This is for Jeni as a special thank-you for all the work she put into creating my site.

A/N: Some dialogue is taken directly from BtVS episode Pangs. This story goes AU after the beginning of Pangs. Some canonical points have been altered prior to that episode for the sake of this story. For the purposes of this story, Buffy has not seen Spike since their truce to take down Angelus, they are not under threat from Hus and his followers and Spike has not been chipped.

by Jackofspikes

"How often have you prepared a meal like this, Buffy?" the discontented watcher asked with some trepidation. Her insistence on creating the perfect Thanksgiving dinner now seemed to border on an obsession. He looked longingly at the liquor cabinet and had to steel himself from giving in to the temptation.

A loud and frantic knocking at the door startled them both. Buffy rushed to open the door, her heart beat racing, her senses were going haywire. She knew that signature and if something had him panicked ...well, then, she was terrified.

Flinging open the door, she froze momentarily, her frightened green eyes locked with those of pleading blue. He cowered at the door, almost hidden beneath a smouldering blanket, slowly being seared by the indirect sunlight.

"Help me," he begged her.

"Invite him in, Giles." Buffy's tone brooked no argument.

"Well, that's fairly unlikely," the watcher laughed at her request.

"Giles, either you let him in, or I'm taking him to my Mom's," Buffy hissed furiously through gritted teeth. Her eyes flashed gold in her anger.

"Buffy..." Giles broke off his complaint when he saw the changeable colours of her eyes. Stepping back hesitantly, he invited the vampire in. He recognised the signs; this was not Buffy he was dealing with, this was the Slayer. Somehow his slayer had tapped into the essence of the First Slayer and she had never been more dangerous.

As the barrier came down, Spike collapsed through the door. He knew he was safe and he allowed himself to finally slip into unconsciousness. The Slayer would protect him.

Carefully picking up the inanimate vampire, Buffy manoeuvred her way to the couch. Placing him down, she swiftly straightened him and placed a pillow underneath his head. Seating herself next to him, she took hold of one of his hands and ghosted her other across his forehead. She noted the bruising that covered his face, the gaunt look of his features, and worried that more injuries might be found when they examined him. When she finally started to speak, Giles had to move closer to hear her softly reminiscent words.

"We made a pact, a truce, because he didn't want the world to end. He said he liked the world. He offered to help me stop Angelus. Oh, I didn't believe him at first, but I was willing to listen. Did you know he tried to help me cover up to Mom?" She smiled as she remembered. "Said we were in a band; that I played the drums and he sang.

"He sat with my mom for a while, and I knew...I just knew she was safe with him." She sat silently for a few moments watching the unconscious vampire and just as Giles was about to give in to temptation and ask her to continue, she started speaking again.

"When I walked into the mansion, he was sitting in his wheelchair. Angelus said something about me not being capable of fighting all of them and that's when he stood up and started hitting Angelus with a fire poker, saying I wasn't alone. He kept his word, Giles. He took care of Dru while I faced Angelus. He's the reason I was able to stop Acathla. I can't not help him now." She never once took her eyes off the vampire on the couch.

"Why didn't you ever say anything?" Giles asked, keeping his voice just as low as hers.

"What would I have said?" Buffy stated simply. The implications were anything but simple.

Giles knew he was missing something and when he finally figured out what it was he knew he was going to berate his own stupidity, but he had to ask anyway. "I understand that was a difficult time for you, dear, but why not say something after you returned to Sunnydale?"

"The Slayer fights alone, Giles. You should know; you're the one that told me that," she told him with a tiny, deprecating smile. "But, for that one brief fight, I wasn't alone.

"After I came back from L.A., I found it difficult to fit back into the group. I was disappointed in Willow; she didn't want to understand what I had gone through emotionally, she just wanted me to get over it all and be how I used to be. She didn't get that the whole situation had changed me. She didn't want the new Buffy; she just wanted the old Buffy back again. I felt disconnected from her. I still do.

"Xander was a whole other story. He'd hated Angel from the start, but not because he was a vampire. No, not Xander. He hated Angel because I loved him. I knew he had a crush on me and I tried to let him down gently, to let him know that there was no way in hell I'd ever date him." Buffy paused, gathering her thoughts, "He lied about remembering what had happened when he was possessed by the hyena spirit and he lied about not remembering that he tried to rape me. Even if he managed to convince himself that he didn't mean it, that it was the spirit, he never seemed to realise that I wouldn't have forgotten. For a long time, every time he touched me, I remembered. So, even if I liked him in that way, I could never have gone out with him after it happened. But he couldn't, or wouldn't understand and so he allowed his jealousy of Angel to fester.

