Shot in the Dark

* * * * *
Chapter 19: Tonight
* * * * *


Buffy scans back and forth, looking for a vampire, a demon, anything to tackle. Her eyes land on her patrolling companion and she inwardly flinches. Well, except him. Can’t tackle him. Absently, her eyes drop down his body, following the sleek lines, imagining what he hides under those clothes, a sight she knows quite well now.

“Buffy.”

“Wha-?” Buffy snaps her eyes up, which happened to be lingering on his backside and realizes Spike has turned to look at her. The crimson flush races up her cheeks before she can stop it. She looks away sharply, but he had to notice. He must have seen her checking him out.

“A bit quiet his his one, want to head down to RestView?”

Buffy is quietly stunned. He didn’t notice? Or if he did, he is not going to comment? Weird. “Um, sure. Sounds like a plan.”

The blond duo turn and head in the direction of the exit nearest them, but both stop suddenly, heads whipping in the same direction.

“Not so quiet after all, luv. Shall we?” His eyes twinkle, anticipation of a good fight lighting them up. Buffy realizes her heart rate just picked up and can’t decide if it’s him or the potential slayage. Either way, they had company and it was moving this way.

“Yep. What do you think? Take it to them or let them think they are sneaking up?”

Spike smiles down at this little bundle of deadly energy. The one that was just giving him the once-over. He wonders if she knows that her whole body reacts when night approaches. Her heart rate increases, blood rushes to the surface of her skin, her eyes glow in anticipation. It makes him want to drag her behind that tree over there and... but first, answer her question. “Rather like the sneaking up plan, pet.”

He nods the direction they were heading, no need to clarify the plan. They know what to do. Buffy continues in a normal speaking voice. “Yeah, pretty quiet. Let’s head out.” She winks at him and they continue walking. Spike is nearly derailed completely from the plan by her playfulness, but remembers to focus. Listening to the nearly silent footsteps and picking up the scent on the air, he can tell there are two, no, three vamps approaching. the the west, behind them. He cuts his eyes to Buffy and she mouths “Three?” He nods slightly. With a practiced ease, Buffy shifts her bag slightly off her shoulder, acting as if she is looking for something. They are getting closer. She and Spike continue to move in stride, seemingly casual, but both are coiled, muscles tensed and ready.

When both can sense their attackers are within a few feet, they glance briefly at each other and then spin simultaneously. Spike, duster flying behind him, swings and punches the vamp nearest. Buffy swings her bag and clocks the second vamp in the head, smoothly flowing to kick the last one. All three vampires go sprawling, and are given no chance to recover. Dropping the bag, Buffy punches and kicks the first vamp to his feet, backing him step by step into a nearby crypt. When his back hits the stone, she whips the stake from the back of her waistband, staking him in one motion. As soon as he turns to dust, she spins with her back to the crypt, allowing the vamp attempting to jump her from behind to dust himself on her outstretched stake. Waving the cloud of dust out of her eyes, she sees Spike battling the final vampire. She starts to push away from the crypt to help, but stops herself. Spike moves like a deadly predator, movements smooth, fast and lethal. He is hypnotic to watch. Plus, he clearly has the situation in hand. Looks like he’s just having a good time before the inevitable staking.

“Trying to sneak up, eh, mate? Bloody stupid if you ask me.” He kicks once to the head, followed by punches, first left then right, sending the vamp stumbling backwards, tripping over a tombstone. The vampire tries to break away, to flee, but Spike grabs his shoulder, spinning him around. “Oh, and now you want to run? Make up your mind.” Buffy smiles. He loves to talk to his opponents almost as much as she does. So distracted by his presence, she couldn’t even muster up a good pun in her fight. Her eyes focus on the leather stretching across his back, remembering the way it felt, the tight skin smooth under her fingers. Her part of the fight is over, but her breathing is only accelerating, her heart beating hard in her chest. Finally, with one sweeping kick, leather flying, Spike knocks the vamp down to the ground. With one violent thrust, he stakes the vamp and ends up kneeling on one knee above a pile of dust.

He feels her eyes on him, burning into his skin. Slowly, he lifts his eyes, looking up at her under his brow. Her breath catches in her throat at the look in his eyes. Deadly, intense. He focuses on her like a predator finding his next kill, only it is not killing he wants to do. He knows it, she knows it.

Her face is flushed with that familiar pink glow as she stares back at him. He sees that she has disposed of the other two vamps and they are alone again in the cemetery. Fighting alongside her is an aphrodisiac of the highest level and he feels his skin vibrate in desire, his need to touch her raging inside. He knows she was watching him fight, knows she is breathing hard, heart racing as the wind brings the sweet scent of her arousal to him. Ever so slowly, Spike stands up and faces her. They are separated by about ten feet of air thick with sexual tension. His eyes rake down her body, heedless of his internal alarm warning him that he is revealing his desire for her. He can almost taste her hot and sweet in his mouth and he knows she wants him just as much.

