Twining Vines (COMPLETE)

Part XXI – The Morning After

As the boot came into contact with it, the small rock flew through the air for a few seconds before it dropped back onto the floor, rolling a few feet causing a cloud of dust to trail behind it.

“Man, this place is completely trashed.” Xander noted the obvious as he stared at the rock.

The morning after the big confrontation they gather once again in the wreckage that used to be the Magic Shop. Under the clear light of day the destruction of the building was more evident.

“Why couldn’t the big showdown have happened in the other reality?” Anya pouted for the umpteenth time that morning. She sat on a pile of rubble, her elbows on her knees, her hands under her chin. “A universe in which *I* don’t run the Magic Box.”

“Have I said how *really* sorry I am?” Willow piped up with guilt in her voice as she eyed Giles under an apologetic frown.

The shopkeeper let his hand rest on her shoulder.

“It wasn’t your fault, Willow. You weren’t even there.” He said calmly.

“Yeah, it was her nasty, psychotic, evil twin.” Anya grumbled shooting Willow a murderous look.

“I’m sorry.” The witch muttered as Tara’s reassuring arm came to wrap around her waist.

“It’s ok, baby. It wasn’t you.” The blonde whispered.

The group wandered through the wreckage, surveying the destruction.

“There is no way we are going to be able to fix this up.” Xander spoke his thoughts out loud.

“Don’t say that!” Anya scolded him, standing up in a flash to cross the room and stand in front of her fiancé. “We are going to get this all fixed up and at minimum cost. You hear me?”

“Of course we are, honey.” Hessurssured her.

“Things could have been a lot worse.” Giles said as his mind dwelled on the memories of the nightore.ore. “The way she was upset… if it hadn’t been for Tara… We wouldn’t have made it.”

“Go, Tara! New super hero in town.” Xander applauded.

The blonde Wicca felt thood ood rush to her cheeks, giving them a bright shade of red as hers sts stared at the floor.

“What really did happen in the other universe?” Dawn spoke up.

“We’ll probably never know.” Giles took off his spectacles, running his handkerchief over the lenses before putting them back on. “All we know is that, for some reason, Tara…” He paused glancing at her. “…died and Willow wanted to turn back time to stop that from happening.”

At the ex-watcher’s words, the redhead wrapped her arms around her lover and brought her as close to her as she could before she whispered:

“Thank God, you’re ok. I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you.”

“It’s ok, I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Why did the fight have to happen here?” Anya whinged again, ignoring the rest of the gang.

“Anya, will you drop it already. It happened. Get over it.” Dawn stepped in, tired of hearing the ex-demon complain. “Now, let’s get to work.”

“And since when are you all action-girl?” Anya grumbled.

Dawn hesitated a bit before answanswered with a question directed at none in particular:

“Am I really a whiny brat?”

“What? No!” Willow and Xander said in unison.

“You’re not a brat, nor are you whiny.” Giles guaranteed.

“Of course you’re not.” Tara added.

“Sometimes.”

Everyone turned to look at Anya.

“Well, it’s true. I’m sorry. But she is whiny.” The ex-demon insisted even under the scrutiny of the others.

“Ahn!” Xander protested.

“What? I’m honest.” She blurted out.

Shaking his head, Giles couldn’t help but smile, everything seemed to be back to normal again. His eyes scanned his surroundings. Well, at least they would be after they started work on the walls… and the floor… and the… Oh my God, there’s no ceiling! He realised what had been painstakingly obvious to everyone else.

Rolling his eyes and sighing, he grumbled:

“We better get to work.”

“Right.” Xander exclaimed bringing his hands together for a loud clap. “To work.”

There was a moment of silence as the gang exchanged looks.

“Where do we start?” Dawn asked frustrated.

“How about we clean everything out of the room first? See what we can use and what we can’t.” Willow offered.

“Good idea.” Xander saxcitxcitedly as he moved toward one of the large steel beams fallen in the middle of the room.

He bent down and tried to pick it up but it wouldn’t budge.

“Um… A little help, please.” He piped up.

