With a Little Help

Spike dove down, letting the water’s current guide him to Buffy. ‘Right,’ he thought. ‘All those times I fought her, tried to kill her, but I just didn’t know that all I had to do was go swimming with her. Now to make it worse, all of the times I did want to kill her, I couldn’t, and now I kill her when I’m not trying to. Come to think of it, I think I will kill her as soon as I get her out for scaring me to my second death.’ Not the best conversation he ever had with himself, but the lame, one sided dialogue occupied his mind until, straining his vampiric vision, he finally spotted the slayer. Spike flipped around so that he approached the hole with his legs first so that he could plant his feet on either side of the opening and place his hands above.

Hanging onto the lip of the tunnel, Buffy didn’t mind admitting that she was terrified. ‘I’ve already drown once in my life. I’ve reached my quota. Now I want my “get out of water free” card’ She had been so concentrated on holding her breath and holding on to the edge of the tunnel that she didn’t notice the blonde in front of her. When Spike grabbed her wrist, she knew that she started cry with relief but couldn’t feel the tears through theer rer rushing over her face. As funny as it was, she had never doubted he would come for her, save her, she was just relieved that he had finally made it.

When Spike achieved some semblance of balance, he grabbed her hand. Waiting until Buffy obtained a good grip on him with both of her own hands and using his legs for added strength to his arms, Spike jerked Buffy out of the tunnel and sent her towards the surface of the water.

Reaching the edge of the rock above, Buffy forcibly hauled herself out, landing a good ten feet from the pool’s edge. She lay there gasping for air and watching for platinum hair to pop up out of the water. “Spike?...Hello?...Fang face, get your pale ass up here NOW!”

When Shel and Multok heard Buffy yelling for Spike with a voice tinged with panic, they raced back into the cavern. Shel took in the frightened look on the slayer’s face staring down in the water but still had no idea what was going on. “Multok, what’s happened? Where’s Spike?”

“Give me a sec, but I’m guessing it has to do with under the water. I’ll go see. Don’t let Buffy get back in the water or do anything else rash.” Multok disappeared below the surface to have a look around. What he saw was Spike desperately trying to keep himself from being sucked through the hole leading out to the stream, and the vampire was down to his finger tips. Multok’s mouth was already moving as he cleared the water. “Spike is just about to be sucked out of the pool.” Knowing that they needed to act fast, Multok flew over to join Shel next to Buffy. “Come on Shel. I’ll go fly ahead and call back which direction she should go or any obstacles she should watch out for. Using my directions, you guide her.” Multok finished his last words as he began racing ahead. Shel took up her position next to Buffy’s ear, ready to relay any information as they go through the tunnels after Spike and give encouragement.

Meanwhile, Buffy was trying to figure out what would be best to do. Not that she wanted to anyway, but something told her to not go back into the water. That little voice in her head reminded her that Spike couldn’t drown anyway. Thankfully, she was given a sign, similar to a club over the head, of what to do when she heard Spike’s voice to her right. “Slayerrrr. Heelllppp.” Unfortunately, judging from his call, she could tell that Spike was to her right, moving away fast. Snatching up the lantern closest to her, Buffy blindly raced, following the vampire’s voice, with that helpful voice in her ear guiding her through the tunnels.

While Buffy tried to pick up her pace, Spike was sailing along in the swift moving water. Sometimes the tunnel was completely incased in rock; while other times, he would pass through areas where the stream ran along the side of open rooms. During such opportunities, he grabbed at outcroppings and the hanghangs of entrances to the next stage of the tunnel, any piece of rock to stop or slow himself down while taking a beating in the process. He kept yelling all along the way, “Slayer, catch up already and get me the bleeding hell out of this blasted stream. I’m NOT a bloody fish.”

Buffy was chasing after him; sometimes she could see the stream, sometimes not, and the lantern she grabbed before taking off wasn’t helping her speed all that well. She followed the path tgh tgh the rock tunnels by listening to Spike’s voice and the voice she could hear in her head. When not listening, Buffy was calling back to Spike, trying to gage her distance from the vampire.

