Summary: Takes place during season 6 after OMWF. Buffy and Spike are forced to investigate a reality TV show. Spuffy!
Rating: R
Buffy walked into the Magic Box to be greeted by Giles and the rest of the gang. However, she didn't expect the gang to include Spike who was casually lounging on the counter. She looked over at him and immediately became nervous. She hadn't seen him since the kissing incident caused by the singing and dancing demon. She knew it shouldn't have been that big of a deal. She wished she could just go back to how things were and forget about it but there was this feeling that was nagging at her and she couldn't quite figure out what it was.
Something resembling a friendship had started to form with him. He was the only one she had confided in about what happened to her after she died. They went patrolling almost every night and would have conversations like two normal people even though normal had never exactly been in her vocabulary. When she was with him she felt like an average 20 year old girl and thought it was very ironic that she only felt like that while hanging around with a vampire.
Their eyes met and to her surprise, Spike looked down after only a second like a shy little boy who had just spotted his elementary school crush. Buffy hated that uncomfortable feeling and knew that this would change everything between them. She was enjoying the way things were going and didn't want the normality of their friendship to change. Enjoying his company was something she never prepared herself for but found that it came flying out of nowhere. She started looking forward to seeing him every night and didn't even realize she felt that way until that kiss ruined their nightly patrolling conversations about everything and nothing. She had actually started to miss him but knew she could never ever let him know that.
"Hey guys!" Buffy greeted, deciding that keeping her eyes away from Spike was the best idea for now. "What's the emergency?"
"Buffy, have a seat." Giles requested. "There is something going on in the demon community that I think needs to be investigated."
Giles looked nervous and a nervous Giles was always of the bad. Buffy sat down and patiently waited for Giles to speak again and tried to ignore the feeling of dread that was brewing in the pit of her stomach. He hadn't even told her what the problem was yet and she was already on the verge of having a panic attack. All it took was that one look on Giles' face to let her know that she had to brace herself for whatever news was coming.
"Do you ever watch reality television, Buffy?" Giles asked.
Buffy scrunched her nose and looked at Giles as if he were speaking a different language.
"Uh, yeah sometimes, I guess. What does that have to do with anything?"
"You see, Buffy, there is this reality show and I suspect that it is being run by demons. They did a couple shows within the past year and every couple that were declared the winners have come up missing. We think they may be using the winners as a sacrifice for something."
Spike chuckled suddenly. "I always knew those TV execs just HAD to be evil! There was no way regular humans could have been responsible for Alf."
Buffy's lips twitched as she fought the smile that Spike's comments caused. During their conversations she found that he mentioned old TV shows quite a bit. She always wondered if he had scheduled all his grisly murders around the prime time schedule during his evil days. She always stayed away from that question though. She'd rather not know. She'd rather not think of him that way. She wondered when that had changed.
Her attention had turned back to Giles, waiting for him to get to the point. "What can we do to find out more?"
"Well, that's the thing Buffy. As I see it, the only way we can gather any further information is to get personally involved. That's where you come in."
"What do you need me to do?" Buffy asked, the pang of dread returning.
"I want you to go on this show."
"What? You want me to go on TV! Giles, are you crazy?"
"Buffy, people may be getting murdered. We have to do something."
Buffy stared at him wide eyed. "You don't even know that for sure!"
"I know that but this is the only way we can find out. They have all officially been reported missing. No one has heard from either couple again after the show had finished filming."
"You keep saying couple." Buffy interjected. "Exactly what kind of show is this anyway?"
"It's called Married By America. Several couples are paired up by the television audience and have to live together for three weeks with their every move being captured on film. In the end, the television audience votes once again on which couple they feel should be married."
"How am I going to investigate demons if I'm stuck living in a house for three weeks with a complete stranger?"
At this point, Giles started cleaning his classes and another wave of fear crept its way into Buffy's throat. She swallowed audibly and her heart began to pound as if sensing what he was going to say next. "Actually, I do have one connection on the inside that will be able to rig it so you will be chosen for the show." Giles cleared his throat and sighed deeply. "You will be paired with Spike."