Giles went up to him. The two men pulled and pushed together but once more it had no effect.

“Ok, we need Slayer strength here. Where’s Buffy? What’s taking her so long?” Xander asked.

“She went to check on Spike.” Dawn explained. “See how he’s doing.” She paused. “See if he has any news on Sam.”

“Oh…”

A heavy silence filled the air as the group remembered the strange redhead’s disappearance.

~+~

The metallic screeching of hinges being turned alerted him to his unannounced guest. Even so he remained lying on his back on the bed, his head propped up by his two hands clasped together behind his neck; his eyes closed. Heeled-footsteps were heard, first on the top floor and then closer, over the steps that led to the underground compartment of his crypt where he lay. He didn’t need to open his eyes to know it was her. Her scent had betrayed her the moment she had opened the front door.

“Hey.” Her voice was soft and low.

“Hey.” He repeated the greeting as he opened his eyes and looked at her.

She stood at the foot of the bed, her hands nervously running over one another.

“How are you?” She questioned, trying to make small talk.

“I’m ok.” He replied sitting up straight and flinging his legs over the edge of the mattress.

There was a moment of silence between them as they held each other’s gaze. It ended when she lowered her eyes to the floor and breathed:

“Any news?” She didn’t have to say anything else. He knew what she was referring to, even so he asked:

“On Samara?”

She nodded weakly.

“No.” He ran his left hand through his dishevelled hair.

He hadn’t had a chance to bathe yet. After last night he had found his way back to his crypt and crashed onto his He He had tried to sleep. Probably managed a half an hour or so before he had woken up once again.

Nervously, Buffy moved closer, taking a seat next to him on the bed.

“She’ll be ok.” She tried to reassure him, but the hesitation and doubt were clear in her voice.

She heard him force out a chuckle and she swallowed hard when he turned to look at her. She had expected to find tears or maybe just sadness, but there was no trace of either in his azure iris.

“I know she is.” The strength in his tone made her wonder if he knew something that he wasn’t telling her.

“How?” She asked, tilting her head.

He shrugged.

“Just do.”

Once more, they looked at each other for a long while. She realised that the mask he had been so effectively holding up was starting to crack when she saw a shimmer in eyeseyes. It was faint but it was there.

“Spike…” She breathed.

Suddenly, he was up and walking to reach the nightstand on the other side of the bed.

“So, how’s the watcher’s shop doing? Still broken in half?” He asked refusing to look at her while he shuffled through the contents of the drawer.

She dwelled on whether to confront him or just play along with his charade. She chose the latter.

“Yeah. Apparently, the earthshaking and floor-cracking was in our universe.”

“Too bad. Demon girl must be crawling up the walls, huh?” He continued his search.

“Yeah…” She replied, standing up and going around the bed to reach him. “Spike…”

There was no answer.

“Spike…” she called again, this time setting her hand on his t-shirt-clad shoulder.

He stopped. She watched as he inhaled deeply before turning around to face her.

“Yeah?”

“What are you looking for?”

“Something…” He paused and added: “Not important.” He shrugged once more and tried to walk away but she stood in his path. “Wha’?” His voice was hard as he looked at her with a cold stare.

“It’s ok if you’re scared and-“

“Not scared.” He replied gruffly.

She tilted her head and looked up at him.

“Why are you acting like this?” She asked calmly.

“Like what?” He grumbled, trying to pass once more, but again she was in his way.

“Since when do you bottle feelings up inside?” She questioned.

“I’m not bottling anything, Slayer.” He replied, managing to get past her.

“See?” She said triumphantly. “Every time you’re pissed you call me Slayer.”

“What are you blabbing on about, Sla-” He stopped himself, but it was enough for her to pick up on it.

Her eyebrows raised on her forehead as if saying ‘I rest my case’.

He shook his head.

“Look, I don’t have time for this now. I don’t feel like having another round of-“

“Stop it.” She interrupted him. “I know how important she was to you-”

“You don’t know anything.” He growled.