Still clutching her stake tightly, Buffy can’t look away. She feels his arms run down her body, tracing each curve, singeing her edges. Her feeble protests, denying her attraction, die in her mouth before she can form them into words. But her mind screams, this is wrong. It’s just as wrong as it was before, spell or no spell. Buffy tells her mind to shut up for a few minutes.

Much as they did before the fight began, she and Spike communicate with their eyes. In the same breath, she drops the stake and he lunges toward her, pinning her tiny body against the cold stone with his own. His hands flatten against the crypt on either side of her head, his face mere inches from hers. Her eyes slip closed, absorbing the sensation of every inch of his hard body pressed into her. Swallowing, she opens her eyes again to meet his, a deep and stormy blue. Her mouth opens to try and give voice to her protest and he is on her in a flash, his lips attacking hers with a vengeance.

The burning in her body grows and spreads, radiating from her navel in every direction, lighting every nerve with a new fire. He can’t believe how hot she feels, his own personal inferno. Their kiss deepens, tongues diving into each o, an, and her hands run under his duster and around his back, clutching the fabric in her hands.

They break apart with a gasp and stare at each other. Every inch of her fights it, but she breathes out, “This is wrong, Spike.” The complete lack of conviction in her words makes him smile at her in a most sinister fashion.

“Too true, luv. Very, very wrong.” He takes one finger and runs it up her arm, starting at her wrist, grazing her breast with his hand as he slips up and over her shoulder, up her neck, to her cheek. She realizes she is holding her breath as his thumb grazes her bottom lip, pulling her mouth open. “Don’t really care about what‘s wrong, though.” A smile dances across his mouth before he leans closer again.

“The spell.” She blurts it out, her last possible defense against his considerable charms.

“What of it?” He hesitates, wets his own lips as he waits for her response.

“We’re only doing this because of the spell.” Her eyes dart back and forth across his face.

“Sounds like a bloody good excuse to me, luv. What say we go with it?” His logic in the face of unbridled lust t is fairly convincing. “Tomorrow, this will be over between us. But tonight...” He leaves the sentence unfinished, his meaning clear. Live in the moment. Something he excels at, something she is scared to do. Knowing she wants him just as much, he sees no need to hide his burning for her. She is just not ready to let her body and the spell take over. Her eyes smolder on his. Or is she?

She cocks her head at him, her voice clear and unquestioning. “You’ve got a good point there. Tonight, then.”

Startled by her agreement, Spike remains still for another moment. Buffy leans forward, planting a kiss at the base of his neck, waking him quite suddenly from his shock. She pulls back, meeting his gaze again before moving back in, her lips moist and warm against his neck. The trail of warmth moves up again, tickling his ear. He moans quietly, grasping her upper arms with his hands, freezing her.

“My crypt? It’s close.”

Glazed over from desire, she takes a few beats to process his words. Looking around briefly, she does realize that out in the middle of the cemetery may not be the wisest location. Catching his eyes again, she nods. His hands drop and one reaches for hers. She twines her fingers in his tightly, allowing herself to be led across the damp grass toward his home.

Her tiny fingers wrapped in his send shockwaves up his arm. Spike had reached for her without thinking and she had taken a hold of him tightly, surprising him. Mentally, he is grateful for the small side trip he made earlier tonight, ‘borrowing’ a sleeping bag and some blankets from a camping store downtown. Got spoiled sleeping at the Slayer’s house and wanted something softer. Despite the glorious vision of taking her on the sarcophagus, he knows she will appreciate the comfort. Shaking his head, he wonders when he began to worry about the Slayer’s comfort. Glancing back at her, he softens his eyes. She is looking up at him as they move rapidly through the cemetery, deftly sidestepping tombstones. Her green eyes are nearly black in the moonlight, but he doesn‘t need much light to see it. To see something profound in their depths. Passion...and maybe more. He turns away, afraid his eyes are showing something equally unsettling. His entire body is alive from her touch, reaching into a place inside him he thought safely locked away.

It’s just tonight, though. To satisfy this blinding lust. If he wanted to pretend it was more, she couldn’t stop him.

Buffy felt weak in her knees even as she kept up with his breakneck pace. His look had been penetrating and it shot through her, making her muscles turn to jelly. His cool hand was clutching hers tightly, as if he would never let go. She hoped this spell ended soon and she hoped it would never end. The longer it lasted, the more she felt there was more to it than lust and the thought sent her reeling.

Lost in their thoughts, they found themselves at the door to Spike’s crypt. Flinging the door open, Spike turns to her, relieved to see that she didn’t appear to be changing her mind.

“Ladies first...” Without releasing her hand, he gestures into the dark space with his other. She steps in and then suddenly, yanks him in after with their clasped hands. The door slams behind the blond vampire and quiet settles on the dark cemetery once again.