"What? No! No way!" Buffy stood and glanced quickly at Spike and saw a spark of a hurt expression on his face, which quickly disappeared after he noticed Buffy looking at him.
Spike hopped down from his seat on the counter. "Look, slayer, I'm not too happy about this either. How did I get dragged into this anyway?"
"I just thought you would be the logical choice." Giles admitted. "We need someone with your strength to aid Buffy in this in case things get out of hand. We don't have a ton of information about this and don't know what to expect. I just wanted to make sure we had all of our bases covered."
"Ok. Assuming we both go along with this, what exactly is it that we have to do? Since you have someone on the inside we shouldn't have to do much right? He can set it up so we win and then we can find out what happens after that. It's sounds pretty simple I guess."
"It's not that simple Buffy." Giles frowned. "My friend is able to set it up so you get chosen to be on the show but it ends there. The rest is up to you. You have to win on your own."
"And how exactly do we do that?" Buffy asked cautiously.
"By convincing the television audience that you two are hopelessly in love."
Buffy's jaw dropped. "Huh?"
The silence became deafening when Giles announced that Buffy and Spike would have to convince an audience of millions that they were completely in love.
Spike felt uncomfortable about the idea but intrigued at the same time. They had barely talked at all after their kiss and he couldn't help but wonder if she were acting so distant because she actually felt something when their lips met.
Xander cleared his throat and stood up, finally breaking the silence. "Giles, don't you think this is a little far fetched? To say that Spike and Buffy are an unlikely couple is an understatement. How do you expect them to pull this off?"
"Yeah." Willow agreed. "They aren't even attracted to each other. Well, maybe Spike is but what about Buffy? There is no way she could make out with someone that she is sickened by in front of TV cameras. The thought of it probably disgusts her."
"Thanks so much Red for those words of encouragement." Spike rolled his eyes.
"Sorry Spike." Willow replied nervously. "I was just trying to make a point."
"I think Spike is very attractive." Anya chimed in. "If it were me, I'd have no problems. I would gladly make out with him for the greater good."
"Uh, Anya!" Xander exclaimed. "Fiancée sitting right here."
"Oh right, I almost forgot the male pride." Anya walked over and sat on Xander's lap. "Xander however, is much more attractive and I would much rather spend my nights caressing his body than investigating demons with Spike." Anya smiled and Xander looked humiliated.
"Ok! Everybody stop!" Buffy interrupted. "What is all this talk about making out? Giles, what are you getting me into?"
"I've seen a few of those shows, Buffy." Xander said before Giles had a chance to speak. "They can get pretty racy. If you want to convince America that you two belong together you are going to have to be prepared to lay it on pretty thick."
"So, what you're saying is that Spike and I have to pretend to be pleasantly in love twenty four hours a day for three weeks?" Buffy asked.
"Twenty hours actually." Giles corrected. "This particular show is a little more lenient than some of the others. They let you have 4 hours a day of free time without the cameras on. Between the hours of one and five in the morning you will be free to be your normal selves."
"There is no way this is going to work." Buffy argued. "Spike and I fight way too much."
"Um, maybe you could use that to your advantage." Tara suggested after thirty minutes of silent observance.
"What do you mean, Tara?" Willow asked.
"Uh, well, sometimes fighting can equal passion. That may be something that attracts the audience. Maybe you two don't have to change much of anything. Well, except for the fact that you guys will have to kiss and stuff." Tara added shyly.
Buffy blushed at the thought of kissing Spike again. Even though no one knew about it, she still felt like she was under a spotlight.
"Ya know, the bird may be onto something." Spike added, pointing at Tara. "It would kind of be like that show Moonlighting. That David and Maddie had quite a relationship and they did nothing but fight. They had great chemistry. It was one of my favorites."
