Memory Redux

I won’t waste any time with a author’s note since it took me so damn long to get this chapter out! But - Adulnficnfict Rocks!! Enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 6: Determination


“Bugger it all to hell, I hate being noble,” Spike grumbled as he hurled a book across his library. Watching the novel hit a wall and fall to the floor, he ran his hand through his already mussed up hair. “Never works. All virtuous acts ever seem to do is backfire and make me loose my bleedin’ temper. Well, not that I normally need an excuse to get right pissed.” Picking the sorely abused book back up, Spike resumed his pacing along with his tirade. “Not withstanding a sodding inferior vamp joke, most noble acts just all around suck. My latest shot was a right cock up which just ended up making me as randy as a college freshman spending spring break at a beach on an island in the Caribbea
T
Their day spent in the cemetery had almost been surreal, but it had been a very real, very willing Beth. After their kissing and her acceptance of a future for their relationship, he had sat there, stroking his fingers through her varying shades of blonde. But then reality came crashing back down, and bugger all, no matter how pathetic of a love-sick wanker he was, he just couldn’t go through the inevitable torture that came with loving Buffy even if she was in the new form of Beth.

His few times alone with Buffy had been like sneaking into a little corner of Heaven. After the Hellmouth was closed, Spike thought of his existence as a type of purgatory, with him knocking on the locked gates of Heaven for fighting the good fight but still doomed to hell for being a demon that killed for over one hundred years. He had accepted his lot in his unlife, but now with Beth, he was beginning to believe he could visit that corner of Heaven again.

Nevertheless, he wasn’t a fool to think there was any kind of future with her since this relationship would be temporary at best. Beth didn’t even know that vampires were actually real, and Spike suspected that before he could even finish explaining and showing her about demons, she would probably run screaming all the way to Alaska.

Considering all these sodding points, Spike nobly decided it was wisest to keep her at arms length. However, keeping Beth at arm’s length was turning out to be a Herculean task, and he certainly wasn’t and had no desire to be ninny Hercules. Hell, this act of chivalry was harder than getting a soul. The sodding problem was he couldn’t bring himself cut off all contact with this beautiful blonde he had worshipped for so long, but he wanted to keep their relationship friendly instead of intimate. Play it safe. Bullocks, he knew that it just wasn’t a Spike-like thing to do.

To help to stick to his decision, Spike thought it best to avoid intimate situations by sticking to public locations. Hence, for last Saturday, he bought tickets to an amusing play, made restaurant reservations, and made sure she didn’t have a chance to come up to the loft afterwards. Above all, he needed to avoid any physical contact.

However, when Spike returned Beth to her car at the end of nig night, he must not have consulted Beth’s plans because before he could dodge out of the way, she had pulled him down and kissed his lips. She tasted so persuasively sweet that all he wanted was more. Luckily she ended the kiss with a moan of pleasure and a sassy wink before she left. Kicking himself, Spike knew that he was such a bleeding pushover, but at least with her gone, he was safe from temptation again. For the next week, Beth was out of sight and hopefully out of mind most of the time. Make that half of the…Ok, a little of the time…while he was asleep…in between his dreams of her. Then Thursday the little minx called informing him that she would see him at the loft Friday and hung up before he could form the first words of his reply. Maybe he needed a good thump to his noggin since he should have known then that Beth was going to knock down his short, incomplete wall that he really didn’t want to build between them anyway.

*****

On the other hand, Beth had a different view of their relationship. Driving toward Sacramento on Friday, Beth thought back to the previous weekend and decided the best way to describe her last visit to see William was major league tense. An A+ in tension. Once she had seen the phrase “sexual tension” in a romance novel but thought the phrase was an exaggeration to heat up the story. Well, she certainly knew better now. Actually, this electricity between her and William shot right past tension to its own torture for lovers. And how in the hell did things between them start so fairytale-like, and then become so wonky? Not like they fought or anything. Well, they did have heated, intense debates at times, but not fights per se.
Their time kissing in the cemetery had been magical, but then he had weirded out. William had “suddenly remembered” that he had to go out on a job and hurriedly walked her to the Jeep to say goodbye. And “say” was the operative word since the goodbye was all talk and no kissage. Regardless, Beth promised William to see him the next weekend.

