,’ Andrew," he said laughing.

She rolled her eyes, "It’s good, really. Best breakfast ever!" she said, stuffing her mouth with a piece of toast.

They made small talk until finally, four eggs, five slices of bacon, and three pieces of toast; she was finished.

She wiped her mouth on her napkin and set it down, "Thank you Spike, that was great, I didn’t realize how hungry I was. God, I ate a lot!"

"Yeah, Slayer, I mean Buffy, you sure can put it away, for a little tiny thing," Spike said, laughing at her indignant face she was giving him.

"Okay, Spike. I ate my breakfast, now tell me: how?"

"How I don’t do an imitation of a ‘burning bush,’ you mean, luv?"

Buffy nodded.

Spike stood up, "I’ll show you," he extended his hand to her.

He walked her through the door leading to the porch and beyond again.

"Remember how I told you that when I sold some of the land for mining, that I made sure the buyers re-forested, re-planted, re-whatever’d you call it, when they were done? Well, as I was building, and remember, it’s been over 60 years since this place was first started, I made sure that trees were replanted, too, where they’d been felled. Lots of dense, fast-growing trees," Spike said.

Buffy looked at him questioningly, "What does that have to do with…"

"It’s dense, Buffy. Really densely forested around here. I’ve made sure that over the years, that the trees were close together, that the sun couldn’t get through them, not in most places around here anyway; made myself some paths along the densest parts of the forests. I helped the ‘density part,’ by using some fast-growing types of trees. I even used some thatching techniques the Indians used for roofing, to cover up some areas where the sun would come through the trees; some small areas between them, on some of the paths I made…That’s all there is to it, Buffy. Just some tweaking on the fine job ‘Mother Nature’ made up here and voila! Spike is sun-proofed."

Buffy just looked at him shaking her head in amazement, "But why, Spike, why go to all the bother?"

He looked at her, a puzzled look shadowing his face, "Dunno, pet. Never much thought too deeply about it. Just…sort of…wanted to live more…"

"Like William?" Buffy said softly, finally understanding.

Spike turned quickly away from Buffy, before not before she could see the pain and embarrassment in his face.

She felt her eyes grow moist; even years ago, soulless Spike the killer vampire, had still possessed, to some degree, the heart of William, his sensibilities, his desires. Even before her, he’d wanted to belong, if only to the world around him in his little forested home. All that work, over the years, just to belong

She came up behind him and put her arms around him, nuzzling his neck, "It’s beautiful here, Spike," she said, just holding him.

He felt his turmoil release, at her soft touch as he relaxed into her embrace. He cleared his throat, "So, did you bring some warm socks?" he felt her nod into his neck, "good, we could take a walk then, if you like," again felt her nod in agreement.

He turned around to kiss her willing mouth, desire flooding both of them, turning legs into jelly.

He broke it off, "Later pet, that’s a promise, going to…" he groaned, letting her know with his kiss and his tongue, instead of with words.

Finally, he stepped back from her, looking at her with desire, shaking his head, "God Buffy…"

"What?" she said, smiling demurely, and taking a step toward him.

"No, no, none of that, or we’ll never get out of the house. Go get ready; some things I want to show you," he said, heading back inside to change.

"Oh, okay," she said a little disappointed. Spike sure was being the paragon of virtue around here this morning and it was killing her. Her body, having once again, experienced the sensation that was Spike, was calling out, no, make that ‘throbbing out’ for more of the same.

END CHAPTER 18

CHAPTER 19 - IT'S NOT FROSTY!

Buffy returned to the kitchen a few minutes later dressed in her warm jacket, leather gloves, a hat, and a pair of hiking boots she'd brought. Spike was already waiting for her, carrying a medium sized backpack with him. He had changed his wet clothes and was wearing a long sleeved black pullover, black jeans, and an old army jacket that she'd never seen before, and of course, his Doc Martens.

"What's in there," she asked nodding toward the backpack.

"You'll see," he answered.

"More surprises, huh?" she said, smiling. He was sure full of surprises over the past day, that was for sure.

"Let's go," he said, opening the porch door for her.

They walked outside, and into the snow covered, tree shaded yard. The temperature had risen somewhat and the snow was beginning to melt away a bit.

"Better make that snowman now, if you want to, before it melts," he said.

"Okay," she said, then paused.

"What is it?"

"Show me."

He looked at her, questioningly.

"How to do it, I've never made one before," she said, looking sheepish, "I know, underprivileged, snowman making just doesn't come with living in Southern California."

He smiled, putting down the backpack and starting to roll the snow into what would become the bottom of the snowman.

"You do the same, Buffy, then we'll have the middle of him," he said to her.

Buffy bent over and they both rolled the snow into large and medium sized round snowman parts. Once Spike was done with his, he placed hers on top of his. "Now you get to make a head," he told her, "be right back," he said, going inside.

When he came back out he had a carrot in one hand, and an old scarf and hat in another, he looked at her and smiled as she put the head up onto the body, packing in the sides along the bottom, so it would stay.

"Becoming quite the snowman making expert, I see," he said.

"What's that?"

"Part of the snowman's attire, and his nose; the carrot was in the grocery goody bag from Edna," he said, handing them to her.

Buffy placed the hat on his head then wrapped the scarf around its neck.