"First of all, how are we going to convince anyone that we love each other if all we do is fight? Secondly, Spike, you watch too much TV," Buffy said, crossing her arms over her chest.
Spike looked wounded. "Well, I don't hear any suggestions coming from you, Slayer."
"That's because this is ridiculous!" Buffy said, frustrated.
"Buffy, please." Giles said calmly. "I know how unhappy you are about this situation but there is definitely something out of the ordinary here and my intuition is telling me that it needs to be investigated. Look on the bright side, you won't have to worry about doing any slaying for three whole weeks until you win this thing. Think of it as a vacation."
"Well, if I have to be stuck with Spike for three whole weeks there may be one vampire that ends up getting slayed." Buffy pouted. She sat down and crossed her arms over her chest like a little girl that didn't get the toy she wanted. "Fine. If it's really necessary, I'll do it."
"Great! Thank you, Buffy." Giles said, then diverted his gaze toward Spike. "What about you Spike? Are you in?"
"If the slayer is willing, then so am I." Spike said, trying to hold back a grin.
"Good, then it's settled then." Giles sighed in relief.
"What do we have to do first?" Buffy asked.
"We need to go over the basics." Giles responded. "First of all you have to remember that you are not supposed to know each other. Basically, you are two people set up on a blind engagement." Giles then glanced over at Spike. "And Spike, you've got to stop calling her Slayer and start referring to her as Buffy and in return Buffy will start calling you William."
"No way! I don't want to go by that sissy name again. There was a reason I changed it ya know. If I can't keep my name then the deal is off. Besides, the name Spike gives me more character."
Buffy rolled her eyes. "Just let him keep his stupid nickname so he stops whining."
"Hey!" Spike yelled. "I'm not whining but if I have to be stuck in a house with you for three weeks, I'd at least like to keep my dignity in tact."
"Spike, you look like a Billy Idol clone. You have no dignity." Buffy shot back.
"I'll have you know, Slayer, that Billy stole his look from me. The hair and the leather was all my idea." Spike smirked.
"Yeah." Buffy chortled. "Like that's something to be proud of!"
"That's enough!" Giles yelled in aggravation. "Stop acting like adolescents and let's get back to business. You two are going to have to try to co- exist without ripping each other apart every time you try and have a conversation."
Both Spike and Buffy looked down in shame as a result of their immaturity. Giles could make any one of the gang have that reaction whenever he started scolding them like a father.
"That's better." Giles said after five seconds of silence. "Now, if I may continue." He gave a stern look at the entire room. "While you two are on this mission, we will be visiting you a few times a week while the cameras are off to update you on the goings on. We will all be keeping a stern eye on the situation and one of us will visit regularly to let you know how you are doing compared to the competition. There will be two other couples that you must outdo. By giving you the inside scoop on how their relationships are going, you should have no problem keeping up with and surpassing them."
"When do we leave?" Buffy asked calmly.
"You will need to pack your bags straight away. We'll need to head out tomorrow evening." Giles answered.
"Fine." Buffy said softly. "Are we done here? I wanted to go in the back and train for a while."
Giles nodded and Buffy traveled to the back to let out her frustrations on the punching bag.
After three minutes of one-sided sparring, Spike walked into the training room and casually leaned against the wall, tilted his head slightly to the side, and watched her kick the hell out of the punching bag.
She stopped as soon as she noticed he was there. She sighed heavily and grabbed a towel to wipe the sweat off her brow.
"What do you want, Spike? Isn't being stuck together for three weeks bad enough? Do we really have to be around each other now too?"
Her words stung him but instead of being hurt he became angry.
"You better get over this holier than though attitude you've had around me lately because if you don't, we're never gonna win this thing." Spike scowled.
Buffy remained quiet and the look on Spike's face softened. He walked over to the mats that were piled up in the corner and sat on them.
"Uh, about that kiss..." Spike started but Buffy spoke before he could finish.