“Fine! You wanna fight. We’ll fight. If it makes you feel any better.” She said, bringing her wrists up in front of her.

“Don’t wanna fight you.” He replied walking past her, but her strong grip on his bicep stopped him.

“Just let it go.” She muttered when he turned around to face her.

“Oh, brilliant!” He exclaimed sarcastically as he pulled away from her. “This coming from the Queen of Denial!”

“Fine, so I have issues with expressing-“

“You bet you’ve got issues.” He chuckled angrily.

“Don’t try to turn this on me.”

“I didn’t. You’re the one who always manages to make everything about herself.” He narrowed his eyes at her. “Oh, I’m the Slayer! I’m so bloody important. Oh, I died and now everyone has to wait on me hand and foot. I’m so sad.” He felt his stomach turn the moment the words left his mouth, but he stood his ground.

He watched as her eyes turned glassy and bloodshot almost instantly. She swallowed hard as she walked past him. She didn’t make it to the foot of the stairs before he was running after her and standing in her path.

“I’m sorry.” He breathed apologetically. “I didn’t mean to… You know me and my big mouth, always blabbing away the stupidest thing I can think of… I’m sorry.”

Her eyes were glued to his t-shirt as she refused to look up at him for a few moments. Eventually, her gaze drifted to meet him.

“I know you’re hurting, but that’s no excuse to go around being…”

“Mean?” He offered.

“Well, I was gonna go for ‘yourself’, but mean will do.” She replied with a weak smile.

He exhaled the breath he had been holding inside for the last minute and smiled back at her.

A warm feeling of peace seeped into his chest when her fingers came to rest on t-shit.

“I’m sorry about Sam.” She practically whispered.

Her hand drifted from his chest up to his cheek and he closed his eyes, leaning into her touch. His body seemed to freeze for a moment when he felt her lips graze over his, but soon he relaxed and returned the soft kiss.

His own hands found their way to cup her cheeks as the contact grew stronger and deeper. After a few seconds, he felt her pull away, his eyes opening, his lips trailing after hers to prolong the kiss, but she managed to keep them at bay as she leaned against his forehead.

“I love you.” She breathed.

His eyes instinctively fell closed again as he exhaled sharply.

“Buffy, you-“

He was cut short when her lips were suddenly on his, silencing his. Her mouth opened over his, her tongue sneaking in to duel with his as her hands wrapped around his neck tightly.

Breathless, she eventually pulled away.

“Now you listen to me. I didn’t say it before because of the little slime demon and I’m not saying it now because of Sam. I’m saying it because I mean it.” She paused, watching his eyes widened in awe. “I love you.”

He simply stood there, with her arms wrapped around him, his eyes large; his mouth partially open.

“Spike, did you-“

“Say it again.” He managed to say. His voice was weak and faltering.

She smiled.

“I love you.”

He swallowed hard.

“Again.”

“I. Love. You.” She repeated slowly, giggling a bit. “Are you alright? You didn’t-“

She wasn’t able to finish her sentence as suddenly she was swept off her feet. Next thing she knew she was falling onto a soft mattress with a loud whiffing sound as Spike followed her.

His body hovered over hers when he smashed his lips against hers for a ravenous kiss; his tongue invading her mouth while his hands delved into her thick locks.

She inhaled sharply when he finally abandoned her lips, giving her a chance to breathe while he trailed hard, open-mouth kisses down the column of her neck. Her mouth fell open, her head limply dropped back as her hair cascaded down the side of the bed.

The buttons of her shirt came easily undone under the pressure of his chin as he made his way over her breasts. Pushing the cup of her bra aside, his lips found one hard nipple to worry, while its counterpart was being rolled between two fingers.

Her nails dug paths through his bleached hair, pushing his face against her chest, trying desperately to increase the contact. A frustrated mewl escaped her when she felt his mouth abandon her breast to trail down to her stomach. With cloudy eyes, she forced her head up to look down at him. A content smile lit up her face when his fingers began working on the buttons of her jeans. The moment they were undone, he pushed the denim down, off her hips, letting it gather up around her ankles. It took a few excruciating moments to get her boots off, but eventually they tumbled to the floor along with her socks and jeans. Quickly, his attentions were back on track as his lips grazed over the soft material of her underwear. His mouth opened over the cotton panties, kissing the small mound they covered until the fabric was thoroughly soaked through. His tongue dropped between her legs to find the apex of her thighs.