"What about his eyes and mouth?" she said, holding onto the carrot.

"Well, don't have any coal...oh, wait, I know," he said, and sprinted back into the house. He came out a few moments later carrying some small, blackened pieces of wood he'd gotten out of the fireplace.

"We'll just break these up and use them, they're almost like coal, black at least."

Buffy took off her gloves and went to work breaking the wood into eye and mouth like pieces. A couple of minutes later, she had made her face for the snowman.

"What do you think?" she asked him, standing back to admire it?

"It's great," he said, "very admiral job, for your first time.

He looked at her as frowned, "What's the matter?" he asked.

"Turn around, don't look!" she instructed.

He shook his head in bemusement and laughed, but turned around, anyway. He could hear her breaking up more pieces of wood.

"Okay, now you can look!" she told him.

He turned around and stared at the snowman, his mouth opening, then roaring with laughter, "I think that is the best snowman I've ever seen!" he exclaimed.

Buffy had replaced two of the round pieces of wood that made up the snowman's mouth, with two pointy ones. She now had a vampire snowman.

"Thought you'd like it!" she said, "I like it much better, myself, in fact," she said, as she bent down, to 'wash' the burnt wood off of her hands with snow, before putting on her gloves, again.

"Spike the Snowman!" she said, patting Snowman Spike on the head, and looking over to smile at the real deal.

END CHAPTER 19

CHAPTER 20 - THE TREE

"Come on, let's go," Spike said to Buffy, as he started walking down the nearest, almost hidden trail.

Leaving the snowman behind, with a fond glance, Buffy followed Spike on the trail. For the most part, they walked along in amiable silence, just enjoying the smell of the pine and fir forest.

"I like this," Buffy said, "it’s like a real forest, not all chaparral, all shrubby," Buffy said.

"It is a real forest," Spike said, "but I know what you mean, something more ‘real’ about it. Something primal about being all surrounded by big, tall trees."

They had been hiking on fairly level terrain, when after about 10 minutes; the trail had rose slightly. After another 10 minutes, Spike said, "But, lest you forget where you are…take a look there," he said pointing to a clearing.

She walked over to it, and gasped. At the precipice, looking off in the distance, maybe 100 miles or more, she saw the desert.

"It’s like another world," she said, then after a final glance, she turned; looking back at Spike.

He nodded.

She had come away from the edge and back toward him, "I like this one better," she said, only inches from him.

He nodded again, reaching out to touch her hair, "Me, too," he said, pulling her up close, to kiss her soft, willing mouth.

He groaned. Everything she was doing today, saying to him, was making him crazy with desire, he could hardly wait to get her alone, where he wanted her to be, just one more thing first.

"Buffy," he said, pulling back from her with difficulty, as she was holding on, "don’t think you want to get a frost-bitten bum, now do ya?"

"There’s lot’s of trees," she said, suggestively "nice straight, lean-up against trees."

Spike pulled her to him, kissing her roughly, making her gasp, "You’re killing me here, Buffy!"

"Spike," she half whimpered, "please…" she said as she backed him up against the nearest willing tree.

"Oh, fuck. Buffy, sweet Jesus," he moaned, his arms around her then, pulling her in close, hands under her jacket, up under her top, making her breath come in ragged gasps.

She unzipped his pants, freeing him, as he slipped his hands down the front of her pants, making her legs almost give out from underneath her.

"Wait, wait," she gasped. She took a step back, removed one boot and pulled down one pants and panty leg, swinging the pants leg over her arm, so it didn’t drag on the ground.

Spike in the meantime, had spotted another tree with lower lying branches. He half carried, half-dragged Buffy, hopping on one, booted foot over to it. He picked her up, and her legs went around him, as her lips sought his out, her body almost singing out joyously as it connected with his.

"Hang onto these," Spike said, using his head to point upward at the branches. She reached up, hooking her arms through them, as Spike thrust into her, holding onto her bottom as the back of his hands scraped along the bark of the tree.

She wanted to let go, run her hands through his hair, over his face, but she knew the consequences of that…falling.

"Buffy, pet, love you, oh God!" Spike said, as he kissed her, holding onto her tight, until they were finished; Buffy, Spike, tree.

She let go of the tree, "I love you," she said, as he let her down.

"Who? Me or the tree?" he asked, in mock jealousy.

"Both, " she said," giggling, as she held onto his shoulder with one hand, and put he panty and pants leg back on with the other, then hopped across the trail with him to retrieve her other boot.

"Bye tree, couldn’t have done it without you," Buffy said, giving the tree a fond pat goodbye as they started back on the trail.

"We’re going to double back along this other ridge. Have to meet up with Clem," Spike said.

"Okay," Buffy said, as they started hiking.

A couple of minutes later she started snickering.

He looked over at her, caught the look on her face and broke out laughing, too, as he grabbed her hand, "You’re incorrigible," he said.

"Yeah, so I am," she said, smiling sweetly at him and squeezing his hand back.

END CHAPTER 20

CONT. CH. 21 - 30

FEEDBACK

BUY YOUR BUFFY  OR ANGEL, FIREFLY OR SERENITY THROUGH AMAZON! FREE SHIPPING ON ANY ORDERS OVER $25.