"That kiss meant nothing." She said coldly. "It was because of the spell and nothing more. I hope you remember that during our little excursion because it seems we are going to have to get a lot closer than I'd like to. Let me just say right now to avoid any confusion, that anything we do within the next three weeks won't be anything more than a bizarre form of acting. Don't take anything I do or say to heart."
Spike glanced up at her determined expression. He stood up and walked toward her until he was a foot in front of her.
"If that kiss meant nothing then why have you been ignoring me ever since it happened?"
"I haven't been ignoring you. I'm avoiding you just as much as I always have."
"Give me a break, Slayer. I thought we were becoming friends."
"Friends? That's a bit of an exaggeration don't you think, Spike?"
"You have asked me almost every night for the past few weeks to patrol with you. We've had a couple of friendly conversations and have even had a few laughs. Do you always act that way toward people you despise?"
"Maybe I do." Buffy said crossing her arms across her chest in that way she always does whenever he starts to get too close to the truth.
"I think you're scared." Spike observed her.
"Of what?"
"Of what you felt that night while I was kissing you. You enjoyed every second of it. You wanted it just as much as I did and you're afraid that you are gonna feel that way again the next time we kiss because this time you won't have a spell to hide behind."
He took one step closer to her and looked deep into her eyes. She stared back, never flinching, her jaw clenching in a cross between determination and nervousness.
"We're going to have to do a lot of pretending during the next few weeks, Buffy." Spike's voice got lower and Buffy blinked wildly at the use of her name. "I know the difference between fantasy and reality. I also know when someone is enjoying kissing me. You enjoyed it then and you'll enjoy it next time too. I promise you that."
Buffy swallowed hard and Spike backed away watching her still silence. He turned and walked out of the training room, leaving her with her own thoughts.
She could have kicked herself for staying silent. She wished she could have mustered up the strength to verbally fight back. Instead, she said nothing because as much as she wanted to deny it, she couldn't bring herself to do it. She was too paralyzed with fear that every single word he had just said to her was true. Deep down she knew that it was and because of her silence, he now knew it too.
After arriving at the TV studio the next evening, Buffy and Spike had to fulfill their technical requirements to prepare for the show. First, they had to sign contracts and the first thing they had looked for was the promise that the cameras would be turned off between one and five in the morning like Giles had said. Luckily they had quickly found that clause which insured their privacy during those hours. The contract also stated that if chosen to be on the show the only room that was off limits to both video and audio at all times was the bathroom. At least they knew there was one place they could go if it was ever necessary for them to talk in private.
The final part of the preparations was the private interview. All contestants were supplied with a list of questions they had to answer in front of a camera to provide the viewers with enough information about themselves so the audience could pair them up. Even though they knew they were already set to be paired up and chosen for the show, they made sure to list similar interests so it looked believable to the casual observer.
Buffy and Spike spent the entire time apart after they arrived and Buffy had to constantly remind herself that she wasn't even supposed to know him. Later, each of the contestants were taken to separate hotel rooms in which they were to stay until the show had started and the decisions had been made.
Buffy stared up at the ceiling as she lay on her bed after the day's events had ended. She found herself to be completely exhausted and utterly bored. Half of her wished that Spike were there so she would at least have someone to talk to but her other half wanted to beat up that half for even having such thoughts. After their last encounter in the training room, she was afraid that any interaction between them would end up becoming awkward.
A light tapping sound on her door brought her back to reality. She quickly stood up to answer it, ready to welcome whatever friendly distraction may be standing on the other side. Her eyes widened as she saw Spike standing there after looking through her peephole. Quick as a flash, she opened the door, grabbed Spike by the front of his black T-shirt, pulled him inside and tossed him roughly onto the bed.
"Well, well, well. Aren't we quite the eager beaver." Spike said with a cocky grin, his eyes seductively scanning her body.
"Spike, what are you doing here?" Buffy asked, ignoring his comments. "What if someone saw you? We aren't supposed to know each other remember? You could have ruined everything!"
