Title:  Living Things
Author:  Pattyanne
            snapkik@yahoo.com
Disclaimer:  None of the BtVS
characters belong to me.
Feedback: Love some, thanks.
Summary:  A rewrite of the aftermath
to 'Dead Things'.  I changed things to
suit myself, and others as well.



Part three.....

Buffy stood in the shower, hot water pelting
down on her, soothing her tired and aching
muscles.

She'd spent the entire night with Spike, making
love over and over again, until they were both
too exhausted to continue.

Dragging herself home this morning, she had
collapsed on the couch, unable to summon up
the will...or the strength...to climb the stairs and
fall into bed.

"Vampire comes along," she'd muttered, "and I'm
one dead slayer."  A sudden smile had bloomed on
her face, and her eyes had become dreamy with
memory. "But it was worth it."

She had slept until almost 4:00 p.m., and woke up
smiling from an intensely erotic dream she'd been
having about dancing in the Bronze, and Spike walking
in.  Seeing each other for the first time, he had picked
her up and carried her to a quiet and dimly lit corner,
then had begun to undress her.....

"Stop," she ordered herself. "You're gonna drive
yourself insane.  Stop thinking about Spike."

She may as well have said "Stop breathing" for all
the good the words did her.

Laying prone on the couch, she'd stared at the
ceiling.  It was done now.  The struggle to not love
him was over. She'd finally surrendered and just
accepted it.

All she had to do now was make everyone else
accept it.  Accept it, or at least tolerate it, since
she had no intention of going back now.

The first order of business would be to tell
everyone about it.  With a wicked smile on her
face, she had reached for the phone.

"Hi, it's me...Nothing much...I thought it might
be fun to go out tonight...Let's just hang at the
Bronze for a while...Tell Willow and Tara,
okay?...How about 7:00?....See ya then..."

********************

After her shower, Buffy wrote a short note and
cajoled Dawn into delivering it to Spike. The
message had been brief and to the point:
'Tonight...the Bronze...7:00'

She then packed an overnight bag and made
arrangements for her sister to spend the night
with a friend from school.

When Dawn returned, Buffy sat her down on the
couch and told her everything.  Dawn had no
problem accepting it, and had summed up her
opinion in two words..."About time."

Hoping that attitude would carry over to the
others, Buffy ran upstairs and dove into her
closet.

Easily finding what she wanted, she held the
dress up in front of her and stood before her
full length mirror, smiling at her reflection.

She took off her robe and donned a lacy, black
camisole with matching panties.  Deciding to
really go all out, she pulled on her black garter
belt and clipped a pair of sheer stockings to it.

"That ought to make his eyes pop," she said
confidently. Pleased with what she saw in the
mirror, she reached for her dress and slipped
it on.

The bodice of the dress was a clingy black lace
that hugged every curve down to her waist, where
it fell in silky folds slightly above her knees. Cut
low in the front, it displayed a modest amount of
cleavage.

Plugging in her hot curlers, she made up her face
while she waited for them to heat. She used a
light rose blush on her cheeks, and a darker shade
on her lips. She paid careful attention to her eyes,
blending two different colors of shadow, then
underlining them with a medium brown pencil. She
finished up with several strokes of her mascara
wand, until her lashes were a long, lush frame for
her eyes.

After curling her hair, she slid a pair of sparkly side
combs into it to pull it back from her face.

A drop of perfume behind her ears and on her
pulse points completed her makeover.

Taking one last glance in the mirror, she grabbed
her purse and headed out the door.

********************

Walking into the Bronze at five minutes past
seven, Buffy scanned the room and spotted her
friends.  She smiled when she saw Spike sitting
with them, and was glad to see that everyone
seemed to be getting along.

"Okay," she whispered, "this is it."

As she approached the table where they were
sitting, Spike sat up a little straighter and looked
around.  He grinned when he saw her, his eyes
widening with male appreciation.

Knowing that he had once again sensed her
presence before actually seeing her, Buffy felt
a little pleased shiver race up and down her spine.

She breezed on up to the table. "Hi, guys. Sorry
I'm late."

"No worries," Xander said, getting to his feet. "I'll
get you a chair."

Unable to resist the devilish impulse to shock them
all right out of their shoes, she declined the chair
and walked around the table, depositing herself in
Spike's lap.

As surprised as he was by her behavior, his arms
automatically wrapped around her waist. "Still love
me?" His lips formed the words silently.

She nodded and cupped his cheek in her hand. "Hey,
you," she greeted him softly. "I missed you all day."

Leaning down, she kissed him long and hard.

One of his hands moved up her back, and he tangled
his fingers in her hair as they kissed.

A moment or two later, she ended the kiss, then
turned her head to check everyone's reaction.

"Close your mouth, Xander."  She laughed a little, a
sound that her lover echoed against the side of her
neck. "And yes...it's exactly what it looks like."

********************

(I dunno...shall I stop here and get back to
other business or take this a little further? You
tell me.....)