"Then Angel lost his soul and Xander had a field day. He allowed a tragic event to justify his jealous hatred and then he betrayed me." Buffy lifted sad eyes to her watcher. "He didn't tell me that Willow was trying to re-ensoul Angelus and that I should stall. He told me that Willow said to kick his ass. I had to send Angel to hell. He had to spend 500 years there and I spent months feeling guilty and all of it could have been avoided if Xander had just passed on the true message. He's never admitted it, so he's never apologised, and my feelings for him have changed because of it."

Looking her watcher firmly in the eye, Buffy took a deep breath and continued. "Then there's you. Angelus may have been the one to kill Jenny, but I hold her, Angel, and myself equally to blame. She should have told us the truth about herself. That could have saved her. Angel had a hundred years to find out the details of his curse, but he didn't. Had he done that, the whole situation may have been avoided. And me...well, I had the opportunity to kill him and I didn't. Jenny didn't have to die, but she did, and you suffered for it. Then, after all that, the Powers That Be sent Angel back and I forced you to do be around him. I couldn't see past what possessed Xander had done to me, but I expected you to see past what Angelus had done to you. After all that how could I possibly ask you to take on faith my trust in an unsouled demon?

"I'm so busy trying to salvage my friendships and not wanting to hurt the feelings of my friends, that I don't tell them that I hate it when they patrol with me; that they make me lose focus. The only time I've ever felt safe in a fight was when I was fighting with Spike on my side." Buffy smiled sadly and turned her attention back to the vampire on the couch.

"We should check to see if he has any injuries that require tending to, Buffy." Giles looked at the expression of pleased surprise on her face and knew that he had made the right decision. In regards to this intriguing vampire, he would trust his slayer.

Carefully removing Spike's duster so that it would be easier to check him, Buffy was angered to see that his arms were also covered with bruises and burn marks. Lifting his tee-shirt, she felt her fury escalate at the mottled colours of his chest.

"Whatever did this to you is so dead," Buffy declared furiously.

"Not this time, pet," Spike responded. His voice was laced with pain, but his appreciation at her concern shone through his eyes.

Smiling in delight to see him awake, Buffy almost instantly changed her expression and greeted the injured vampire with her very own brand of bedside manner. She pouted in displeasure. "Why not?"

Smiling tiredly but with amusement, he answered her. "They were humans, Slayer. About ten of them. They had tazers, but I'm this colour 'cause I was trying to get away without killin' any of them. Bastards didn't make it easy, but I managed it. Trouble is, they staked out my home, so I can't get back there to feed. I was hopin' I could get you to go to Willie's for me and pick up my order. I didn't mean to pass out on you like that. Guess I was more exhausted than I thought."

Quickly coming to a decision, Buffy stood. "Give me the directions and keys to your home, Spike. I'll go and get you some stuff, and I'll get rid of your unwanted stalkers at the same time." The look on her face convinced him not to argue.

As Buffy moved towards the door, she looked back over shoulder at Spike. "When I get back, you and I are gonna have a little discussion about why you haven't come to see me since you've been back in town for...almost a year?"

"How the bloody hell did you know that?" responded the flabbergasted vampire.

Buffy just grinned as she shut the door.

Turning back to the watcher, Spike offered him a tired smile, "I really appreciate this, Watcher. If you'll hand me your book on rituals, I'll show you the best spell for a disinvite.

"Why would you do that, Spike?" Giles asked, genuinely curious, his voice free of censure.

Spike shrugged. "Just seems like the right thing to do." Turning to fully face the watcher, he elaborated, "Your place needs to be a safe haven for the slayer and her mates, and even though vamps can't get in without an invite, there're plenty of other nasties out there that can. You find the right disinvite spell and Bob's your uncle...no more nasties without the invite."

Giles walked over to his liquor cabinet and grabbed the decanter and a pair of glasses. It seemed he and the vampire had a lot to talk about.