Coming out into a large opening, she finally saw him holding onto the upper lip of the next enclosed part of tunnel. As Buffy sprinted, she watched Spike being pulled until only his fingertips held on to the rock. She dove, touching one of his hands, but unfortunately, when he let go one hand to grab onto Buffy’s, he lost what little hold he had and was swept away. No time to punch or kick something to vent her frustration as she wanted to, she rolled and was up racing again. With desperation churning in her stomach, dread started to take over when she could make out faint light ahead, which she assumed was coming from where the water would go outside to make a stream. Encouraged by the voice helping guide her, which was her only encouragement she had, Buffy came around a corner and again spotted the bleach blonde vampire frantically holding on to a rock outcropping a few feet before the next incased part of the tunnel.

“Come on slayer.” When Spike’s blue eyes locked on the slayer, his voice had much more bluster than his thoughts. Just as Buffy had, he had seen the approaching light and was getting exceedingly concerned. “Don’t fancy swimming anymore, love.”

“Spike! Don’t you DARE let go this time. You probably did it last time just to make me have to run farther.” Anxious, Buffy dove across the rock floor and was able to grab hold of his wrist in her first attempt, finally getting a break. Then straining, she added her second hand to the hold, making sure that she wouldn’t let him go. However, the current was so fierce, and after several tries, both realized that even with the slayer strength, she couldn’t pull him out. Nevertheless, Spike could still read the determination written all over Buffy’s face, and she could see the determination of his own.

Shel was still with Buffy, while Multok joined Spike. They knew that the vampire and the slayer were both understandably getting fatigued, and since the two small couldn’t help physically, they could help with suggestions. Multok yelled over instructions to Shel.

After listening to her mentor, Shel started talking into Buffy’s ear. “You’ve got it, just a little more. When he gets his arm around the outcropping, you need to brace you legs on the rock.” Leaning close to the vampire’s ear to be heard over the water, Multok started speaking, “Wrap your free hand around the outcropping as far as your arm will allow. That will give her some help to get leverage to pull you out. Come on, you can do it.”

Spike was happy to receive the suggestion from his little voice that had been so good to him in the last couple of weeks. Easily trusting that the slayer wouldd ond onto him, he readjusted his grip on the outcropping. He was able to wrap his arm around it, taking some of the water’s pull from her created by the water. The assistance was enough. Slowly with one leg at a time, Buffy was able to move her legs so she could brace herself on the outcropping along with him. She looked Spike in the eyes, and with their minds in perfect cynic in a silent count to three, using all her slayer with his vampiric strength, she jerked hard as he pulled up on the outcropping. With their combined efforts, the vampire shot out of the water, landing on top of the slayer, and with their momentum, they rolled over to where she was lying with her upper body across of his chest.

The pair lay there, both panting and neither talking for a while. Buffy’s head was lying on Spike’s chest with eyes closed while Spike stared up at the ceiling, thinking about how he had almost done in by skinny dipping. But most painful of all, he would have lost the nymph that he had been swimming with him. ‘No bloody way,’ Spike thought. ‘I just started with her, and I don’t see letting her go anytime soon. If ever.’ If ever? Spike was surprise by that thought, but as he savored her body laying on his own, he knew the “ever” part fit. ‘No. If I have anything to say about it, forever it will be with the slayer.’

“This dare, no like.” When Buffy felt like she could string more words together, she half heartedly slapped him on his chest. “If you had let go, I would have staked you.”

“No, slayer, if I had let go, you would have been able to roast marshmallows over me, and I am sure the whelp would have more than happy to bring the graham characters and chocolate to make shmores.”

“Where’s my cell phone, and he can be on his way.”

“You don’t have a cell phone, pet.” He looked down the length of her nude body and smirked. “But if you do have one, I would love to see where you are carrying it.”

“You wish. Anyway, we can leave the smores for another day so we can plan a party. I’m sure that Giles would want to be there. We could even invite Harmony and Riley.”

