Title: Afterglow 1/54

Written as a Long Stand Alone (Was written so it can be read with out reading the first story).

Sequel to Dream Once More (Archived at the Sand lot)

Author: T. Claybourne  (t.claybourne@yahoo.com)

AU And Crossover

Rating: NC-17 for sexual content but only in a few chapters mostly it is R for language

Pairings: Spike/Buffy Spike/female? Original Character/Male?

None of the characters, but the obvious one, are mine. I wrote and post this story for pure entertainment. Any reference to other authors or characters with in the story is out of the utmost respect! I love their work too. Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, and Fox have full rights to all the Buffy and Angel characters. Although sorry guys you can't stop me, I will continue to obsess over Spike no matter what you do to me.

Summary: Following his time as a ghost, Spike met and fell in love with a newly empowered Slayer. Although Buffy returned to Los Angeles to find Spike alive, Spike remained with his new love. Together with Buffy and others, they all had to fight against a plot involving Angel, and a group trying to raise the Master with in him. During the fight Spikes love was turned into a vampire by Drusilla but Angel's team was able to put a soul in her. Now changed and not her former self the Slayer left Spike. Buffy consoled him after his lose and they came together. But will their relationship survive when his past love comes into their lives again?

I'd like to thank my Beta Reader Hawera And muses Michelle Brach, Robbie Williams and Evanescence

''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''\ ''''''''

After Glow Chapter 1 Mr. Chivalrous

Buffy shifted the grocery sacks to her other hand as she knocked on Spike's hotel suite, then she turned the knob and let herself in. There was a spring in her step since school was over for the year and there were two and a half months of freedom ahead.

"Hey," she said and headed to the kitchen, after seeing him on the Playstation still in his suit pants and dress shirt. The jacket and tie lay over the arm of the couch.

Unloading her purchases, she smiled and sneaked the Jack Daniels into the cupboard that also held all the makings for margaritas. Spike hadn't been buying any whiskey in the last couple months after living in a bottle following Emma's departure. Spike would have some if they went out, but Buffy had no plans to go out tonight. If she were to figure out where they were headed in this relationship, she knew that having some liquor in him would help. The two of them talked all the time, just never about their budding what- ever-this-was.

It had started a few weeks ago with an accidental kiss. She had kissed Spike. He asked for another but then he had pushed her up, saying they needed to finish the poker game they'd been playing. At first Buffy had been embarrassed but later, as she lay in bed at her father's apartment, she had become confused and a little angry. Only a year ago Spike had professed his undying love for her. At the time he hadn't considered he might actually die, come back as a ghost, and then be made corporeal. He had then decided to go on with out her, to give her a life, and had ended up falling in love with another slayer. When Buffy finally discovered him alive, or rather undead, in Los Angeles it was too late; he was happy and she wanted him to have that. After the other slayer had left him he was devastated. Buffy and he had started a real friendship then.

They had talked about the kiss the next day. She had agreed with Spike that they should take things slowly. Buffy was planning on returning to England for the summer: she had told Spike that she didn't want it to go that slow, and would he consider coming too. She had reasoned with him that the change of scenery and seeing the slayers he had started training, as well as talking to the council about that training, would be good for him. He had agreed.

A lot of kissing had happened since then but if it got even the least bit heated Spike always stopped it. He would always have a good excuse. That alone was over the top strange for Mr. Physical Spike so tonight she'd confront him. Buffy had to know where she stood because of the phone call from Willow. The fact that Emma, or now as she called herself Mia, had decided to join the Watcher's Council was going to be difficult to say the least. Buffy knew Spike might still have strong feelings for her, even though Emma had told him she was no longer the person he'd fallen for.

>From the living area Spike spoke up. "So pet, how'd it go?"

Buffy heard the mad pushing of buttons and him swear, "You dirty buggers, I bloody don't think so."

"Traffic wasn't too bad, and the beach wasn't that crowded. It was a great way to start my summer. How was your day?"

"Angel's the boss, so guess."

Buffy popped the lid on the Tab and went to sit next to him, purposely putting her thigh against his. Buffy had never lost that feeling Spike's touch gave her, a warm flush with her lower parts tightening. When he'd been with Emma she had turned it off and redirected it towards Wesley. Strange as it was, Wesley was there when she needed him and her for him. The relationship she had with Wesley was what had kept her sane in those months but at the end of it all, Wes had been right; they weren't really meant for one another. She wasn't over Spike yet and he wasn't over Fred, Winifred Burkle. Buffy just couldn't be sad about any of it because look where they both were now, with the ones they had really wanted. Wes and she had started talking again, and amazingly they showed real promise at being "just" friends.