~*~*~

When Buffy arrived back at the apartment, she found Spike and Giles happily chatting away in the kitchen. Placing a bag that held frozen blood bags on the kitchen counter, Buffy cocked her head in curiosity and greeted the unlikely pair. "Hey guys, whatcha doin'?"

As she spoke, the kitchen timer went off and Spike deftly removed a beautifully baked pumpkin pie from the oven and placed it on a pre-prepared cooling rack.

"Spike kindly offered to finish preparing the pie for you, as you were forced to leave it in order to help him," Giles informed his slayer.

"Seriously?" Buffy looked at both of them in shocked disbelief.

Chuckling at the shocked look on the face of the slayer, Spike picked up a bag of blood and asked Giles if he could use his microwave. With the watcher's agreement, Spike busied himself making and drinking his own dinner.

"The others will be here soon. Giles can we set another place at the table?" Buffy smiled guilelessly at the watcher.

"I can make myself scarce while you have your dinner, luv," Spike offered sincerely, clearly not wanting to be the cause of any problems.

"Not at all, Spike. I, for one, welcome the presence of another adult." Giles' words may have been reserved but his almost pleading tone was another matter entirely.

Buffy lifted an eyebrow at the vampire. "You ain't goin' nowhere, Spikey. We still need to have our talk, but it's gonna have to wait until after dinner."

"Well, then, you'd best get back to work, wench. Rupert and I will just toddle off." Slapping her on her firm backside as he passed and ignoring her indignant 'hey!', Spike joined Giles in the living room.

When the gang walked through the front door of Giles' apartment, they froze in shock at the sight before them. Well, Willow and Xander stopped; Anya just wondered why they had. The sight of Giles playing Beatles songs on guitar while he and Spike sang along was a sight to be seen.

"Do the one with the strawberries again, I like that," Buffy called out her selection from the kitchen. Giles immediately started strumming the familiar chords to Strawberry Fields.

"What the...huh?" Xander spluttered incoherently.

"It's a song made famous by a group called the Beatles. They were very good, for humans," Anya stated nodding in agreement with herself.

"Um...I think he meant what was up with the vampire friendlies? 'Cause, gotta say, confused!" Willow squeaked out her comment.

"What?" Anya asked, confused for a moment. Turning to take a closer look at the singer on the couch, Anya's face lit up with recognition. "William!" She happily greeted the vampire. "I haven't seen you since before you made that petition to get your soul back."

"WHAT??!!??"

"So, is dinner ready yet, Slayer?" the embarrassed vampire tried to steer the conversation away from the subject of souls.

As Buffy's eyes met Spike's, they flashed gold. "Question time is after dinner, people. If you guys will start putting the food on the table, Giles can take care of the drinks and Spike, if you wouldn't mind, could you come here and carve the turkey?" Once again, Buffy had felt the intense urge to protect Spike. She didn't understand it, but she was sure that Giles had an idea about what was going on. Right now she had more important things to worry about, like serving a perfectly prepared Thanksgiving dinner.

When Spike saw Buffy's eyes flash gold, he'd been hard pressed to keep his demon down. Sharing a quick glance with the watcher told him that he wasn't the only one to have noticed. 'Spike, ol' son, there's a tale to be told here'. Moving swiftly to the kitchenette, Spike ably performed the task he had been asked to do.

When they were all seated, they offered thanks. When it was Spikes turn, he smiled enigmatically and said, "I'm thankful to the Slayer for showin' me the path, and to the Watcher for trustin' his slayer."

The dinner was a delight, everything was cooked to perfection, although Buffy was pretty sure that was because Spike had been assisting and not because of any culinary skills on her part. The pumpkin pie was so popular that seconds was the request of the day. When the meal was finished and everything cleaned up, the group made their way to the living room.

The time for explanations was at hand.

"Story time, Spike. What's the what?" Buffy grinned playfully at the vampire.

"Alright, luv." Spike acknowledged her smiling demand with a nod and a small smile of his own. "Last time you saw me was durin' that whole Acathla debacle. After I knocked out Dru and put her in the trunk of the Desoto, I came back in to check on you. I saw when the poof got his curse back and watched as you had to stab him to close the big-mouth stone. I figured I was the last person you'd want to see at that point, so I scarpered.

"I took Dru down to Brazil, but she blamed me for taking away her bloody daddy and when she found out I was gettin' my dinner from the local butchers, she kicked me out. Told me I wasn't demon enough for her and took up with some bleedin' chaos demon." Spike found the tale easier to tell than he had imagined. "Didn't know what to do with m'self, so I came back here."