‘Ha, Ha, Slayer. Tons of fun at my expense.’ And when he heard her ex’s name mentioned he would have tensed, but instead he wanted to use what little strength he had for a much more important reason. Spike gathered the strength to wrap one arm around her and gave her a little squeeze to make sure he had her undivided attention back on him. “Love?” He started talking in a low, sultry voice, “I just wanted to let you how much it means to me, a master vampire who has killed two slayers, to be saved by a slayer. A simple “thank you” just doesn’t cut it.” What he really wanted to say with his thank you was that he loved her, that he loved her more and more with every passing day, but he hadn’t forgotten how she had forbidden such words or feelings. Soddin’ promise. When he looked back now since splitting up with Dru and clearing his head, he should have thought with his heart and not wasted so much time fighting with her.

“Spike, I had to save you,” she whispered. Buffy was also cursing the promise she had forced Spike to make. She wanted so badly to tell him that she had to save him because she loved him, that there was no way she would let him burn up until only dust was left. The favors had started as a secret fling, but she had ended up losing her heart.

Buffy felt a chuckle rumble in Spike’s chest and wondered where he got the energy to move the muscles required to chuckle. She was even more impressed when she felt him wrap both of his arms wrap around her. “But, love, there was one benefit from this workout. We ended up in a good position.”

Buffy was too tired to be coy or try to dodge his comment. “Hmmm, yes.” Actually, she moved enough to kiss his chest that was below her cheek.

Enjoying the fact that they were both still very much naked, he gazed down along Buffy’s body and smiled until he looked farther down the tunnel, seeing again how close he had come to instantaneously combusting. When Dru and he split up, he wouldn’t have minded sailing out to meet the sun. But now, he had a reason to stick around, and she was lying across his chest.

Buffy felt his arms tighten, pressing her closer, but instinct told her that the hug was not just affection to have her lying on him naked. “Spike…Is something wrong?”

“Actually, I was thinking that after I lost Dru, I would have welcomed stepping out into the sunshine one more time. A warrior falling on his sword and all that rot.” Smiling, Spike stroked her back in a steady rhythm. He expected to hear her laugh, but her head shot up. Instead of mirth, he was surprised to see anger boiling in her hazel eyes. “What did I do or say wrong this time, Slayer?”

Buffy continued to glare at him. “I didn’t chase you down and pull you out of the water for…” Before continuing, she had to take a second to over come the lump in her throat. “Just do a favor and don’t die.”

Spike’s eyebrows shot up due in surprise and confusion. “Huh? We have…Slayer, we’ve tried to kill each other for the last three or some odd years. And now you…”

Buffy shifted her body so she could cut off his words with a kiss. She was not prepared to discuss the implications of what she had just said. When he mentioned dieing, she saw red, and her words unexpectedly tumbled out. But he was right, when had she gone from wanting to kill him to this strong feeling of wanting to keep him undead, instead of dusty dead?

Their lips met with mouths opened and tongues searching for reassurances in their intense passion for each other.

~~~

The pair didn’t know it, but Multok and Shel were also lying on the floor not far away. Not on top of each other, sti still trying to recover just as the vampire and slayer were.

Knowing that the vampire and slayer no longer needed their help, Multok looked over at Shel, and where he expected a blush on her cheeks, he only saw a smile on her face. He followed her eyes to where the slayer and vampire’s embrace was beginning to heat up. “Shel…Shel?”

“Huh?” She absently replied.

“Like what you see, girl?”

“Yeah…Oh, no. I mean no.” Shel’s eyes shifted from glazed to wide with embarrassment in two seconds flat.

Multok chuckled, “Come on. I think they can handle the rest on their own. Let’s see if we can find a crap game with lots of action.”

She finally turned to gaze to Multok. “Craps? What’s that?”

“Since you asked, let me give you a little lesson. But now that I think about it, craps is rather hard to learn. We will have to practice quite a bit.” Rubbing his hands together, Mulltok followed Shel out of the cave, eager for a little game of chance.