"So you want to go out tonight, Spike?"

"No, No, NO aha got ya now."

"Game no or out no?"

"Game, and if you're in a mood for an outing I'll go with you." There was a mad pushing of buttons, then a victory cheer.

Turning off the game and television, he looked her direction.

"Looks as if you are dressed to go out, pet, is that the plan then?"

"No, not necessarily, just, well... kind of wanted something other than my usual."

Actually, she had worn the outfit to help get the conversation going the direction she wanted it to, but it wasn't so over the top that he would suspect her motives. It was an off-white angora sweater with large see-through knit, a beige lace camisole similar to one he had commented on once, and her tan jeans with suede boots. The high heels made her feel taller than her normal short self.

"I like the sweater, but isn't it a bit warm for today?"

"Not in the air-conditioned car. Now that you mention it, it is a little warm in here." She shrugged out of it and smiled with satisfaction at his nod of approval for the camisole.

"I kind of wanted to hang here, watch a movie, order some wings, maybe try and win back some of what I owe you."

"Try is the appropriate word." He grinned as he rose and headed towards the bedroom. "I'd better get more comfy for this evening you have planned."

Buffy sat still on the couch. It had been forever since she had seen him naked or even shirtless and the thought of him just in the other room was making it hard to stay where she was. Buffy headed quietly through the kitchen and was almost at his door as he came out in a pair of old Levis and what else but a black T-shirt.

Turning toward the cupboard, she went for the Jack Daniels, hoping her previous intent was not obvious. It was crazy how she was feeling. Of course, the memories of things they had done two years ago never helped.

"Look, I bought you a present. The guy didn't even card me. Even though I'm legal now, I always get carded."

Spike glancing down at her, saw her strategically increased by a wireless wonder bra cleavage, and lifted a brow.

"Yes I could see why the clerk, male was he, wouldn't think to card you."

Buffy turned to the cupboard hoping her small victory smile didn't give her away. "There is still Coke in the fridge, or you can do it straight."

"You know I like it straight."

Buffy turned, hoping to see that famous leer attached to the statement, but he'd headed to the telephone to order the wings.

"Spike, don't forget to order extra celery and blue cheese for me."

He nodded while placing the order. Buffy poured him a drink and sat it next to him, then went over to the couch and took her boots off. Letting herself relax, she placed her head on the back of the couch and sighed. Sometimes it seemed like there was so little of the Spike she knew, it was frustrating. He still held back a lot. Emma had really hurt him and she knew he didn't want it to happen again. Really, if she thought about it she knew how he felt, she'd loved someone like that once. With her and Angel it seemed a little different; she had been so young and naive then. Once Spike had told her Angel loved her because he had seen her as his redemption, or at least the start of it. Those didn't seem like possibilities at the time but now after everything that had happened she tended to agree a little on some level.

"Hey, what's the serious face about there, slayer?"

"Nothing, well I'm just thinking how I am so not ready to head to hardly sunny Britain for summer break. Supposed to get a tan during, don't think that's possible there."

"You could wait a bit, spend a couple of weeks visiting the beach here and then we could hop across the pond."

Buffy tilted her head, it was a good idea, and it would give her time to make sure they were officially really together before she told him about Emma, or rather Mia, being there.

"That's a good idea but weren't you looking forward to getting out of office duty?"

"I am, but it'll give me time to tie up loose ends, pack up the stuff here at the hotel and what have you. Angel doesn't really need me in here, 'sides I think he is getting ready to call it quits over at the evil law firm. After that fiasco with his son, Angel has no reason to hang out in the belly of the beast any more. They'll probably be out of there by fall and want the hotel back."

"I'll call Will tonight; can you okay the change in the jet use with Angel for me?"

"Of course. I can't really fly normal means now can I, not unless you had plans of vacationing with a pile of dust."

"As tempting as it sounds, nope, I prefer you all bodily."

The hotel door bell rang and Spike was out the door to fetch the wings.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Sitting on the couch, the bony remnants of the wings they had ordered stared up at them from the coffee table. The bottle of Jack was only three quarters full now. There were only a few bare bones on Spike's side of the table and many more on Buffy's.

"So, did you have some blood before I got here?"

"No, why do you ask?"

"Well, your dead soldier pile is much smaller than mine. You know it's been that way a lot more lately and my clothes are a little tighter, whereas yours, not so much."

