Chapter 2 – Kiss Me Once...
"I am not avoiding," Buffy said firmly.
"Oh, you so are," Willow said. "You've been avoiding any and all mention of Riley since that night we went to the Bronze."
"Nooo, I just haven't had anything to say about him. That's lack of information, not avoiding."
Willow sipped her latte and looked around the Espresso Pump before focusing on Buffy again. She lowered her voice. "Are you and Riley having problems?"
"No!" Buffy said quickly. "No problems. Why would you think that?"
Willow gave her an "oh please" look.
Buffy sighed. "Okay. We're not having problems, exactly. I'm just not missing him like I thought I would. He's coming back in three days and I'm not all excited. I think there's something wrong with me."
Willow covered Buffy's hand with her own. "There's nothing wrong with you, Buff."
Buffy thought back to her kiss with Spike. Now *that* was wrong. "I hope you're right," was all she said.
"Tara and I are going Bronzing again tonight. Wanna come with?"
Buffy shrugged. "Maybe I'll catch you guys after patrol."
Willow stood and drank down the last of her coffee. "Okay. We'll look for you. I'm off to meet my snugglebunny now. Though she hates it when I call her that."
Buffy sat up straighter. "And that's another thing. No pet names. I have *no* desire to give Riley a pet name."
"Not everyone is a pet name person, Buffy." Willow squeezed her hand. "It will be fine. You'll see him again and everything will fall into place." She picked up her bag and put it over her shoulder. "See you later?"
"Yeah. Maybe," Buffy said. "Bye Will."
Buffy sat and stared at her coffee cup for a long time.
Patrol was kind of boring alone, Buffy thought. Especially when the bad guys refused to respond to her banter. This vamp she was fighting only seemed to grunt and drool. And fall down easily when she punched him. Where was the fun in that?
Shaking her head, Buffy finally gave up and staked him. As his dust settled on the grass, she wondered if maybe she should just go to the Bronze and try to have fun there.
She looked up quickly when she heard whistling. Her heart started jumping when Spike, carrying what looked like a bag of groceries, came into view. He stopped short when he saw her.
"Slayer..."
"Spike..."
"Didn't know you'd be here."
"I didn't mean to..."
"Long time no see." Spike set his bag down on a bench and dug in his coat pocket for a cigarette.
"Yeah," Buffy said, looking down at the ground.
"Thanks for getting my coat back to me."
"Yeah, well, it was the least I could do. Or something."
Spike blew smoke into the air and tried to catch her eyes. "Is this as weird for you as it is for me?"
Buffy couldn't help it. She laughed. "It's definitely filled with weirdness."
"Soldier boy back yet?" He sat on the bench.
"Three days." Buffy sat down next to him.
"You don't sound real thrilled about that, love."
Buffy looked up quickly and pointed at him. "Do not analyze me, Spike. And don't call me 'love'."
"Okay. Okay," Spike said, putting his hands in the air. "Making an observation is all."
"Well, don't make them out loud."
Spike flicked his cigarette to the grass and ground it out with his boot heel. "Right," he said. He slapped his knees and stood. "So I'll be on my merry way."
He reached for his bag, but Buffy grabbed it too, stopping him. "Wait."
"Wait for what, Slayer?"
"For, I don't know." She stood and looked him in the eye. "It was wrong, Spike, what we did. Wrong on so many levels I don't even know where to begin. But the worst part? What I actually felt? Not so wrong."
"Yeah," Spike said quietly. "I felt that too."
"But I've almost convinced myself it was some kind of fluke. The night air, the thrill of demon hunting, the full moon... Any one of those things could be the reason why kissing you affected me the way it did."
"Think so?" Spike tilted his head, considering her words. "I did have two JDs that night."
"Right," Buffy said, getting into it. "So I was moonstruck and you were drunk."
"Takes a lot more than two JDs to get me *drunk*, I'll have you know."
"Work with me, Spike."
"Oh. Right. Moony you, drunk me."
Buffy pointed at the sky. "So, no moon tonight. Have you been drinking?"
"Not alcohol," Spike said with a sly smile.
"I'll pretend you didn't say that."
Spike laughed.
Buffy glared at him, then went on. "So if we're not being affected by anything outside ourselves, kissing you should just repulse me."
"Hey!" Spike said.
"And if I'm repulsed, things will go back to normal." Buffy steeled herself. "Kiss me."
"What? You want me to what?"
"Kiss me. Just do it. I have to know."
"What the hell do you think I am, Slayer? A science experiment? There's no way I'm gonna jump when you say..."
Buffy grabbed his lapels and shut him up with her mouth.
Shit, Buffy thought. No repulsion.
His mouth fit hers as well as she remembered. And his lips actually were that soft. Oh, and his tongue... Buffy wrapped her arms around Spike's head, trying to pull him closer.
Spike's hands slid down her back and pulled her pelvis to his. He was definitely not repulsed either, Buffy noted, feeling his hardness grind into her. She wrapped a leg around one of his.
Their lips parted for a second, just a breath apart. Spike's tongue touched the corner of Buffy's mouth. She groaned and pulled him to her again. He tasted of cigarettes and blood and even that didn't stop her from kissing him as deeply as she possibly could. She wanted...she wanted...
She wanted to kick herself, that's what she wanted. They separated as quickly as they had come together, each stumbling a bit.
"What the bloody hell was *that*?" Spike asked, breathing hard.
"It's a spell. It has to be a spell," Buffy said as she paced. "Willow wouldn't... Someone else. Someone else has put a spell on us." She stopped and grabbed Spike's arm. "What kind of enemies have you made lately? Who would want to do this to us?"
"Me?" Spike said. He looked down at her hand still on his sleeve. "Why does it have to be my enemies doing this?"
"I'm just trying to figure this out, Spike," Buffy said. Her voice was rising in pitch. "Why aren't we grossed out? Why do I want to do it again?"
"Why won't you let go of my arm?" Spike smirked at her.
Buffy started and quickly pulled her hand away from him. "How can you joke? Isn't this freaking you out too?"
"Well, yeah. But not as badly you, apparently. There's always been something between us, Buffy. Since the beginning."
"Death wishes! There were death wishes between us!"
"Hate's just the other side of love, you know."
"No! I love Riley!"
Spike crossed his arms. "Riiight. Then you'll fight me if I do this." He reached out, cupped the back of her skull and brought her mouth to his again. Buffy kissed him back fully, fisting her hands in his coat. Eventually Spike lifted his head. "Yeah, you're completely enamored with Soldier Finn," he whispered in her ear.
Buffy shoved him away from her violently. "Go to hell, Spike," she spat. "I know this is a spell. And when I find out who's doing it, they will pay." She stalked away from him.
"You do that, Slayer," Spike called after her. "It's been so long for you, you don't recognize lust when it smacks you in the face. No spell needed for that."
Buffy ignored him and walked faster.