"When was that, Spike?" the watcher asked, intrigued. "And what made you change to animal blood?"

"Just before this lots graduation, near as I can figure. I was in the sewers, on my way to come and see you, Watcher. I wanted some help with...well...the soul thing, but I heard the slayer and the poof talking and thought it might be better to go to someone else." Spike shrugged. He was embarrassed to admit that he'd witnessed that scene. He remembered his anger that Buffy had been subject not only to having her relationship described as a freak show, but to have her heart broken in a sewer. 'Bastard didn't deserve her'.

"What do you mean by 'the soul thing', Spike?" Willow hesitantly asked. "Did you get someone to curse you?"

Chuckling a little in self-depreciation at that automatic but understandable belief that a curse must be involved, Spike quickly debunked them of that idea. "Nah, Red. I asked for it back.

"After I helped with Acathla, I had this dream, see. I was followin' Dru and the slayer down this road and when they came to a fork, Dru went one way, and the slayer went the other. The way Dru went looked like a real easy walk in the dark, but the other way was all bright and sunny. It had lots of hills and mountains and it just looked...more of a challenge, you know. When I woke up, I figured it was a sign, that subconsciously I wanted to walk the path in the light. So I started researching. That's what bought me back here."

Xander watched with a suspicious gleam in his eye. "You're saying you haven't killed anyone since you left here after Acathla?"

"Mate, I haven't killed anyone since before the slayer dropped the organ on me," Spike answered the boy, looking him directly in the eye.

"I don't believe it," Xander responded, angrily crossing his arms and glaring at the vampire.

Spike shrugged in response, effectively dismissing the disbelieving teen. "When I couldn't go to Rupert here, I wasn't sure what to do next, that's when I spotted Anyanka. I asked her to help me."

"Why would you do that, Ahn? He tried to kill us," Xander yelled angrily.

"Hey! Don't yell at the girl. She did a good thing," Spike growled at the thoughtless teen; his protective nature coming to the fore.

"Spike is quite right, Xander. You could stand to learn a little control. Try listening to all the facts before you start yelling. You might just learn something," Giles openly berated the boy. Glaring at Xander as if daring him to speak again, Giles altered his tone and addressed his question to Spike. "How did she help you, Spike?"

"She told me about a Wiccan priestess in England who could help me, so that's where I went. Althanea, the priestess, told me all my options, and then helped me with my decision," Spike answered, open with his honesty.

"Althanea? In Westbury?" Giles asked curiously.

"Yeah, that's the one. D'you know her?" Spike returned the conversational ball.

"Well yes, I've known her for years." Giles smiled reminiscently.

Xander watched the easy camaraderie between the watcher and the vampire with cold fury. He fingered the stake in his pocket as he thought about the looks he'd caught Buffy giving the disgusting dead murderer. There was no way he was going to stand for anything developing between those two. He wasn't putting up with another vampire hanging around, regardless of what ever the hell he was talking about. Soul or no soul, it didn't matter to him; the thing was dead and Xander wanted it dusty. It was time to make a stand. Pulling out his stake, Xander turned to Buffy. "This is ridiculous. What does all this matter? He's a vampire; I say we dust him now. The only question is who's gonna do it? Will you do the honours, or will I?"

Buffy's eyes flashed gold again as she gave Xander a predatory smile. "Go near him with that, Xander, and I'll break your hand."

"I'm sorry, Buffy, but you're not putting us through another one of your sick fetishes with the undead...either he goes, or I do." Xander stood his ground, completely ignoring her threat.

"Xander!" Willow gasped in horror at her oldest friend. She, for one, was more than happy to get to know the unusual vampire. If what he was saying was true...he was amazing.

"Alexander Lavelle Harris, just you stop right there. Buffy will never be interested in you and you need to accept that. She is a slayer; slayers break their human partners, because humans don't have the strength or the stamina to keep up with them. You need to decide if you want to let go of your obsession and be with me, or keep up the stupid thing and have no one." Anya faced him down, her fists planted firmly on her hips and determination etched into every line of her face.

Xander spluttered indignantly, his face beet red. It wasn't like that at all, he tried to convince himself. He looked around at the expressions on the faces around him; there was not one friendly face. Actually, the friendliest look he was getting was from the vampire.