"I have an unlimited supply of blood at work and you needed a little more to fill your clothes."

"Hey, I was fine before."

"Better now." A small resemblance of the leer she'd hoped for earlier flitted across his face.

Buffy felt herself blush a bit, but changed the subject back to him.

"Spike, you lost a lot of weight when, after, ah- and well, you haven't put much back on, you aren't even trying."

"Vampire here, Buffy, won't get sick from being a bit thinner."

"I know just, well, it's like you still think about ..."

"Think about what I lost?"

"Yes"

"I still do but I am trying to move on, and don't tell me that on occasion you don't still, even now, think about Angel."

"I do but, ok it's just, never mind, sorry I mentioned it." She turned away then because this was not a discussion she wanted to have with him, especially tonight.

Spike bent a bit and grasped her chin pulling her to face him. Spike kissed her then. Buffy felt herself relax even when he pulled away.

"Thank you for worrying about me love but no need. I'm a big boy. If you must know, the solid stuff doesn't sit with me as well as it used to after going without anything as long as I did... after she left. Buffy, you know I loved her. I haven't told you this before but I felt a little like I deserved her leaving."

"You didn't. I was the one that didn't stake her in time."

"No, not that. I had started trying to find some way, or rather started thinking after that time the First made us believe she was dead, that I couldn't bear to lose her. I was sure there had to be some way to stop it from happening. Her being a slayer and human upped the odds that I would sooner rather than later actually have to bury her, like I did you. I thought about turning her myself for about one minute. Don't give me that look, I said for one minute. I wouldn't have, it would literally have bit me back. After she rose and she had her soul, I was selfishly ecstatic. I was so happy that I didn't want to see the signs that she wasn't the same."

Buffy watched as he talked and the pain he had in his eyes made her ache for him. She'd felt the same way before Riley had left her. She'd never even seen his pain. Only thing was, she hadn't really loved Riley the way Spike had loved Emma.

Buffy leaned in to kiss him, hoping to take some of that look of pain on his face into her and away from him. It worked, because he responded to her and with more passion than she'd expected. Buffy was careful not to push, just to accept and respond enough to show him how she felt. She ran her hands through his hair, releasing some of the curls from the product he'd used to comb it straight. Her hands traveled down to his shoulders, and Spike pressed her back until her head lay on the arm of the sofa. His tongue probed her mouth and she pressed herself against him. Buffy felt his hands move down her back, cradling her. She pulled away from his mouth and moved to his neck.

She remembered how he always reacted to her biting his neck, and grazed her teeth down until she nipped his collar bone. Buffy could feel his partial erection pressing against her thigh through his jeans. Buffy sucked at the curve of his neck. He shifted, capturing her lips and mouth again; Buffy felt his hand move down her thigh, then his hardness was straining against his zipper along her pubic bone. A moan escaped her and she felt him shift again grinding into her. Suddenly, without warning, her warmth and tightening released a little and she felt wet and ready. In an effort to touch his skin she ran her hands up under his shirt over his taut muscles. Buffy forgot her effort to not push and moved her hips up, pressing herself roughly against his hardness. She heard Spike grunt a sound of pleasure. He moved his mouth from hers to her chest. His hand grazed her breast, causing a shiver to go through her. Then he was cupping them and he laid a tender kiss on the part of the breast not covered by her camisole. Buffy unbuttoned the top button on his pants, stopping only when he pulled her camisole away then grasped her erect nipple in his mouth.

"Oh, Spike," she moaned and moved her fingers into his waistband, trying to grasp his penis.

In an instant she felt a breeze and he was gone, standing by the window peering out into the darkness.

"Spike?" The question caught a bit in her throat.

He turned a faint smile on his face. "Thinking it's time for me to win more money off you, Slayer. Wouldn't mind heading to the home country with a cool 50 being owed me"

"I think we should finish what we started." Buffy sat up, purposely not moving her clothes back in place.

"Not going to happen, especially after we were talking of her."

"Why, Spike, why can't we, we are consenting adults, we know it's good between us."

Spike moved back to her, bent down and moved bra and camisole back into place, then cupped her jaw.

"When we do I want both of us to know it's because we both want it. There has to be no question, and tonight you would question if it was about her or you."

"It's because you would question it, not me. I know how I feel. Two years ago you wouldn't have let us go this long."

He shook his head. "Two years ago I was a soulless evil thing, your own words. Even though I loved you I liked hurting you a little. I never want to be the thing that hurts you now."