"Calm down, Slayer." Spike said as he propped himself onto the bed so his back rested against the headboard. "I got bored." He stuck his bottom lip out in an adorable pout.
Buffy definitely noticed the cuteness of it and it made her visibly relax and silently thank the heavens for the distraction she was hoping for.
She walked over to the other side of the bed and looked down at Spike who made himself a little too comfortable.
"Spike, if you are going to hang out for a while, that's fine, but my bed is off limits."
"What's the matter, Buffy? Afraid you can't handle being in the same bed as me? Afraid you won't be able to control yourself?"
"Get over yourself!" Buffy exclaimed, frustrated.
Spike watched her get onto the bed and sit down next to him with her back also resting against the headboard. He knew she would give in if he challenged her. She was way too stubborn not to try and prove him wrong.
He silently waited for her to speak but the silence lasted so long that he could no longer bear it.
"I wish you would stop being so nervous about this. It's really not that big a deal. Nothing to get all stressed out over, luv."
"I'm not nervous and I'm not stressed. We just don't have anything to talk about. Maybe you should just go back to your own room." Buffy responded.
"Don't even try to tell me that this whole situation isn't bothering you. You haven't even been able to look at me since yesterday."
Immediately, Buffy turned to him and met his eyes. "There. I'm looking at you. Are you happy now?"
Before Buffy was even able to blink, Spike quickly leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. The kiss ended as quickly as it begun and it caused her to furrow her brow in confusion. Her thoughts paralyzed her and she cursed herself for thinking about how soft his lips had been and how hard her heart was suddenly beating.
"What do you think you're doing?"
Spike shrugged. "Just breaking the tension. We are going to have to kiss, you know. I just thought if I kissed you now, it might not be so weird later."
"Well, you thought wrong." Buffy said with a lot less venom than she had intended.
Spike looked down and fiddled nervously with the edge of the blanket. "Practice makes perfect, Buffy. I figured it would be easier to deal with if we got used to kissing each other."
"That is not practice, Spike. I think they call that making out." The corner of Buffy's mouth twitched slightly as she fought a smile.
He looked over at her curiously. "What's wrong with you? There is no fist in my face and my nose remains unbroken. Are you sick or something?"
"I just don't feel like fighting right now. Besides, we are going to have to pretend we're in love. I may as well make an effort to be nice to you. It'll be a whole new experience."
Buffy beamed and Spike's heart sang. He couldn't believe it. Was she actually joking around with him? He loved to see her smile. He's never felt this way before. He's never felt this good simply because someone else seemed happy. He figured he was turning into a nancy-boy but he didn't care. He wanted to give her the world even though he knew deep down that she'd never let him.
"I'm about to risk that broken nose I've been waiting all night for by telling you this but I just wanted to let you know this is going to be a lot more difficult for you than it will be for me. When I tell you I love you and show my affection, I won't be pretending. Knowing that will probably make you even more uncomfortable but I needed you to know that."
"Spike, why do you always have to do that?" Buffy said with a huff.
"Do what?"
"Make everything harder than it has to be."
"I'm sorry, Buffy, but I can't help how I feel."
"I can't help the way I feel either." Buffy said and saw a shadow of a smile cross Spike's face. She realized he had misunderstood her so she wanted to clarify before he had any more wrong thoughts about what she meant. "I feel nothing for you, Spike. I can't even stand to be around you half the time. You infuriate me like no one I've ever known. I need you to know that so we can avoid any mixed signals."
Spike studied her carefully. "You're lying. You feel something for me. I know you do. I could feel it in your kiss."
Buffy swallowed audibly. The fact that she felt guilty for what she had said didn't help matters much. The truth was, she didn't know what she was feeling. What she said was true though, she really couldn't stand him half the time but it was the other half that worried her. He was capable of making her angrier than any human or demon she has ever encountered but then there were the times when he has said or done things that were so sweet that she wanted to hug and kiss him. Their kiss outside the bronze after the singing and dancing demon fiasco was proof of that. Her mixed feelings were sending her into a dimension of deep confusion.