"Fine," he sighed in defeat. "But if he kills us in our sleep, you'll be hearing 'I told you so, for all eternity.

"I believe you were telling us about Althanea, Spike?" Giles returned his gaze to the untroubled vampire after sending a final glare to the embarrassed teen.

"There's this ritual; The Ritual of Forgiveness and Atonement. It's pretty rough, but in the end, it's worth it. I have forgiveness for my sins, a soul, a heartbeat, body heat, and the ability to stand in the sun. That is, unless I'm weakened by lack of food or exhaustion. She called me a living vampire. It's like I'm a brand new person. Althanea helped nurse me back to health, and then I came back here. I bought a house, and I've been here since.

"I have been patrolling around my home, though. It's not far from the slayer's mums and I knew the slayer was at the college, so I thought I'd keep an eye out for Joyce. Nice lady is Joyce." Spike finished his tale with a shrug.

Willow was at a loss for words. "Wow...that's just...wow."

"You know you are the first to successfully complete the ritual in over a thousand years, you must have a really pure heart." Anya seemed under the impression that everyone was as well versed in the topic of conversation as she was.

"What happened to those that weren't successful?" Buffy had to know. Her inner slayer was screaming for information.

"Only the selfless and pure of heart can successfully petition this kind of favour from the Earth Mother. Anyone else who tries is obliterated for their impertinence," the ex-demon blithely informed them.

Giles studied the perplexing vampire. The fact that he'd done this amazing thing of his own volition, his only encouragement a dream, was a miracle. It certainly put Angel's achievements in an unflattering light.

"So why were the commando's attacking you and following you home?" Buffy changed the subject. She didn't want to think about how her heart had constricted by thought of him being no more.

"Apparently they'd been tracking the same polgara demon I was. They weren't happy when I killed it. I think they wanted a little payback. Buggered if I know what they wanted the polgara for, though. Were they still there, pet?" Spike glanced over at the beautiful blond slayer, surprised to find that he liked her. Not as surprised as he had been when he realised he loved her, of course. And he wasn't planning on letting that little cat out of the bag, yet. At least, he hadn't planned on it, but the flashing gold eyes of his slayer might change that resolution.

Buffy giggled. "I called the cops on them. You should have seen them trying to explain away the balaclavas."

~*~*~

When the others said good night and left, Giles asked Buffy and Spike to stay. He had things that needed to be said to both of them, and he really didn't think it could wait. "Buffy, do you realise that your eyes have flashed gold a number of times tonight?"

"Huh?" Buffy said with her usual eloquence.

"Your eyes flashed gold. It is a sign that the essence of the First Slayer is present," Giles explained.

"Um...why?"

Giles loved the way that Buffy looked at him when she asked him a question. She made him feel like he was omnificent. He knew he wasn't, but it did make one feel good to be looked at that way. However, he wasn't sure of her reaction to his coming revelation at all.

"The essence of the first slayer only makes her presence known when she is in the company of the individual she considers worthy to be her mate."

"Okay...sooo wasn't expecting that."

~*~*~

As Spike guided Buffy through his front door, he removed his jacket. While he hung up both his and Buffy's coats, he marvelled at the events of the day, silently thanking the commandoes for attacking him so he had had a reason for seeking out the petite slayer. After Giles' little announcement, they had decided that they needed to talk. Spike had suggested his place for the sake of privacy, since neither wanted to share this particular conversation with Joyce or Willow.

Making themselves comfortable on Spike's deep seated, black leather couch, the two faced each other, knees barely touching. Lifting his hand to brush a strand of hair from her face, Spike froze when the beautiful green eyes he was gazing into started to glow gold. His own flashed gold in response. In slow motion, two heads moved closer and soft lips touched.

Spike withdrew from her lips, then gently caressed her cheek. He softly traced the features of her face with his finger tips, a look of awe in his eyes at the beauty that was Buffy. Moving his hand to the back of her head, he brought her mouth back to his. Tracing her bottom lip with his tongue, Spike voicelessly asked for entrance. As she willing granted it to him, he snaked his other arm around her waist, urging her closer to him as he deepened their kiss.

Entwining her arms around his neck, Buffy moved to straddle him. Their tongues engaged in a playful dance as his obvious arousal fit snugly between her thighs.