“Ah…” She groaned as he kissed and nipped at her sex over the thin layer of clothing; her head falling over the side of the bed once more and her hips instinctively bucking off the mattress to thrust against his mouth. “Spike… please.” She begged.

One curious finger found the edge of her panties, lightly pushing it aside to allow his tongue to trace the contours of her outer lips.

He was planning on making her suffer a bit more, but his plan fell through when he opened his eyes to look at her. The sight of her spread out for him, her head thrown back, her mouth open, her chest raising and falling erratically, causing her breasts to sway under the confinement of her bra was just too much. Urgently, his lips encircled her clit, eagerly suckling it into his mouth as his index finger pushed into wet channel.

Buffy’s eyes shot open when the unexpected orgasm hit her hard. Her grip on his hair became almost painful, feeling the energy course through her body. The intensity seemed to double when he added a second finger and pumped into her in earnest. She thrashed under his ministrations for a few seconds before a wave of calm and fulfilment washed over her.

She let out a soft sigh of contentment when he crawled over her to cover her naked body with his clothed one.

Slowly, her hands began to move over him, finding to edge of his t-shirt and pulling it over his head. Another sigh escaped her at the feel of his skin against hers… so cold. Next, her attentions dwelled on the fly os jes jeans. Her fingers slid over the curve of his ass as she pushed the black fabric down his thighs. Thankfully, he wasn’t wearing his combat boots, so all she had to do was sneak one foot between his legs and push the denims all the way down to his feet until they dropped to the floor to meet her discarded jeans.

As she worked on his clothes, he helped her dispose of her own. With ease, he undid the front clasp of her bra, revealing her breasts to him. His fingers slipped under her shirt and guided it over her shoulder and down her arms. She arched off the bed to simplify his task, her nipples brushing against his cold skin in the process.

When they were finally devoid of any clothing, she scooted over the mattress so she could rest her head on it while her legs instinctively parted to let his hips nestle between hers. He watched her close her eyes for a second and let out a soft mewl as his erection brushed against her soaked lips.

His mouth dropped to cover hers in a slow, deep kiss. When they parted, their gazes met. His hands were framing her face, his body hovering over hers, when he moved his hips forward and entered her.

Theirs eyes widened at the feel of his cock pushing her swollen folds apart to slide into her drenched channel. Buffy’s lips pressed together, holding her breath as he pushed all the way in, stretching her. When he was finally sheathed in her she exhaled sharply, swallowing hard and looking up at him with large, glassy eyes; her cheeks flushed.

He stared down at her, watching as her eyelids fell shut, her nails dug into his shoulders just as he began to stir inside of her. He moved in long and deep strokes, pulling almost all the way out before gliding back in, building a leisurely, steady rhythm.

They kept the fluid motions for what seemed like an eternity, the pleasure inside growing slowly. Her breath was coming in shallow and laboured pants, but even so her hands gripped the back of his neck and pulled him down for hungry kiss. Her eyebrows crunched up in pleasure as she pushed her lips against his, moaning into his mouth while her hips rose off the bed to meet his thrusts.

With a gasp she tore away from him, letting her head drop to the mattress and looked up at him wide-eyed.

“I love you.” She breathed just before her internal muscles began fluttering around his cock and she started to come.

“Christ, Buffy… I love you so much.” He managed to pant; his mouth falling open and his eyes closed, just as his own orgasm hit him.

His body stiffened instantly while his hips bucked, erratically thrusting into her clenching core as he came.

When he finally came down from his high his head dropped down and his face nuzzled against the crook of her neck. He let out a satisfied sigh while her hands came to wrap around him to pull him into her warm embrace. She smile and closed her eyes, letting the sweet numbness take over her.