Her thoughts were interrupted when she saw Spike coming at her again. He was moving slowly toward her and she almost closed her eyes to welcome the kiss but those damn confusing emotions sent her head spinning and it caused her to do what she does best. She turned into a bitch at super speed and pushed him away from her and off of the bed.
"Ow!" Spike groaned after landing on his tailbone. "What did you do that for?"
"Obviously you're hard of hearing." She sneered, leaning over him. "I don't have any feelings for you, I don't like being around you and I certainly don't want to kiss you! That kiss was just a fluke that you've got to get over!"
Let's make some ground rules shall we?" She continued with a hand on her hip. "We are going to have to kiss, I know that much is true, but there will be no naughty touching at any time during this little project of ours. If you so much as put your hand in my back pocket like the eighties reject that you are, I will give you such an ass kicking while the cameras are off that you won't be able to see straight. Is that understood?"
Spike stood up slowly and gracefully. "I understand completely." He said the words slow, his voice lower than she was used to hearing. He took a step toward her and loomed over her. "I will keep my hands far away from your parts if that's how you want it."
"That's exactly how I want it." She said, her face determined.
"Fine." Spike backed off a little. "I can hold out as long as you can."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Buffy asked.
"You'll see." With that, Spike left her room before she could get in another word.
Two large double doors stood before Buffy, waiting to be opened. She reached for the handle and opened both doors at the same time. She stood there for what seemed like forever, staring at a long hallway that seemed to have no end. She traveled down the extended hallway and noticed a number of doors with an array of colors on both sides. She stared at them intently, trying to decide which one to open first. She decided on the green door and cautiously walked into the room. She saw Parker standing there with that overly charming smile that, once upon a time, she naively thought was for her eyes only. He strolled up to her, never losing his smile and kissed her cheek.
"I had so much fun with you, Buffy. Convincing you to be with me was a lot easier than I thought it would be. Not much of a challenge but fun none the less."
"Why do you have to play with the minds of every girl you meet? Why did you use me?" Buffy scowled.
"Use you? Buffy, we used each other. We both got what we wanted."
"Do you actually think that all I'm looking for is a night of casual sex?"
"Aren't you?" Parker asked, then faded away.
She suddenly found herself in the hallway once again with more colorful doors staring her in the face, however the green door that she had already occupied was now completely boarded up.
She chose the Yellow door this time and saw Riley standing there with his hands behind his back, looking as innocently normal as he always has.
"Nice to see you, Buffy."
Buffy walked to Riley with a sympathetic smile. "I'm so sorry things ended so badly between us."
"It's ok, Buffy. I always knew you didn't love me."
"Riley, I.." Buffy began.
"No, don't explain. I understand now."
"Understand what?"
"I'm not what you needed." Riley stated flatly. "It wasn't your fault. You couldn't help the way you felt. You needed someone who sparks the fire within you and that just wasn't me. I hope you find him, Buffy."
Riley suddenly disappeared, just as Parker had and she found herself once again in the hallway with another choice to make. She stood before two more doors, one red and one blue.
She took hold of the blue door's knob. "Let's see what's behind door number three."
Just as she suspected, Angel was standing on the other side of the blue door. So much had happened lately that she didn't even have time to miss him. As she saw him standing before her, mixed emotions clouded her thinking. She was happy to see him but her feelings seemed different now. She didn't know if she should be happy that she had finally begun to get over him or sad at the thought of those feelings slowly drifting away.
She wondered if she just missed that feeling of being in love. Missed the fact that there was someone out there that she always looked forward to seeing. Having someone to confide in, someone who knew her inside and out but loved her in spite of it. Someone she could count on. Someone that would never leave her. Deep down she knew that person wasn't Angel because he had left her. She desperately needed someone to be there for her but he left anyway because he had convinced himself that she would be happier in the long run. He thought it was for the best. He thought he was doing it out of love but knowing why he had abandoned her didn't stop it from hurting any less.