Moaning softly into the kiss, Spike slowly slid his hands down her body, touching softly, hesitantly, as if he was asking for permission. Alternately nibbling and sucking on her lips, he marvelled at her responsiveness. The scent of her arousal was slowly driving him insane. Leaving her lips to gently trail soft kisses down her bare neck, Spike groaned in delight at her taste. Slipping his hand under her shirt, he splayed his palm across the soft warm flesh of her back.

Pliant under his ministering lips and hands, Buffy momentarily allowed herself to wallow in the sensations created by his cool touch. Not one to be outdone, she pulled his shirt from his pants and slipped her small hand under it to run exploring fingers over his impressive abs as she bit gently down on Drusilla's mark.

"You're playing with fire there, luv," he gently admonished her.

"Fire pretty," she replied with a grin.

Flipping her so her back lay on the couch and he rested on his elbows above her, Spike grinned. "And how would you feel if I was to bite you?"

"Thought that was where we were headed." Buffy returned his grin and lifted an eyebrow in challenge.

"Buffy," his tone warned her not to play with him as his eyes turned almost black with desire.

Returning Spike's earlier favour, Buffy reversed their positions. Removing her top with one hand, Buffy's eyes flashed gold as she held the startled vampire in place with her other hand. "You're mine and I think it's about time we made it official."

Sitting up, he grabbed the slayer in a vice like grip and stood in one fluid motion. Spike plundered her mouth as he silently carried her towards the stairs and up to his bedroom. He had a Slayer to claim.

Without releasing her from his kiss, Spike placed one knee on the huge king size bed and gently lowered her to its surface. Silk sheets caressed her naked back, teasing her oversensitive nerve endings. Lowering himself to her, his kiss turned sensuous in it nature. Allowing his thumb to whisper over her extended nipple, his lips followed her jaw line to her earlobe. Spike had to force himself to keep the pace slow regardless of the little mews and whimpers she was making. His demon wanted ravish her, but the man in him begged for their first time to be filled with all the love he held for her in his heart.

As he nibbled on her ear and lavished her neck and shoulder with soft, open mouthed kisses, he whispered to her, "You are so beautiful, Buffy. Do you have any idea what you do to me?"

Pushing him onto his back as she dragged his mouth back to hers, Buffy explored his chest. Sitting up to straddle him, she continued her assault on his lips and tugged at his shirt, silently urging him to remove it. Following her lead, he whipped his shirt off, bringing his hand up to cup the back of her head he brought her back to him and reclaimed her lips. Eager hands and lips explored each others bodies, learning; tasting; testing.

Buffy had never experienced anything like it. Her one night with Angel had not prepared her for the passionate onslaught that was Spike, and Parker wasn't even a blip on the radar. She'd never been given the opportunity to explore a partner and she wasn't planning of missing the chance to do just that. She was delighted to discover that his nipples were as sensitive as hers and quickly replaced her fingers with her tongue. Spike's appreciative growl sent shivers straight down her spine to her throbbing centre.

Pushing him onto his back, she reached for his fly, easing it down and revelling her feeling of power as the whimpering vampire seemed to freeze in anticipation. Determined to examine him more closely, her small hand had barely encircled his fullness when it twitched in her grasp. She watched as it moved in her hand, her curiosity enticed. Initially, she had only intended to get a closer look, but when she saw the small pearl of pre-cum glistening on the tip, she gave in to her inquisitiveness and deftly removed it with a quick flick of her tongue. She savoured the taste, salty and sweet and undeniably Spike. Their twin groans of enjoyment encouraged her to explore further. Placing a kiss to the smooth, velvety head, she heard Spike gasp aloud above her, prodding her to slide her lips over the tip of his cock, saliva flooding her mouth as she swallowed him down.

Her mouth was like a furnace to him, setting his cock on fire, and it was all he could do to keep from shooting his load then and there. Growling his desire, he dragged her mouth off his cock and against his as he reversed their positions. As he kissed her, he lifted a hand to her breast, palming her softness reverently as his mouth dipped to sample its mate.

Moaning in ecstasy at the new feelings he was helping her experience, Buffy lifted his hand from her breast and moved it to the fly of her jeans, silently encouraging him to help her undress.