However, a sicky-bug invaded the Summers’ home that week. Beth ran a fever on Wednesday and Thursday, and then her mother came down with it by Friday. Unfortunately, her mom wasn’t faring as well as Buffy had. Joyce had high fevers that made her as weak as a new born kitten, too weak to walk to the kitchen or negotiate the stairs. Any food Joyce could manage to get down bounced back up like her stomach was a trampoline. Beth was happy to look after her mom, returning her mother’s care from all the times her mom had taken care of her. The only down side was that she couldn’t go to Sacramento that weekend. But when she called William to let him know, for a couple of seconds of his reply, he sounded disappointed, but then he sounded more removed.

Originally Beth had thought she wouldn’t be able to get away from Sunnydale for the next weekend, but with major effort, she was finally able to free up Saturday afternoon and night. She drove to Sacramento as if chased by hungry cannibals whose had a preference for short blondes. She was stunned when she arrived. Usually in rather casual attire, Buffy didn’t know what to think when she found William in a nice pair of pants and a nice button down shirt. Next, he surprised her with tickets to a play and reservations in a nice restaurant. The play was funny, the food afterwards was yummy, but William was a gorgeous, blonde *stiff.* And it was not the good bulge in the pants kind of stiff that she had felt pressing against her briefly that day they had lain in the grass. But that night, he was the not joking, barely smiling, overly serious kind of stiff. The wrong-o-meter in her head was dinging like crazy. Unfortunately, as soon as they had returned back to his loft, she had to leave to go back to Sunnydale, and she highly suspected William planned that timing specifically. Why? She didn’t know, but before she got into her car, she still pulled him down for a kiss before she left, a kiss way too chaste than she had had in mind. At least a little tongue. What a rip.

So many other little things had been missing that night. She wanted to see his blue eyes darken to a deep sapphire when he gave her a steamy look, which made her hot in all the right places. Looking at her with longing and desire. She wanted to watch him tilt his head when teasing her and the way he listened and talked to her without ever making her feel like a dumb blonde as other people had. And unbelievably, she was actually shocked to think that she missed his sarcasm that usually made her laugh. And the kisses, those should have been on the top of her list of things she missed. Their kisses had been getting hotter and hotter and always making her wanting more. Yes, more whether he thought it was a good idea or not, which she suspected was going on.

After thinking through the evening again and again and again, what she remembered the most were his eyes after she kissed him to say goodbye. They were the only sign that he wasn’t really as distant as he wanted her to believe. In his eyes, she saw passion and desire swirling together to make a blue fire burning for her. So here she was, driving back to Sacramento with her thoughts coming back full circle to sexual tension. During that drive she decided that particular term described their current relationship perfectly. The problem was that the term was usually about two people that wanted to have sex but can’t, unfortunately in their case, she and William could have sex but don’t. Or more exactly, he won’t. So not of the good.
Ha! The joke’s on him, though. Instead of putting her off, his cool demeanor made Beth all the more determined. She carefully planned her next moves and executed the first steps to perfection. After packing for the whole weekend, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, Beth intentionally “forgot” to call her dad to let him know that she would be coming to town, kissed her mom good-bye, and headed out with her stubborn face firmly in place. She was going to kick this relationship up a notch; William just didn’t know it yet.

*****

When Beth arrived with her book bag slung over her shoulder, she played her hand close to her chest. She hesitated at the door, thinking through her plan a couple more times. Usually she barged into his loft without knocking, but this time she wondered if she should take the more polite approach. She didn’t barge into anyone else’s house. Well…maybe Willow’s and Xander’s sometimes, but they didn’t really count since they were her best friends, did they? But this was a bachelor’s home. He could be in the middle of an activity, some bachelor type doings such as running around in the buff or something. ‘And the down side of his nakedness is…? What am I waiting for?’ With a wicked grin, Buffy shrugged, and without knocking, forcibly pushed the door wide open. “Hi. I’m here,” she sing-songed as she passed through the foyer. Beth set her school book-bag on the sofa before heading into the kitchen to grab something to drink. She barged into his loft, so why not barge into his refrigerator. As she entered the kitchen, Spike came out of his bedroom buttoning his shirt, Beth was a little disappointed because he was fully clothed. As she opened the refrigerator, she was sure that a naked William would have been much better.