Angel walked up to her and grabbed both of her hands and held them in his own.
"Before you say anything, I want you to know how much I've missed you and how much I'll always miss you. I left because I couldn't give you everything you needed. Things would have gotten much worse if I had stayed."
"You didn't have the right to make that decision." Buffy argued.
"Buffy, how many times were we together kissing and touching?" He swept a hand gently down her cheek. "All that time I knew how much you cared about me. I knew you wanted to get closer than I was capable of."
"That wasn't important to me. I wanted to be with you and if that meant not being fully intimate then we would have dealt with that." Buffy stared at him with regret in her eyes.
"Intimacy always gets in the way, Buffy. I knew about the curse. I knew how much I loved you and how happy it would make me to be with you. I risked everything just so I could make love to you and because of it I almost ended up killing you."
Suddenly Angelus appeared and stood beside Angel.
"Why hello sweetheart!" Angelus greeted with a sardonic smile. "I know how much that night we had meant to you but please you have GOT to stop begging!"
Angelus took a step back and eyed Buffy up and down.
"Ah, look at you." Angelus continued. "You are all grown up and back from the dead. I was so disappointed when I heard that you were worm food. I wanted to be the one to put you in the ground but it looks like I have another chance after all."
Angel stood in front of Angelus and blocked Buffy's view of him. "Do you see now?" Angel gave her a sorrowful look. "Do you see why I had to let you go?"
Angel faded and once again, Buffy found herself in the hallway. The three doors she had previously entered were now gone and only one remained. She took a deep breath and entered the room with the red door.
Spike saw her walk in and sauntered up to her immediately. Buffy looked at him and her brow wrinkled with utter confusion.
"Spike? What the hell are you doing here?"
"I'll always be here, Buffy. I'll never leave you no matter how hard you try to push me away. Please, just let me love you. I can be good without a soul. I want to be better man for you. I would rather die than ever disappoint you."
A silver tray appeared in Spike's hand and a telephone lay on top of it. It started to ring.
"Answer the phone, Buffy." Spike said.
"Who is it?" Buffy asked in wonderment.
"Your true love." Spike smiled slyly.
Buffy abruptly sat up in bed. Her heart was racing because of the blaring sound of the phone that woke her. She always tends to panic and become disoriented whenever a ringing telephone wakes her out of her slumber. Her mind tried it's hardest to put together what was happening. When she finally came to her senses she reached over toward the bedside table and grabbed the receiver.
"Hello." She said groggily, her heart still pounding a little too fast.
"Good morning, luv. Did I wake you?" Spike greeted.
"Spike?" Buffy rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. "What time is it?"
"It's eight in the morning. Time for sleeping beauty to get out of bed."
"I'm hardly sleeping beauty, Spike. When I get up in the morning I resemble some of the scary demons I've killed."
"Not possible." Spike said. "Get your cute butt out of bed. We have to go over our game plan starting with that pesky little tidbit about me bursting into flames if I step out in the bright sunshine."
Buffy let his little flirty compliments slide on account of being too tired to argue. She yawned and tried to block out the blazing sun that was shining through the partially opened curtains.
"Luckily for you, Spike, I had enough brains to think about that earlier. Don't worry. Willow will be coming by later to help you with your little problem."
There was a sudden knocking at Buffy's door and since Spike was on the phone she wondered who in the world it could be at such an early hour.
"Hang on, Spike. There's someone at the door."
"It's room service." Spike said before Buffy had a chance to put the phone down. "I ordered you some breakfast. I hope that's ok. It's sort of like a peace offering because of last night."
Buffy sighed. "All right. Hang on ok? I've got to get the door."
She opened the door to a man who rolled in a large cart of multiple plates with fancy looking silver covers on them. She gave him a tip and he left her alone with an enormous amount of food.
