Title: Older and Closer to Love (8/16/05)

Author: Slaymesoftly

Word count: 2152

Rating: R

All regular disclaimers in effect

Spoilers for Season VI

Because I needed a prezzie for Amyb’s birthday and didn’t get around to buying something, I wrote her this little fic for her big day. It’s somewhere between a tweaking and a rewrite of episode 14, Older and Faraway, and follows my between-the-episodes “You Always Hurt the One You Love”. I don’t think it’s necessary to read that story first, but if you want to, you can find it at http://spuffystuff.org/youalwayshurt.htm. I did watch the episode again before I started writing, but we all know my short term memory sucks, so I will be paraphrasing most of the dialogue rather than directly quoting from the show. Hopefully you purists out there will allow me some literary license. ;)

Older and Closer to Love

By Slaymesoftly

Buffy looked around the kitchen, counting heads and realized that everyone she was expecting was there already.

Almost everyone, she amended, wondering where Spike was and if he was really going to come. She hadn’t seen him since she’d left him in his crypt to heal from the beating she’d given him.

He’s fine, though. He’s got to be all right by now. I gave him my blood for god’s sake! He should be more than fine. Stupid vampire. It’s just like him to be late and make me wor-

Her internal fret was interrupted by a knock on the kitchen door, followed quickly by the entrance of Spike and Clem. Her face lit up with a relieved smile that he answered with his own uncharacteristically shy one. He responded to her breathy “What are you doing here?” with his usual bravado as he mumbled that Willow had mentioned the shindig; but she could see that he was tensing for a rejection.

While Clem showed his forgiving nature by actually seeming to be glad to see her and wishing her a happy birthday before moving toward Tara to introduce himself, Buffy moved closer to Spike and put a tentative hand up to his still bruised and swollen eye. She couldn’t keep the pain out of her voice as she whispered, “How are you? I thought my blood would—“

“It did, pet. Tellin’ me you don’t remember how much better it made me?” He cocked an eyebrow at her and let the lust brought on by the memory show in his eyes.

Buffy blushed and struggled on. “Yes, I remember. But your eye…”

“Told you before, love. We heal from the inside out. I’m fine. I promise you,” he growled, lowering his voice so that only she could hear him. “Be happy to show you later how fine I am,” he continued, leaning in to whisper in her ear. His cool breath stirred tendrils of hair and made her shiver pleasantly before she flinched back at sound of Xander’s voice preceding him into the kitchen. With him was the co-worker he’d brought to meet Buffy.

She threw a helpless look over her shoulder as she allowed Xander to hustle her out the door to show Richard where to park his car. Spike just rolled his eyes and mumbled something about “Stupid boys”. With a wicked glint in her eye, Tara offered her opinion that Richard seemed cute.

She giggled at Spike’s indignant look, which turned thunderous when Clem agreed cheerfully that Xander’s friend seemed cute to him also. If the demon was aware that the young man’s presence was an attempt to fix Buffy up with a date, he didn’t show it. He smiled cheerfully at Spike as he nodded his head at Tara before going into the living room to meet the rest of the guests. With a resigned shrug and a puzzled look at Tara’s amused face, Spike yanked a can of beer out of the six-pack he’d brought and followed Clem into the other room.

The first time Spike was able to get Buffy alone, she chided him for following her around, rolling her eyes when he asked if she was worried Richard would be jealous.

“I don’t think he’s the one who’s jealous,” she teased, but her eyes were warm and promised he had nothing to worry about. She allowed her fingers to wander up the pale skin showing through his open shirt and to run lightly over the silver links hanging there.

“He thinks he’s your date,” he pouted back. He kept his tone light and teasing like hers, but a shadow went across his face reminding her that she had semi-promised to use the night as a testing ground for Scooby acceptance of their relationship.

After a quick glance around to be sure no one could see them, she leaned in and rose on her tiptoes to plant a light kiss on his willing lips.

“But we know he isn’t, don’t we?” she murmured against his mouth. She had to smother a moan when his tongue swept around her lips, teasing until she let it in to caress her own. He wrapped an arm around her waist and lifted her off her feet just enough that he could step through the bathroom door with her. He ignored her squeak of protest as he closed the door behind them, beginning to kiss her in earnest.

“We can’t do this,” she gasped even as she wrapped her hands around his neck and pressed eagerly against his body. He didn’t bother to answer her, running his hands over her firm buttocks and pulling her even more tightly against the hard object pushing against his zipper. He stopped kissing her long enough to run his mouth down the side of her neck, nudging the thin necklace hiding his tiny fang marks to one side in order to run his tongue over the already healed scars.

A gasp and the sudden scent of arousal told him he was having the desired effect and he allowed his mouth to continue across her collarbone, edging her off-the-shoulder blouse even further down.

“Love this shirt, pet,” he murmured as his lips followed his nose down to expose one rosy nipple. He ran his tongue over the suddenly hard tip before pulling it into his mouth. Reaching up with one hand, he pulled the shirt the rest of the way down her arms exposing both bare breasts for his attentions.