Quickly divesting himself of his own jeans, he helped her remove her remaining clothes. His lips never once left off their assault on her aching nipples, laving first one then the other, bringing her to new heights. Lifting his eyes to glance at her naked form, he drank her in. Buffy, beautiful and unadorned, lying before him with her glorious body bare to him. He was determined to sample every part of the bounty before him. Tonight, she would be his, and tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow.

She arched beneath his perusal. "Spike, please."

He returned his attentions to her breasts, his tongue tracing a wet path around her nipple before leaving it to make his way down her body, kissing every inch as he moved. Settling between her spread thighs, he nuzzled his face into her sex.

Buffy arched off the bed. "Spike!"

Spike chuckled at her reaction, sending delightful vibrations through her before settling in and lightly nibbling on her folds. Her panting as her eyes widened with awe told him all he needed to know; bloody tossers that she'd been with hadn't treated her right at all. He had every intention of making sure she knew how she should be treated. Her taste almost overwhelmed him and he lapped at her hungrily. Lying between her thighs and gazing up her body while feasting on her pussy, he felt like he'd found heaven.

"Oh God," she gasped. "Oh my God."

He sank two fingers within her. "You're so wet," he moaned. "So bloody tight."

"Uhhh..." her response was a long but encouraging mewl.

His tongue lapped at her eagerly, watching her face through hooded eyes. Watching as she blissfully writhed in pleasure at his touch.

"Spike...oh, God...please," she begged for release.

"I know what you need, kitten," he murmured. He smiled into her and drew her clit into his mouth. Sucking on the needy bundle as his fingers thrust deeply into her. He was drowning in her. He couldn't get enough of her. Her taste rolled over his tongue. His fingers were inside her, stroking her to perfection. She thrust her hips against his face, desperately trying to get closer to the incredible magic of his tongue.

"You taste like fine wine," he told her, withdrawing his fingers from her passage and replacing them with is tongue, mimicking the movement his aching cock was craving. His hand settled over her pubic bone, fingers finding her abandoned clit and massaging her in speedy, tortuous circles as his tongue plunged into her pussy.

"Oh, God!" she screamed, arching off the bed again. Her fingers burrowed through his hair as she held him tightly in place, crying out his name over and over as her pleasure escalated. He lapped up everything she gave him, rejoicing in the ambrosia that rewarded his tongue as she screamed her release. Surging up her body, he plunged himself into her before her body had the chance to come down from its first orgasm, causing a second to ripple through her.

Gasping aloud at the sensation of him filling her, touching places deep inside that no one had ever touched; Buffy flexed her own muscles experimentally and thrilled at her ability to effect him as she heard his gasp for air. Empowered by his reactions to her, she once again reversed their positions. When Spike put his hands on her hips to steady her, she used them as leverage to ride him, gliding over his rock hard member smoothly. Sitting further back on him, moving only her powerful inner muscles, she raked her nails over his nipples.

"Do you like that, Spike?"

"Oh, God, pet...the things you do...." He trailed off, unable to finish speaking, lost to the sensations she was creating.

Stretching out against his full length, she locked her legs around his and twisted so that he was once again on top, then whispered her desire. "Make love to me, Spike, and make me yours."

As she arched her hips against him, he raised himself onto his elbows. Positioning himself better, he glided in and out of her slowly, as deep as he could reach. She bit her lip to stifle a moan at the painful pleasure of it. He buried his face in her neck, sucking the tender skin above the pulse pounding wildly under his tongue; nibbling and sucking until he felt her body begin to coil tensely beneath him. Shifting his features, he allowed his fangs to gently pierce her skin, moaning in delight at the taste of her powerful blood. Taking three strong pulls as she screamed out with the power of her orgasm, Spike released her neck to growl out his claim "Mine. My slayer, my Buffy, my mate."

His own orgasm caught him by surprise as he felt her teeth tear into his neck, her strong pulls at his blood making him cum harder than he ever had before.

"Mine. My vampire, my Spike, my mate," she echoed his claim.

Gold eye met gold as they completed the bond. "Yours."

He felt her coming again, her slick inner muscles gripping him like a fist, and he erupted, groaning her name against her neck as he buried his face in her hair. He clutched her tightly as she held him to her, still deep inside her. She stroked his curls, pushing them back from his forehead to kiss where they had lain. He felt her in his arms and in his heart. He had never known such joy.

"Spike?" she whispered, as if unwilling to end the moment. "Did I mention that I love you?"

"Just around the time I said I love you, too."