“Hello to you too, pet.” He raised an eyebrow in her direction enjoying the view of her ass as she bent over to look around the frig.

‘He had better appreciate the view,’ Beth thought as she rummaged around. ‘But a little wiggle or two of my butt couldn’t hurt.’ When she heard his low groan, she knew that the first act of her show was definitely working. When she turned around, William was facing her on the other side of the counter that opened up to the living room. She couldn’t see below his waist, but he did look a little strained. She wanted to laugh at his attempt to hide his erection. ‘Color me enticing,’ Beth thought as she gave him a sparkling smile. “Nice shirt. What kind of pants are you wearing?” She asked while leaning over the counter trying to see for herself, but he quickly blocked her view by cinching up against the counter. ‘Bad Beth,’ she scolded herself but she just couldn’t help herself from teasing him. His expression was just so cute that she wanted o kiss his nervousness away.

At her words, Spike chose to assume she didn’t want to see the massive bulge in his pants. As she backed off and poured a drink, he assessed more of her clothes since he could no longer ogle her delectable ass. Black warm up pants with a baggy sweatshirt? Huh? “Pet, I thought we would go out tonight.”
She kept her face down, watching the diet coke she was pouring into a glass. She knew if he saw her face, she would give her seductive plans for the evening away. “No, I was hoping we could stay in. This week’s been way up on the crazy scale, and I don’t want to make with the party mode.” After putting the bottle back into the refrigerator, she picked up her drink. Then Beth walked around, out of the kitchen she made herself comfortable next to her book bag on the leather sofa. “Besides, I didn’t think you would mind helping me study for a couple of exams I have next week.” She purposely didn’t give him a chance to argue.

While she had been looking away, Spike rubbed his eyes and resigned himself that they were staying in for the evening. Beth in the loft for a span of time made it too bloody tempting to haul her into his bedroom and not let her out until she had to return to Sunnydale for her first class on Monday. Or maybe her Tuesday or Wednesday’s classes. Or even better, skip the whole sodding week of classes since she was going to return to him next Friday anyway. Ummm, he could picture her in his bed, naked, golden hair on the pillow, a smile on her face just for him… Way too many graphics floating around in his head and settling below his waist. Change of thoughts definitely required. “So, luv, do you want something to eat. I could run out and pick it up.” For awhile, that would take away his temptation to hold her, kiss her, and much more. Damn, he really needed to excuse himself and take a cold shower.

‘Oh no,’ Buffy thought, ‘you’re not getting off so easy.’ She gave him a bright smile. “Let’s just have something delivered. I know, pizza! The staple of the delivery business. And yummy.” Wanting to laugh, she watched him head to the phone. ‘Yes. Now all I need to do is get him on this sofa with me.’

Spike thought as he looked up the number to the local pizza delivery, ‘No way, I’m sitting on that sofa with her. If she’s going to study, then I will read a book in my library. That should keep my did in check. The history of the North Pole or something like that. Cold and nothing arousing about it.’ When he came back into the living room, he sat down in a chair with coffee table between his seat and the sofa. “So, what are you studying, pet?”

“The Psyche of the Criminal Mind for my major and an elective that I should have taken my freshman year, Twentieth Century European History.

“Do you like…?”