With the shirt pushed down almost to her waist, Buffy’s arms were trapped at her sides and she leaned against the sink for a minute, just enjoying the sensation of Spike’s mouth on her breasts. When his mouth began to drop down to her navel, and his hands were at her waistband, she recovered herself enough to protest.

“No, no. We can’t. Not here. Not now. Somebody will come looking for us…”

“Tell them you ate some bad shrimp and you’ll be in here awhile,” he begged, trying to unfasten her pants while she pushed at his hands feebly. “Just let me taste you, love. One little taste and I promise I’ll stop.”

“Buffy? Are you in there? We want you to open your presents now.”

Dawn’s whiney voice penetrated the lust-induced fog and while Spike cursed silently under his breath, Buffy pulled her top up and managed to gasp out a promise to be right out.

Waiting until Spike’s enhanced hearing told him there was no one near-by, she kissed him quickly one more time and slipped out the door beckoning him to follow. He shook his head and said with a growl, “I’ll be out in a few, Slayer. Got something to take care of first.”

With an “Ewww, Spike,” she shut the door behind her, trying not to notice his hands already puling on his zipper.

Putting all thoughts of sexy vampires with talented lips and tongues as far out of her mind as she could, Buffy went back into the living room to open her gifts. She was just stammering out her thanks for Willow’s gift of a massager to soothe away “those aches and pains” of slaying when she felt Spike come back into the room. His sardonically amused expression as she held the gift and listened to Willow’s explanation of how it could be used sent the blood rushing to her face.

Hours later, when he caught her in the hall and tried to initiate another round of making out, they found themselves interrupted by Tara’s sudden appearance. Spike was just placing Buffy’s hand on the aching bulge in his pants, when the laughing witch stopped to look at them. He was shocked that Buffy didn’t seem overly disturbed to be caught in such a compromising position, although she did move away, shaking her head at him in exasperation. There was no sign of the panic he would have expected at having one of the Scoobies finding them in such close proximity. If anything, she seemed reluctant to leave and it was he who stood back with a guilty start. Tara’s clear disbelief and amusement at his attempt to explain what they were doing left him frowning in confusion until he remembered that Buffy had told the blonde witch about them.

He studied the girl’s face, searching for some sign of disgust or condemnation but all he saw was a gentle amusement at his discomfort.

Amusement which only increased when she began teasing him about his “cramp” during the poker game. He glared at her suspiciously when she suggested he put ice on the cramp, her dancing eyes giving away that she knew exactly what she was doing. He shook his head and muttered something about people surprising you as he went back to concentrating on the interminable card game.

It was soon clear that mystical forces were keeping them trapped in the house, and Buffy went into slayer mode as she tried to find both the source and the cure for the spell. The appearance of the sword demon threw the party into battle status and no one was surprised to find the Slayer and vampire working together to protect the humans trapped in the house with them.

No one questioned Buffy’s instructions to “Stay with Spike” or her reliance on him for assistance as she fought the demon, and once again she wondered if she was making too much of their apparent dislike for the vampire. Surely, if they could so easily accept her partnership with him when there was something to fight, they could understand her wanting to have him in her life in other ways? Pushing the thought aside for later, she turned her attention back to the demon trying to kill them.

Hours later, when Halfrek took a surprised and pleased look at Spike, calling him “William” in a flirtatious voice while coyly fluffing her hair, it was Buffy’s turn to glare suspiciously as Spike answered her question about whether they knew each other with a weak, “Not really.” He refused to meet her eyes as he responded and only the fact that Halfrek slowly agreed that they didn’t know each other kept the Slayer’s temper in check.

By the time the demon was destroyed and Halfrek had reluctantly lifted her spell, all anyone could think about was home and sleep. While Spike opened the now usable door and held it for everyone, Buffy watched as her friends and new acquaintances all filed out. She smiled gratefully at Xander and Anya as they carried Richard off to the ER, and watched with amazement while Clem offered to escort a giggling Sophie home safely.

With a final smile over his shoulder, Spike turned to follow the others down the walk and away from the house. As he reached the steps, Buffy’s soft “Spike?” stopped him and he turned around, cocking his head at her curiously.

“Yes, pet?”

Taking a deep breath, she said carefully, “Would…would you like to stay awhile? Just to talk?” she added for Dawn’s benefit.

Staring at her with awed happiness, he stepped back to the doorway. Then he spotted Dawn’s tearful face over her sister’s shoulder and he smiled sadly.

“You know I would love to, pet. But I think you and Dawn need some sister time. Not to mention, some sleep. I’m a bit knackered myself. I think I’ll just go on home and catch up on my beauty rest.”

He smiled into her surprised face and waved at Dawn as he started to leave again. Suddenly he moved back to Buffy’s side and whispered, “But if you wanted to leave the window open, you never know what you might find waitin’ in your bed when you’re through talking…”

The end

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