After staring at the food for a few seconds, she walked back to the bedside and picked up the phone.
"And who exactly do you think is going to eat all of this food?" Buffy asked.
"Spike?" She called out when she got no answer.
"Spike?" She waited a few seconds and heard nothing but silence. "Where the hell is he?"
Her door suddenly burst open and Spike came barreling through it.
"Ever hear of knocking?" Buffy asked. "And how the hell did you get in here anyway."
"I stole a master key off of one of the maid's carts." Spike admitted with a smirk.
Buffy rolled her eyes and walked over to the window to close the curtains all the way. It almost became a force of habit to protect Spike from the sun.
"I hope no one saw you. One of these days someone is going to catch you coming up here and our cover will be blown."
"I already know that, Slayer. It's not like you haven't told me a million times already. I was careful, ok?"
"Stop calling me Slayer! You have to call me Buffy remember?"
"Nag, nag, nag! You are already starting to sound like a wife."
Spike plopped down onto her unmade bed where she had slept less than a half an hour ago. He could still feel the warmth from her body on the sheets and he breathed her scent in deeply. He folded his hands under his head and stretched out as he observed Buffy in her little cloud covered tank top and matching shorts that she had slept in.
"What is with all this food?" Buffy asked as she eyed the plates curiously. "Did you order everything on the menu or something?"
"Just about, pet. I wasn't sure what you would have a taste for this morning so I ordered a little bit of everything. That's why I came up here. I thought I would help you feast on all the goodies." He said with eyes still roaming over her body.
Buffy uncovered a plate filled with pancakes. She grabbed the maple syrup and drowned her pancakes in the sugary liquid. She sat on the edge of the bed and happily began to devour her breakfast.
"Hungry, pet?" Spike asked and sat up, making his way over to the bed's edge to sit beside her.
"I'm starving!" Buffy answered him. "This is really good! Try some."
She held out a large forkful of the fluffy goodness in front of his mouth and waited for him to take a bite.
He leaned forward and wrapped his lips around the fork, looking into her eyes the entire time. He pulled the contents off of the fork with his lips and made a sound of pleasure.
"Delicious." He stated, slowly chewing and savoring the syrup coated breakfast and his tongue darted out to lick the excess off of his lips.
Buffy unconsciously watched his mouth as he chewed. She never realized how seductive feeding someone could be.
As if reading her mind, Spike uncovered a bowl filled with chilled strawberries and dipped one into some chocolate.
"If you thought those pancakes were good, trust me, these are even better."
Spike brought the coated strawberry up to her lips and held it there. She stared at him for a few seconds, unsure of what they were doing, but that strawberry just looked way too good to pass up. She opened her mouth and took the strawberry into it as well as the tips of his fingers. She could taste the salt from his skin as well as the chocolate, which made for a spine tingling mixture on her taste buds.
Spike noticed some of the chocolate that was now making it's way down Buffy's chin. He leaned forward; his heart set on lapping it up with his tongue, when there was a knock at the door.
"Bloody Hell." Spike silently grumbled.
Buffy quickly stood up in a panic and wiped the chocolate off of her face with a cloth napkin. She made her way over to the door and opened it to be greeted by the smiling face of Willow.
"Hey Willow!" Buffy greeted. "Did everything go well with the spell I asked you to do?"
"I think so. But we won't know for sure until we test it out." Willow replied.
They both made their way over to Spike, who still sat on the edge of the bed.
"Oooh! Sugary goodness!" Willow exclaimed as she grabbed one of the strawberries and ate it after dipping it into the smooth chocolate.
"I think we may have solved your sunshine problem." Buffy said, holding out a closed fist to Spike.
Spike held an open hand underneath and waited for her to drop whatever was in her hand into his.
Her fist opened slightly dropping a ring onto Spike's palm.
"What's this?" Spike asked, studying the ring.
"Congratulations." Buffy said. "It's your very own Gem of Amara."
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