However, before he could even finish his qion,ion, Buffy began the next scene in Act Three. “Is it hot in here?” Not waiting for an answer yea or nay, Beth set the book in her lap onto the coffee table. Then grabbed the bottom hem of her sweat shirt and whipped it off over her head, revealing a white sports bra which left little to his imagination, such as her erect nipples. For this occasion, she had actually gone out with Willow in tow, to hunt for the skimpiest, sexiest sports bra she could find that would also push up her breasts for optimal viewing pleasure. Willow had been horrified at first, but over lunch, Beth explained her purpose for the shopping trip. By the time they were finished eating, Willow and Beth were giggling over how skimpy a top they could locate for Beth. In fact, Willow found the winner of the seductive sports bra award. Judging by William’s reaction when he first saw the top, Beth made a note to tell Willow that her choice was perfect.

After setting the sweat shirt aside, she made a show of reaching for another book sitting on the table close to him, making sure to give a good view of her cleavage as she reached past him. Looking at his face out of the corner of her eyes, she could see his widely startled eyes focused on her breasts and exposed skin. William’s eyes shift from his normal ice blue to a dark sapphire filled with desire, and he quickly too the book he had been reading and flipped it over and to it down to cover his lap. Damn, she should have looked down faster to enjoy the sight of his bulging hard-on she knew she had him so far. A sense of feminine satisfaction coursed through Beth’s body only to be quickly pushed aside by her own raging desire for him.

Later, when she glanced over at William reading in his chair, and she could tell he had relaxed again, Beth knew that it was time for act 3. After a few minutes, Buff broke the silence. “Do you know anything about the early twentieth?”

Thankful for a topic other than her breast to think about, Spike rolled his eyes and chuckled. He couldn’t exactly tell her that he not only knew about that particular time, but that he had actually lived it, as well as the end of the ninetieth century. And for her other class, he could tell her about the criminal mind from personal experience. “Actually, luv, I know quite a bit about that period of time. What do you want to know?”

Beth put on the most confused while innocent expression she could conjure up on her face. “Color me confused about this whole section in this book.”

”Well, read it to me, and I’ll help you out.”

Beth shook her head hoping that her hair was swinging attractively. “It’s way too long to read out loud. Come over here and read so we can discuss it.”

Spike knew better than to get that close when he could practically see her breasts through that transparent top. “Just pass it over here, pet, so I can read it”

‘So the hottie was going to play stubborn, was he?’ Beth thought she saw a flash of determination in her eyes. “There are graphs and pictures that go along with the reading, so we need to look at them together. Come over here, please. I won’t attack you or anything.”

Spike shut his eyes while running his hand through his hair. ‘That’s the rub,’ Spike inwardly groaned, ‘I wouldn’t mind jumping you.’ Still holding his book in a strategic location, Spike moved so he could sit down next to her, making sure there was as much space as possible between them. Unfortunately Beth immediately changed that situation.

Beth scooted over to sit as close to William as possible so that their knees actually touched, while she pointed out the section for William to read.


Now for the last act, Beth thought. Instead of looking at the book she had picked up, she set it on her lap as she swiveled to face him. “Do you remember the end of that day in the cemetery? The day that started the whole stand-offish William phase?”

Spike just blinked at her, not knowing what to think or say.

“Don’t bother answering that question because, laryngitis boy, I have some other questions that responses are mandatory.”

“Oh…Ok?”

“Are you attracted to me?”

Spike paused before answering, wondering if he should lie, but just able to. Not to her. “Yes.”

“Good answer, William, because every time I am with you, my hormones go wacky.” Beth leaned over to put her hand beneath his chin. “Shocked much? You can shut your mouth now.”

With a little help from her, his mouth closed with a snap of his teeth. Beth thought she saw the book in his lap raise up a little. ‘Why not find out for sure?’ She reached over and purposely moved the hand resting on the book. Then she slowly she lifted up the book, “accidentally” brushing her fingers across his lap, and set it on the table next to her own. When he tried to return his hands on his lap, she batted them away before he could cover up his erection straining against his pants. That sight answered a lot of her questions. No doubts now. William was attracted big time. Act four was coming along just fine. Just one more scene of that act to go.

***

TBC


Ok, ok, at this point, I am so glad none of you know where I live. Hell, Isis has already let me know that Ch 7 has to come out soon. And it is : )