~~~

With their mouths still locked, Spike shifted Buffy until she lay down the length of him before rolling them over so that she was on the bottom. As they changedir pir positions, their mouths stayed locked, their tongues meeting, tasting each other as if this was their first time. Buffy knew she was in love with Spike but was afraid to say anything to upset the status quo. Spike definitely knew he loved Buffy, but his hands were tied in any declaration of love by fear of sending this golden beauty into flight. He hadn’t promised to not bring love into their relationship as she had asked him when they had first had sex, but now he knew that the slayer was meant to soar with him, not fly away from his arms.

When she felt Spike move to his side, letting his hands could move freely over her body, Buffy broke the kiss so she could speak. She shook her head from side to side slightly. “No foreplay.”

Spike froze, un of of what she meant. A woman asking for no foreplay just didn’t bode well. Getting nervous, he focused his eyes on the cavern wall, “Ah…Now, love, no fore…?”

Buffy grabbed his hair and pulled him back close to her face so she could look him eye to eye. “I love your hands on me. I love your mouth on me. But…I. Need. You. Inside. Me. Now!”

When she released her hold, Spike pressed his forehead to hers, keeping eye contact. “Abso-fucking-lutely.”

Moving back on top of her but lifting up on one of his arms, Spike slid one hand between them and felt her wetness. Grasping his shaft, he rubbed its head through her folds and around her entrance, listening to her moan. With her juices lubricating him, he brought his hand back up and framed her face between his hands. Spike smiled with male pride when as he entered her Buffy’s eyes rolled up before her eyelids shut. She groaned long and loud before she opened her eyes again.

In those beautiful, hazel eyes, Spike could see pleasure, intensity, strength, and a love of life. Her own life and apparently his also. At that moment Spike wished he could whisper in her ear how much he loved her as he slid in and out of her heat.

Since getting to know this vampire, she found out that Spike’s face, especially his eyes, was normally as an open as a book. Even when he tried to hide behind sarcasm or his big bad persona, she could still read what was going on in that bleached head. But when Buffy gazed into his eyes now, she could see much more. She wondered why she had never seen his true nature which shone in his stunning blue eyes, expressing his emotions and true character. Not just a vampire’s nature of death, death and more death. Instead, this wasn’t just any vampire, this was Spike with his own unique nature. When she looked at Spike now, she saw a desire to pleasure her, a desire to continue being with her, a desire to be part of her both mentally and physically. In return, he had become her number one, top ranking of her desires. Now, Buffy hoped that Spike only wanted to enjoy his unlife with her, sharing in her life and in her work. Of course, Spike was synonymous with violence, but she believed or at least wanted to believe that he would no longer be a danger to humans even with the chip out. However, his face was now a blank mask, including his expressive eyes, which were searching her face for some sort of mysterious clue. Regardless of her curiosity, she didn’t ask what he was looking for since she feared the answer may be too intimate than she was ready to handle at present.

She tilted her head out of Spike’s grasp to kiss him, to kiss her lover. Until now, she hadn’t been able to think of him as a lover. Buffy had tried not to give their new relationship a name because any word that had the four letters, love, in it would be admitting that she had strong feelings for the vampire. But now, Spike was her lover in every sense of the word. Even though she could admit her feelings to herself, she wasn’t ready to admit them to him. Breaking away from their kiss, Buffy buried her face in the side of his neck, burying her thoughts and letting herself to be swept away by the sensations of their joined bodies.

As testament to the last fifteen minutes, during which either one of them could have died, the vampire and slayer held each other tight, only their hips rocking. So tight that Spike could barely move in and out of her, but neither could bear to let go of their hold enough to leave more room between them, making additional movement possible. After they both climaxed, they stayed still, no moving, no talking, just panting and holding on to each other tightly. Not hug but a fierce embrace born from the fear of losing each other.

When Spike had felt Buffy bury her face in the crook of his neck, he did the same. ‘At times, life could be so ironic,’ he laughed to himself. ‘A fantastic example was this very day. First a vampire saved a slayer and then she returned the favor.t tht that wasn’t the only irony.’ What Spike hadn’t realized until this scare was that the time that any possibilities of fighting until one of them was dead had been left in the stream rushing away. Instead the pair we’re both beginning to comprehend a future with each other not dverdversaries but as a team. An unexpected future with Spike, a master vampire, and Buffy, a slayer together.