Buffy stood up. "Did you ever think your refusal may hurt me?"

"Your pride, love, but not you, deep down you know I'm doing the right thing."

"Deep down I wonder how much you actually care about me." The look on his face made her suck her breath in. "I'm sorry. I'm just frustrated."

"You think I bloody well don't tell myself how stupid and old-world this is, how I should just give in, have you like I want so desperately, that there would be no problem? But I lived too long letting that part of me win and look where it led me. I don't want sex to be the only thing between us. I've felt real love, real happiness, and that's what I want again."

One small tear rolled from her eye. She felt so silly, and also embarrassed, acting the wanton slut. She knelt beside him. "I'm the stupid one. It must be hard not to let me win."

"It is, but I know you're worth it. Now come on." He lifted her by her hand and led her to the table. "I've got some money to win."

After a few hours of playing, Spike grinned at her over the top of his cards. A poker face the woman did not have. It was a pleasure watching her try and hide her feelings during the game. Buffy could never lie to him anyway, but she kept trying.

"Should we call it a night? You're into it for 38 dollars now."

"Like you'll ever see it with the vast wages the very overwhelmed Council pays me. My father is footing the bill for school you know."

"What, you plan to welch on me; bloody hell, Slayer, thought you a better bird than that."

"You could take it out some other ways." She gave him a devious but sensual look.

Spike's eyebrow went up and he downed a swallow from the bottle now over three quarters gone. "We've disgusted this already, love, not now."

"Did you just say disgusted?

His eyebrows came together. She smiled that sober person smile at him.

"Oh no, you are way behind on me, Miss Tab, time for a drink."

Spike rose and quickly mixed her a margarita on the rocks. Buffy thanked him and began sipping it gingerly.

"If you want to stick around here tonight you'll catch up a bit closer in the inebriation area, pet."

She looked cross but downed the drink he presented her and two more before he was satisfied enough to sit down and join the game again. Spike noticed that soon after the drinks her game got a bit better. He only bluffed through two wins before he gave her a look.

"What?" she asked, over the top of the fourth margarita.

"I'm played out, Slayer."

"What? But you're still winning."

"Wait a minute, were you letting me win?"

"No, well, maybe on this last hand."

Spike narrowed his eyes. "Why's that, love?"

"I want to owe you big." She giggled. "Forget it, let's play strip poker, I've never done that."

Spike shook his head. "Not likely tonight."

"Pooh, Mr. Chivalrous."

"Buffy..."

"Ok, sue me. I lust for you."

"Flattered, love, but please let's not go over this again."

"Okay, let's talk about us. Where is this going? Is there a future, or if she comes back is it over?"

Spike blamed himself for letting her drink. He knew she didn't do it well.

"We are not talking about this tonight, pet, we are a bit on the pissed side and it deserves a real sober pair of us."

"Oh, I hate that you grew up so much."

Spike laughed a deep laugh then. "Had to do it some time, love. Alright, this is what we will call the end of the night. Come on, there is a room ready down the hall because you are not driving home; it scares me to let you drive home sober no less."

"I can sleep on the couch here."

"Not likely."

"You don't trust me?"

"Among other things."

"You really don't?"

Spike sat for a moment trying to gather his thoughts on how to handle this, and if he really wanted to. Buffy got up and walked to his room.

A moment later he followed and found her under the covers. The flash back of Emma and the first night they had slept together crashed into him. He staggered at the force of it, propping himself in the door. Buffy was still clothed but it was still too much too close. Buffy lay there with her eyes closed and her breathing slowing.

Spike walked out and down the hall to the other room. The confusion he felt about his emerging feelings for Buffy made him unable to sleep. Sometimes he knew that without a doubt that he loved her, and that it was different now than before. He yearned for her sometimes, but then something like that memory of Emma would happen and he worry that she was just a way to forget about Em. He stared at the ceiling, willing himself to stop thinking. He'd had less of these types of nights since Buffy had kissed him. Used to be he'd stare at the water stains on the ceiling, and wonder where Emma was, what she was up to. He had rehearsed what he'd say to her if he ever saw her again. A lot of nights he cursed Emma and sometimes he just berated himself for being such a fool for love, love's bitch, that was him. He hadn't been lying there thirty minutes when he heard the knob on his door.

Spike lay still and heard Buffy move away saying, "He locked the bloody door. Spike is getting way too smart."

Her use of his curse word made him smile; he made sure he heard her go back to his room. Well, they would have two more weeks without the others around, maybe the answer would come to him by then.