*****

Agitated and impatient, he walked into the small, yellow house, slamming the backdoor behind him. When he didn’t immediately find her in the living room, his temper elevated even more. “Harmony?...Harmony! Get your slut ass out here.”

The blonde came into the living room, hips swinging and wearing a black, French maid’s outfit. “Wee mezz sure.”

“Was that supposed to be French?” He sneered at her while at the same time taking in her low cut bodice trimmed in lace and an extremely short, black skirt. His eyes traveled farther down so he could see a garter belt holding up her black hose, and on her feet, she was wearing fuck me high heels. The whole picture made his cock strain against his zipper.

“Yeah, that was French, but that’s like all I know. That class in high school was so lame.” She ran her hands up her bodice to cup her breasts and pushed up, drawing his attention back up to her cleavage. “I am your maid at your service. Is there anything…,” she pushed her breasts up even farther so that her nipples were peeking over the edge of her neckline. “…anything I can get for you?”

Reaching down to his crotch, he readjusted hif, tf, trying to find a more comfortable position for his hard-on. “Can it, Harmony. You’re going to have to use your vibrator and pinch you own nipples tonight. I can’t stay. I’ve got to go set up a little surprise for our fanged friend. And don’t get you hopes up for tomorrow either. I’m busy during the day and can’t come at night.”

Harmony ran both hands from her chest down her body until she touched the hem of her skirt. One hand lifted up the material revealing her lack of panties while the other slid down so her two middle fingers were rubbing back and forth, against the lips of her cunt. “But sir, I just want to service your …ah…needs. All you have to do is ask.”

“No, I can’t sta…Fuck it…but let’s make this a quickie.”

Harmony purred, “Yes sirrrr. So what is your pleasure?”

“Well, I’ve been cooking my meat all day, and I think it’s ready to come out of the oven. Why don’t you check and make sure it’s moist?”

Harmony stepped up to him with a smile, leaning in to kiss him, but his hand shot up to the top of her blonde head, fisted her hair in one hand and pushed her down until her face was even with his crotch. After unzipping his pants, he pulled his shaft out and shoved it into her mouth.

“Ooohhhh, your meat tastes so…” Harmony wasn’t able to finish her sentence because, with his hand still gripping her hair and one again holding his cock, he pulled her forward, forcing her mouth back around his shaft. “I want to feel your mouth, not hear your mouth.”


*****

After waking up with each other, still lying on the hard rock floor, both Spike and Bufflkedlked back to the pool to retrieve their clothes and take a quick dip, very quick dip in the pool to wash off the dirt from. But just the glimpse of each others’ slick bodies, reignited their desire for each other. They made love, slept and then made love again. After when they thought the sun had set, they went off in search food, blood and softer surfaces, not necessarily in that order.

Buffy led the way to Spike’s crypt, both arguing good naturedly along the way. “I’m telling you, you pig-headed blood sucker, Riley sent me a letter saying that he had left town. So he couldn’t be the one trying to kill you.”

“That proves nothing, pet. Who’s to say that overgrown beasty bugger ever left? And…I drink the pigs blood, not suck. But if you keep up that sassy mouth, missy, I’m going to suck a little out of you.” Spike leer at her. “Besides, you’re the one who sucks and I lick.”

“Sip, suck, drink, lick, whatever?” Buffy stuck her tongue out at her vampire pest. “The letter was post marked from Iowa. Ha, so way ha.”

“He could have a relative send it for him, you silly bint. Besides who else would want to kill me?” With his eyes twinkling, Spike gave her his most angelic smile.

Her eyes grew huge before Buffy doubled over laughing. “I can’t believe you even asked me that question. An easier question with a shorter list of answers to choose from would be who wouldn’t want to kill you.” Buffy squd asd as Spike snapped her on the ass with his towel. To escape, she ran ahead leaving the sound of her laughter floating back to him. Spike finished the remains of his cigarette before giving chase. “Noowww, I’m going to show you the difference between sucking and drinking…”

When he didn’t immediately catch up with her, Buffy slowed her pace, finally stopping at his crypt’s door. Geehat hat fun was it for her to run away if he didn’t catch up with her? As she turned to look back, Spike slammed her against the crypt beside the door, kissing her until she was moaning, moaning that drove him wild. When he moved back to let her catch her breath, she pushed the crypt’s door open and then she looped the towel around his neck. “I can’t wait. Need another kiss. Need more of you.” Backing up with the towel still wrapped around his neck, Buffy pulled him into the crypt, her lips pressed against his again.

When they stepped into the cryptree ree things happened simultaneously. Spike heard a soft popping sound, Buffy’s body knocked against his own, and he felt a sharp pain in his chest over his heart. Fuck, he really didn’t want to find out if that the noise he heard was what he thought it was. Still holding her, Spike moved back a couple of inches away from her, instinctually looking down at Buffy. Buffy’s face was a mask of bewilderment, looking him as she looked at him, and then drifted down to see her chest. Spike’s eyes followed hers down and saw a sharp pointed shaft of wood protruding out of her shirt, blood already seeping out. Hd hod hoped he was wrong, but no, he had heard a crossbow which must have shot an arrow, hitting just below the slayer’s right shoulder. The thought that he had been pricked by the arrow lodged in her body made him ill.

When Buffy looked back up, Spike noticed that her face was slowly turning white. Then her knees gave way, and she crumpled to the floor with his arms were still around her, softening her landing. Before he sat down with her, he moved to use his body to block any more arrows from hitting her. He knew the shot had been meant for him, but he wasn’t taking any chance that she would be accidentally hit again. Bringing his demon forward, he used his enhanced eyesight to scan for the source of the shot. What he finally found was a rope hooked to the door, which he followed to a pulley and then to a cross bow mounted to the bars of a window opposite of the door. So yet again his attacker didn’t even have the bloody nerve to face him in person.

“Spike?” Buffy’s voice drew Spike’s attention back to her and conveyed her daze. “I think… ah… I was just shot with a crossbow.”

“That you were, love.” Spike fought to keep his voice steady and cheerful as he examined the arrow and her wound.

Buffy’s hand came upucheuched the tip of the arrow that was protruding from her and then the blood on her chest before holding her finger tips up, looking at her own blood as if it was the first time she had ever seen the deep red liquid. “Spike, I have an arrow sticking out of me, and I think I’m bleeding.”

“That you do, lover. That you do.” Spike moved around so he could see where the arrow had entered her back.

“I don’t think I like this.” Buffy’s voice came out sounding like a very unslayer-like, little girl. “Could you please take this arrow out now?”

Since she couldn’t see his face, Spike closed his eyes, trying to wish away the last five minutes but wasn’t able to turn back the clock. “I would love to pet, but I’m afraid that pulling the arrow out would only make you bleed more.”

“Ok, but just no tasting, fang face.”

“You probably would be too sour anyway.” He laughed her off but was not laughing off the wound. In fact he suspected that something was very wrong. Even with her slayer healing abilities, Buffy was losing too much blood, too fast, around the embedded arrow. The bleeding should be tapering off by now but wasn’t. Vampire here. He knew a thing or two about blood loss, leading him to suspect the arrow must have hit a large vein or artery.

When he scooped her up, Buffy passed out from the pain. Grateful that she was no longer conscious, he knew if she were conscious, she would want to go hand and rely on her slayer healing ability. Not this time, pet. If she survived, and she had to survive, he would gladly take the heat, but no matter what she might want, she was headed to the hospital.

Decision made, he ran with her in his arms for where the DeSoto was stored close by. After placing her on her side in the front seat, he ran around, jumping into the driver’s side, lying so her head was in his lap before starting the car. Spike kept a hand on her back so that the arrow protruding from her back wouldn’t touch the seat of the car. “No slayer, you can’t die. Attempted drowning hit your death quota for the month.” Spike talked to the slayer. “You told me to do you a favor and not die on you. Well, the same goes for you. I love you, Slayer. Don’t leave me.” The last part was whispered as Spike sped through the streets of Sunnydale.

~~~~~~~~

TBC


Revews? Yes, yes, please!!!!!!!!!!

Madrog